How to make my doctor consider other options ideas ?

Hi. was diagnosed just recently.

Starting my Chemo treatment tomorrow. My physician wants me to take Taxol.

I have chatted with another doctor who said that Taxotere is also a common drug to be used. I went back to my doctor and she was very unhappy with the fact I talked to other doctors. But on the other hand - she told me that both drugs are fine and its a "trial and error" process where we need to find to which drug my tumors reacts better.

By the way - I didn't pay anything to the other doctor... I am on this app called BELONG for cancer patients. which is pretty cool.

Anyhow - I don't like the fact that its a "trial and error"... but seems like in many other cases its how things are. Starting with Chemo X... not responding ? OK. Lets go to Chemo Y... but time is the one resource I assume I don't have enough of...

How do you make a decision here ? How can I be sure my physician is doing the extra mile for me and not just following the protocol ?

Thank you all.

Emma

Post Edited (emma1978) : 1/26/2016 8:33:46 AM (GMT-7)

Actually you want them following the protocol. There should be minimal trial and error. The idea is once you have a solid diagnosis- there should be a pathology report with staging, grading and what the tumor is sensitive to. At that point there is a web site (we saw it) that has the exact preferred treatment according to a blue ribbon panel of experts. Your MD should be able to cheerfully explain what treatment is proven best practice for your exact condition and why other ones are not. This is called "evidence based" medicine these days.