As I already mentioned, when I was nine years old I had a severe stroke. I was extremely blessed to have made a full recovery from that horrid event. While recuperating, just before I was released from the hospital, my parents were approached by my then new physician, Dr. Bedros. To prevent another stroke from occurring he advised my parents that I should begin blood transfusion therapy. In 1982 this was a new form of treatment in Sickle Cell healthcare. My parents had their concerns and desired a second opinion.
They met with a different doctor at another major hospital. This doctor told my parents she didn’t believe blood transfusion therapy was a treatment that would help prevent a second stroke from occurring. She advised my parents to take me home and wait for me to have another stroke. In her opinion, a second stroke was unavoidable and certain. Needless to say, my parents weren’t going to do that. After much consideration, I began receiving monthly blood transfusions—or “oil changes” as we liked to call them—and I continued receiving them for seven years. I’ve been fortunate to avoid any additional strokes.
I share this with you to show how useful it can be to seek other professional opinions when making major medical decisions. One doctor may be of a certain opinion about your healthcare while another could feel very differently. Carefully consider all the options available to you and weigh the good with the bad. Do your best to be as informed as possible and choose wisely which doctor to put your trust in.
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