Thank you to 2nd.MD for providing me with a $200 stipend to test-drive this revolutionary online medical service.
If you have been following my blog for the past year or so, then you might be aware of the issues we had to deal with concerning Roberts health. Robert was born with what was considered to be a condition called CCAM. He went into surgery last August and the doctors successfully removed extra lung tissue that was harboring bacteria and had kept Robert sick for the first two years of his life. After the surgery the original diagnosis had changed from CCAM to Pulmonary Sequestration. This diagnosis went from being cystic tumors on his lungs to extra tissue that had formed on his lungs. An issue that we had before the surgery and we have continued to have since the surgery is constant nausea and vomiting. The surgeon had said that we should give it a few months, then after a few months of no change they said that we should just wait and see what happens. They also prescribed some antacids for Robert to take on a daily basis. The only difference that we have seen when it comes to the vomiting is, its not a daily occurrence any more. To me, vomiting several times a week is not healthy and I know that when Robert goes to elementary school, if he vomits, they will send him home. I have asked questions with the doctors and I have not gotten any answers. We recently changed doctors and the new doctor is not familiar with Roberts condition and I needed to be prepared for our next visit with her which will be this week. So when I was given the chance to work with 2nd.MD, I knew exactly what I needed to do. Signing up on the site was very easy. I went on, created an account then once I verified my new account, I was able to browse the doctors and find the right doctor for me to talk to. I was able to save a few doctors in my account. Once I had decided on which doctor I wanted to speak with, I went on, signed in, went to my doctors page requested a appointment. Once the doctor got my request I went back on then booked an appointment. When booking an appointment, you have a couple of options available for the visit. You can either choose to do a web video chat or a phone call. The system also verifies if your equipment is working and plugged in correctly. For the phone appointment, you have to verify your phone number that you want the doctor to call. The appointment confirmation was then sent to my email so I could save it and make sure that I was ready for it. The day of the appointment, I received a email reminder. Then when it was time for the appointment, I received a phone call. After verifying that I was ready, I was able to speak to the doctor. Due to Roberts issue being a issue with vomiting, I had chose to go with a doctor who specialized in GI or a gastroenterologist.
With the first few minutes we discussed Roberts diagnosis and I had learned more about his diagnosis than I have ever learned in the past year from any of the doctors or surgeons we have met with. She actually explained to me that Pulmonary Sequestration was rare and that if the doctors had not looked into it, they might have been overlooking the fact that it can cause issues with his upper GI or even lower GI. I learned that there are certain steps that should be taken to find if there is any irritations caused by the Pulmonary Sequestration in his GI by requesting that his doctors do a Upper GI Series on him. This would be the first step and maybe the only thing that we need to do to find out what is causing him to vomit so much. I also learned that there was also a possibility of the Vegas Nerve being damaged during the initial surgery and that could have been overlooked, but can also be fixed and be found in the Upper GI Series. I loved that in just 20 minutes, I got more answers to my questions than I have gotten in the past three years. I also loved how I was given the information not only over the phone, but she also provided me with her own notes that I have saved to share with our new doctor later this week. The doctor I spoke with was very knowledgeable, she treated me as a person and not as a diagnosis. I know that if I have more questions in the future, I will be turning to 2nd.MD. I also know that if anyone asks me where they should go for a second opinion or advice from a doctor, I will suggest they go to 2nd.MD! I got real answers to my real questions, and the doctor I spoke to was concerned and gave me the answers I have been looking for! Not only do you have the option for a phone conference with a doctor, but you can also have a live video chat with a doctor from the comfort of your home, which I think is great, its like the next best thing to a face to face session with a doctor in their office but with out the waiting.
2ndMD – Our Story from 2ndMD on Vimeo.
Thank you again to 2nd.MD for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about 2nd.MD. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own. #Clever2ndMD #spon
Very interesting. I wonder if because it was a phone appointment and there were no distractions of physical exams, vitals, etc. the doc was more able to focus on conversation. It seems the opposite of what is typical – that we often leave feeling rushed through the process and not listened to or not having all of our questions answered. Since that's the docs only focus in this situation, it's interesting. About Robert and the vomiting? When he goes to school as long as you have a doctor's note that explains it, they can not legally exclude him from school. Or…trust me – if they do, they'd have to provide him an in home teacher and they sure wouldn't want to do that in order to guarantee his right to a free public education. Oh no – mention that, and they'll be holding him while he pukes school 🙂
Well, I am hoping to get the vomiting thing under control. The plan is that I will take these notes that the doctor I spoke with provided me with and see if we can come up with a solution to fix the problem, that from what I understand, should have been taken care of after his surgery. There were steps that should have been taken with the condition he has, and since it is a rare disorder, the doctors might have not known that there was more to be done. But I have the info to give to them so we can get this done!!
They also provide a way to have a face to face consult, which I was hoping to do, but I could not get my NEW camera to work, so next time I do plan on using a camera. I think that the video chat would be a good thing so you can see who you are talking to. The phone conference was great as well, it does beat going and waiting at a doctors office. I can talk to the doctors from my home on my own time!!!
Hi. I'm checking out this site.I read, "Geography shouldn’t limit your access to the best medical advice when you need it most."THIS is my problem. I live in a remote area. We have a local PA that don't know his head from a hole in the ground. His lack of diagnosing my brother correctly attributed to my brother's death I firmly believe that. (he said he had pneumonia, he was having congestive heart failure and needed a valve replaced ASAP) Weeks went by before Jack E was finally hospitalized by flight for life. he didn't make it through the surgery. I am going to check this site out further. I am curious to know if our insurance covers something like this website.Thank you.
This is very interesting! I hope you are able to get some answers to deal with your sons illness. I'll have to check it out a bit further.
Wow I tried it myself and I was blown away with the vast resources available in that site! Even their after hours care is impeccable!