1. TO TREAT ONCOLOGY IN THE CIS IS VERY SCARY !!!

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Unfortunately, in the CIS, most doctors are still guided by carbon copy treatment protocols. There is no individual approach, the methods are outdated for a long time. Reading stories about treatment protocols for the same disease as mine, I was horrified !!! A multi-week course of ONE chemotherapy is strong, friends! Any organism after such "treatment" will be exhausted and there will be no energy left for subsequent courses, which often happens !!! The attitude of the medical staff must be "earned" with gifts, gifts, tributes, I don’t know what else to call it, because otherwise the health gods simply will not honor you! Medicines. This is a separate topic, since they are either not available, or are very expensive, or are subject to sanctions, and it is forbidden to order from abroad ... It is depressing that the new generation drugs have not yet received accreditation from the Ministry of Health. Everything is clear about equipping diagnostic centers and hospitals. Queues. Waiting queues for admission, bed-places, for a biopsy, waiting for the results of this biopsy ... It is not worth reminding that cancer develops rapidly, and the main factor in the success of treatment in oncology is its timely detection ... So ...

2.​ AS CANCER WAS NOT FOUND IN MOSCOW

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In 2017. at the next scheduled ultrasound examination, enlarged lymph nodes were found, which my doctor advised to check with her professor of the Department of Ultrasound Diagnostics with almost 40 years of experience from the Russian Medical Academy. Madame worked in a specialized center for vascular diagnostics at Patriarch's Ponds, because there, in addition, the most powerful and modern equipment! Well, that's what they say. After conducting the examination, the "professor" dismissively told me that I am an alarmist and all enlarged processes of the lymph nodes are the result of playing sports. How did I "remember" her when I was informed in 2019 that my lymphoma was developing for the fourth or fifth year !!! By the way, I wrote to this clinic, also on the forums of this clinic (my reviews were deleted), attached the conclusion of the "professor" and the results of the course of the disease - SILENCE. About six months later, for the first time in my life, I began to swell terribly, my legs became one and a half sizes larger, my stomach increased, starting from the ribs, without a hint of fat, the cycle was lost. Naturally, I decided to turn to another eminent professor of endocrinologist-gynecologist. No hormone failure was found, and the answer to the weight gain was: "You are over 30, weight gain is the norm!" Having resigned myself to "age and the inevitable" I already lived in the gym, exhausted on the treadmill and in the gym. At the beginning of 2018, I still gained weight due to constant swelling, but a new problem was added - food allergy to all dairy products, to all meat, fried ... at the 9th month ... Pancreatitis and allergies were not confirmed at the next examinations. By August 2018, varicose veins appeared (after all, after swelling that did not subside), and again there were many examinations and treatment. The reason for the persistent migraines that tormented me for a couple of years was also not found in the institutes of the capital, and on MRI they generally wondered why I was sent for examinations ...

3. HOW CANCER DETECTED

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With a planned ultrasound scan with another eminent doctor in Turkey for an appointment of 800 LIR / 8000 rubles. (for Turkey it is extraordinarily expensive) nothing was found either, but there was no shortage of courtesies. In the meantime, the symptoms progressed, I did not give up sports, but it was getting worse for me - I could sleep half-sitting, otherwise I just choked in my sleep. I decided to go to see an ordinary doctor without any regalia in one of the local network of clinics. While doing an ultrasound, the doctor saw a strange seal between the organs, on the same day she sent me to a specialized center for ultrasound with contrast. The results literally knocked the soil out from under my feet ... Behind the spleen, a "bag" of 2-3 cm was found. The preliminary diagnosis is stage 2 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which has been developing for the fourth or fifth year. I was in SHOCK !!! How could the doctors in Russia fail to see this ?? Having spent so much time and money was very disappointing for myself. But the next stage of the examination was a biopsy, in order to understand the nature of the "find". It is extremely difficult to find a specialist in your city, let alone another country with a foreign language. From the beginning I wanted to return to Moscow, but, having contacted cancer centers in my homeland and hearing about the queues and the need to re-undergo examinations, this thought disappeared instantly))) After examining dozens of sites and forums about doctors and clinics. Having settled on the best of the best according to the Internet, I went to the receptions, there was no need to wait for them. Everyone was ready to take a biopsy "tomorrow", but the problem was this: by that time my abdomen had begun to increase in size very quickly, which made it difficult to take the material for analysis, that is, the history could not do with a puncture, it was necessary to do a strip operation because for the accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. By the way, I slept only sitting in tandem with a terrible shortness of breath. By a lucky coincidence, through literally a sixth friend who turned out to be a local football star, they find the best specialist for me not only in Turkey, but also abroad. By the way, he turned out to be the rector of a prestigious university)). It is extremely difficult to get an appointment with him, but on the recommendation of a friend of my acquaintances, I find myself at his appointment. And again everything is solved very quickly. The doctor decides to take a different unusual path.

