Diagnosing over the Internet

[Assurbanipal]

There's been a number of posts recently that disclaim the idea of diagnosing over the internet.  The point of this thread is to have a discussion on what the problems and opportunities are.

Here's the Merriam Webster details:

Main Entry: di·ag·nose   
Pronunciation: \ˈdī-ig-ˌnōs, -ˌnōz, ˌdī-ig-ˈ, -əg-\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): di·ag·nosed; di·ag·nos·ing
Etymology: back-formation from diagnosis
Date: circa 1859
transitive verb
1 a: to recognize (as a disease) by signs and symptoms b: to diagnose a disease or condition in <diagnosed the patient>
2: to analyze the cause or nature of <diagnose the problem>
intransitive verb
: to make a diagnosis

Why would it be harmful for people to attempt to recognize a disease over the internet from the descriptions or to try to analyze causes?  Is the issue that we might be so persuasive that someone might proceed directly to treatment without confirmation by a doctor?

I get a lot of value from the discussions on here that help me know what to look for.  And if my doctors can't deal with a patient who wants to understand all the treatment options . . . well, I'll get another doctor.  While there are many really good doctors out there, all of them are only human and many are not necessarily as focused with as much time and experience in interactions with HIV as some of the members on here.

Reciprocally, I'd like to be as helpful as I can to other people who have issues similar to what I've experienced, but don't want to step over some carefully thought out line.  But different posters that I respect seem to draw different lines on this issue (even when they use the same phrase).

So, what are the concerns over "diagnosing over the internet"?

[Matty the Damned]

Diagnosis of a medical condition can only be performed in a suitable clinical setting by appropriately trained professionals. An internet forum does not constitute such a setting.

MtD

[allanq]

I wouldn't rely on a diagnosis over the internet, but I would bring information that I get over the internet to my doctor and ask what he or she thinks about it.

There have been several times when information I have found on the internet has influenced my doctor to change my treatment. For example, if I hadn't brought up the possibility of switching from Fuzeon to Isentress, I probably would still be torturing myself with twice-daily injections and painful injection site reactions.

When my creatinine levels started to increase to a dangerous level, my doctor had me stop taking Viread, which is known to affect kidney function in some patients. Stopping the Viread helped a little. But then I read that another drug I was taking, Tricor, also could cause elevated creatinine levels, so he had me stop that as well. That brought my creatinine levels down to normal.

You cannot get a definitive diagnosis for a set of symptoms over the internet, but I think it is very beneficial to do your own research and ask around to get information to bring to your doctor. This is all part of taking charge of your own health, and I think it has helped me survive 23 years with HIV.

Allan

[MitchMiller]

It never hurts to double check the doc.  A friend who was HIV+ got cancer (H lymphoma) and his two docs, who were supposed to be communicating, prescribed contradictory drugs.  Luckily, he researched what they had prescribed or he would be dead.  He brought it to their attention and they thanked him for catching it thenchanged the meds pronto.
He's fully recovered from the cancer and in good health today, in large part thanks to his own research.

[Ann]

Is the issue that we might be so persuasive that someone might proceed directly to treatment without confirmation by a doctor?

Yes, with the availability of prescription drugs over the internet, this is indeed one of the dangers.

On the flip-side, there's also the danger that someone might be advised that what they are experiencing is "nothing to worry about" and therefore not seek medical attention in a timely manner for something that turns out to be serious.

This website, as a whole, has disclaimers that say something to the effect that any information contained within is NOT meant to replace a doctor's advice.

Giving out medical information is only meant to supplement what goes on between you and your doctor, not replace it. It is impossible to diagnose with any competence over the internet.

Ann

[Dachshund]

Maybe you should have looked up the word chaos while you were thumbing through your Webster's because that's what you'd have in the Am I Infected forum. People ask for a diagnosis all the time over there, wanting to know if their headaces and hangnails are caused by da aids. Open that Pandora's box of AIDS diagnosing and see where it leads you.

We discuss folks medical conditions online everyday and that's fine and well. However, any competent member will always follow that up with a please run it by your doctor first. Even on the internet it's okay to use common sense.

[Miss Philicia]

Frankly if you trust a bunch of bozoos on teh intrawebz more than your HIV specialist you really have a big issue.  I'd look for a new doctor.  But yes, one way to know if your doctor is somewhat competent is by conferring with others on a forum such as this, but that's all it is -- don't confuse that with a diagnosis. 

There's a fine line with all of this.  When dealing with your own body, and information from the internet (and no medical degree), it's unfortunately easy to rev up your OCD and allow some pre-conceived notion of what's wrong with you lead you in all sorts of false directions.  Goodness knows if you spend enough time on this board you see it all the time.

[Assurbanipal]

Thanks folks -- I've been online with email groups for a while, but never been on one of these internet forums before and wanted to make sure not to get out of line with the norms for the board.

So, to summarize, people are using this site to help diagnose in the non-medical-technical sense of the word.  But, for the benefit of the AMI folks (and for those who might be a little eager to jump on things quickly or might get a little obsessive) people are using phrases such as they "aren't diagnosing" as code for "talk this over with your doctor".

Appreciate the clarification
A