I hear sometimes from patients that in the process of feeling rushed, they feel forced to make some decisions before they feel ready to do so. Unless you are in an emergency situation, or time is of the essence – and yes, sometimes it is – don’t make difficult medical decisions in a hurry. Don’t feel pressured by anyone else – whether that person is a medical professional or not – to make decisions that will affect your health for the rest of your life.

In most cases, you have some time – even if it’s only a day – to think about your options and weigh the pros and cons. I reminded you previously  about my own misdiagnosis story and the first doctor who insisted chemotherapy was the only way to treat me. He also insisted I needed to begin immediately or I risked an early death. Even in that light, I took a step back to think it over – I did not want chemo and I did want a second opinion.

Once you have one or two opinions about your diagnosis and treatment options, take some time to learn about them. List the pros and cons – for example -- anything from how invasive or debilitating that treatment might be, to what kinds of side effects or adverse reactions might be possible, to how much time it will take, to what will or won’t happen if it’s successful – or not successful – to how much it costs, or even how it will affect your loved ones. After all, they are the ones who will support you through therapies and treatments.

Formulate your own ideas – and THEN return to the doctor – either your first or second opinion doctor, whichever you prefer – and discuss your findings. If you have additional questions about the pros and cons, this is the time to get them answered – after you’ve done your own review – because you’ll be able to discuss them far more intelligently with your doctor at that point.

This is one more way to make an informed choice based on your own due diligence… managing your own expectations and reducing the surprises that can come with treatment. There’s no excuse after such an exercise to think "the doctor never told me…. "

Link here for a master list of tips in this series.

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Trisha Torrey is Every Patient’s Advocate^TM.
She offers no medical advice, but empowers those who
want to learn more about diagnosis and treatment options by
providing useful tools and resources.