How do we believe the doctor when there are so many stories about doctors being wrong

[Lilly13]

Hi guys... I am wondering how we are supposed to believe doctors and such when there are so many overwhelming stories about doctors being wrong ( even on this site... a site I have wanted to believe was a safe place for me.. This is a key factor that pushes my health anxiety over the edge.. how do I just believe?

Any help ?

xx

Lilly

[EmmerLooeez]

Doctors are highly trained, but they are human. They are just people like you and I.

There are cases of doctors getting it wrong, every day doctors all over the world will make mistakes. However, the number of doctors making the correct diagnosis and treatments is far, far greater than those making mistakes.

As a patient there are a few things that you can do:
Ask questions, ask your doctor how they have reached their conclusion, be as informed as you can.
See the same doctor if possible, one that you trust. One that you feel safe with.
Know that you can get a second opinion from another doctor if you feel as though you're not being listened to.

Are you receiving help for your anxiety? When my health anxiety was bad I needed reassurance from doctors a lot, it never helped me in the long run. I had to tackle my mind to get better.

Sending love xx

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[Lilly13]

Hi Emma,

I have been dealing with anxiety and health anxiety specifically for a VERY long time... I have recently began not seeing doctors for body issues.. I have tried to dismiss all issues unless I felt they were necessary to show a doctor.

My most recent issue is with a mole/growth thing on my face that I fear is cancer.. nodular melanoma one that is apparently often misdiagnosed ( my issue) a year ago I saw a doctor for it and he said he thought it might be acne but definitely not cancer.. I knew it wasn't acne but I was leaving to go on a trip and I wanted to challenge the whole ( don't question the doctor thing) so I believed him. But recently the moles presence started bothering me again.. I went to another doctor and she said it was a skin tag as it had little pigment and she wasn't worried about melanoma... she was however worried about two other moles on my back. I want to believe her so badly but I'm terrified.

---------- Post added at 22:06 ---------- Previous post was at 22:04 ----------

I was also told by my parents that doctors know EXACTLY what they are looking for in terms of skin cancer.. so again.. I REALLY want her to be right about this.

[EmmerLooeez]

It sounds as though she is confident in her diagnosis. Doctors do know what they are looking for of course. You have no reasons to not believe her other than your anxiety, it's a horrible, scary place to be and I'm sorry that you're going through it.

If she said it was a skin tag, why not ask her about possible removal? That would help massively I should imagine. Xx

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[jray23]

Yes, there are many stories about doctors being wrong. I've recently experienced it! (although not likely a serious thing) Medical care is called a "practice" for a reason. But how many times are doctors right, and you don't hear about it? Because that isn't a story.

It's like bad news. Sure terrorist attacks happen, for example. Seems like it's everywhere, right? But how many people go to cafes, trains, planes etc and are NOT attacked? That isn't a story.

So our brains trick us into focusing on the potential for bad, even if it isn't likely. Be sure to ask questions and do the research yourself, but if the doctor adequately answers your concerns I believe it's time to trust their knowledge at that point.

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[Lilly13]

Hi Emma,

I think removal is a really good idea... I am going to try to go to my family doctor this week and ask him about it... I am just a mess.. I want so badly to be wrong in my "research..." I know my anxiety is probably fogging my perception of both the mole and the doctor being wrong. I guess I got to a place that I was so fearful of the doctor that I just wanted to hear them say that it is okay and then I could leave.

[ServerError]

If there was a story every time a doctor was right, they would swamp the stories of when a doctor was wrong to the point that the latter would barely be noticeable.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Medicine is not exact, it comes down to the ability of physicians to correctly diagnose which means they have potentially tons of considerations to make. Not only do they have all the possible conditions to navigate but all the drugs, tests and other factors involved. Much of this we never see as it's going on in their heads and between colleagues but sometimes mistakes are made or incorrect avenues are explored.

What we need to remember is that mistakes or misjudgements are more common with less concerning conditions where there can be a lot of trial & error, like anxiety disorders. When it comes down to really serious illnesses the level of mistakes drops sharply as patients start to receive more specialist care as well as more advanced testing.

It's important to trust your doctor's ability. So, do you have faith in how they conduct your care? If the answer is yes, you need to consciously trust them and challenging your negative thinking is just part of not letting these doubting disorders beat you.

I agree with ServerError. Danger sells, safety & normality just don't with the media.

[lofwyr]

I agree with Servererror. You have to look at the filter you are seeing the world through. You are only paying attention to the stories where doctors got it wrong. People rarely go onto the internet and talk about their health condition and a good doctor. People go to the internet to vent, to rage, and share negative experiences (with some obvious exceptions).

As folks with anxiety, we have also trained ourselves to see the negative. We have a new bump, and it is a tumor and we are planning our funeral.

