Opinion on Second Opinions?

So when I had my really bad flare in September that had me hospitalized for 6 weeks, I made some calls to get a second opinion. It seems my husband's company pays into the Best Doctors programme which can review cases, get tests, and give aid to your doctors as well as give second opinions.

The main reason I wanted this opinion was because I lost the distance vision in my eyes from humira (I was certain it was the drug but none of the doctors would openly agree). I just wanted someone to maybe check and see if there was another drug that I could be on that would not compromise my vision.

I got a call from the company today. Apparently they were finally able to get all of the records released from the various doctors and hospitals I have been to. They are now considering my case and following my double scope next week the results from that they will be consulting with my GI.

I really like my GI, and when he is paying attention, which didn't seem like he was this fall, he is really good. I know its silly but I don't want to offend him, and I don't want him to decide not to treat me well because I asked for another opinion. You know what I mean? Thoughts?

It was originally because I was loosing the vision in my eyes and no one seemed to know why. We have now assumed it was Humira and that has been stopped. It was also because I have had a lot of right sided pain, yet the flex sigs turned out to just have mild inflammation consistent with left sided colitis, and no one- NO ONE, would bother looking at the right, even after an MRI showed thickening in my cecum and "involvement of the terminal ileum" It took from August to now for my GI to decide to do a full scope and an endoscopy. Which I am sure doesn't sound like a long time looking from the outside in, but it has been a long time, when you have missed about 4 months of work last year.

I told my GI i was getting a second opinion and she actually accepted it and thought it was a good idea. I had no intent of changing doctors, i really like her and respect her opinion, I just felt like I wouldn't feel good about moving on to surgery, if it came to that, without getting a second opinion. I didn't get much out of my second opinion unfortunately. I don't think your current GI should take offense to it, you have to do what's best for you. If you want to see 5 doctors, that's your choice. If that's what you wanted to do, your doctor should be willing to work with those other doctors to make things the best they can for you.

[quote] Is your sig up to date with regard to current drugs?

Sort of. I am currently on Pred taper at 30mg/day, Zoran 4-8x/day, Nexium 2x/day, Salofalk sup. 1/day.

There is definitely something brewing as 4/10 bms are black and tarry but I am not losing significant blood for them to admit me, which is why I am waiting until next week for the scopes.

They are reluctant here to do a full scope when you are so inflamed because of further complications (what I was told when I questioned it) I have had I think 7 flex sigs this year. Ugh. And 1 MR enterography.

Another reason that I want the second opinion is because that big S word gets floated around a lot. And I am not too keen, although I can see the argument from both ends.