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Thank you for sharing an inspiring story. When my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer my dad poured over literally hundreds of medical papers to determine the
by eloff 6y ago
Thank you for sharing an inspiring story.
When my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer my dad poured over literally hundreds of medical papers to determine the best course of action. I believe he saved her life. Scihub was instrumental in that. I helped a little in checking and challenging his conclusions. I think it's unlikely she would have had as good an outcome if we'd just listened to the doctors.
My conclusion is if you want the best medical care be sure to do your own research and talk to many doctors about your findings and treatment options. Do not blindly trust the medical community. They are years behind the current state of knowledge in their field and just do not have the time and energy to spend per patient to get the best outcome.
- wincy 6y agoMy wife has the sharp mind of an engineer, but she was humble about reading the literature slowly and deliberately. She knows she’s not a doctor. However she was firm in asking the doctors questions about what she read, getting clarifications and not being satisfied with answers like “this is how it’s done” and would keep asking until things were explained. The doctors thought she was just obstinate against any procedure which was frustrating. She used the doctors as a resource, then made the most informed decision she felt she could. We got second opinions from experts at other children’s hospitals. I feel sort of sick remembering one meeting where they told us our daughter would get 24 hour nursing care covered by insurance if we got her a tracheotomy, what a weird carrot to dangle in front of a parent. I think they thought what they were suggesting was the best medical choice but a baby with a trach needs 24-hour care because it can’t even cry when the tube is in its throat.
- anonAndOn 6y ago> My conclusion is if you want the best medical care be sure to do your own research I would alter this slightly to "have a trusted advocate do research and talk to many doctors". The person with the life threatening diagnosis may not be in the right frame of mind to advocate for the best treatment. Should you ever find yourself in the hospital, having a capable ally alongside you can make a world of difference.
- orzig 6y agoVery wise, and it's important to remember that no matter how 'in the right frame of mind' you are normally, you are basically a different person when coming out from general anesthesia.
- reader345611 6y agoThat's amazing. Breast cancer is a common killer. Do you plan to write about it? Would love to read about. it.
- vorpalhex 6y agoI had a doctor mis-diagnose a very serious eye infection that could have led to blindness on one side as... a stye. And recommend I treat it with hot compresses. Luckily I'm obstinate and finally saw a specialist who correctly identified it and treated it, but it's critically important to be very active in your own medical treatment. Get second (and third, and fourth..) opinions, raise lots of questions, push back (politely) against things that don't seem to make sense.
- nemo1618 6y agoIs it possible to find, say, a private doctor that is able to give more personal care than a GP at a typical hospital? Whenever I talk to a doctor about my symptoms it feels like they're just doing triage. I can't really blame them for that, but I would happily pay $$$ for an experienced professional who truly cared about my health. I have no idea if such a thing exists though (outside the sphere of the very wealthy, of course).
- gamacodre 6y agoI pay $150/mo to be a patient of a local "concierge" doctor in Sacramento. This is a D.O. that previously had a regular insurance-based practice. Appointments are free, usually on time, and can run 20-30 minutes. Labs and prescriptions can still go through my regular health insurance.
- nemo1618 6y agoThanks -- this definitely seems like a step up.