Although several television shows have covered this topic recently, I really had never given it much thought until last year when I was exploring different options for my own medical condition.
I was fortunate in many ways. Too many to count. And I am very grateful.
My condition was not life-threatening, but at the time, my quality of life, energy level, and sense of well-being were severely diminished. What could it be? Did I have ovarian cysts, a hormonal imbalance, or something worse? Thankfully, I had a good doctor at Northside Hospital and another wonderful physician at Emory for my second opinion.
Before my first doctor's visit, I started my own research and by the time that I was preparing for surgery, I had finished five books and countless internet articles. And in between all the reading, I began to explore the idea of flying to Malaysia with my daughter for treatment.
At the same time, I learned of a friend's cervical cancer diagnosis and was shocked at the lack of care and compassion she endured. Her phone calls were not returned by the nurses or office staff the same day. Her results were not readily available and each of the doctor's seemed more concerned with stepping on another physician's toes, than treating her.
A consultation for surgery was ignored without a referral to a surgeon which she had requested many times. My friend was told to wait and see what happened to the tumor after chemotherapy, internal, and external radiation. Any questions concerning diet, alternative treatments, or bio-identical hormone therapy were met by her oncologist, radiologist, and gynecologist with dismissive one sentence answers, if at all.
That was not my experience at all. My doctors, nurses, and other health care providers were patient, attentive, and not afraid to answer any questions during my appointments. And my doctor at Northside Hospital called me at home, sometimes on the weekends, to either review my lab results, reschedule a surgery, or simply to check on my condition.
Dr. Horton, at Emory, spent over an hour discussing my medical options and condition during our first meeting. Having him give me a second opinion gave me the confidence to know that I was making the right decision. Both doctors gave me their time. Their knowledge and patience gave me peace of mind which was priceless!
By the end of July, I felt more like myself. During surgery, a tumor was removed, not a cyst as we had thought. But, the news was good; my ovarian tumor was found to be benign and I was able to recuperate in Mexico with my daughter.
Sadly, my friend's health care journey did not follow the same path.
We spoke on the phone earlier this evening and now that the cancer has metastasized to her liver and other areas outside of the peritoneal cavity, she is experiencing agonizing pain and is only able to leave her bed a few hours each day, sometimes less.
She is now in good hands at the Cancer Treatment Center of America located in Zion, Illinois. I cannot say enough good words about the people who care for her there. It is completely different than what she lived through here in Georgia.
But, I wonder, and probably always will, if she had sought treatment, or at the minimum, a second opinion, from a doctor outside the U.S. borders, one who had no accountability to her insurance company, one not paranoid about the cost of malpractice insurance in our ever litigious country, if her condition would be this grave today.
And when the issue is women's health care in America, is she the exception or am I?
Below is an article from the Medical Tourism blog. The link for their website is listed below, too.For obvious reasons, this is a subject close to my heart.
Last year I learned that the most important thing to me about medical care is choice.
After watching my friend suffer these past nine months, I am even more determined not to have my health care choices limited by a doctor, insurance company, government, hospital review board, or a country's borders, not even my own. I am not alone. According to the article, there is a growing number of patients, eager for information, who want to explore all the medical options available around the globe. In fact, USA Today cites this travel trend as one of the biggest in 2010.
Stay well and stay informed.
http://www.medicaltourismassociation.com/blog/
http://www.medicaltourismassociation.com/
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