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Before the internet, I used to go to the library and research medical issues. Should I let my OB deliver the baby breech or do a c-section? How do we stop my son's constant ear infections and resistance to antibiotics (Dr Weil said they don't help - surprise)?
And in the early days of the internet, I found a support group that gave me answers as to why I had daily hives for 20 years (diagnosed chronic idiopathic urticaria and angioedema) and why I should wean myself off of the long term prednisone I was taking.
And oh my, on the minor, bizarre health issues, of course Google is awesome. I had a burst of oil on my scalp, so strange, that would get worse with shampooing. Googled it and found hundreds of fellow weirdos that had the same thing happen, who had gone to doctors, hairdressers, analyzed different products, etc and finally someone found a way to clear it up.
I think it's a good thing for people to deal with their minor issues themselves instead of taking up valuable health resources. Leave that for the people with serious health problems.
Yeah absolutely. I had a rash outbreak recently that I was mostly able to clear up via a soap I read about online. The doctor was impressed. But she prescribed a medication to fully get rid of it and told me to continue occasional use of the soap for flare ups. Like you, I had tried for years to get rid of it.
While there's a lot of bad information, I self-diagnosed myself with Hodgkin's lymphoma when I was 18 and didn't yet know to not mention I had Googled to a doctor. 5 years, a half a dozen specialists, and countless misdiagnoses, I was finally diagnosed with stage IV Hodgkin's lymphoma. I was right all along with textbook - including rare - symptoms but because I came upon the diagnosis myself, no one took me seriously. I should have died at least 3 years before my eventually diagnosis based on average survival without treatment.
If a doctor won't give you info, Google is sometimes all you have. If you want an idea before you go, there's Google. If you want detailed information on something after you see the doctor, there's Google.
Especially since it doesn't seem doctors these days have a lot of time to spend, or if by reading you can learn more than what they will tell you.
The trick is knowing how to evaluate what you're reading. Plenty of people will take whatever they find on the internet as gospel without checking whether the site is reputable or biased. It's one thing to get your info from a medical journal, and another to get it from buyapplecidervinegar.com.
LOL. buyapplecidervinegar.com!!
Yeah, and that asparagus-2 quarts of Coke remedy for kidney stones I read about online DID NOT WORK!
Med students frequently, & to a lesser extent, residents want to impress their profs by coming up with some rare diagnosis to explain a pt's condition. We tell them, "When you hear hoof-beats coming down the road, it's probably a horse and not a zebra." ...But then, every once in a while, a zebra does escape from the zoo.
Agree. The only problem I ever had with that was when I was discussing the principles of rare diagnoses with a student from Africa. He looked at me blankly when I gave the "zebra" analogy, and then he clarified that he used to see zebras every day when he was 'home' back in Africa.
At the end of the article, the interviewed doctor concludes: But if you need to go to the ER, don’t google first, just go!
Actually, the one time in my life I actually needed to go the ER ASAP, the only reason I went right away was because I consulted Dr. Google. Thanks to a brief search I realized I had symptoms of water poisoning/hypnonatremia and needed to go right away. It helped me convince a skeptical husband that what I realized was mild mental confusion (along with nausea and muscle cramps) was actually a life-threatening emergency. By the time we arrived at the ER, I was already losing consciousness.
Not all life-threatening conditions have extremely painful symptoms which people associated with the necessity of emergency care and using Dr. Google can help you realize that some odd, but painless symptoms are actually red alerts.
Actually, this happened to my former partner, too. He went to his doctor (really a sub, as his doctor was on vacation) with stomach pain and was told he had the flu. He told me about it on the phone and I specifically asked him questions to find out if it was his appendix, and his answers didn't seem like it was.
Then he googled it. And landed in the hospital for a week with a burst appendix. I knew someone else, was given a vague diagnosis by a nurse over the phone but no explanation, nurse/doctor would not discuss it over the phone, next appointment was scheduled for 6 months out. Googled it. Terminal illness, survival often less than a year. They never heard it from the doctor, did not make it to hear it from him personally. I wish that was not a true story.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ted Bear
Some pretty reliable medical providers (Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, etc.) put info on the net. That's a pretty significant endorsement of the idea that patients should consult the net to be informed about their medical condition.
