Have you ever gotten a less than positive medical diagnosis? Maybe you were diagnosed with a chronic illness or it was deemed that you needed a complex surgery. Perhaps you’ve been referred to a specialist to figure out what is happening with your body. Whatever the case may be, it can be scary to talk about your own treatment plan when you don’t even really know what’s going on. You trust your current doctor, but you start to wonder if they get every diagnosis right every single time. Could you possibly benefit from a second opinion?
Your health is nothing to play around with. When you’re looking at treatment options, it is important to know all the facts and have information that supports your particular diagnosis. As great as medical professionals are, it may benefit you to get a second opinion from a new doctor before you proceed with any intense treatment plan. Nobody is perfect and everyone has different opinions and perspectives. You deserve all the facts and a chance to make the most well-informed decision for you. That, plus a few other reasons, are why you should always look into getting a second opinion before making any drastic decisions for your medical records.
No doctor knows everything.
The medical field is so vast that no doctor could possibly know everything. Even after a decade of study, they are still learning and discovering new treatment options and medical conditions. When you get a second opinion on test results or a new diagnosis, you aren’t insulting them. You’re merely working to get a full picture because two heads are better than one. With double the brainpower, your second doctor may catch something or come up with a different theory than your current practitioner.
Medical advancements occur every day.
New discoveries are made in medicine every day, so sometimes doctors are learning right alongside you. A second opinion may be given by a second doctor who is more up to date on a specific treatment or knows more about your particular side effects. Again, not everyone knows everything or can keep up 100%. But with a second opinion, you may be able to get the latest updates and news that your current doctor wasn’t aware of.
Different perspectives are worth exploring.
While all doctors are similarly trained, they do still hold different perspectives. Certain pathologists or physicians may see your case differently than others would. It can help to get a second opinion so you can understand the different perspectives and make decisions based on the one that fits your own ideals. For example, some practices can be based on religion and scripture and make decisions based on the center of God. If Bible stories and the Jesus storybook Bible are important to your life, this may be a second perspective you can agree with more easily. Different opinions and story points inform your health plan whether you realize it or not, so find that perspective that connects with your own.
There is no right and wrong in medicine.
As much as doctors try, medicine will never be an exact science. Depending on your original diagnosis, there may not be an absolute correct treatment option for you. Doctors can sign a referral and come up with a health plan, but there is never a complete right or wrong. The more opinions you can get, the more peace of mind you’ll have that you’re making the most informed choice. Trusting one doctor alone may not be the best thing if you’re trying to guarantee a correct diagnosis. A second opinion, or even a third opinion, can help you understand the nuances and make a clearer picture for yourself.