Coaching to Find the Best Qualified Compassionate Health Care Providers

Posted on December 21, 2019 by Anita Foust, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

What would you do if your doctor obviously gave you a misdiagnosis and would not return your phone calls to answer your questions?
Hypothetically, a person that you know needs a kidney transplant, does not want dialysis, and was on the transplant list. That was until she was referred to a doctor, let’s call him Dr. Y, who diagnosed her with ovarian cancer. Problem is, your friend does not have any ovaries due to surgery. The doctor will not call her back to answer her question, “how is it possible that I have ovarian cancer and I don’t have ovaries?”
Although he won’t answer her phone calls, he has sent a message that she needs to get a CT scan. The problem is dye is used and that could send her kidneys functions over the edge forcing her to have dialysis, something she does not want. He still won’t answer her phone calls.
Why would she have a procedure recommended by a doctor who obviously misdiagnosed her and will not return her calls? Additionally, she received a second opinion at another hospital. That doctor said that she did not have ovarian cancer. That makes sense because she does not have ovaries. But that doctor said that Dr. Y had more experience. Is it possible, politics are in play here? It very well could be. Now it is time for a third opinion.
The problem is, she wants to get back on the transplant list. According to whoever is the gatekeeper for Dr. Y, this will make it so that she can get back on the list, if it shows that she is cancer free.

So, where is the doctor located? He is in a small town. What is the ranking of this hospital regarding cancer? Crickets. The next step is to immediately check online to find out what are the top three cancer hospitals in the United States of America. Guess what? That hospital was not on the list.
The rankings are as follows:
1. Texas University MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
2. Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York New York.
3. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
The second and third ranked hospitals are known to her. New York is closest to her and it has a great reputation. Sloan-Kettering may be her best quickest choice
The main lesson points of this post are to:
1. this is life or death so look for top hospitals
2. find a caring competent qualified doctor
3. get a second and third opinion
4. include at least one of the top three hospitalsthat specialize in your illness
5. and don’t deal with doctors who will not return your phone calls.
Remember, the work doesn’t stop there. You must do your research on the doctor as well. A future post will address how to find the right doctor at the right hospital.
Anita Foust is a life coach and coaches patients, and their loved ones, how to advocate for their best healthcare.