Chapter 9: The Doctor Will See You Now

The Doctor Will See You Now by Tamer Seckin, MD

This post will be a little different than previous posts. Today I'm reviewing the book The Doctor Will See You Now by Tamer Seckin, MD. Dr. Seckin is the co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation along with Padma Lakshmi, who wrote the forward for this book. The goal of the Endo Foundation is to educate doctors and patients on recognizing and treating endometriosis. A portion of the proceeds from this book benefit the Endometriosis Foundation.

This book was incredibly helpful. It's broken up into sections which makes it very easyl to digest the information presented. The sections are: The Disease, Symptoms, Misdiagnosis, Effects, Alternatives, The Care You Deserve, And Now and the Future. Each section has multiple, short chapters. The intended audience is people who think or know they have have endometriosis, plus their loved ones. There is definitely a lot of medical information, but Dr. Seckin made sure that it is not too difficult to understand. He also weaves in stories from his patients with each chapter to illustrate the thesis of each chapter. This makes it relatable to those of us with endometriosis and easier to understand. It also makes it a quick read, even though it's 229 pages long.

This book made me feel like I'm not alone. Having an invisible chronic pain condition is exhausting and isolating. While I wouldn't wish my journey to a diagnosis on anyone, it does help to know that I am not crazy. To know others are struggling too makes me feel like it wasn't all in my head. I related so much to their stories and I'm so grateful that they were willing to share them for this book.

The book explains the best surgery for treatment, which I think is very important. A lot of gynecologists are woefully ignorant on whether ablation or excision is better for endometriosis treatment. I'll dedicate a whole post to the difference and why you should never get an ablation for endometriosis. This section includes questions to ask your doctor to make sure you have one that truly understands this little known disease. I think this is really helpful and I wish I had it before I went in for my first consult. I ended up asking most of the right questions anyway, but there were a few I didn't think of.

This book also proposes alternative treatments. It isn't a substitute for surgery, but it can help with the symptoms until you're at a place emotionally, financially or with time off to get surgery. I've found acupuncture to very helpful, and I'm glad it was suggested as an option.

Overall, I found this to be an incredibly informative eye opening read. I am so grateful that this book exists. It helped me understand my disease and what I'm feeling both emotionally and physically.