Who's the real expert?

I've always been weary of doctors. Maybe its something that is passed on through the women in my family. My grandma is almost 80 and only goes to the doctor if shes in dire pain or on the verge of dying. My mom has panic attacks (this is NOT an exaggeration) when she has to go to the doctor - one kind of doctor especially. Sometimes I wonder how she managed to have 2 kids. I'm not that bad, but I tend to avoid doctors and instead, diagnose myself using the vast amount of information on the internet. If I ever have to go to the doctor, I usually know what is wrong and what I need. Luckily, Im still young and relatively healthy so its not like there have been any major issues.

Recently though, I have been thinking more and more about taking care of a big ugly varicose vein on my knee that I developed during my pregnancy with Jacob. Although my leg can get achy, its really more of a cosmetic nusiance. My legs are one of the things I've got going for me, yet I have this ugly bulgy vein on my knee that ruins it for me.

Jake heard commercials for a new type of procedure involving radio waves to zap the vein closed and take care of the problem. No pain, no surgery, no recovery period, so I made an appt. The doctor conducted a quick ultrasound and informed me that the main vein was fine, that it was only the tributory vein and that he was recommending a stripping-type procedure. I went home, disappointed, but was thinking about it. The next day, a lady from his office called to talk to me about my options. I felt like I was dealing with a used car dealership more than a doctors office. I told her that I didnt understand why I had to go through an hour long surgery involving an IV, sedation, and ripping veins out, when I could easily just have a 10 min laser or radio wave procedure. She started getting snippy with me, so I told her I would get a second opinion.

So I did. I went to a "real" doctor on my insurance plan. They sent me to get another ultrasound. This time it was an hour long extensive ultrasound done at the hospital. They ended up finding reflux (damage) in my main vein. So that makes me a candidate for the laser procedure. There was no hard sell and the doctor made sure to inform me that nobody dies from varicose veins and this was not something I HAD to do.

This experience has taught me a lesson - even if someone is an expert in their field, you know your body more than anyone else does - you are the expert of your body. Letting a doctor bully you into something just because they have more knowledge than you is never a good idea. I did my homework and had a gut feeling that the procedure he was recommending did not seem "right" for my body - I think it was just "right" for his checkbook.