[unsure_about_this]

I struggled to believe the gps sometimes, I have had a number of gps at the pratice I attend, because some retired, move on to another pratice, passed away etc. I like the gp which my Dads see, I like the on my medical card at the same pratice, I can see anyone within the pratice.
Gp do get it wrong,

[Limeslime]

Thank you so much for creating this thread! I truely needed to see these responses today as I have been worrying about a changing mole that I went to my GP about in February...and she froze it off for me! I’ve been panicking that it wasn’t, and now cannot be, biopsied. But reading this thread has reassured me that I shouldn’t doubt my GPs ability to make safe and correct decisions!

[eminence]

Servererror is spot on. Plane crashes make the news, safe landings don't.

[Fishmanpa]

As one who has had to put my trust and life in the hands of many doctors, I personally don't struggle with this issue. Why? Because when push comes to shove the chances of a life altering misdiagnosis are slim to none. As has been said in this thread, we hear about the few cases where they got it wrong (and those are usually extraordinary scenarios). We don't hear about the 100's of thousands of cases where they save lives.

My wife and I recently had to change doctors due to insurance changes. I researched and found a practice we started going to. I'm very comfortable and pleased by the amount of attention and thoroughness these doctors show, especially in light of the real physical challenges both my wife and I present.

Positive thoughts

[Carys]

I have been worrying about a changing mole that I went to my GP about in February...and she froze it off for me! I’ve been panicking that it wasn’t, and now cannot be, biopsied.Limesline....you said on your thread about this mole (thread called 'Does anyone in the UK know'), that you picked it off yourself, as thought it was a large blackhead ?

[Limeslime]

Limesline....you said on your thread about this mole, that you picked it off yourself, as thought it was a large blackhead ?

Different mole hun!

[paranoid-viking]

Hi guys... I am wondering how we are supposed to believe doctors and such when there are so many overwhelming stories about doctors being wrong ( even on this site... a site I have wanted to believe was a safe place for me.. This is a key factor that pushes my health anxiety over the edge.. how do I just believe?

Any help ?

xx

Lilly


Good question. And certain "cancer awareness" just love to push stories about misdiagnosis just to give the clear message never feel safe!.

[BikerMatt]

As one who has had to put my trust and life in the hands of many doctors, I personally don't struggle with this issue. Why? Because when push comes to shove the chances of a life altering misdiagnosis are slim to none. As has been said in this thread, we hear about the few cases where they got it wrong (and those are usually extraordinary scenarios). We don't hear about the 100's of thousands of cases where they save lives.

My wife and I recently had to change doctors due to insurance changes. I researched and found a practice we started going to. I'm very comfortable and pleased by the amount of attention and thoroughness these doctors show, especially in light of the real physical challenges both my wife and I present.

Positive thoughts

FMP just out of interest, how long is a GP appt in the states? We get 10mins but i don't think i've ever had an appt last more than 5mins.

[Capercrohnj]

FMP just out of interest, how long is a GP appt in the states? We get 10mins but i don't think i've ever had an appt last more than 5mins.

Here in Canada usually a few minutes long except with my GI specialist when we have lots to discuss (I have 2 GI diseases and I'm a complex patient)

[Daedalus]

Two processes at work here:

As per Servererror, media stories are "self-selecting" - i.e., "terrible error by doctor leads to death of innocent child" selects itself for attention because of the shock horror aspect, whereas "1000 children correctly diagnosed with chicken pox" isn't going to make the news.

Also there's what's called "confirmation bias" - we tend to notice things that fit with our current concerns, beliefs, interests, etc. So if we read a story about the ALS patient who was misdiagnosed with benign twitching, that will loom large and dominate our thoughts (rather than the 1000s of stories we've seen where diagnosis was easy and correct).

There's also self-selection and confirmation bias involved with Dr Google. Benign conditions are not normally clinically interesting, so you're not going to find much on them. Plus if we're terrified we're about to die of our knee pain, we'll ignore page after page that says knees normally get sore for entirely benign and uninteresting reasons, and focus entirely upon the one example of somebody who died because of a knee-consuming parasite!

[Fishmanpa]

FMP just out of interest, how long is a GP appt in the states? We get 10mins but i don't think i've ever had an appt last more than 5mins.

My experience with GPs has been 45min or so for a yearly physical around 15-20 for a visit pertaining to an issue or illness. My visits with my cardiologist or oncology team was typically 20-30 minutes.

Positive thoughts

[Lilly13]

Struggling with this again today.. can anyone provide reassurance?

[unsure_about_this]

I am finding it very hard to believe doctors I'm in pain, she does not think it is bone cancer more like vit d, I feel like I am being fobbed off because I have anxiety and because I been down to gp to often, we get between 10 to 12 minutes to talk to our gp about worrying symptoms, that can be 2 or 3 things to discuss.