Do I Really Need Your Opinion?

     Good morning, Family...  How many times have your heard folks say, "get a second opinion"?  Well if you haven't heard anyone say it to you, I'm telling you.  GET A SECOND OPINION when dealing with major medical issues.  Does getting a second opinion mean that you don't trust your doctor?  No.  What it means is you are about to intrust your future to your doctor and you need to know that all possible options have been presented to you before you proceed under their care.

     Look.  You know as well as I do, if you asked one of your friends' opinions about a decision you needed to make about something that was going on in your life and that friend gave you an answer you really didn't want to hear, you know good and well that you would go and ask another friend's opinion to see what their take on the situation would be.  Am I right?  So, why not do the same when it comes to a major issue with your health?  Doctors may get similar schooling and training for their medical licenses, but they may very well have different opinions, thoughts, skill levels, and ideas about the care and approach you need to treat your particular medical issue. 

     Don't worry about hurting your doctors' feelings.  A decent doctor should encourage a second opinion.  Let your doctor know that you are seeking a second opionion so that your medical records and test results can be made available to the second physician.

    Check with your medical insurance provider!  You need to know if or how much they will cover for a second opinion.  Unfortunately, not all insurance providers cover the total cost of a seeking a second opinion when it comes to lab work and testing. 

     If the opinions are different, you may need to talk more about your condition with the first doctor and if necessary, get a third opinion.  I know this may sound tedious, but the effort made to get a second opinion and to insure that you know all your options so you can make a decision you are comfortable with is worth it.  Let's take a look at what could happen if you do NOT get a second opintion.

     Dr. Farid Fata, a hematologist/oncologist spent years falsely diagnosing his patients with cancer and administering treatments that they did not need.  Why?  I would say greed.  He collected MILLIONS of dolars in insurance and Medicare money.  This man was treating his patients with chemotherapy who were in remission--this means they were cancer free.  He was also ordering chemo for patient who were "end-of'-life".  These patients should only have been receiving medications for comfort as there was no benefit to them receiving chemo.  Imagine this:  one of  this man's patient's came in to see him because he fell and hit his head.  Fata insisted that this patient receive chemotherapy infusion before going to the hospital for treatment.  The man died from his head injury.  CNN reported that 553 of Fata's patients received medically unneccesary infusions and injections.  Who does that? 

     So, my friends and family please consider a second opinion involving your serious medical issues, especially if you are not clear about it's risks, costs, or the diagnosis that you received.  It's your life.  Don't let anyone else take it for granted...
SMOOCHES...