Absolutely. As I said, doctors may not always have time to give you in-depth information, or information from more than one source, and they don't know what you do or do not know. I have had a good understanding of medical issues, procedure, terminology, etc. in the past through Google (and listening when doctors and nurses talk). I've been asked more than once if I work in a clinical setting. No, I'm just interested and I read and listen and ask questions, so I can have informed conversations with medical staff.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sand&Salt
LOL. buyapplecidervinegar.com!!
Yeah, and that asparagus-2 quarts of Coke remedy for kidney stones I read about online DID NOT WORK!
People don't actually consult Google. Google is a search engine. The internet is like a library that contains a variety of sources of information. Google is like the old fashioned card filing system, where you'd look up your subject at the library, for references to which books you could consult.
People may consult different sites on the internet, like they would consult different books at the library.
Knowledge is a good thing, as long as you are careful about the source of the information. The Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, The American Cancer whatever, the AMA...these would be good sources of general information, I would think. There are also general medical books/sites a person can use for definitions and explanations and data.
Med students frequently, & to a lesser extent, residents want to impress their profs by coming up with some rare diagnosis to explain a pt's condition. We tell them, "When you hear hoof-beats coming down the road, it's probably a horse and not a zebra." ...But then, every once in a while, a zebra does escape from the zoo.
Your doc was open minded. That's good. It's a cardinal error for a doc to get too locked in to his first diagnosis.
Advice for pts who want to educate themselves about their symptoms or diagnosis: stick to the reputable med sites like WebMD, Medscape, Mayo, Cleveland Clinic, etc. If the article is published in the popular press, like NY Times, Cosmo, Better Homes & Gardens etc-- skip it or at least read it with extreme skepticism...Even Wikipedia, which claims to be open & unbiased, is not always what they claim.
If you don't mind, I'll add a couple of research sources:
There is series published for doctors called Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment. I always keep a current copy in my home. Its a lot of technical reading, but very informative.
Good information about medicines can be obtained if you take the trouble to look up the Physicians Desk Reference. The parts that are most instructive are generally those that deal with things like "side effects" and "contraindications".
And I can also recommend the Merck Manual.
Finally, many people simply need a definition of the many complicated medical words and terms. I'd recommend going on line and finding Dorland's Medical Dictionary.
I have some advice for patients seeing a doctor. Unless you are just beside yourself with pain and its a true emergency, take the time to write down the questions you have for your physician.
When you see him, get to the point. Understand that he/she is seeing 4-6 patients an hour and time is limited. I pride myself on being able to give a clear, succinct history when I speak to my doctor of his assistant. Most people complain about how little time they get with a doctor. I try to use that time efficiently. I'm not beyond making small talk with a doctor if he wants to do it, but I realize I'm there to get a diagnosis and treatment, so I don't fool around.
Last edited by markg91359; 08-27-2019 at 08:37 PM..
If you don't mind, I'll add a couple of research sources:
There is series published for doctors called Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment. I always keep a current copy in my home. Its a lot of technical reading, but very informative.
Good information about medicines can be obtained if you take the trouble to look up the Physicians Desk Reference. The parts that are most instructive are generally those that deal with things like "side effects" and "contraindications".
And I can also recommend the Merck Manual.
I have some advice for patients seeing a doctor. Unless you are just beside yourself with pain and its a true emergency, take the time to write down the questions you have for your physician.
When you see him, get to the point. Understand that he/she is seeing 4-6 patients an hour and time is limited. I pride myself on being able to give a clear, succinct history when I speak to my doctor of his assistant. Most people complain about how little time they get with a doctor. I try to use that time efficiently. I'm not beyond making small talk with a doctor if he wants to do it, but I realize I'm there to get a diagnosis and treatment, so I don't fool around.
Good suggestions.
If you for to the Net, go for quality, not crap sites
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