Do GPs hate it when you “self-diagnose” via Google?

[PlinkPlankPlunk]

In my defence, it is really hard trying to get any phone appointment (and not a hope of an in-person one) as they are so busy. So I’ve had a lot of time to do proper research and I want to make the most of the few minutes I eventually get, to ask some specific questions. I have tried some solutions already that have not worked

But it must be galling for a GP when unqualified people think they know everything already; how is it best to approach this? I was going to say “ My symptoms are x, y and z, relevant circumstances a, b and c; I’ve looked these up and wondered if it could be … “

Also to say our gp has always been willing to listen and taken concerns seriously but I do know not everyone has that experience. If you don't trust your gp, move practice if you can. It doesn't help if you struggle to get an appointment and they are rushing you out the door as soon as you've sat down.

I had a rare blood condition that I presented in hospital with, explaining symptoms and what I thought it was having looked at Google. Got laughed at, told Google can't be trusted. Was admitted for tests and not given the very simple treatment that Google told me I needed. As a result the condition got a lot worse. I was in hospital in the end for 2 weeks during which time they diagnosed the condition as exactly what I said it was.

A few weeks post discharge I went to the GP for a follow up. The GP hadn't heard of the condition and promptly googled it.... then he printed off the page and handed it to me so I could learn about it myself.

🙄

I've found the opposite, very dismissive of the views of what they see as inferior HCPs

@EveningOverRooftops

I’m trying to get a GP to rest me for diabetes.

I’m overweight though I’ve lost 3 stone. I’m still exhausted, joint pain, skin conditions are majorly flared up and I can’t get under control.

With my family history of diabetes (both types diagnosed at all ages) my weight and despite the weight loss and activity I’m doing it’s logical and relatively cheap to rule out diabetes or pre diabetes as my issue. I have other symptoms that fit.

GP has decided I’m ‘doing too much’ and I’m ‘stressed’ and ‘eating the wrong foods’

I can’t be eating the wrong foods if I’ve dropped over 3 stone in weight. I’m not doing too much as I’m not working, unpaid carer (I have space and time to rest) I’m no more stressed than anyone else (and have space an time to rest when DC at school)
I’m not exactly sure how I can get the Gp to take me seriously and I don’t have much faith anyway as they diagnosed me with IBS rather than do an abdominal ultrasound which would’ve picked up the mahoosive gallstones I had.

Not to armchair diagnose you, but I would also be asking for a thyroid panel if I were you. If you can't persuade GP to test, you can get basic thyroid panel done by Monitor My Health for £30. If you can pay a bit more, Medichecks or Blue Horizon do fingerprick tests for thyroid, diabetes and more. Your GP really should be able to run tests for thyroid and diabetes - they are very standard and cheap tests to do. However, doing your own blood tests is often the easier option. I would also consider changing GPs - there might be a nicer one at your practice.

Not diagnosed.

But I knew something was amiss with ds and was convinced he had a generic condition for many years.

Lots of odd medical problems that came and went.

Originally I stated I thought he was dyspraxic but he also appeared when tired to present with mild CP.

Turns out my ds does have a genetic condition with a faulty gene and is also autistic. He was originally dx with CP by a CP specialist but he actually has something called HSP.

I knew something was wrong and wouldn't accept "he's autistic and that explains everything" for anything that wasn't social communication as autism doesn't explain spasticity in muscles etc!

@EveningOverRooftops

I’m trying to get a GP to rest me for diabetes.

I’m overweight though I’ve lost 3 stone. I’m still exhausted, joint pain, skin conditions are majorly flared up and I can’t get under control.

With my family history of diabetes (both types diagnosed at all ages) my weight and despite the weight loss and activity I’m doing it’s logical and relatively cheap to rule out diabetes or pre diabetes as my issue. I have other symptoms that fit.

GP has decided I’m ‘doing too much’ and I’m ‘stressed’ and ‘eating the wrong foods’

I can’t be eating the wrong foods if I’ve dropped over 3 stone in weight. I’m not doing too much as I’m not working, unpaid carer (I have space and time to rest) I’m no more stressed than anyone else (and have space an time to rest when DC at school)
I’m not exactly sure how I can get the Gp to take me seriously and I don’t have much faith anyway as they diagnosed me with IBS rather than do an abdominal ultrasound which would’ve picked up the mahoosive gallstones I had.

Blood sugar monitors are pretty cheap, you could test yourself before breakfast to see if your fasting blood sugar is high.

