Did your doctor diagnose you with a disease or infection that you are unable to accept, or did he recommend surgery that you don’t think was necessary? Hold on if you have similar thoughts because a second opinion can help you get out of this dilemma.
The second opinion is a simplified process in which you take an opinion from another specialist regarding your health condition. Now you might be thinking where you can get a second opinion from. It may come across as good news that India has a great number of proficient doctors that can help you with this. Whether you’re seeking medical help from doctors in Bangalore, Delhi, or any other city, you can easily find the best ones near you.
You might not find it necessary and would be thinking it is just a waste of time and money. To change your mind, here are a few reasons that bring to your notice why you need a second opinion.
1. Protects you against the wrong diagnosis
There are several reasons for which you must consider taking a second opinion. Diagnosis is a critical procedure that requires a lot of experience and understanding.
There are high chances of misdiagnosis when you’re not comfortable with your physician or doctor. You might feel uncomfortable while asking him/her questions or may think that he’s not listening to your problems properly or providing you with enough guidelines regarding your medications and treatment.
In such circumstances, the second opinion becomes the most important thing that can help you in protecting yourself from the wrong diagnosis. Research signals that the second opinion decreases the risk of misdiagnosis that helps the patients to avoid potential harm to their health.
2. Save you from frauds
We are all aware of the darker side of the medical line where doctors are using this noble profession for their greed. The second opinion always saves you from such greedy doctors. Many cases of doctors in Bangalore and other similar metro cities were noticed where doctors misguided their patients and recommended treatment that was not only expensive but also unnecessary.
3. A necessity when the diagnosis is not definitive
Diagnosis becomes more complicated when the patient shows the same symptoms of different diseases. Various diseases share common symptoms, which makes it very confusing and difficult for a doctor to conclude a definitive diagnosis.
For example, during the early stage, it can be quite difficult to diagnose whether the patient is suffering from Alzheimer’s or some other form of dementia. The wrong diagnosis could be very harmful to the patient in such cases because potential medications vary for both of them. Another condition that could be very difficult to detect is multiple sclerosis that shares similar symptoms with diseases like Vitamin B-12 deficiency, myasthenia gravis, and Lyme disease. These types of complex situations always require a second opinion without which it can worsen the condition of the patient.
4. There could be a better treatment waiting for you
There is always a possibility of more than one treatment for a specific illness or disease. For instance, prostate cancer can be treated by surgery, active surveillance, or radiation therapy, whereas patients suffering from breast cancer can go for mastectomy or lumpectomy. Similarly, people going through chronic back pain can opt for physical therapy medications, lifestyle modifications, or surgery.
The second opinion can make it easy for you to decide on appropriate treatment as per your health condition. But you cannot depend on a doctor with a lack of experience. Always make sure to seek an opinion from a well-experienced doctor who holds expertise in treating the health condition you are suffering from. There is no dearth of doctors in Bangalore, Mumbai, or any other city making it an easier task to go for better treatments.
5. Builds a doctor-patient trust relationship
The doctor-patient relationship is built upon trust. There might be instances when you would have doubted your doctor. The second opinion is always helpful in building trust and maintains an honest relationship between both of them.
6. A good doctor won’t deny it
Most of the doctors in Bangalore and other big cities won’t deny if you’re to get a second opinion. They’re concerned about their patient’s health and want them to get the best whether they’re getting treatment from them or any other doctor.
You can also take it as an identification feature of a good doctor as a doctor who is humble and honest won’t ever deny you to get a second opinion.
Conclusion
A second opinion becomes more preferable and necessary in critical cases where there is more than one treatment. It can be very effective in the diagnosis of a specific disease that shares common symptoms with other diseases. One should never hesitate when asking their doctor about the second opinion as a good doctor won’t deny it.