4. BIOPSY

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He will personally take a biopsy from the lymph nodes, since even with Non-Hodgins' lymphoma, traces of cancer may also be in the lymph nodes. But there is, of course, no guarantee that his idea will succeed. After going through a few more necessary examinations, I was ready for the procedure. The doctor recommended a JCI level clinic (international accreditation standard) in Izmir. His status in the medical world opens many doors, so he is given the exclusive right to conduct a biopsy on his own with his assistants. Since it was not clear whether it would be possible to take the material for analysis from the very first lymph node, the anesthesia was divided into two parts for two possible areas of collection. That is, to say that I felt pain is to say nothing, but this action turned out to be justified, since only the second lymph node was successful for collection.

5. MY TREATMENT

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After 4 days, the diagnosis was confirmed, and a week later, a port was installed for me to administer the medicine. On the day of the port installation, treatment of 8 courses of red chemotherapy, immunotherapy and "smart" medicine, which hit exclusively the affected area, began immediately. Each of my three weeks looked like this: 5-7 days in the clinic (depending on blood results and general well-being), 2 weeks of medication at home. Of course, my path is not over yet, as little time has passed, and health issues in the form of disturbed hormonal levels and vision problems remain open. The body is still in the process of recovery, and this is normal.

6. A LITTLE ABOUT THE CLINIC

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It is worth noting that I was amazed at the luxurious conditions in the wards with the space provided for one relative and the attitude of the staff, from nurses to professors! Any request was fulfilled with lightning speed, any complaint 24/7 was reported to the attending physician, and a decision was immediately made, answers to any questions were not long in coming. My attending doctor worked absolutely seven days a week, it was amazing! The atmosphere and interior of the clinic is more like a hotel. On the ground floor there is a chic grand piano, on which masterpieces of world classics are performed every day. There is an excellent restaurant with European cuisine, but there was no need for it, since the food was full and very varied. The only thing I regretted was that before the course of chemotherapy, in a panic, I did not pay attention to the technology for preserving hair during chemotherapy, because after the first one I decided to leave my hair ... All doctors undergo training in the United States, speak excellent English. There are a huge number of English and Europeans among foreign patients, you rarely meet Russian-speaking patients, this is not Istanbul and Antalya. Izmir is, in principle, the most Europeanized city in Turkey, therefore, foreigners are most comfortable here, in places it looks like Cannes, in places like Italy, in places like Greece. The Turks themselves say that Izmir is not Turkey, and Turkey is not Izmir. And if all of Turkey dreams of moving to live in Istanbul, then Istanbul moves to Izmir. By the way, the most expensive and luxurious resorts of the country are in the Izmir region, so to speak, where world and local stars rest here. There are simply no All Inclusive hotels.

7. CONCLUSION

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In conclusion, I would like to say that you should not be afraid to trust specialists in organizing your treatment in another country, especially if this specialist himself has gone all this way. It's great that there are so many unique clinics, outstanding doctors .. But HOW to find a truly specialist in this diversity yourself? Should you try your luck and trust solely to forums or soulless representatives of medical tourism? As it turned out, a luxurious clinic is not professionalism yet. The success of treatment abroad consists of two components, namely, the capabilities and level of the chosen clinic and the level of professionalism and experience of the staff. All health and good luck, friends!