One you have a master list of all the possibilities, begin listing the pros and cons for each option. Include the duration of the treatment, how long recovery might take, the financial cost including insurance coverage, short and long-term side effects, possible outcomes, and the probability of success; these might end up as either pros or cons.
Include aspects that are less quantifiable, too, such as the amount of pain the treatment might cause, your fear level, how far from home you need to go for treatment, or which treatment your provider prefers for you.
If you’re not sure whether an aspect is a pro or con, ask your doctor or other medical staff in her office for input. Get additional information from the Internet, by talking to other patients about their experiences, or from your family.
Don’t discount intuition. You may "know" one treatment is a better choice than another for you. Just be careful not to confuse your intuition with wishful thinking.
Also, remember that "wait and see" may be an option for you. You'll want to know what the ramifications are if you choose no immediate treatment, but it can sometimes be your best immediate choice.
In Sarah's case she was able to determine those pros and cons fairly easily. Included were the facts that her insurance would not cover the acupuncture, and the fact that her brother is a chiropractor.
