Are you a cyberchondriac?

[RandomAnthony]

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/a...

I thought this was interesting.

I still struggle a lot with the "should I go to the doctor or not?" question when I'm sick. It's doubly difficult when the kids are sick. At least we have decent insurance for the first time in a while, now that my wife is working.

What do you think? Have you used the net to diagnose symptoms? Did the net say you were going to die?

(I'm glad you survived, just in case you were wondering.)

[Pamela(AllHoney)]

I have never tried to diagnose myself via the net but I have to admit I have tried to find home remedies/alternative medicine for certain symptoms. (i.e. cough or headache, etc...) I despise drugs, prescription or otherwise. I understand the need for some but many are overused and cause more problems than u started with.

[Sally, la reina]

We discussed this ad nauseaum last Spring in Reading and the Web, a class for which I was the TA. I really liked discussing how students perceive and utilize the internet in ways different than previous generations.

A couple of years ago I went to the doctor with a condition that ended up being treated by an acupuncturist and homeopath. I left the regular MDs office disgusted, because she just kept leaving the room and searching the web with the combination of symptoms I was giving her.

[Kevin]

sure, i do this all the time. although i once misdiagnosed myself as having malaise when it turns out i was just extremely bored for a month.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Have you used the net to diagnose symptoms? Did the net say you were going to die?

Yes, and yes. But the second one was a different website, one where you enter some data about yourself and it actually tells you when you are going to die. So now I know that!

[evie]

My husband had this pain that ran down his leg into his foot. His leg would sometimes tremble . He didn't want to go to the doctor. He started checking the net . Every night when I came home from work he would announce his latest disease. Eventually he went to a doctor . It was a lower back problem that needed physio and a few life style changes

[ms.petra]

LG... you are the queen of old threads! almost 3 yrs to the day :)

[Sally, la reina]

I concur.

[Cynthia]

Kevin "El Liso Grande" wrote: "sure, i do this all the time. although i once misdiagnosed myself as having malaise when it turns out i was just extremely bored for a month."

Kevin, you kill me.

[Mary]

I try to avoid the Internet when I have a weird pain because I would do the same thing that Evie's husband does-have all sorts of diseases.
My doctor found a thyroid nodule this fall and I had to go through all sorts of tests including a biopsy in my neck (just horrible!). I was doubly scared because my brother had throat cancer about 4 years ago which started with a lump on his neck.
He is doing great now and was a lot of support to me during this ordeal.
But one thing he advised me to do was stay away from the Net.
Which I did

[Mary]

Oh and the lump on my neck was benign!

[Sally, la reina]

When Leah was sick with the croup last fall the internet FUCKING terrified me.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

The scary thing about the internets is all the bullshit out there, and trying to distinguish it from the legit. I've researched various medical things and found sites that say the opposite of other sites, and sites that contain contradictory information on the same page. I guess the only way to get reliably accurate info is to visit institutional sites like Mayo Clinic, NIH, university sites, etc.

[Riona]

I can be a bit of a hypocondriac so I actually sometimes use the internet not to self-diagnose, but relieve myself of whatever crazy disease idea I've latched onto. I remember a couple months ago I had awful pain in my abdomen and my first thought was "appendicitis". So I hopped online and checked the symptoms, and pretty much assured myself that if I didn't have a fever it wasn't appendicitis and I must just have eaten something bad. It hurt like a bitch for a couple hours, then went away after a nap. Better than sitting in the E.R. for half the day only to find out it was nothing.

[evie]

I am not going to take a peek at "hydronephrosis"

[Phil]

This is the self diagnosis thread, right?

My nephew had x-rays taken but won't be visiting with his doctor again until March. Is there a doctor in our TC house? Does anyone here see anything wrong with this picture (below)?

[Kevin]

i'm an avid practitioner of online self diagnosis. i am considering giving myself lasik surgery based on a YouTube video and a laser pointer

[Cynthia]

@Kevin: If the surgery goes wrong, who will be facing a lawsuit? The folks at YouTube??

[Kevin]

if it goes that bad i'll not actually see what i write down in the defendant section of the lawsuit

[Phil]

Wow, you can tell a lot from an x-ray. I can ask for more details -- all he provided up-front was the picture. Thanks!

[Phil]

Here's what my nephew said.

I have constant pain when I stand, torque, bend, pick up stuff, sneeze or cough. Its started affecting my sleep and stuff, so I decided to go in. I get pain down my legs occasionally, no significant numbness, just on occasion my feet

So far he has only been to the urgent care center, which had him in for an MRI. He was asking family if he should forego his normal doctor (not available until March) and see someone now.

I told him yes. Significant numbness? Pain when coughing? Holy crap. He's used to toughing things out. Maybe that comes with being a Marine (no longer active duty).

[Barb]

*is impressed*

[Phil]

::echoes Barb's sentiment::

[Phil]

Thanks, Catherine. He's busy right now looking for a good doc in the DC area.

[evie]

A Tardis + doctor stuff hmm