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I look at multiple sites and don’t see how they could be incorrect and have never seen them be incorrect. What is your reference for them being notoriously incorrect? Google delivers pages in the results based on which sites are best. I then look at 5-10 different sites, and most match up.
I do it too. However its not the sites that could be incorrect but you interpretation of you symptoms that could be incorrect. I have found there is often a gray area where it could be this or that with one being much more serious than the other.
If someone is simply googling their symptoms trying to convince themselves that they don't need to take any action then they might not be objective. You already have the result you are hoping for ahead of time and just are looking at medical websites to back that up.
I do it too. However its not the sites that could be incorrect but you interpretation of you symptoms that could be incorrect. I have found there is often a gray area where it could be this or that with one being much more serious than the other.
If someone is simply googling their symptoms trying to convince themselves that they don't need to take any action then they might not be objective. You already have the result you are hoping for ahead of time and just are looking at medical websites to back that up.
My wife had a tumor in her femur and it took just about five months for the doctors to find the cause of her pain. The reason was that the pain was not felt where the tumor was located. She started off with pain in her knee and lower leg. So the doctors did the X-ray, MRI and then cortisone injections on the knee. After that failed the switched to her spine and did everything again. It wasn't until that gave no relief that they finally checked her hip and femur.
In the meantime we were both trying to find the answers with Google. We were all wrong. However one experienced doctor could have found the problem in the first place. We went to one that told us that he would have checked the hip and femur right off the bat since the pain is often felt in other areas. We had looked at information like that on Google; but my wife was insistent that her pain was in her knee and lower leg. So our Googling did not point us in the right direction.
I am not even sure if insurance plays a part in a hard diagnosis like my wife's. Since she felt no pain where her problem was located do doctors have to justify why they are launching expensive test in that area of the body?
My wife had a tumor in her femur and it took just about five months for the doctors to find the cause of her pain. The reason was that the pain was not felt where the tumor was located. She started off with pain in her knee and lower leg. So the doctors did the X-ray, MRI and then cortisone injections on the knee. After that failed the switched to her spine and did everything again. It wasn't until that gave no relief that they finally checked her hip and femur.
In the meantime we were both trying to find the answers with Google. We were all wrong. However one experienced doctor could have found the problem in the first place. We went to one that told us that he would have checked the hip and femur right off the bat since the pain is often felt in other areas. We had looked at information like that on Google; but my wife was insistent that her pain was in her knee and lower leg. So our Googling did not point us in the right direction.
I am not even sure if insurance plays a part in a hard diagnosis like my wife's. Since she felt no pain where her problem was located do doctors have to justify why they are launching expensive test in that area of the body?
Well I hope your wife has recovered. I avoid going to doctors unless its absolutely necessary. Probably not a good idea but so far I have dodged the bullet from any serious problems. So self diagnosing is something I do.
They say the future of medicine is in AI. A computer will diagnose you and use the vast array of information at its disposal in real time from throughout the world to come up with a solution. Something that humans are not capable of doing with the same speed and accuracy. Might be the solution to high health care costs.
I have been able to find out through google how to help with things related to my daughters illness and my chronic one but mostly I have been able to detect side effects in some meds that were either making us sick or I'd had a question about .
Once googling an anesthesia an oral surgeon planned to use on me prompted me to go to my GP and let him know I was a little concerned and why . He was able to cancel that and send me to an oral surgeon with my complete medical history ( on paper ) and they used a polar opposite anesthesia from the first one due to being able to see everything - not just yes or no or check a box .
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.
Wow! We should all do this! Why hasn't anyone else thought of this.
Location: Finally the house is done and we are in Port St. Lucie!
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Good lord!
I belong to a forum that is dedicated to colorectal cancer. So many people come on there scared crapless that they have colon cancer because all google searches point to that diagnosis. Most turn out to be hemorrhoids or IBS. Hell, some even just need to change their diet.
We will never belittle or make fun of someone that is scared because of what they found on Google but man, I do roll my eyes at times. Our first advice is to get a colonoscopy because they will not be able to do a true diagnosis without it. 8 out of 10 times the person will come back and say that it was hemorrhoids but they thank us for giving them as much info as we can. We do try to calm their fears by telling them to try not to worry at least until they get that diagnosis.
So many people are what I like to call health anxious. See the worst possible scenario by what they find on Dr. 'Google'.
Google can help but seriously, do NOT take it as gospel!
Location: Finally the house is done and we are in Port St. Lucie!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DutchessCottonPuff
I have been able to find out through google how to help with things related to my daughters illness and my chronic one but mostly I have been able to detect side effects in some meds that were either making us sick or I'd had a question about .
Once googling an anesthesia an oral surgeon planned to use on me prompted me to go to my GP and let him know I was a little concerned and why . He was able to cancel that and send me to an oral surgeon with my complete medical history ( on paper ) and they used a polar opposite anesthesia from the first one due to being able to see everything - not just yes or no or check a box .
Google can either help or scare you to death .
I fully agree that it can be a useful tool. We do have to be our own advocate.
Good lord!
I belong to a forum that is dedicated to colorectal cancer. So many people come on there scared crapless that they have colon cancer because all google searches point to that diagnosis. Most turn out to be hemorrhoids or IBS. Hell, some even just need to change their diet.
I think it is unfortunate but some of the "web md" type sites don't want to get specific or detailed because they don't want to get sued. But people see these vague and broad symptoms and feel like it could be them. It is too bad. Like I said at one point I thought I had IBC. IBC has a very distinct orange peel look to the skin that is unique. All the websites should have a clear and good photo of it so people can distinguish between something serious and something not. But most of them just say "rash" which results in a lot of panic. To the extent that something can be reduced to a few symptoms that are telling, they should be.
I’ve found that I easily find better, faster, and more accurate information just googling my issues than seeing a doctor.
Google can be a tool for obtaining information but it's not a substitute for seeing a doctor. So much of what is out there is wrong or is advertising posing as medical information. I've seen people post things on this board as "proof" that something works when it was just some random person's thoughts or reviews of a product.
Researching information can be and often is helpful but making your own diagnosis based on that internet research is risky. You are literally gambling with your life if you do this.
Google is cheaper and faster than waiting in the emergency room for 4 hours
If I can fix it myself, that’s exacty what I’m doing.
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