A little knowledge is a dangerous thing!!

[Jo3016]

I think from reading numerous threads on this forum that many of us have a fair bit of medical knowledge from reading medical books and websites. I often find that, if I am watching a medical drama on the television, that I can diagnose "patients" pretty quickly. It always makes my husband laugh!

I was recently talking to a friend of mine who is a GP. She said that I reminded her of a 1st year medical student who had a lot of knowledge but no practice of seeing the symptoms in real life situations. She said that a lot of medical students have awful health anxieties to begin with. However, she said that once she started to practice, she realised just how much of her diagnoses relied on her experience about how ill people really looked.

My point is (although I find it hard to accept myself sometimes!!) is that we should try to trust in our doctors' oppinions as they do have a practical experience. I hope this helps a little

[Gazman]

yes i agree, but of course it is hard as we think we know our body the best.

I was diagnosed with somatization and the doctor gave me a few websites to read up on as he said he knew i read so much about illnesses on the net in the past.

And the main storys found on these websites are about 1st year medical students who think they are suffering from what they are studying, and how it is all somatic and there is no organic cause etc.

The mind is a powerful thing - it's been said on this forum many times but people still refuse to believe ( me included most of the time) just what the mind can do to the body.

[itoldyouiwasill]

Out of interest what sites did the GP recommend Gaz??

[mark1980]

I think from reading numerous threads on this forum that many of us have a fair bit of medical knowledge from reading medical books and websites. I often find that, if I am watching a medical drama on the television, that I can diagnose "patients" pretty quickly. It always makes my husband laugh!

I was recently talking to a friend of mine who is a GP. She said that I reminded her of a 1st year medical student who had a lot of knowledge but no practice of seeing the symptoms in real life situations. She said that a lot of medical students have awful health anxieties to begin with. However, she said that once she started to practice, she realised just how much of her diagnoses relied on her experience about how ill people really looked.

My point is (although I find it hard to accept myself sometimes!!) is that we should try to trust in our doctors' oppinions as they do have a practical experience. I hope this helps a little

Quite true. When I saw my neurologist and he said he didn't think I was seriously ill it meant a lot to me. Someone seeing people with these disorders day in, day out has to be able to make a pretty confident judgement call.
In hindsight I should also have had more faith in my GP.

[vikkij21]

my dad is a gp and he is always saying this to me,especially after i have googled my lastest symptom and diagnosed myself with cancer AGAIN, but still I think i know better than him and his 30+ years experience. deep down I know he is right and that if he actually thought I was seriously ill he would have me at the hospital. we really should listen to our gp's not dr google.