Anyone else suffer from Cyberchondria?

Sparkle80

Every little symptom of anything I have and I always have to google it (to try and make myself feel better, put my mind at rest) - 9 times out of 10 it makes me feel worse, it's always seems to be the worst case senario I find for even the simplest of things.
I need to ban myself from doing this! :eek::(

Surely I'm not alone?!

barbiedoll

Oh wow, I know what this is like! I work with pregnant women and if I had a pound for every time I hear "I looked on the internet and it said...."
I'd be a rich woman! :rotfl::rotfl:

If you REALLY need to google your symptoms, use a reliable, UK based, medical site such as nhs.uk
Don't use any site from America, for some reason, a simple skin rash search always throws up some horrible, rare, terminal illness which will need immediate treatment from a over-priced cosmetic surgeon!! :eek:

And remember...if you were that ill, you wouldn't be able to type!

ailuro2

I was surprised when my GP said the internet was a help to a lot of people!! There was me saying I'd read something on the internet and she said what a valuable tool it is, and that it helped people by giving them tips such as writing down what they wanted to say before they went to the GP, or by encouraging them to see a doc about "that little lump" they would otherwise have written off.

I'm currently waiting on a phone call from NHS24 to discuss symptoms with them rather than pestering my GP though - I think DD has strep throat, don't want to pass it on to anyone if it's a case of keep her home till the spots go, but if it's going to need antibiotics I'd rather not let her suffer too long ( she is pretty miserable, poor thing, she is hardly ever ill and seems a bit shocked at feeling ill!)

NouveauRiche

Sparkle, if I hadn't read on your profile that you are in Scotland, I'd have thought you were my son! He's really getting on my nerves........he's either "finding out" he's got some nasty ailment or other, or emailing links to me (usually USA) listing side effects of my many and varied types of medication, and telling me to stop taking them.

Even if I humour him, he finds some other catastrophe to frighten me with. UFO's, solar flares, Government conspiracies.

Ah Bless 'im!

I never worry about anything healthwise 'til my Doctor does. I've had lumps, mini strokes, irritable bowel etc over the last few years. None of these things were anything particularly sinister. If I'd "investigated" these things online - I'd have worried myself to death!:eek:

Chill!

ailuro2

well, the internet was sort of right - DD has got scarlet fever - related to strep throat, she's now on penicillin for a week.

If I had gone on instinct and had no google I'd probably have left her to see how she would fare for another few days before doing something about it ( yes, I know I'm a bad mother, but not all bad as I stopped off and got her lots of ice lollies as they are apparently great to cool her down)

Good old Google images came up with a throat that looks exactly like hers does, which made me phone up NHS24:o

so no, it's not always a bad thing to self diagnose - but obviously if ypu're prone to using those US diagnostic tools and are regularly deciding your symptoms suggest you have a combination of dengi fever,syphillis and liver failure - that would tend to suggest someone was in a bad way in the first place and really needed to see their doc in the first place.:rotfl:

Errata

I doubt having a google to find something out about a health problem is any worse than doing it to discover why the car has developed a rattle. Before google, many people would flick through their Family Doctor book of diseases and symptoms.
Good GP's encourage patients to have a good and proper understanding of their health problem(s). The internet is a powerful tool and as with everything, which website is consulted is the key.
Last year I had to choose between having a Hickman line installed for 10 weeks, or a stay in hospital for two 5 day sessions. Although the nurse explained things as clearly as she could, looking at the videos on Baldys Blog showed me what was what and how it felt and how he coped with it and was far more helpful than a verbal explanation in making up my mind.

GEEGEE8

Many a time I've thought my IBS *must* be bowel cancer or something equally as deadly!

I think because a lot of symptoms mimic various other illnesses then it's easy to get yourself confused.

I must stop looking ! lol..

charliemaine1bee

NouveauRiche wrote: »

Sparkle, if I hadn't read on your profile that you are in Scotland, I'd have thought you were my son! He's really getting on my nerves........he's either "finding out" he's got some nasty ailment or other, or emailing links to me (usually USA) listing side effects of my many and varied types of medication, and telling me to stop taking them.

Even if I humour him, he finds some other catastrophe to frighten me with. UFO's, solar flares, Government conspiracies.

Ah Bless 'im!

I never worry about anything healthwise 'til my Doctor does. I've had lumps, mini strokes, irritable bowel etc over the last few years. None of these things were anything particularly sinister. If I'd "investigated" these things online - I'd have worried myself to death!:eek:

Chill!

How old is your son??lol..mine is 16 and this describes him to a tee..a proper walking doom and gloom he is..lol x

hollyh

I learnt i had gallstones from the internet. I'd been back and for the Doctors for almost 2 years with stomach problems and each time they told me i had something different and gave me all sorts of medication. After a particulary bad episode i googled my symptoms and they matched gallstones completely. I went back to the Dr's again and told then i'd looked online and thought it was gallstones, the Dr gave me a big lecture about people going online and panicking and then wasting their time and said i was far too young for gallstones. He reluctantly arranged a blood test for me. That night i collapsed while out for a meal and had to be rushed to A & E where they diagnosed gallstones within about 10 minutes. It was so bad at this stage i had a liver infection and was really ill and two weeks later had my gallbladder removed.

GEEGEE8

I had gallstones too! well, 1 big one!

First scan I had they said they couldn't see anything, 2nd time admitted to A&E and they said they could see a huge one. Gall bladder now removed and I have a large black olive sized stone, one of the biggest ever apparently lol..

Bargin_bunny_2

GEEGEE8 wrote: »

Many a time I've thought my IBS *must* be bowel cancer or something equally as deadly!

I think because a lot of symptoms mimic various other illnesses then it's easy to get yourself confused.

I must stop looking ! lol..

I think its really common. For example headaches can be caused by a brain tumour or a stroke, or stress, or jaw problems or neck problems or to much caffine or not enough sleep etc

so many disorders, conditions and diseases can cause so many similar symptoms

all the internet does is list them so wide open to interpretation