How May I Be Sure I’m Being Treated Correctly?

Receiving news of a cancer diagnosis alters your life. The evaluation process, the number of diagnostic procedures, the requirement to consult with several care providers in different specialties, all coupled with the natural anxiety, even fear, that accompanies such a diagnosis, combine to contribute to confusion and uncertainty. Most of all, you seek confidence that your care providers are evaluating and treating you appropriately. They should use the best and most current techniques in order to secure the best possible outcome.

Few of us possess the necessary knowledge base and experience to determine for ourselves if the diagnosis is correct and the treatment recommendations our care providers have given us accord not just with current standards of care, but apply to our unique circumstances. A human being is an individual, not a mass-produced featureless drone. The beautiful efficiency of Henry Ford’s streamlined automobile factories cranked out endless numbers of cheap dependable vehicles, but one Model-T was virtually interchangeable with another. The individual cars lacked distinctives. When something broke down, what fixed one fixed them all. Not so with human beings.

I wrote in an earlier entry about the importance of asking questions and seeking explanations and clarifications. Your care provider ought to be able to explain things to your satisfaction. She may not be able to answer every question—some answers remain elusive—but you should emerge from your office visits with a straightforward sense of plan and direction that is right for you.

Getting a second opinion can help you secure the goals of trust and confidence in your care providers and care plan. You need not worry that requesting or arranging a second opinion will alienate your original care provider. Professionals strive for excellence in medicine but recognize that they, too, are human and do not know everything. King Solomon said there is much wisdom in a multitude of counselors. Having independent care providers corroborate the diagnosis and treatment plan enhances your confidence in the recommendations you have received. And you may discover that you have more options than you first knew.

Second opinions are available in your local community as well as at the larger medical centers that typically have dedicated cancer centers. There are advantages to both. In my own case, while I was able to direct and determine my own care to a far greater extent than is usual, I sought confirmation from a local provider as well as from a disease-specific specialist at a recognized cancer center. I was then able to receive treatment knowing that no one, especially myself, had missed anything important. And I was able to avoid having a form of treatment that I initially thought might be necessary when the specialist weighed all the factors.

You don’t need as many counselors as the king had wives, but there’s a reason “the wisdom of Solomon” remains meaningful.