The woman on the end of the phone was so surprised when I asked for a referral to two different plastic surgeons. ‘Taking a bet each way?’ she asked. But why the surprise? After all, don’t we shop around in every other aspect of our lives. If I had a plumbing job I’d be sure to ask a couple of plumbers to have a look. I’d check out the way they were going to go about things, the cost, and of course their attitude. If I didn’t like one, why would I give him the job? Well as far as I’m concerned the same goes for doctors. My body is the only house I live in. So how much more important is it than bricks and mortar? Some doctors have left me feeling scared and deflated, while others have given me such confidence. So I selected the ones that suited me best whether public or private. It’s so important who we have around us, isn’t it?!

Dr Herbert Benson writes about the importance of the doctor / patient relationship in his book Timeless Healing. It’s a fabulous read, I can’t recommend it enough! And he gives example after example of how much the bedside manner matters in our healing. You may be interested to know he devotes a whole section on how to choose your doctor. Because it is our choice, isn’t it?! And one of the most important we will ever make.

 ‘Never give up!’ Marylou Crabill writes in Stronger than Cancer. ‘Sixteen years ago I was given six months to live. My husband and I fired that doctor and sought a second opinion’. Whoa, I love her power. And I remember my daughter reading me a story from Chicken Soup for the Survivors Soul. By the way, I don’t like to use the term ‘survivor’ but that’s a different blog!  Anyway, this book recounts a conversation between two oncologists that goes something like this. One oncologist asked the other oncologist why his results were so much better despite the fact that they were both using the same drugs. And his reply: Where you give out the drugs E.O.H.P., I give out H.O.P.E…

 It’s all in the attitude isn’t it…