In my own professional life, I've had several projects where we had to 'take over' from someone else and take things forward.
Somehow this never seems to work when it comes to how doctors work. Especially in the 'west' where legalities, insurance etc is so enmeshed into the healthcare system.
Having gone through 4 months of rigorous post-transplant care, tests and monitoring in Bangalore, we got back to Germany in a relatively stable state with a defined medicine protocol and a proposal to move forward.
Armed with the report of every test done in Bangalore, we meet our Nephrologist in Germany. Firstly, the amount of reports to go through is going to demand a lot of his busy schedule. Its a challenge. Secondly, he has a different opinion from that of the doctors in India with respect to my medicine protocol. Thirdly, given this situation, he recommends to basically jump right in with a biopsy - get things as clear as they can be, combine them with some tests for viral infections (which were not done in Bangalore)...then based on these results make a decision on the way forward. Phew!
When we were seeking second/third opinions in September 2012, all Nephrologists were consistent with their recommendation to us. One of them said, "we've all read the same books."
So what happened now?
For the patient, its time to go through the entire drill all over again :(
Have they ever tried to put themselves in the shoes of a patient and TRY to understand how this could feel for the patient? - yes i know if Doctors were too emotional they won't be able to do their jobs well but a little bit of empathy could go a long way.
Lesson learnt: Never expect one doctor to acknowledge and/or agree with the methods/procedures followed by another. Even if they SAY so. Sooner than later, they will insist on doing things again - THEIR WAY - because that's the RIGHT WAY.
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