Internet: The Hypochondriacs Bible, or an Excellent Research Tool?

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I learned early on that looking up info on WebMd to figure out a diagnosis for your symptoms is pretty much a death sentence. Doctors can sniff a world away if you are a internet WebMd hypochondriac, the bad part is they also easily confuse those of us who honestly have issues with those who just like to live their lives with a theatrical stick up their butt.

Because of those lovely people the rest of us have to suffer. So I learned very quickly, play stupid, try to ask the right questions and steer away from the computer. Otherwise they'll sniff out the fact that you've been researching on the internet, scoff then refuse to even look that direction as far as the diagnosis.

Generalizing here? Heck yes I am, but after all the doctors i've seen and after all my experiences I think i've earned the right to say a lot of doctors arrogance shows off their ignorance.

A few years ago when my symptoms really started increasing my boss tole me she watched a show called Medical Mysteries. The girl on this one particular episode had all my same symptoms, ended up having Dysautonomia, and my boss referred it back to us to ask the doctors about it.

We made the mistake of telling the doctors where we heard of Dysautonomia and the three doctors we mentioned it to all shot it down.

So you can probably understand why I’ve just been getting my information from the doctors instead of researching it myself.

Today i've decided that's bull crap and I should have the right to take it into my own hands and research however I can. This is an odd illness, and with how chronic it is, I SHOULD be able to study it all I want. I see the reasons why doctors hate internet-itis they have a good point, it's feeding hypochondriacs everywhere.

With all this being said it taught me something important. I am very glad that my doctors had such resistance over researching on my own because now I realize I need to take all the info I do find on the computer with a grain of salt. If I read an article I need to really look at it with an open mind and a critical point of view and don’t let the Hypochondriac part of myself get the best of me.

If you look at the information you find this way critically you will be much more informed then if you were to read article after article and take it as gospel. Medicine is a practice, they will never be completely right and that is why as a Patient you must be patient; and keep an open mind.