Dr. Google, dr web?

[violet33]

I've posted here about med issues as many others have. WHY do SO MANY people say don't google or check web for med issues? WHY NOT???? Hey people come HERE asking medical questions & seek medical advice. I've read the posts myself. What's the difference. Personally I have found a wealth of info on the web. Yeah some stuff is scary but some isn't. But that's everywhere. What is the problem?

[cocohac]

Hello,
I think the reason is deffinately with me and I'm sure the same for others is that when we go to Dr google we put in our symptoms and it come up as some deadly disease( as iin the search it may only give the symptoms you have put down and not the other symptoms of that diease) or we might google a certain cancer we think we have and sure enough there is one or 2 symptoms we can identify having that in turn think we must have cancer.
Every doctor I have seen says to me not to do it as half the people on there aren't doctors.
In regards to this site, obvious we can't say what we think it is to another person as we aren't trained to do so, people just come on here for reassurance from people who have Health Anxiety as well.

Sorry for the long reply.
Take care
Helen

[Pipkin]

Violet,

The above poster is right. People google their symptoms and 9 times out of 10, the most serious illnesses come up which sends people into a panic when the vast majority of the time, it's something much less serious. The Internet can never be a replacement for professional medical advice which can involve a proper examination, questioning the patient about symptoms and lifestyle and which takes into consideration patient history.

The Internet has its place, without a doubt. It's particularly useful when you have received a diagnosis from a doctor and you can look at more detail and discuss the condition with other people.

In general though, we advise some people not to google as it makes their anxiety worse, rather than giving the reassurance they want. It's usually the anxiety that's the problem for HA sufferers, not a physical illness.

Pip

[ri-ri]

i think googling symptoms is the worst thing anybody can do, especially those with health anxiety.
I've realised that google was the main thing that started my health anxiety, you type in a few symptoms and your faced with all these serious deadly diseases, fair enough sometimes some not so serious things pop up, but health anxiety sufferers can't help but focus on those more serious diseases.
Google is bad! very bad! for checking symptoms, I'd advise everybody to stay away from it.

[katielou80]

Dr google most defo started my HA, i went to the drs thinking i had cervical cancer due to aching back and legs, after about 6 months of worry! (of which it told me on the internet was a sign!) my doctor, whos been a gp for 30 years said he had NEVER EVER known that as a sign...and i went on my way. next was ectopic heartbeats, they are SO common, but scary if you google, but drs dont worry about them!! he told me its all rubbish and just listen to him, not the comp! x

[justina]

Google can probably be a good thing for "normal" people...
for me and other HA-sufferers, googling just triggers my anxiety and I find more and more symptoms that tell me I have a deadly disease.
It is NOT a good help for HA-sufferers, because we never find the reassurance we are looking for but only more reasons to worry.

Google is of course good in some cases, but this is a forum for Health Anxiety and we can't handle the info Google gives us... at least I know I can't.

[fred_h]

... Hey people come HERE asking medical questions & seek medical advice...

I'm not sure that's the right place for that.
People do come here to seek reassurance because they are aware they suffer from health anxiety to a certain extent. They shouldn't come to get a diagnosis as it can't properly be made without exams by healthcare professionals.

[lindajane1971]

I think thats is a good and bad thing.
It depends on how severe the anxiety or panic is at the time of your symptoms as to what you type in the search bar. If you have a twinge in your chest and straight away look up heart attack you will find nasty stuff!!
I had plantar fasciitis for 18 months (foot condition) and the doctor cant really do anything for it, and it was googling it which gave me the most helpful information and treatment options for it, which did help me a lot and i was very grateful for that information.

I do look things up occasionally and stay well away from certain sites, wikipedia, webmd, wrongdiagnosis.com, and my doctor told me never to look anything up on netdoctor.

When i am really anxious i now come here first to see how common my symptoms are and 9 times out of 10 i am reassured by this site and the people on it, i also have checked the nhs website and medhelp and anxietyzone have helped me lots.
I will always be grateful for dr google getting me to this site, but i am also aware of its jekyll and hyde information and im not so afraid now of going to my doctor and talking about it.

[swgrl09]

I just know that I have never accurately diagnosed myself with google. Not once was I correct. I think for people who don't have anxiety, it can be helpful if you are looking for general information. But for people with anxiety, we tend to just see the worst possible cause and it sticks to us.

Also keep in mind - People who are generally healthy and happy don't go and post their symptons and horror stories online. It's the people with the horror stories that do. So the results you get on google are not always indicative of the general population because most people aren't posting that their headaches were just headaches online. Does that make sense?

[uk23]

Some people do diagnose using Google, maybe 0.001% get it correct and the doctors did miss something, for the rest of us who have had various tests and still don't believe when the doctors say 'Everything's OK', well, that's Health Anxiety.

[violet33]

Hi Helen, first of all it's not JUST google. The web is a big place, & yes I've seen scary stuff on web , but I've also found positive info on web. Another thing is I've found stuff on web drs didn't know of that turned out to be true.

[cocohac]

Hello,
I agree its not just google. There are many other search engines. The web is a very useful tool but I do know that people with Health Anxiety can sometimes think they have a serious illness from the symptoms they search for and come up with horrible illnesses. I agree with some ones post on here that said the web is ok to use for HA suffers by trusted sites only when a diagnoses has been confirmed by a GP then they are quite useful to get guidance but not to just search for symptoms because it can scare people and make anxiety worse. If the internet is ok for you to use regarding your Health Anxiety then that's great, I'm just coming from my own experiences with the net for my HA and what the doctors have said to me when I see them.
Take care

[swgrl09]

If it helps you, go for it. That's great that it can be a useful tool for you! Nothing wrong with that at all. I know my anxiety tends to grab onto whatever negative is out there, so that's why I avoid it. I have scared myself silly too many times personally. I do use it once in a while to look up a side effect of a medication or if there is a drug interaction and the pharmacy is closed, but I have learned that for me, that has to be my personal limit.

[venusbluejeans]

Maybe read this thread Violet...

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=46865