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violet33
12-09-12, 18:00
I just want to say from what I've seen on nomorepanic, that MANY people aren't here JUST for reassurance. I've read posts seeking info on medical conditions & seems to me seeking diagnosis. & I've seen posts telling people what they think they have, which is like a diagnosis. Personally I've found a WEALTH of info on web & WILL. Continue using it. That's not saying I'll never see a dr, but I found SO MANY DRS to be DEAD WRONG.
nomorepanic
12-09-12, 18:53
I don't want NMP turning into a medical site and try my hardest to discourage people from seeking medical advice on here as none of us are medically trained.

You must use the web sensibly and only go on reputable sites and not ones (even like this!) who's members are not medically trained.

Can we not merge this post in with the main thread you have about it?
uk23
12-09-12, 19:46
The only sites that are worth using are:

http://www.patient.co.uk/
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/
http://www.webmd.com/
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/

Those are the only ones I trust, I find the best to actually be the last one. The NHS website is so-so.
DylanR
12-09-12, 20:18
My doctor said Net Doctor is the worst
violet33
12-09-12, 20:42
Of course that's what a dr would say. They're afraid if people get too much web info, they'll Lose money on visits.

---------- Post added at 15:42 ---------- Previous post was at 15:41 ----------

I'm not sure how to merge.
venusbluejeans
12-09-12, 20:50
Of course that's what a dr would say. They're afraid if people get too much web info, they'll Lose money on visits.

---------- Post added at 15:42 ---------- Previous post was at 15:41 ----------

I'm not sure how to merge.

We do not pay for drs visits here in the UK Violet, so it has nothing to do with money, It is people with Health anxiety which look on the net and think they have the worst possible thing wrong with them as it is what has come up on the internet.

yes the net has its place but that is certainly not for people with health anxiety to diagnose themselves.
mikewales
12-09-12, 20:54
The main problem is whatever these websites come up with as being your problem, you still need to go to see a GP, and when you go to see them they will diagnose you themselves. The website may say you have cancer, but if the doctors knows you haven't, then you aren't going to be given treatment for it.

So really looking on these sites is a waste of time as you don't gain anything from them, and they don't help you get any better.

And as V says, doctors visits and treatment are free in the UK, so there is no vested interest from the medical profession, what they want to do is stop people self diagnosing wrongly.
ElectricAlice
12-09-12, 21:53
I personally found that staying off a lot of posts on NMP helped my HA more than staying on it all day.

If I have a query about whether a symptom is caused by anxiety, and others experience this, then I will use the forums. Or if I simply HAVE to get some reassurance that I'm okay and as a way to stop googling.

But to be honest, one of the things that is crucial when overcoming HA is to not seek reassurance. It creates a short term relief, but long term it doesn't help.

And I find the forums offer this reassurance too much, create triggers for other illnesses from certain topics and prevent proper overcoming of my HA.

But it really just depends how much and how you go about using the forums.
Because if used correctly they can be WONDERFUL :) I never feel alone with my anxiety knowing there's a place to come and chat.

And a lot of great advice is offered, I couldn't have gotten through a lot without this place.

It's just the way you use it.
violet33
13-09-12, 00:32
I live in the U.S. & here u either need insurance or pay for dr visit. From what I had heard, in UK, people may not Pay for dr visit , however I was told UK residents pay VERY HIGH taxes , which is part of why you don't pay at dr visits or treatments. So actually, these uk drs DO get Paid. Do u really think they work for nothing? The web for ME PERSONALLY DOES NOT raise anxiety. Sometimes there are things on web, that are scary, but a lot isn't & if you read enough, you can find answers. I'm not big on drs. I'm not saying I'll never go to one, but I don't have a lot of faith in med profession.
nomorepanic
13-09-12, 00:42
Can I ask how much tax you pay Violet as a % of your salary

We pay National Insurance too here.

I pay neither at the moment cos I don't earn enough but you do need to have paid so much N.I. in your lifetime - I think it is 33 years worth.

