A friend of mine is pregnant and got a call from her OBGYN saying she may have liver cancer?
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Apr 22, 2011
My friend is 19 years old and pregnant. Everything in her pregnancy has been pretty much normal, except for that fact that she has been losing weight and throwing up almost an abnormal amount. She went to her OBGYN and had her blood tested. A few days later, she received a call from a nurse at her OBGYN and the nurse told her that they found something in her blood she may have liver cancer? The nurse was very unclear and short with her and told her she would have to make an appointment in order to speak to a doctor. Her appointment is not for four days. Is it normal for a nurse to tell you this over the phone? and to deny you to speak to the doctor? any credible feedback would be appreciated. Thank you.
from an article from cnn.com: "No completely accurate screening test for liver cancer exists. Doctors sometimes use a blood test that checks for the presence of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) — a type of protein not normally found in adults — to screen people at high risk of the disease."
as far as I know the rish factors for liver cancer include: being a male, being over 60, alcoholism and other that my friend does not fall under. So this clearly was not a routine thing. I’m not sure of all the details but all I know is that they should not leave my pregnant friend wondering for days what is going on with her body. Thank you for your answers.
The nurse specifically told her that she may have liver cancer, you have to come in on Friday to speak to the doctor. If they told her the doctor is concerned about something they saw in your blood, come in tomorrow it would be different.
siamese_eyes1983
Apr 22, 2011
wow
both my parents work in the medical field my mom a nurse my dad a respiratory therapist and both say that this is not ethical or professional behavior on the part of the nurse
whether or not your friend has cancer, the nurse was NOT supposed to tell her that over the phone. Any time a person gets tested for a life-threatening, potentially fatal illness (such as cancer or AIDS) the nurse is to tell them over the phone not anything about their results but simply that they have them and that they (the patient) needs to make an appointment over the phone to come in and have their results discussed with them by the doctor. I got tested for HIV awhile back and they called me saying to come in for my results. I was scared it meant the results were positive and I came there and they told me I was negative. I told them I was so relieved bc I thought I was positive since they wouldnt tell me the results over the phone and told me to come in. The docotr told me it was medcial procedure and protocal that she does not tell me the results over the phone whether they are positive or negative.
So no it is not normal or ethical or professional for the nurse to tell your friend that over the phone. However, she can deny her speaking to her doctor bc it is the nurse’s job to relay messages back to the patients when the doctor is too busy, but not in the manner of this particular nurse. If I were your friend I would tell the doctor when I go to the appointment what the nurse said and how she acted towards her over the phone. Your friend has every right to make a formal complaint about this nurse’s behavior and insensitivity, esp. over such a delicate subject such as the possibility of having liver cancer. I am sorry to your friend that she had to experience such a rude, unprofessional, insensitive and cold-hearted nurse who is ignorant about how her behavior can get her fired. Your friend can make a complaint about her to the doctor and also to human resources, she should try to find out her full name. And if I were you, to be a good friend to your friend, I would go with her to the appointment if she wants you to, reassure her that it’s not for sure and even if its that she can still get help and be healthy again, and that you are there for her any time she feels scared or alone.
Gary D
Apr 22, 2011
Nurses are told not to really divulge much more information than that because additional information would have them cross the border between being a nurse and prescribing curative activity for the patient…which would technically require them to be an MD. As a result, they avoid further conversation on the topic such as diagnosis or treatment because that’s what an MD does. If the nurse does that, then she’s practicing medicine without a license.
doomjockey
Apr 22, 2011
their not doing it over the phone because thats just not right. Calling somebody and saying "hey just letting you know your blood results are back, and you have cancer! sorry about your luck, talk to ya later?" They usually dont go into details if any at all and usually just say its very important you come back and talk to a doctor. Just a TEENY bit less stressful ya know? I mean…it is cancer so thats no joke regardless.
WJ
Apr 22, 2011
Normally the nurse isn’t allowed to discuss those kinds of results over the phone. The most she should have told your friend is that the doctor was concerned over the test results and would like to see her. If I was your friend when I did see the doctor I would make sure that he know the nurse was totally unprofessional and denied your friend the right to speak to the doctor.
bydand2000
Apr 22, 2011
I do not have any credible information, but that sounds out of line to me. They should have told her that they received her test results and need to set up a follow up appointment. You just can’t tell someone "hey you got cancer, make an appointment." I would just walk in and say I need the Dr. to fit me in today.
kj
Apr 22, 2011
Normally they wouldn’t tell you something like that over the phone. Normally they would call up and tell you they need to see you to discuss the results of your test.
bronteheights
Apr 22, 2011
Not only is this not normal, it is unethical for the nurse to discuss this over the phone. I don’t know where you live, but in the USA, this can get the doctor in a LOT of legal trouble. When your friend goes to the doctor, make sure she mentions what the nurse said and what her attitude was. If the doctor blows it off, report HIM to the AMA (American Medical Association). Believe me, I have to go through this ethics training EVERY year as do all medical professionals including that nurse.
The Doc
Apr 22, 2011
Well, that sort of thing shouldn’t happen (and I don’t know of any blood tests that would be taken as part of routine pregnancy that would show liver cancer), for many reasons. Even if it is true and 100% certain, nobody should be given a diagnosis and left without any explanation, especially one that stirs up as much anxiety as cancer, secondly, I can’t think of anything that would even give me a reasonable suspicion of liver cancer based on blood tests alone, let alone enough certainty to tell a patient, and if I did have to tell a patient, I would want to tell them myself rather than giving the job to someone else, especially someone who is not able to answer any questions or provide details.
So if that is for real, then there is something very, very wrong with that doctor’s office and I would advise your friend to get a new doctor who shows some degree of compassion and commitment to adhering to ethical standards of care.
But I would be very skeptical of the claim overall, it sounds like it may be a misunderstanding, perhaps the liver enzymes (which are checked as part of routine bloodwork sometimes) were elevated, but not so much that the doctor wasn’t worried about it, so he just asked a nurse to call the patient and tell her (which is still not good medicine, but sometimes time demands make people do subideal things) and the message got jumbled up by an inexperienced nurse who apparently lacks all semblance of common sense about how to talk to people. When your friend sees the doctor I would not be surprised if it were nothing to worry about.