Do i have a right to get my bone sampled from an infectious disease doctor?

Comstock Northwest

I think I have a chronic infection from strep and I have a phone appointment with him today. Is it my right to get my bone biopsied for infection?



Livermore

Is it a "right"? Not really the right question. Does the doctor think it's necessary? If not, he'll probably refuse to do it. Does your insurance cover it? If not, you can request it but you'll have to pay for it. Asking if it's a "right" implies that you can make the doctor and the insurance company do something against their will that they may not feel is necessary.



Rogers

No. Depends on dr. opinion.



Piper City

That is a extremely painful procedure, why not wait until you talk to him to find out your options before demanding some off the wall right?



West Haven-Sylvan

No, self diagnosing is not really the right thing to do, you tell them your symptoms they give you their best educated guess, if you start naming tests for no reason, no reason meaning your not a trained health care professional they may think your having some type of mental issues, patientes dont usually ask for more than a pregnancy or std test, maybe asking about strep, asking for a test for strept is totally acceptable. The bone thing, Id pass on that one, hell know if he needs to do that extreme of a test hun ok. Hope you feel better real soon. Throat coat teas from health food stores usually is soothing to the throat, you may want to try it maybe.



Durham

I am not certain that "right" is the correct word. You have a right to competent, professional healthcare (keeping in mind that healthcare is a commodity, not a right...if you can afford the commodity, it is your right to receive it with quality).If your physician feels that a bone biopsy is NOT necessary, doing one would violate your right to competent healthcare. Frankly, your physician can tell from simple blood work whether or not the infection is present, whether or not it is strep, and whether or not it is chronic, with no need to put you through the intense pain of taking a core sample of osseous tissue. Even if you have a chronic strep infection, there is no guarantee that it is in your bones....or in the one that the sample would be taken from. Your doctor studied for at least 8 years, then spent years in follow on training, to get the education that let him get where he is. And he passed his medical boards. He is not going to willingly risk this by being negligent or lazy. Let him make the decisions...it is, after all, what you (and your insurance company) are paying him for.



Angelica

Bone infection from osteomyelitis is serious business can can be fatal. If you had it, you would be in the hospital. If it were in a toe bone or leg bone, you wouldn't be able to walk... pain, swelling, fever, red streaks... cellulitis... abscess... sometimes even gangrene and amputation. If you're at home on the couch talking to a doctor by telephone, it's highly unlikely they will think you need a biopsy of anything. If you truly think you have Staph or Strep in a bone, it is a bonafide life-threatening emergency. Seek medical treatment immediately.