At SecondOpinions.com we always encourage our clients and readers of our blog to obtain a second opinion regarding their health. Second opinions not only save lives, they can prevent unnecessary surgeries and procedures due to misdiagnoses. We all know that doctors can make mistakes and diagnosis medical problems incorrectly, but would you expect a hospital laboratory to misdiagnose? Unfortunately, it’s not all that uncommon.

Recently, a Canadian man was wrongly diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, told he would die within 12 months and was referred for chemotherapy. Four months later, he was told by the same doctors at 2 hospitals where he was being treated that he was actually suffering from sarcoidosis, a rare, but treatable lung disease. The lab admitted that a specimen from the patient’s lung biopsy was cross-contaminated with another patient’s, who has terminal lung cancer.

While the two hospitals in Hamilton, Canada have apologized for getting the diagnoses wrong and are “deeply sorry” for the error, is an apology enough? Shouldn’t medical laboratories check and re-check their lab results before issuing an incorrect report to a patient? Especially one which tells a patient he has a terminal disease and only has months to live? How often do misdiagnoses occur in a high-tech laboratory setting? How many more patients have actually been misdiagnosed, wrongly treated and perhaps even died?

Fortunately, this patient was fortunate enough to come to the US for a second opinion and have another biopsy performed which confirmed the tumor was indeed not cancer. So the moral of this unfortunate story is we must always get a second opinion even when having a biopsy because as you see, even labs can make mistakes and probably make them more than we are aware of. Unfortunately it is not easy to obtain a second biopsy because insurance companies most likely will not pay for it, but we must be proactive with our healthcare and ensure that we are properly diagnosed and treated. Starting with obtaining a second opinion is the best way to achieve this.

Let’s face it, mistakes can happen to anyone but you owe it to yourself to double check your diagnosis and get a second opinion. In this case, the hospital owned up to their mistake and the patient will be fine, but how many hospitals and labs brush mistakes under the rug? You owe it to yourself to be your own health advocate and SecondOpinions.com enables you to be your own healthcare advocate because we have radiologists and multi-specialists on board 24/7/365 to assist you with obtaining the proper diagnosis and best treatment plan.

At SecondOpinions.com, it’s as easy as it can be. We’re completely online, right at your fingertips. No unnecessary tasks such as driving to the doctor’s office or sitting in a waiting room, you remain in the comfort of your own home. It’s simple. Just request a consultation from SecondOpinions.com and that’s it, our experts will take care of the rest. You’ll have an accurate and reliable second opinion, you’ll not waste any time getting your second opinion, and you’ll be amazed at how little your second opinion will cost.

Remember, our second opinion could be your first line of defense!