tungsten on 29/12/2006 at 16:24
Can you recommend some serious/sound resources for medical questions? It's too depressing to go through all the crap that google comes up with.
So far, I found some medical lexicon on merck (the chemical/pharma company). Where else can you find background information on diseases, symptoms, mortality statistics, medical possibilities and healings, interpretations of a diagnosis, ...?
Gingerbread Man on 29/12/2006 at 16:59
PubMed? WebMD? Just general info or what?
tungsten on 29/12/2006 at 18:49
To get further info if you get a diagnosis and "recommendations" for other tests (expensive and some uncovered by insurance). To check out what the possibilities are, which tests, which medicines, which problems, which options.
The medical doctors often don't tell you what they suspect when they are far from sure. I want to extrapolate and understand. When they say "we're not sure what it is, but we could/should make test XY" I want to understand what their suspicions are or what exactly the test can tell you. Doctors don't like to tell you that they think you have disease A (that usually kills in 2 months) when they're not sure.
Similar to the (
http://www.merck.com/mmhe/index.html) Merck lexicon I mentioned. I especially like the statistics in there (
with disease K, 35% could be cured with treatment Y or
with disease L, 70% died within 1 year...).
Just sources to check what exactly a certain disease is, would be helpful too.
Turtle on 29/12/2006 at 19:07
Go to your doctor and say, "Why are you ordering this test? What will it tell you? What are your possible diagnoses? What have you ruled out? Can you recommend any resources for me to examine on my own?"
In August my 5 year old was diagnosed with Kawasaki's disease.
I'm the one who diagnosed her. I looked into it after she was int he hospital 4 separate time in 5 days and the ER doc had ruled it out.
They were giving her treatments for viral infections to fight her persistent high fever. Her fever would go down while in the hospital, then spike when she got home. (Turns out it was the mix of Tylenol and IV fluids that was keeping her fever down.)
Finally after the fifth trip to the hospital (and second admission) I told the doctor, "I want you to treat her for Kawasaki's unless you can convince me you have a better diagnosis." (The treatment for KD is Aspirin therapy and IV gamma globulin, so it's not terribly risky if it wasn't the correct diagnosis.)
The hospital brought in a pediatrician and they agreed with me and they treated her before it reached the second stage, when it's most likely to damage the heart. (KD has caused heart disease and heart attacks in kids as young as 5 years old.)
She was on aspirin for 6 weeks and had regular visits to the cardiologist and has just a tiny murmur that's expected to go away on its own within a year.
Annnyway.
Make sure you ask them what they've ruled out, too.
Hewer on 29/12/2006 at 20:03
Quote Posted by Turtle
In August my 5 year old was diagnosed with Kawasaki's disease.
I was expecting this to be about with a motorcycle crash.
Biohazard on 29/12/2006 at 22:57
I really think you should consider finding another doctor. If he doesn't have the bedside manners to tell you what he thinks is going on then he either:
1. Doesn't have any clue and should be ditched or
2. Isn't keeping his patient informed for more money
3. Isn't keeping his patient informed because he really does have terrible bedside manner
In any case, find yourself another doctor, especially if this is serious.
fett on 29/12/2006 at 23:57
Just make sure you don't forget that you are the CUSTOMER - it is not a privilege to see this guy - you pay his bills. If he doesn't answer questions honestly (even with 'I don't know') then cut your losses and move on. Speaking from experience, doctors will fuck you up big time while not telling you what's really going on if you don't watch your back.
tungsten on 30/12/2006 at 09:23
The problem is, I am not the customer. It's my friend, so it is none of my business to pressure the doctor (I haven't even met him (yet?)).
But don't forget, that for western medicine, the healing power of the mind is reduced to "the patient needs hope" which means that some doctors feel it's better not to tell you all they suspect (as long as they don't know). Or not to tell the patient the death/healing statistics - because most people see only black and white (above 50% or below)... And I don't claim to know more than them, so I would only like to help ask the right questions (beyond the obvious from WebMD).
So what I'm looking for more sites like the merck one. Similar to the webmd that GBM showed me, but going further.
As for finding another doctor: I certainly always recommend to get a second opinion before doing any non-reversible treatment/surgery.
Turtle: how did you know? Are you trained in the field or what other resources did you use?
Mortal Monkey on 30/12/2006 at 09:53
A good resource for medical questions? What, isn't TTLG good enough for you? We have a reputation, you know.
David on 30/12/2006 at 10:22
We have a reputation for saying "Go to a fucking doctor.", but they already are. This is all new territory and it's very scary. :(
