GPs who don't seem to use the internet!

[annief]

hi, I've had a couple of health scares of late, one still ongoing, and I've gone to see my GP and ended up feeling almost embarrassed that I seemed to know more than she did (in fact she asked if I worked in the medical field, no, doh, I am just willing to spend time reading around and surfing!).
For instance, I went with one-sided tinnitus and got referred for an MRI (NICE guidelines) scan. The hospital has just informed me and her by letter that it was 'normal' and therefore no further action would be taken. Well, I know they were looking for a brain tumour but I also know from the net that one-sided tinnitus can be down to a problem with the carotid artery or a few other reasons. I was referred to ENT and perhaps arteries are probably cardiology? But my GP said she had never heard of this. I just wonder if I'm being fobbed off. I have noticed a distinct reluctance to order scans now whereas 10 years ago when I was worried about a left sided abdominal pain (recurring now), I was quickly sent for a CRT.
So sorry, didn't mean to make this rambling but just wondering about the experiences other people are having and how what is clearly the current rationing of health care is going to affect us who worry about our health.

[mikewales]

One sided tinnitus can also be caused by very simple things like earwax, an ear infection, damage that has only affected one side etc...

I think you are over researching, and finding much more serious causes, and convincing yourself this is the reason ( a common thing with HA, and why GP's wont always assume tinnitus is down to a brain tumour ).

GP's are also normally a first port of call, they will check for obvious smaller things when a problem is reported, and if they suspect it could be something that needs more treatment, they refer you to a specialist, which is what the specialists are there for as GP's dont have things like MRI scanners available to them.

Dr Google can be a very dangerous thing for people without proper medical training or knowledge, as it is easy to convince yourself any small common problem is down to something much more serious or life threatening.

Also, the reason your GP may be reluctant to send you for scans is that they know you have HA, and have been sent for various ones before, which have been negative and not shown serious problems