[busymomof5]

I have radiation damage to my lung after treatment for cancer. This was many years ago. I saw the pulmonologist, who saw my psych diagnoses and declared me crazy despite my abnormal CT scans and difficulty breathing. He refused to treat me and made my primary care provider afraid to treat me. I suffered for years until this dipshit was forced to do a bronchoscopy due to worsening CT scans and symptoms. He was a jerk. Friday, this doctor ran into my husband in the doctor’s lounge. He said that for years he has felt bad about how he treated me and he wanted to tell my husband and I that he was sorry. He would do it all differently if given a second chance. Hmmm.

[Moose72]

That took some effort on his part to say that! After all those years, he apologized? I'd take it and drop the subject. Maybe he himself- or a close friend or family member- was diagnosed with mental illness since then? You never know.

[Soupe du jour]

I do agree with Moose on this. Though that doctor's behavior can never be undone, his finally learning and apologizing is certainly better than never learning and apologizing. I said/did plenty of stupid things in my youth, and made many mistakes that I learned from and apologized for. If apologies and "lessons" were never accepted, and all grudges were permanent, we'd all be in a sad situation in this world. I'm not saying you have to forgive him, but I would suggest not mocking his apology, especially if it seemed sincere.

[*Beth*]

OUCH.

Yeah, it's big of him to apologize, but...damn. Were you a smoker? My sister's oncologists fairly tortured her for continuing to smoke after dx'ed with cancer. She said by that time smoking and her son were her only two joys in life. I didn't blame her one bit.

Anyway, I'm just wondering if that played a part in your doctor's at-ti-tude, too.

[busymomof5]

I was not a smoker, nor am I now. This guy was an absolute **** who dismissed me due to my mental health. This had far reaching repercussions for my ability to get care for breathing problems. I ended up with 2 CT scans, a bronchoscopy, and an endoscopy before getting an adequate diagnosis. I was viewed as crazy for years until testing proved my problem was real.

Was it big of him to apologize? Had he thought about it for years? I don’t care. F*** him.

[*Beth*]

I'm sorry.

[MickeyCheeky]

So Sorry about what happened. Though it is your decision whether to Forgive him or not i do feel like he was sincese in his Apologies. After all, i don't think he had any reason to say that other than being legitimately Sorry, i believe. i am So Sorry for the pain you've been and/or are still going through. Please do not give up. i Hope you'll Forgive this doctor. Take care of yourself. Hugs. Sending many Safe, warm hugs to BOTH you, @busymomof5, your Family, your Friends and ALL of your Loved Ones! Keep fighting and keep rocking NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, OK?!

[busymomof5]

You’re right. It is my choice to forgive. Right now I don’t. He created hell for me. Maybe sometime I will. But not now.

[FluffyDinosaur]

I've been wronged by asshole doctors too who dismissed me as a crazy person and made me go through hell because of that. They haven't apologized because they're too arrogant to admit what they did wrong, but if they did I don't know that I would forgive them, either. I think I would feel some vindication but that would be poor compensation for the damage they've done.