The Need for a Bias-Free Second Opinion

I continue to have questions.  I continue to swim in uncertainty.  I wanted to get a bias-free second opinion.  I did not want anyone calling Dr. Diaz-Montes and telling me to go with her recommendations.  I don't care if Dr. Diaz-Montes is one of the best gynecologic oncologists in the country.  I just want someone to give me a second opinion that is NOT influenced by Dr. Diaz-Montes but by facts.  The facts from radiology and pathology.  Once I get all the information, I would have a better sense of clarity in terms of what I need to do next.

Mike kept on telling me since day one to go to MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.  He grew up in Houston and knows it is one of the best cancer centers.  Earlier this week, I felt ready to look into pursuing a bias-free second opinion.  I decided to look for the top gynecologic oncology centers in the country and came across five.  Two of them are in Baltimore.  Right in my backyard!  Johns Hopkins and Mercy Medical Center.  Dr. Diaz-Montes did her residency at Johns Hopkins and is currently a director at Mercy.  I knew I had to get out of the area to get a bias-free second opinion.  Dr. Diaz-Montes has too much influence in the Baltimore/ Annapolis area. That could be a good thing and a bad thing at the same time.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City was named the top cancer center in the United States by the U.S. News.  I investigated further and learned that the center is among the top for gynecologic oncology as well.  MD Anderson Cancer Center came close though but... New York City was closer to Annapolis.  I called to see about making an appointment.  They asked me to send them JUST radiology, pathology and lab reports.  NOT doctor's notes.  I appreciated that.   After they got the reports, they called me to schedule an appointment.  They said that they wanted me to get the pelvic ultrasound images on a CD, pathology slides, and CT scan images on a CD sent to them before the appointment.  This impressed me.  This tells me that the oncologist there wants to look at all the images before making a determination rather than going with the radiologist's and pathologist's interpretive reports.  Dr. Diaz-Montes did not ask to see any of those nor did she communicate with me if she looked at them.  She might have had access to the pathology slides and the CT scan images since they were all done in the same medical center.  That's definitely my next question for her when I see her again.

I am looking forward to getting more answers from a different gynecologic oncologist.  I hope that the second sentence won't be: "You will need a hysterectomy," as it was with Dr. Diaz-Montes.  Show some sensitivity, please.