I have vivid childhood memories of being carted from doctor to doctor in order to get a second (and third) opinion. When a child, or anyone for that matter, is diagnosed with something serious, it is only natural to hope the diagnosis could be wrong. After you get past that feeling, reality sinks in, and you come to realize that life is going to change, getting another opinion is not only important but at times necessary. Different doctors sometimes see different things and have other ways to tackle the problem and treat it, even if the original diagnosis was correct. We need to find out our comfort zone and feel confident not only with our medical team but with how we are going to go about treating the illness. Talking to different teams of doctors may calm things down enough to help the family make critical decisions.
My advice regarding second opinions is to go for it. My parents did and until we landed at CHOP, things were in a constant state of turmoil for the family. Once my parents found a comfort zone, they were happy with the decisions they made and so was I even though things were not easy. As a child dealing with a serious illness, I was happy, content and seemed to progress as best as I could at the time. I am still here to tell you about my struggles, so my family and doctors’ decisions were the right ones. Find that comfort zone
, as it will help things go a bit better. Good luck!
