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If you’re talking about me that’s incorrect. Your link showed arthritis of the big toe joint or degenerative arthritis. I have neither. Diagnosing the wrong type/location of arthritis makes your diagnosis wrong. Claiming otherwise is like saying you diagnosed lung cancer when it was liver cancer and claiming you were right because it was a cancer.
Your quote was that the internet could not tell you it was foot arthritis. Now you're changing it. Use common sense. You had arthritis of the foot. Then All you had to do is google "types of foot arthritis" to dig deeper. Its called BASIC research skills. At that point you probably go to the doctor anyways to get medication or treatment that isn't OTC. What kind of arthritis was it then???
BTW. The lung and liver are two separate organs with separate functions. A foot is a foot.
Use common sense. You had arthritis of the foot. Then All you had to do is google "types of foot arthritis" to dig deeper. Its called BASIC research skills. What kind of arthritis was it then???
BTW. The lung and liver are two separate organs with separate functions. A foot is a foot.
A foot is a foot. LOL. There are 26 bones and 33 joints in a human foot. Not to mention more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. Common sense tells me that anyone who thinks a foot is a foot and diagnosing the specific cause of foot pain is simple and easy isn’t someone with any common sense.
And once more because your reading comprehension is poor, how would I know to Google “types of foot arthritis” BEFORE I knew I had foot arthritis? Nothing I read (including your link) had my symptoms matching with foot arthritis. Maybe I should have Googled “How to use a crystal ball” so I could have seen my future diagnosis.
A foot is a foot. LOL. There are 26 bones and 33 joints in a human foot. Not to mention more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. Common sense tells me that anyone who thinks a foot is a foot and diagnosing the specific cause of foot pain is simple and easy isn’t someone with any common sense.
And once more because your reading comprehension is poor, how would I know to Google “types of foot arthritis” BEFORE I knew I had foot arthritis? Nothing I read (including your link) had my symptoms matching with foot arthritis. Maybe I should have Googled “How to use a crystal ball” so I could have seen my future diagnosis.
I think the internet has been great for overall health. I will give an example as to my cat. 20 years ago my I was dependent on my vet for my cat's health. That got me cats that lived to about 7 and usually died a painful death. The vet never told us what was wrong and really had no clue. Since the advent of the internet I can get so much more good information on how to keep my cat healthy in the first place. But also, I can order supplements off amazon that help him, tests for him that don't involve blood...
There are entire websites devoted to cat issues such as kidney failure that have great blunt detailed information. All done by cat lovers / owners who really care.
I have pretty much stopped going to the vet. My vet blackmails me to get my cat some medication so I have to go on occasion but... my cat is now 12 years old.. happy and healthy. I continue to look for ways to avoid the vet totally.
Good post. As others have said, the drawback of Dr. Google is the inability to conduct diagnostic tests when symptoms can have multiple causes. Where the internet has been a boon for me is nutrition. Good nutrition is an important precursor to overall good health. I consider Dr. Google to be vital in preventing metabolic syndromes and chronic inflammation issues.
Arthritis on the bone on the top of my foot, but since I lack a crystal ball that was unknown until X-rays discovered it. Ice, rest until swelling and pain reduced. Taking care not to wear shoes with a higher than normal arch support (my foot arch is already higher than most peoples) which caused my foot to press more against the top of the shoe and taking care not to lace athletic shoes too tightly so as to not put undue pressure on the bone.
But, even given the eventual diagnosis, why would I discount 2 very likely diagnoses that fit perfectly with my symptoms in favor of 2 that didn’t fit my symptoms and therefore were unlikely? You keep going on and on about how I “should have known” it was arthritis when even the link you posted supported the other 2 possibilities that were a perfect fit for my symptoms where the ones for arthritis did not. What if I had decided it was arthritis and it was really a stress fracture? How much additional damage could I have done continuing to walk 35 to 40 miles a week on a stress fracture?
