Pamela Varley-Crabtree has ACC. She is an American stationed in Germany. Here is her story:
By
Pamela Varley-Crabtree
MT(ASCP) American Society of Clinical Pathologists
Heidelberg, Germany
It was my husband’s idea. I copied my MRI on a CD-ROM and sent it to many physicians all around the world who read it and sent their opinions to me via email. With their help I was able to make the best decision for me.
Your radiology department where you had your MRI performed is probably equipped to copy your MRI on a CD-ROM then you can have it copied either at home on your computer with a CD burner or by a friend or shop. Then you can get on-line to find experts, then mail the CDs with a cover letter to any doctor in the world. That's what I did. I am an American microbiologist stationed in Germany so I mailed the CDs instead of flying back to the United States to make appointments to be seen by doctor after doctor.
This way I was able to consult over eighteen physicians: three ENT physicians at M.D. Anderson, docs at Sloan-Kettering, City of Hope in San Diego, three Air Force physicians, Walter Reed Army Hospital docs, and at least seven other surgeons from the States, The Netherlands, France, and Africa. (The Mayo Clinic would not render a professional opinion from a CD-ROM, but they did say they would take the detailed medical report of the MRI via FAX and give me their opinion. I explained that I was an American stationed in Germany and could not come in person.)
It's good to gather all information possible to make the best decision. Go with a physician that has the most experience with ACC. Our ACC Website is a wealth information.
I emailed the doctors, asking their permission before I mailed the CD with an introduction cover letter. They reviewed it and emailed me their opinion. Most Medical Center Websites have email addresses of ENT physicians and radiation oncologists. I also sent CDs to physicians recommended on the ACC Website.
Both hospitals that performed my MRIs had this capability but neither had used it for this purpose. My husband simply asked and they copied it; we took it home, added the color pictures of her biopsies, made more copies and mailed them out. It was the perfect answer that prevented us from flying back to the U.S. and going from one Medical Center to another.
One hospital used a special software package to create the CD, but another hospital used the JPEG format which needs no special software to use.