Second doctors opinion

Alexia

Hello,

i have arthritis and on my last mri they found a few things wrong which was growing quite quickly, my doctor made an appointment for me to see Trauma and Orthopaedics. Which they said most likely I would need a surgery.

when I got to my appointment he basically asked me to put my trousers down and to see my knee, he said I didn’t need to take off completely since he could see my knee, and after a few touches decided I didn’t need a surgery and said that I didn’t need to see him anymore, I was shocked, because I had my trousers half way down didn’t feel I had the right treatment, and when I said that my foot got swollen ( which was a new thing ) he said that it would happen because I have joint problem. I left the hospital in tears, since I’m in pain for 5 years and still no help, is it because I’m 27? Is it because they don’t actually know what’s wrong with me? Or are waiting when I’m almost dying ?

my original question was, anyone know how I can request a second opinion? Who would I took to? And what grounds are there for second opinions.

thank you

Hbutterfly

Hi @Alexia

I'm sorry to hear that you felt that you didn't get the best from your appt with the specialist, this can happen when their clinics are busy and your appointment is only short. Before asking for a second opinion, it is worth asking your consultant team to go over your diagnosis and explain anything you don’t understand. If you’re unhappy with your diagnosis or would like to consider a different course of treatment, discuss this with them.  Your consultant team will be happy to explain things and in many cases there may be no need for a second opinion.

However, if you do feel you need a 2nd opinion you’ll usually need to go back to your GP and ask them to refer you again. If your GP agrees to refer you to a new consultant, the consultant will be told that this is for a second opinion.  They may request any relevant test results or x-rays previously carried out.  If you want to be treated by the new consultant, this will need to be arranged with the new consultant and their hospital. You may want to contact PALS who can also give advice.

What is PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service)? - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

The following podcast on the VA website may also be useful

Yvonne’s arthritis diagnosis story: pushing open doors (versusarthritis.org).

Hope this helps somewhat

Take care