Our exchange on this matter proves that getting an actual medical diagnosis along with any applicable treatment is important even if you think you know what’s going on after Googling. You could be wrong and create further problems for yourself. I’m not willing to risk my health by relying 100% on Dr. Google. I’m sure you disagree and will claim to continue diagnosing yourself correctly with just Google and your self proclaimed extra special ability to use it. Unless those future diagnoses, unlike your past ones, are substantiated by a medical doctor and/or definitive medical tests, color me skeptical.
I was just watching a You Tube on how to replace the door seal on my front load washer. I think I’ll give doing it myself a go since I’m sure the repair company can come over and “save” the patient if I screw it up. Any actual surgery? Nooooooooooooooooo.
I've developed OA of the feet and I have Not gone to any doctor to do what? I learned some PT while I was in rehab for knee and use topicals and wear a ankle support. What is a doctor going to do? Give me drugs which I don't want, take otc pain med now for OA. My body is pretty loaded with arthritis and I don't run to docs for their info. They surely can't reverse it and I do all I can to manage what I deal with.
There is SO much we can do on our own...unless one enjoys going to doctors as their hobby and spending the money they are paying for insurance or whatever they have.
There are people who almost brag about all their doctors they go to. I am the opposite.
And for those who think foot surgery for OA is an answer, you think you have issues now, just do a foot surgery. If money were not the object, I'd be looking at PRP for the foot and it's ligaments and tendons.
I’ve found that I easily find better, faster, and more accurate information just googling my issues than seeing a doctor. Basically every sickness or illness known to man is searchable on the internet. Not only that, but there are forums where people who have had similar issues who can share their advice. The only time I do see a doctor is when I need medication, and then I go in already knowing what is wrong with me and basically telling him what I need. A few times I even had to correct a doctor about an ADD medication because it wasn’t a medication primarily used. But he still should have known.
I think both should be done. I google all my symptoms too, but there are things to be careful of, particularly "horror stories". When I was crawling on the floor to the bathroom because of severe sciatica, I searched for help and hope online. It wasn't hopeful though, it was depressing. There were a LOT of people who were in agonizing pain and could barely function. Many, many people warning others not to even consider surgery, with awful stories of how surgery ruined their lives.
I was already depressed (I had never imagined there was pain like that, and didn't know how long I could go on) and it really brought me from depression to downright despair.
I had surgery anyway, because there was no way I could live like that for long. The surgery was the best thing I did. I came home 6 hours after surgery and was able to walk up my stairs, and within a few days I was able to function fully, pain free still almost 3 years later. I wished I did it months before, but the online advice made me wary of it.
I still google, but I keep in mind more people with bad outcomes are home and likely to post than those who had good outcomes and are back to work.
I think both should be done. I google all my symptoms too, but there are things to be careful of, particularly "horror stories". When I was crawling on the floor to the bathroom because of severe sciatica, I searched for help and hope online. It wasn't hopeful though, it was depressing. There were a LOT of people who were in agonizing pain and could barely function. Many, many people warning others not to even consider surgery, with awful stories of how surgery ruined their lives.
I was already depressed (I had never imagined there was pain like that, and didn't know how long I could go on) and it really brought me from depression to downright despair.
I had surgery anyway, because there was no way I could live like that for long. The surgery was the best thing I did. I came home 6 hours after surgery and was able to walk up my stairs, and within a few days I was able to function fully, pain free still almost 3 years later. I wished I did it months before, but the online advice made me wary of it.
I still google, but I keep in mind more people with bad outcomes are home and likely to post than those who had good outcomes and are back to work.
I ended up with sciatic damage over 30 yrs ago from a hysterectomy and this long before any Dr. Google and I was directed to a great chiro who worked on me initially every day for at least a week and I still have the sciatic damage but would NEVER go for any surgery...there are so much on the net to address sciatic...We are all different and some are more ready to do surgery than others. Surgeons love them.
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