It’s not just choosing a medical team that’s challenging. Choosing a hospital is also difficult. There are a variety of information sources out there about hospitals, and some seem to be significantly better than others when it comes to general safety and neurosurgery outcomes specifically.
The real problem is: what happens if something goes wrong? It may not be especially likely, but it’s certainly possible. Would Abe and I (or just Abe) be left forever wondering how things might have been different if we’d just chosen a different facility or team? It’s a bit of a lose-lose in that case. No matter what the choice – unless everything goes perfectly, you’d always wonder.
On some level, all we can do is play the percentages. Which scenario is likely to give us a slightly better chance of an optimal outcome?
I’m deeply indebted to the folks at Grand Rounds. My Personal Care Coordinator there is Peggy Meyer, and she’s been wonderful. She’s really helped us understand how we can be involved in making our own healthcare decisions in this case. I’m incredibly glad we contacted them.