Good doctors are PRICELESS

One of the hardest things about leaving Chicago was leaving the doctors that have taken care of James since he was a tiny (and I mean TINY) 11 month old. Dr. Goldman will forever be in our hearts for all that he did for James. If I could have taken him with us, I would have. But, something tells me that the hospital and his patients in Chicago, not to mention his wife and children, would not like that idea.



But, God is good (another "God is good" moment) and gave us a wonderful doctor here. In fact, Dr. Mogul was VERY much like Dr. Goldman - fun, cheerful, good with the kids, AND HE LISTENED, something that is VERY important to me.

Medical books are good and very important, but when a doctor wants to take care of a patient based solely on medical knowledge, not taking into account the parents' input, they are not giving the best care. Not every patient or every situation fits into the "medical book" norm. And James......he hasn't fit into many "normals" at all. I'm digressing here, but I want to share a little lesson from a Mom of a brain tumor child who is also an ER doctor:

One of the common teaching points when one is going through medical school and hit the clinical years is that common things happen commonly. Because they have usually spent the last year learning about pathology and all kinds of weird diseases, their list of potential diagnoses are long (and sometimes humorous to practicing docs). These students are told, "If you live in Philadelphia and hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras." It is a dictum that doctors learn too well. They have seen the snickers and the rolling of the eyes. They have heard their teachers tell patients, "You know that almost never happens", "If it happened to you, we would have to wrote it up in a medical journal", "You've been seen by alot of doctors and they haven't been able to find anything wrong with you" or even "There is nothing wrong with you." What is forgotten is that there are Zebras in Philadelphia. OK, they aren't common and they live in the zoo. But there are going to be times that the hoof beats are zebras. I strongly believe most doctors either forget or are not trained to look for zebras. They are not looking for the rare or something they never have seen.



So, I was very worried when I heard that Dr. Mogul was no longer at the Oncology Clinic and we would have to find yet another doctor. What's the chance that we could find one more doctor that will care for James like we are so used to. But, AGAIN, God is good and He gave us Dr. Bryant. She is not funny like Dr. Goldman and Dr. Mogul, BUT she is very, very kind and she really cares about James. And, most important, she listens. In fact, I spent an hour today on the phone (hint - she didn't make any money off this conversation) talking to her about concerns that I have about James' care. She is wonderful!!! THANK YOU, LORD!!

For now, there is no treatment recommended. But, she is going to send James' records to Duke, to one of the best pediatric oncologists in the nation (I'd tell you his name, but it's incredibly long and I have no clue how to spell it - suffice to say he is called Dr. G). Dr. G and his team will see James and look through all his records and make recommendations. If (big IF) anything needs done, it will most likely be carried out in Charlotte.

She, Dr. Bryant, will also get us established hopefully with a neurosurgeon in Columbia (because its closer than Duke) for emergencies. She so graciously listened to my concerns regarding the neurosurgeons in Charlotte (reference my post last year about the worse doctor ever). She was very understanding and willing to help us find a doctor that we feel comfortable with to give James the best care possible.

Again, I am reminded of how good God is!!!

Coming soon.....pictures at the dentist. James is doing a very good job - only 3 more visits to finish all the work that needs done.