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Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,660
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Second opinion-would you get one if

you were diagnosed with a very serious illness?  I was watching a news segment tonight about several woman who were told by this one doctor who was a neurology specialist that they had MS.  In each case he put them on a very expensive medication.  Some of them made drastic life changes like quitting their jobs, making extensive modifications to their homes to make them wheel chair accessible.  Evidently none of these woman got a second opinion.  As it turned out none of them had these illnesses.  Would you have gotten a second opinion for such a serious  diagnosis?

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,758
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Second opinion-would you get one if


@KathyPet wrote:

you were diagnosed with a very serious illness?  I was watching a news segment tonight about several woman who were told by this one doctor who was a neurology specialist that they had MS.  In each case he put them on a very expensive medication.  Some of them made drastic life changes like quitting their jobs, making extensive modifications to their homes to make them wheel chair accessible.  Evidently none of these woman got a second opinion.  As it turned out none of them had these illnesses.  Would you have gotten a second opinion for such a serious  diagnosis?


***

 

Yes

 

Keep Your Face To The Sunshine and You Will Not See The Shadow
Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,905
Registered: ‎06-23-2014

Re: Second opinion-would you get one if

Yes, always!

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Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,504
Registered: ‎05-23-2010

Re: Second opinion-would you get one if

I certainly would, but I have worked in the medical field for 45+ years.

 

It's routine to get second (and 3rd and 4th, trust me) opinions for diagnoses requiring surgery, cancer, or blood diseases. For something like MS probably not AS common, but I still would.

 

Money can be an issue in second opinions, though. If your insurance won't cover it or you need to pay for it out of pocket (no insurance, high deductible), some people won't do it and I can understand why.

Life without Mexican food is no life at all
Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,208
Registered: ‎04-27-2015

Re: Second opinion-would you get one if

ALWAYS, and probably a third and a fourth.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,501
Registered: ‎07-03-2012

Re: Second opinion-would you get one if

Yes.  I was in a similar situation 14 years ago.  Not fun, but, I doctored at The Mayo Clinic, UW clinic & my local clinic.  I think that I have done it all.  Trust me, my DH calls me his million dollar baby.

 

.

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,616
Registered: ‎10-01-2014

Re: Second opinion-would you get one if

[ Edited ]

OMG! In a HEARTBEAT! My 46-year-old husband was doctoring at a large clinic in the city for two or three years because he was tired all the time and had a lump in his armpit. The doc ordered antibiotics and THERAPY to deal with the grief over his young son's diagnosis of two inoperable brain tumors. Never, not once, took blood for a test.

 

Four years later, and twenty days after burying his son, he went back to the doc with a bigger lump. The doc wrote a script for a bigger antibiotic. On his way out the door, hubby called me and said, "This guy's not listening to me. Get me in to see someone else as soon as you can." Got him in the next day to our small town doc and the first thing he did was a blood draw. He called the first thing next morning and said he had scheduled an appt that afternoon with a hematologist in the city. We went and that doc said he had acute leukemia in such a late stage that he had only "hours to days" to live without immediate chemo intervention. Hubby asked about getting another opinion. Doc said he could have three more once he was hospitalized but he was putting his life at risk to leave the premises. Went into the hospital right then, stayed 40 days, lived another four years. He passed seven years ago. You have no idea how thankful I am for those last four years. 

 

You have to advocate for your own health and that means a second (or third) opinion. Always.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. - Aesop
Honored Contributor
Posts: 24,685
Registered: ‎07-21-2011

Re: Second opinion-would you get one if

[ Edited ]

I knew something was seriously wrong with me when I had pain on my left side in my index finger and then I thought I broke my big toe.  Then I felt pain in my right foot.  I was seen by an orthopaedic dr. who ordered an MRI scan of my left foot.  Results - possible gout or rheumatoid arthritis.  It ended up being the latter and I knew it because one day I could barely walk when I woke up.  Eventually I was seen by a Rheumatologist who ordered blood tests and it was confirmed that it was Ra.  I would think those women should have felt something and had some type of symptoms.  If they did not have symptoms of any kind, I can't believe they made all those changes.  I would think blood tests should have been ordered too to detect MS.  Cat HappyCat Happy

kindness is strength
Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,250
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: Second opinion-would you get one if

For me, when I had a serious illness (could of caused my death) I had doctors that I trusted that did all kinds of tests and sent me to a doctor that did my surgery on my pancreas.

 

Back in 2007 there were very few doctors that did surgery on a pancreas.

 

But I was blessed to know my doctor then he sent me to another doctor friend of his and that doctor sent me to the doctor in St Louis.

 

Did these women know this doctor or another doctor had sent them to him?

 

There are places that you can call to find out about doctors.

 

I had honest doctors but not all are like the ones that I had.

 

I would never go to a doctor without checking everything about them.

 

I always think it is best to go to your primary doctor first and then they can advise to each situation.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 8,179
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: Second opinion-would you get one if

Yes. This should also apply to pets.