At the age of nineteen, when my family doctor first told me that I had a heart murmur, probably caused by a bicuspid heart valve, I shrugged it off, thinking that by the time I would need the cow or pig valve he predicted was in my future, ‘they’ would come up with a cure. After all, I was raised during the time of The Jetsons, the futuristic cartoon that predicted flying cars and instantly available, made-to-order food popping out of convenient food dispensers in your home were right around the corner. Well, I’m still waiting for my flying car.
But despite my overly optimistic attitude, I got annual checkups to monitor the situation. Then, in my mid-fifties, as my prescient GP from the 60s predicted, I started getting dizzy spells. My GP at the time referred me to a cardiologist who confirmed that my aortic valve was narrowing and causing my dizzy spells. However, he recommended that I take a cholesterol-reducing drug and monitor the situation.
I didn’t like that recommendation because I thought that more direct action needed to be taken. So, I got a second opinion, which is always advisable when diagnosed with a serious illness or disease. The cardiologist at the second hospital I went to said that lowering my cholesterol wouldn’t do any good, considering the amount of narrowing I had in my valve. Instead, he recommended a valve replacement, which I eventually got done.
So the moral of the story is, yes, it’s a hassle to get a second opinion, but it’s so worth it! This is especially true if you have a time-sensitive diagnosis where you don’t have time to dilly-dally.