Because of throbbing aches in the area, I had self-diagnosed (not via google) with some horrible kidney disease, probably cancer, before making it to the GP - first symptoms had started on Good Friday, so it was the following Tuesday before I could get an appt. (pre COVID needless to say.)

So it was a great relief to find out that it was ‘only’ shingles, and luckily a relatively mild case.

I think some GPS are just arses full stop.

My DD had an inflamed knee a few years back, and the Dr sent her off for tests, mentioning a few of the conditions it could be, including arthritis.

As she went through the diagnosis process and different things were being ruled out, the situation got much worse and we kept on taking DD back to the Drs for more painkillers. At the last appointment, DD was unable to walk and on crutches... but still the Dr refused to prescribe any painkillers. He smugly told me that being a teenage girl, my daughter was playing up to being ill, enjoying the attention, and he'd seen this a million times before in girls like her. I would have loved to have seen the smug smile wiped off his face when she was diagnosed (just over a week later) with active arthritis in over 24 different joints.

I think he did feel guilty, because he was always super nice and fastidious towards her after that!

But that's not googling, I think he had made up his mind about her and wouldn't listen to what I was saying, or look at the evidence before his very eyes.... I've heard of a few people having similar complaints. Someone is dismissed as X and then not listened too / taken seriously.

It all depends on your attitude really. If you "suggest" that's it's a particular condition, the GP can take the usual medical history and either confirm or suggest something else. If you go in, cock sure of yourself, and "demand" a prescription or a referral, then the GP is less likely to look kindly upon you.

A healthy/respectful conversation is not a problem, but if you keep going on about it, after the GP has given you their opinion that you're wrong, then you're going to annoy them.

This is exactly the same as any other profession really. All professionals get customers/clients who've done their own research and either got it right or got it wrong. Lawyers, accountants, architects, financial advisers, etc all regularly get the same, where people "think they know best" and just want the professional to sign something off, or facilitate something for them. Most of the time the customer/client is wrong as they've usually misunderstood the rules, or not realised there's a different rule/law that applies, etc.

@beastlyslumber I agree, both diabetes and an under active thyroid jump out. Both so common and easily tested your GP really should run bloods.

evening
pharmacies do a very basic test for blood sugar. try and get a result there. good luck!

I diagnosed DSs cyclical vomiting syndrome in under 6 months when these cases can take years to diagnose. Obviously they did all the proper tests, but DS does have CVS 😀

@EveningOverRooftops

I’m trying to get a GP to rest me for diabetes.

I’m overweight though I’ve lost 3 stone. I’m still exhausted, joint pain, skin conditions are majorly flared up and I can’t get under control.

With my family history of diabetes (both types diagnosed at all ages) my weight and despite the weight loss and activity I’m doing it’s logical and relatively cheap to rule out diabetes or pre diabetes as my issue. I have other symptoms that fit.

GP has decided I’m ‘doing too much’ and I’m ‘stressed’ and ‘eating the wrong foods’

I can’t be eating the wrong foods if I’ve dropped over 3 stone in weight. I’m not doing too much as I’m not working, unpaid carer (I have space and time to rest) I’m no more stressed than anyone else (and have space an time to rest when DC at school)
I’m not exactly sure how I can get the Gp to take me seriously and I don’t have much faith anyway as they diagnosed me with IBS rather than do an abdominal ultrasound which would’ve picked up the mahoosive gallstones I had.

That's weird, GP usually can't wait to test for diabetes and it increases their funding. My GP was convinced I had diabetes for a few years because I was grossly overweight and had high blood pressure etc. He would ask me to do a urine sample virtually every appointment and usually seemed disappointed when the sugar/protein levels weren't high enough! On a couple of occasions they were slightly elevated so he sent me for the GTT test, but they came back negative each time. It was a few years later when I finally tested positive for diabetes, but that was only because they reduced the threshold for formal diagnosis. Ever since then, they've been asking me whether I've got depression at almost every appointment - presumably they get more funding for depression diagnoses too!

In another example of GPs dismissng the views of other HCPs, a colleague had been feeling very tired and run down and coincidentally had a hip problem.

She went to see a physio about the hip who asked about her bruises "oh I always bruise easily" . Physio told her that's not normal you need to see GP urgently for blood tests. Friend couldn't get a GP appointment for weeks, so booked an emergency appointment. GP actually told her off for wasting and emergency appointment, but she did get her blood tests.

The hospital lab called her at 1am and again at 5am to tell her she needed to get back to GP urgently because of the results. It turns out she has a serious blood condition. To give him his due, GP did apologise for being so dismissive.