I love "google" and the internet as a whole but I use it wisely and not to scare myself stupid. I don't suffer with HA though
violet33
13-09-12, 00:57
I don't pay for drs visits BECAUSE I have insurance BUT if one doesn't have insurance, they pay & it's quite expensive & MEDS are crazy expensive without insurance. My point IS that at least here in US, doctors DO lose money to people who use web because the web can be VERY INFORMATIVE & many times when people are informed, they don't need the dr visit. Drs resent that. Plus it's not always cancer that's on web. Theres plenty of other med issues.

---------- Post added at 19:57 ---------- Previous post was at 19:53 ----------

Also nicola, just to clarify, even tho I don't pay my insurance DOES. So u see, even for my visits drs get paid by insurance. So much is about money.
nomorepanic
13-09-12, 01:01
No sorry I meant how much tax do you pay?

How much is insurance as well?

I am genuinely interested in this to compare things with the US and the UK.

It would be very hard to self-diagnose a lot of things via the web though as things need visually looking at and feeling to get a correct diagnosis.

I think the point made on the original post you did was that if you look on the internet for a diagnosis AND you suffer with HA as well then you will always get an answer of cancer.

If you use it wisely for advice then it CAN be fantastic.

For e.g. I have been researching something about the Mirena Coil this week and I have found answers to my questions without having to see a doctor but as I said I don't have HA and use the internet wisely.

A lot of members on here use it to diagnose life threatening conditions as that is what they are looking for and not for a simple explanation.

I can almost guarantee that if they read a site that says it is "perfectly normal" they will move on to find one that says "it is cancer" etc etc cos that is what they want to read.

I had a heart attack nearly 4 years ago so for advice on that I would look at the British Heart Foundations website as I trust it and know their advice is accurate etc.

No-one can guarantee that every site is safe but there are some that you know you can trust at least.
nomorepanic
13-09-12, 01:05
Also nicola, just to clarify, even tho I don't pay my insurance DOES. So u see, even for my visits drs get paid by insurance. So much is about money.

Yes I can see that in the US. Here the doctor's are paid a fixed salary so if they see 5 patients a day or 20 they get paid the same so the incentives are COMPLETELY different for doctor's over there (maybe).
mikewales
13-09-12, 08:25
Violet, in the UK we all pay National Insurance, this is mandatory and either comes out of your wages, or if you aren't working then it is paid for you. This is basically like medical insurance in the US, but it means that everyone can get free treatment all the time, so you don't get the situation where people can't afford treatment.

Also meds are free in some countries in the UK, or to people not working, and are pretty cheap for those who are working.

I do know how the medical system works in the US, and to be honest it is nowhere near as good as ours in the UK :)

Even so, I dont think doctors in the US are any more likely to resent people looking things up on the web because it costs them money. Personally I have never met a poor doctor ! I can see the web can be useful to rational people if they look something up and find out is minor and can be easily treated with things from the drugstore rather than having to see the doctor, but that isn't how it normally works with people with health anxiety as they always convince themselves they have the worst possible illness.
swgrl09
13-09-12, 14:17
Just for informational purposes ... I probably have a third of my paycheck going to taxes ... I am lucky enough to be on my dad's insurance that he gets through work. He still pays a few hundred a paycheck for it to have hte family covered. Then I will be on my spouses through his job, which will be a couple hundred out of each paycheck (biweekly) ... then you still have copays at each appointment whether its 20, 30, 40 dollars and same goes with copays for meds. it kind of is awful. You have to be really really poor to get on the state system or elderly/a child.
justina
14-09-12, 18:22
Of course that's what a dr would say. They're afraid if people get too much web info, they'll Lose money on visits.


Of course it is good to find information on line, but for me and other HA sufferers it is more important to see a doctor, because we always pick the worst case scenario and think that is what we have.

For example, I had a head ache fort months. I knew it was a tumour, Dr Google confirmed it was, my real doctor insisted it wasn't. Then my headache passed and has been gone for 5 years now. So maybe my real doctor was right.