Chapter 4 Taking Their Word for It

In This Chapter
➤ Choosing your doctor and/or surgeon
➤ When—and if—to get another opinion
➤ What the survivors tell you
➤ What’s right for you
One survivor put it bluntly: “It’s important to find a doctor you really, really like and
trust. He or she is going to lead you through some very unpleasant stuff, and attitude
plays an important role in how well you tolerate it. It also plays a role in your willing-
ness to follow through and be compliant.”
Never forget this important tenet: You are the employer and the folks on your health-
care team are your employees. As an informed consumer, you make the decisions
about your medical care. The overwhelming majority of healthcare folks are caring,
compassionate, supportive men and women who entered their profession because
they have a burning desire to help us get and stay healthy. But occasionally, the odd
one out comes into your life. What do you do?
In this chapter, we’ll show you some of the factors involved in creating a good
patient-doctor partnership, getting a second or third opinion (even in a good rela-
tionship), and finding ways to make the partnership work.