I’ve seen numerous GP’s Google things so I don’t think they can be pissed off at this really.

It depends on the gp in my experience. Some of them have a bit of a power trip and hate the idea that people do their own research, despite the fact that its rarely something the gp knows about.
Other Gps are more down to earth and are happy to work with you to find out the answers and listen to what you are saying.

I think it can often boil down to how you say it. You can tell a doctor you have watched a programme on it or someone suggested this and you were wondering if it might be worth considering or looking into it further, yet still asking for their opinion etc. This way doesnt damage their ego as much and makes them feel like youre both on the same side, but it does really depend on the doctor.

I think using Google is fine, but it can be dangerous if GP's don't question what you've told them.

Around 10 years ago DF was struggling with breathlessness and with the aid of Dr Google convinced himself and his GP he had sinusitis. Turns out he was completely wrong, became more ill and a month later was in hospital having a quadruple heart bypass. If the GP had questioned him then he could have got the help he needed sooner.

I had burning wee and self diagnosed a UTI. Order a strip test and tested positive for proteins etc.

Had a phone conversation with doctor, explained the situation and was prescribed appropriate antibiotics.

The doctor didn’t have a problem with this and I’d have been pretty annoyed if they’d had had a problem as I was only trying not to waste their time.

This is very different from wondering if you’ve got some rare disease!

Some do, most don't
I have an arse of a GP at my surgery who I've specified I do not want to see or deal with my affairs following a series of stupid comments from him which all turned out to be wrong over many years. Eg breathlessness - well you've probably got lung cancer (I smoked). It was a spontaneous collapsed lung (90% collapsed so a proper job) needing a night in hospital.

Hypothyroidism which was all in my mind apparently following well over a year of at least monthly surgery visits for a whole host of other issues all of which can be due to undiagnosed hypothyroidism which he was adamant I didn't have. Every month I went to see him I was in worse shape than before FFS. I had to ask my dad to help me financially (too ill to hold down a job) and I went and saw a private GP who guess what, diagnosed me with hypothyroidism and all those other problems I had disappeared once I started taking the pills. Then there was my DD who couldn't possibly have chickenpox twice, well she did. At least he had the grace to be very embarrassed by that one.

I had the misfortune to have to speak with him last October following a wasp sting, allergic reaction and an ambulance call out. To be fair he was very good that time and did everything the ambulance crew told me I needed to organise and I'm now through the system and having immunotherapy for a confirmed wasp sting allergy.

If in doubt, get a second opinion although I know that's hard at the moment.

I'm a firm believer that we know ourselves better than any doctor.

@Hemingwaycat

I’ve seen numerous GP’s Google things so I don’t think they can be pissed off at this really.

But they're starting from a position of knowing about a lot of things, so won't be randomly googling, but will be googling specifics on trusted websites. Trouble is that when an "amateur" starts googling, whether for tax, health, law, etc., they don't know what they don't know, they don't know which websites are trustworthy, won't know which bits are irrelevant, etc. It's a completely different scenario. Your GP is hardly likely to put "pain when weeing" into the google search box!

I've just remembered the conversation I had with a very nice GP after DD's diagnosis with ADHD/ASD. I could hear her scribbling notes of where we'd referred ourselves, what had been recommended, what support there was available in the local area etc. They had of course been sent the paediatrician's report but she didn't appear to have seen it.

I.hope someone else got a better informed Dr as a result. I felt like I should have sent a bill for my time .

Don't go to the GP thinking you know more than them because you googled something for 5min. But I do think it is important to know something more about your symptoms so you understand better what your doctors talk about and you ask the right questions

As a HCP, I don't have an objection if someone has googled, but also need them to understand that there maybe several differential diagnosis's possible, and the more common ones are usually what someone will have- hence why they are common. If that's ruled out, then there's nothing wrong with having done research, and giving ideas. Main issue is when people are convinced, despite other possibilities they are right and will fit the symptoms into the perceived illness they feel they have, without being willing to explore or accept the more answer. A decent doctor should always listen, but by being convinced it's a certain ailment, there's always a degree of bias is then on the part of the patient, which can be hard to overcome.

It helped us in as much as because we thought dw had a grumbling appendix per Google, we went straight to A&E I stead of usual long winded go route, so by the end of that day she had had all the tests and a probable diagnosis- which wasn't such good news as it wasn't appendicitis but advanced ovarian cancer.

GP