My doctors won't give me a straight answer: Any advice?

If it's really bothering you, an in-person visit seems appropriate. Best to err on the side of caution, don't you think?

I understand about not wanting to do more tests. I have a similar anxiety. But would not knowing bother you more?

(You have a cool profile photo, by the way.)

I'd proceed with the telehealth. If the edema is visible they may want to see it and palpate or some such. Physical exams are rather passé, anyway. If they want more labs, they'll order them.

In person office visits are not “passé “. Don’t ever believe that. Hands on examination tells your doctor exactly what is going on in your body - how much fluid you are retaining, whether you are holding fluid in places you can’t see, and are able to understand when palpating over your abdomen. An in person physical should be done once a year - tele-health visits are for acute health issues, such as fever or symptoms of an infection, sprains, etc. Edema in the legs could be caused by a serious health issue. If they recommend blood tests, just suck it up and get it done. Your body will thank you for it. I say all this as a registered nurse, who suffers from multiple health conditions. I’m only still alive because I listened to this advice.

NOT able to understand.

I'm so sorry you are having such a hard time when you don't feel well. I would suggest that you actually see a doctor in person. That way the doctor can deterine what is going on and if something else is also happening with your body. Keep in mind that it's your body and your decision regarding how you are treated. It's also your money paying the bill.
About your labs, wouldn't the doctor be able to get them online from the ER? That way you wouldn't have to do them again. Perhaps if you explained your fear of them to the doctor he would understand and not insist on new labs.
I hope everything works out for you.
PML

@mbixler, I agree with the value of these exams, but they hardly ever do hands on exams anymore.

@gently I disagree, respectfully, as I receive a full physical every year. If you’re overall healthy, perhaps you need to ask for one, but everyone should have a baseline physical by no later than age 30.

mbixler, I think we are referencing two different types of medical visits. Certainly, a person can schedule a physical exam as often as they like. The shift away from physically touching the patients comes with a valuable reliance upon imaging and labs rather than palpation. But the shift partially results from the 15 minute consultation in a busy world intent upon documentation.
I'm glad you are getting good care.

@gently hi, osteopathic touch discovered a tumor that could have killed me…not all osteopaths do manual manipulation, but mine specializes in it, and urged me to immediately contact my primary to set up imaging, etc. he has helped with my back pain and neck strain…. my primary is hands on and my CRC team definitely are hands on.

It wasn't until 1961 in California that osteopaths were given the choice to change their status to MD. And most of them did and subsequently moved into other areas of medicine. I can't find anyone locally who does manipulations. I'm jealous.
We had the same cancer, well I'm sure it wasn't exactly the same. I had to travel wide to finally get it diagnosed.
so my jealousy is honest. And I know the hands on part. If I could find an osteopath working as an osteopath, I wouldn't see chiropractors.
There is a pain doctor here who won't do anything hands on. But he has the finest skills with the needles. Fair trade.
You are lucky with your primarly. My sister-in-law was furious when her hands-off primary care switched her care to a PA. She found a new primary who did a hands on exam and manually discovered why she couldn't lose belly weight--a massive metastatic GI tumor.
My response was specific to someone who had already been diagnosed and had been scheduled a telehealth with a provider some distance to where they lived. There are several reasons why in her situation I would take the telehealth. More timely. She thought the doctor would order labs which would anyway require a second visit. She was already diagnosed.
I have been to many pain specialists with a friend. Many very conversant about how her pain wasn't so bad and how she would have to adjust to living with pain. Not a single doctor palpated the area where she was experiencing the pain, until with each of them I waited until the very end and ask them to touch the area and tell me why they thought it was raised and tight and brightly colored. Every one of them then offered and immediate injection and pain medication.
I probably couldn't have been diagnosed by palpation. It took a colonscopy. No one could even find the two lymph nodes except me. It took a finely sliced CT.
Are you 5 years past? Do you have any trouble getting reimaging for biochemical recurrence or metastasis. I'm ten years past and really struggle to get attention to either.
I'm glad you are getting good care.