Disability makes a lot of non-disabled people uncomfortable because people often see disability as something bad that needs to be fixed. Non-disabled people love to blame my disability on my medical team and are very quick to tell me that I need to get a second opinion because people often think your doctor is the problem. My disability has no cure, and a second opinion is not always necessary because sometimes the second doctor will tell you the same thing the first doctor did. A vast majority of disabilities cannot be cured because you can go to the best doctor in the country, but you cannot cure something that has no known cure. I usually ignore people who tell me I need a second opinion because if I got a second opinion every time someone told me I needed one, I would never stop going to the doctor. At the same time, I would never tell anyone that you should never get a second opinion, because sometimes you receive bad advice from a doctor and should get a second opinion. When should you get a second opinion? In this post, I am going to talk about a few times that you may want to consider getting a second opinion.
If you don’t feel like your diagnosis is correct- When you go to the doctor in pain, we can only hope that we will get an accurate diagnosis and get answers for why we are in pain. Doctors aren’t perfect and sometimes will not accurately diagnose patients and will tell us we have a medical condition that we aren’t convinced we have. If you are given a diagnosis that doesn’t sit right with you, it is okay to walk out of that office and schedule an appointment with another doctor to see if the second doctor says something different. If you feel like you haven’t been diagnosed correctly, I highly recommend you get a second opinion because you don’t want to get treatment for a serious medical condition, such as cancer, that you aren’t convinced you have. Doctors sometimes misdiagnose patients because they are human, and it is okay not to take a doctor’s advice and get the opinion of someone else.
If you frustrated with your medical team- There are a lot of doctors who have a lot of knowledge about my disability and are qualified to treat Spina Bifida, but I wouldn’t let any doctor operate on me. Many doctors may have heard what Spina Bifida is, but I wouldn’t call them an expert because I can tell them more about my disability than they can tell me. If you need surgery, it is so important that you ask a lot of questions and make sure that the doctor is qualified to do that surgery, because not everyone is. If you are in pain and everything that your doctor is suggesting is not giving you any relief, it may be a good idea to get a second opinion. Some doctors may not know enough about disability and may have enough training to effectively treat it. If your doctor is trying hard to help you but isn’t, it may be because they don’t have enough education about your disability to be able to help you. A second opinion may be necessary if you are feeling frustrated with your medical team, because sometimes it’s the only way you will feel better. There are no guarantees that you will have better results with the next doctor because some medical conditions can be hard to treat, but it can’t hurt to try. It can never hurt to get a second opinion from a more qualified doctor because the new doctor may be able to give you more answers than the previous one and be able to help you get out of pain.
If their personality doesn’t align with yours- When it comes to choosing a doctor, it’s so important that you choose someone that you are comfortable with, because if you can’t trust your doctor, they shouldn’t be your doctor. If you go to a new doctor and aren’t getting a good feeling about them, it is okay to choose someone else because good healthcare experiences come down to finding a doctor that aligns with your values. A good doctor-patient relationship is so important, and if you don’t feel a strong connection with your medical team, they may not be the right person for you.
If your symptoms are not being taken seriously– Some doctors listen to patients’ concerns, but not all doctors do, and sometimes you come out of the doctor’s office with more questions than you came in with. If you are in pain and the doctor is dismissing your symptoms and telling you it’s just anxiety, I would highly recommend you get a second opinion. Severe pain is a sign that something is wrong and often is not caused by anxiety and shouldn’t have to put up with someone who dismisses your symptoms.
Non-disabled people love to blame my disability on my medical team because there are a lot of movies where disabled people are cured, but that is not reality. Second opinions are not always necessary, and sometimes a waste of time because the second doctor will tell you the same thing the first doctor did. It is okay to get a second opinion if your doctor’s advice isn’t sitting right with you, because not all doctors are going to be a good fit for you. It can be harmful to tell a disabled person that a new doctor will cure their disability because, a vast majority of the time, that is not the case. There is a time and place for second opinions, and it may be necessary if you are feeling dismissed or are questioning your diagnosis. You don’t always need a second opinion, but don’t be afraid to get one if you think your doctors it not qualified to treat your health condition. There is nothing wrong with getting a second opinion because you deserve good care and won’t see any improvement if the wrong thing is being treated. When do you think second opinions are necessary? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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