To: Maurice Winn who wrote (1443 ) 1/21/1998 9:49:00 AM From: Scott Read Replies (2) | Respond to
Maurice, have you considered a second opinion from another doctor? As a parent, I can only imagine the anguish you are going through. Bennett's post was encouraging, and I sincerely hope that your son is one of those who goes into complete remission. On the other hand, you have a great deal of knowledge about his condition and treatment options, and it does not sound as though you are completely comfortable that the doctor made the right call on use of Rituxan for your son. This is the situation that second opinions are for, and this should not cause any problem in your relationship with your son's doctor. In fact, I am surprised that he did not suggest this to you when he disagreed with you on whether Rituxan is appropriate for your son. I certainly do not know that it is. But if you are not yet comfortable with the choice not to use it, you need to get your son to see another oncologist within the critical week. That my sound impossible, but they (and most other types of docs) are used to being consulted on short time frames for exactly this kind of situation, and they will accomodate you. How do you find one? I do not know if you will be able to get an answer this way, but you might: Call Idec's customer service and keep asking to be transferred to the person who interfaces with physicians. Once you get someone knowledgeable, ask them to provide you with the names of physicians in your area who are experienced with Rituxan use. Idec has this information; they keep track of the physicians who prescribe their drug. The number of oncologists is surprisingly small, and Idec knows every one. Make it clear that you know that if they give you names, you do NOT regard that as a recommendation or an endorsement (you may well need to make that clear before they'll give you any names.)
