My friend Rachael has a large lump behind her knee. Her orthopedist diagnosed it as a benign tumor, but told her they need to keep an eye on it. She should return in three months, then six months, then nine months and so forth. They will image it each time to see if it has grown. If it does grow, they will need to make some different decisions.
Rachael casually mentioned her diagnosis to me.
“You WILL get a second opinion, won’t you?” I responded.
Rachael said she really hadn’t thought about a second opinion. She explained that she had seen THE orthopedist in town, she trusted him, and she was confident he was right.
I was flabbergasted. I asked her how she could know he was right? After all, he had given her two possible diagnoses for her tumor, and there are differences in treatment. It’s also possible it could be malignant. Waiting months, only to learn the tumor has grown or is malignant, would be horrible!
Rachael is like the majority of patients. She thinks that since she trusts her doctor, then her doctor must be right.
In the perfect world it would work just that way.
Unfortunately, just because a doctor seems trustworthy doesn’t always mean that doctor is right. We don’t live in a perfect world. We live in a world where even the best doctors make diagnostic mistakes. In our world, doctors are hurried and sometimes miss evidence. In this same world, they are reimbursed by insurance for all those images, but not for taking the time to talk to us.
In our world we must get a second opinion because we risk too much if we don’t.
A second opinion yields three possible outcomes. Two doctors might agree on the diagnosis, but differ on their treatment recommendations. That gives us more information for decision-making. Or they may differ on both the diagnosis and the treatment recommendations. That suggests the need for a third opinion. Or they may agree on both the diagnosis and the best treatment, which provides us with confidence that we’re on the right track.
Getting a second opinion is always a winning proposition. Not getting one is a risk that isn’t worth the potential cost of life or limb.
Is it time for you to get a second opinion, too?
If you need help getting a second opinion for yourself or an aging parent ReAssured Advocacy can help. Call us at 303-756-8436.
Reprinted with permission from Trisha Torrey, Every Patient’s Advocate: www.EveryPatientsAdvocate.com
Photo © Depositphotos.com/JamesGroup
