I recently interviewed a smart amazing woman about her new book (You Bet Your Life: The 10 Mistakes Every Patient Makes) and we talked about her mission to make sure people are aware that the diagnosis you get from your doctor may not always be accurate.
Trisha Torrey is every patient’s advocate. Torrey was diagnosed with a serious medical condition which gave her a “death warrant.” She was told she had a very rare inoperable cancer with only months to live. She was told to get her affairs in order and make peace with anything or anyone in her life. She was dumbfounded because she felt healthy, in love with her husband, raising her beautiful children and in a successful career. Her life was going in the right direction but a medical exam had created a life changing moment…..she was told she would die.
Trisha Torrey is every patient’s advocate. Torrey was diagnosed with a serious medical condition which gave her a “death warrant.” She was told she had a very rare inoperable cancer with only months to live. She was told to get her affairs in order and make peace with anything or anyone in her life. She was dumbfounded because she felt healthy, in love with her husband, raising her beautiful children and in a successful career. Her life was going in the right direction but a medical exam had created a life changing moment…..she was told she would die.
Her own horror story led to Trisha Torrey’s book and her great passion to advocate for others. She said no one offered to help her with a referral for a second opinion or any other option. She was told this form of rare cancer had no clinical studies or information regarding any protocol to treat it effectively. She was given a dead end, her own. Lucky for Trisha she decided not to listen to these specialists and decided to get a second opinion. That was the smartest move she had ever made in her life. She received a second opinion that disagreed with the first: they found no cancer. She was not going to die. Once she recovered from the shock and felt the relief and happiness she became really angry and really determined to help others to never find themselves in a similar situation.
Today and everyday Trisha gives families and their loved ones tips how to advocate for themselves. I really get this and I bet many of you have found yourself facing a doctor who says you need surgery or you need some treatment and maybe you also said: “I want to get a second opinion.” I told this to my ob-gynecologist and his reaction was: “If you want a second opinion then you better get yourself a new doctor.” I bet you know what I did! I got the second opinion and the new doctor told me I did NOT need surgery and if wanted to keep my uterus it was MY DECISION. I kissed that doctor.
If you have been diagnosed with a disorder, disease or an injury which would require surgery or any procedure — even if it is plastic surgery — I urge you to get a second opinion. Everyday there are new procedures and treatments available to treat diseases and make repairs to the human body. Be smart and if you feel you cannot be assertive or you have been beaten down by the medical community, find an advocate and take that person with you to go to bat for you. We all need support and assistance when we are faced with illness or injury.
The good news is almost 30 years later my uterus and I are still together…..we are doing just fine….and I am so happy I took the time to question my doctor’s opinion. For more information about this topic I urge to you to check out Trisha and her role as a patient advocate and her important valuable book “You Bet Your Life: The 10 mistakes every patient makes”. This could save your life or the life of a loved one.
~Dr Nancy
Today and everyday Trisha gives families and their loved ones tips how to advocate for themselves. I really get this and I bet many of you have found yourself facing a doctor who says you need surgery or you need some treatment and maybe you also said: “I want to get a second opinion.” I told this to my ob-gynecologist and his reaction was: “If you want a second opinion then you better get yourself a new doctor.” I bet you know what I did! I got the second opinion and the new doctor told me I did NOT need surgery and if wanted to keep my uterus it was MY DECISION. I kissed that doctor.
If you have been diagnosed with a disorder, disease or an injury which would require surgery or any procedure — even if it is plastic surgery — I urge you to get a second opinion. Everyday there are new procedures and treatments available to treat diseases and make repairs to the human body. Be smart and if you feel you cannot be assertive or you have been beaten down by the medical community, find an advocate and take that person with you to go to bat for you. We all need support and assistance when we are faced with illness or injury.
The good news is almost 30 years later my uterus and I are still together…..we are doing just fine….and I am so happy I took the time to question my doctor’s opinion. For more information about this topic I urge to you to check out Trisha and her role as a patient advocate and her important valuable book “You Bet Your Life: The 10 mistakes every patient makes”. This could save your life or the life of a loved one.
~Dr Nancy