AIBU - don't come on here for medical advice

[Immaculatemisconception]

On the back of a few threads but not a TAAT; if you're concerned about a medical problem, particularly something a bit urgent, ring 111, go to a Walk-in-Centre, GP or A & E. Don't ask on here.

Frankly, some of the crackpot advice you'll get on here is dangerous.

As a HCP I give the same advice on MM as I do in real life when asked by friends and family. Factual, generalised and always refer them to their own GP, dentist, physio etc.
Unless it’s an injury that I have witnessed where I might offer first aid or phone 999.
I have recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and it’s amazing how many people are experts on the right diet, weird treatments and mindset theories. Believe me the best advice has been from my sister who is a 20yr breast cancer survivor. Trust your medical team they know more about the disease and your unique type than an anonymous poster online.

We all, as non-medical-professionals sometimes need to make judgements. It can be helpful to ask others for advice to make them. Multiple times MN advice has sent someone with something they thought wasn't serious off to get much needed medical help. Obviously that's not the same as asking you to diagnose if a lump is cancer.

@Babdoc

I disagree, OP. I’m a retired doctor and I have advised women on MN before now who thought they had trivial symptoms and didn’t want to bother their GP. They in fact had symptoms which we regard as cancer until proven otherwise, and they needed urgent referral. Some women are not very assertive, and need encouragement and reassurance that they would not be wasting the GP’s time.

There is a difference though between informed advice like you mention and those posters typing "A&E NOW" for a minor ailment. I can see why the NHS is struggling when you see the expectations some posters have. I'm a HCP but I don't diagnose and, even when I think I might have an idea I know things are often more complex, so I rarely comment on threads asking for advice but am amazed at the lack of knowledge of some who do.

I’ve also seen threads on here where someone’s life has been saved. Once rather memorably in quite an acute situation where the OP went to a&e after getting good advice to go.

Last time I rang my GP, then rang 111 as her advice was well nothing, I was advised to go to A&E, were I sat for 6 hours had a blood test and was sent home to come back the next day were as if I had asked on here I would probably have been told to wait till morning and ring the EPU

@Babdoc

I disagree, OP. I’m a retired doctor and I have advised women on MN before now who thought they had trivial symptoms and didn’t want to bother their GP. They in fact had symptoms which we regard as cancer until proven otherwise, and they needed urgent referral. Some women are not very assertive, and need encouragement and reassurance that they would not be wasting the GP’s time.

You see, therein lies the problem. I'm a retired doctor could be said by anyone. We have no idea who is posting.

This is true, and I have seen threads where someone claims to be an HCP and gets pulled up on it by several other posters, but if there are a number of people on a thread claiming to be doctors or nurses and all saying the same thing as each other it’s generally clear they know what they are talking about.

111, A&E etc al are not much bloody use straight away or when you have a query. You will get a much quicker response on-line.

Personally, I think it's best not to say that you're a HCP. It tends to give authenticity to your posting, yet you could be absolutely anyone.

@PikachuAndMe

111, A&E etc al are not much bloody use straight away or when you have a query. You will get a much quicker response on-line.

A quicker response perhaps but honestly, some of the crap posted on here is worse than useless, it's dangerous.

Just to add that I have been sitting on the floor in A&E for almost 3 hours after 111 told me to come in at 2pm as they said I need to be seen by a doctor. At the moment I wish I had asked advice from Mumsnet before I came in as the NHS are not helping me.

A lot of advice on MN is crack pot and dangerous, especially medical, legal and relationship advice.

People read a tiny one-sided snippet and make relationship ending judgements almost immediately.

I'm pretty certain many relationships have been ended unjustifiably on the basis of terrible MN advice.

@Mylee the Burns thread was scary, some poster kept on about using potato to heal burns!

I think it’s useful in certain situations - suggesting possible conditions if you’ve visited GP after GP with no dice. They have a reputation for fobbing women off so any possible clue warranting research and pushing is good.
Still use own judgement though

@Mylee

Definitely. The advice on a burns thread recently was shocking and actually quite scary in some parts

That thread was horrific. It was downright dangerous in some of the suggestions.

@PikachuAndMe

Just to add that I have been sitting on the floor in A&E for almost 3 hours after 111 told me to come in at 2pm as they said I need to be seen by a doctor. At the moment I wish I had asked advice from Mumsnet before I came in as the NHS are not helping me.

Hope you’ve been seen by now, @PikachuAndMe, that sounds miserable

The burns thread was awful, downright dangerous.

I’ve been ripped to pieces before, offering advice as an HCP. It was horrible. And I was correct in what I said.

I think it's useful sometimes. For my health condition most of my information has come from social media because the NHS doesn't offer much except medication. It's reassuring to know that others with the same condition have similar symptoms.

I'd be worried about asking on here now as I'd have probably ended up very seriously ill or worse. I went to A&E with stomach ache and vomiting. I can imagine the response if I'd asked the question on here but as it turned out I had acute pancreatitis and an inflamed gallbladder!

I think you have to trust your own judgement sometimes. I knew something wasn't right but wasn't expecting that!

Yes, if you're worried that worry should prompt you to get medical advice, not advice from faceless strangers who could be up to no good.

I agree OP - the advice is often shocking and downright dangerous. The voice of sensible HCPs is usually lost amongst the voices of posters who have no idea what they are talking about. I hid the burns thread without opening it but a recent thread about aspirin and pregnancy had me reaching for the gin.

On any thread where the sensible advice would be to go to A&E just in case, you very quickly get all the 'though shalt never set foot in A&E unless your head has actually fallen completely off, and even then you should be apologetic for having disturbed them' crowd chiming in.

You are very right OP a lot of the advice is down right dangerous at times - especially when it comes to the use of A&E or treatment for burns.

Also it’s thanks to MN that Dd has finally been diagnosed as coeliac, eds and pots. Obviously over the years I’d sought actual medical advice and been fobbed off for years. So I’m desperation turned to here and told to ask for a coeliac test. Bingo.

Then after a couple more years when she still wasn’t 100% I started another thread and multiple people said EDS. I did some more reading and went to the GP and said I think she has EDS, they tried to fob me off but I insisted on a referral and sure enough she has it.

Sometimes the nhs is shit and I say that as someone who’s worked for them for nearly 20 years.

Agree can be dangerous or just confusing. A similar description and question about A&E could easily lead to pile on - “A&E now” or “people with those symptoms attending A&E are the reason NHS is on its knees”.

I understand why people ask because there can be long waits to speak to/see a HCP.

MN is fantastic for a handhold and there are some great long running support threads.