Quote:
Originally Posted by coffeebean
There should be no guessing games when it comes to one's health options.
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There are always guessing games. Take the extreme situation: a cancer diagnosis.
There are lots of options. But the only outcome that can ever be guaranteed, is death. You can get surgery - but they miss some cells and it kills you anyway. You can go the chemo/radiation route - and it kills you anyway. You can do nothing, and it'll kill you. You can try diet, a change in location, change in lifestyle/exercise routine. You can try alt-meds. And you die anyway. Or you can do any of those things, and it works fine and you're cancer-free in a year. Until it comes back. Or doesn't.
That's just one diagnosis. Repeat for every other diagnosis, with equally perplexing outcomes, some of which include death, some which don't. Tooth decay - you can do nothing, and it doesn't get worse. Or it can cause an infection, and you do nothing, and it goes septic, and you die. Or it can resolve with just a cleaning and antibiotics. Or you might need a drill and fill. And it could work. Or it could - not work. Or it could get worse. Or the tooth could crack while they're trying to fix it, and you have to have it extracted.
Always options. And always a guessing game as to whether or not it'll work, be effective, whether or not you'll have any or all of the potential side effects, or whether or not what you picked was the wrong decision and you end up worse than when you started.
But that's what a good doctor is for. To have those difficult conversations - a two-way dialogue - with their patient and come up with the "most likely to succeed" option.