Do you tell your GP about your google search?

[Catk34]

Hello,
I’ve had vague weird symptoms for some time. My google searching has led me to a form of vasculitis and my symptoms go very well into this.
ive been to the GP and been given antibiotics , been told hormones etc etc…
I feel embarrassed to say that I’ve been online and seen this condition that fits my symptoms. Like they will laugh at me say I’m anxious and give me anti anxiety meds.
Has anyone told their Gp what they have seen online and what the reaction is to this?
is it a common thing to do? Would they be annoyed that I think google knows better than they do?

With Vasculitis, yes I would. The chances of a GP seeing many cases, due to it’s rarity would make me more inclined to.

I speak as someone who has a rare autoimmune disease that lots of medical professionals have no idea about.

They google whilst you are in the appointment with them.
Doctor's always tell me to stop googling, it often points out the worse thing it could be.
It's a never ending circle, one google for me is never enough and you go down an obsessive rabbit hole hoping to find something that says the opposite of what you just found.

Yes in the past I’ve said “I had a look online and Dr Google reckoned it might be xyz, what do you think?” No GP has been offended, it starts a conversation about what might be wrong.

Yes I would mention it but tell them what you’ve found for example, ‘the NHS website lists these as symptoms of blah, blah, blah’ or that ‘NICE recommends x test if you have y symptoms’. As long as you are doing sensible searching and not demanding anything not founded in evidence, the GP will be used to people using the internet to aid their own diagnoses.

Yes, because one of my symptoms is only in the diagnosis I now have. So I was able to explain I have X symptom and I know because I googled it.

They asked if I knew and understood what the diagnosis would mean etc.

But yes, it's a good way to start the conversation, they are used to it.