AFTER CANCER: WILL MY ONCOLOGIST FEEL UPSET IF I GO FOR A SECOND OPINION?
Your doctor wants you to do well physically and emotionally. Doctors expect people to get second and third opinions when people feel the need. Doctors are professionals whose work routinely involves getting and giving second opinions.
You may feel more concerned about your doctor’s feelings when you go for a second opinion after completing treatment than after your original diagnosis. After all, your doctor has invested time, energy, and emotions to help get you where you are. You do not want your actions to be interpreted as an expression of lack of satisfaction or trust.
Second opinions are part of cancer survivorship. You have a right to be as sure as possible about decisions that affect your life.
If you sense disapproval on the part of your doctor for your desiring a second opinion, step back and see whether you are perhaps interpreting your self-consciousness as your doctor’s disapproval. If you are sure that your doctor is unhappy about your getting another opinion, consider switching doctors. It is a red flag when your doctor urges you not to get a second opinion or threatens to stop caring for you if you do. This is an especially difficult situation if you live in a small town with only one or two available oncologists.
If you find yourself going from doctor to doctor, never feeling satisfied with the advice you are receiving, get professional counseling to help you learn how to assess your options and make decisions about your care.
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Posted by admin on March 12th, 2009 :: Filed under Cancer
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