Medical Questions on This Site.

I received my medical degree through Google so what a waste it would be if I couldn't respond to those types of questions. I'm also an expert at recognizing through the Internet when someone is pregnant. Woman no longer have to consult a doctor thanks to the generosity of responders on mamapedia!😆😬😖

I think when asking a medical type question the person realizes that most likely the responses here won't be coming from a medical doctor. The questions don't bother me, but some of the snarky ways some choose to say, "we are not drs., call the pediatrician" I find extremely rude.

I might be in the minority, but for the most part these questions do not bother me. There have been some where quite clearly the poster was coming here instead of going to a doctor, and those do bother me. I have posted a couple questions regarding medical issues, but I am not doing so to replace a doctor. I think many people just want to hear some ideas/stories/advice to complement medical information and to maybe learn some more about their issue. Doctors know best and have a lot of information, but I can see how asking on here for personal stories can be helpful as well. Sometimes people are looking for others who can relate or help with similar understanding. I don't think there is anything wrong with telling someone to see a doctor and that we can't diagnose anything, but I also think it's ok for people to want to discuss issues or get some viewpoints.

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I might be in the minority, but for the most part these questions do not bother me. There have been some where quite clearly the poster was coming here instead of going to a doctor, and those do bother me. I have posted a couple questions regarding medical issues, but I am not doing so to replace a doctor. I think many people just want to hear some ideas/stories/advice to complement medical information and to maybe learn some more about their issue. Doctors know best and have a lot of information, but I can see how asking on here for personal stories can be helpful as well. Sometimes people are looking for others who can relate or help with similar understanding. I don't think there is anything wrong with telling someone to see a doctor and that we can't diagnose anything, but I also think it's ok for people to want to discuss issues or get some viewpoints.

I think these questions are as legitimate as anything else. Many people have seen their doctor, they just want other people's experiences. If these questions bother you, don't reply to them. Women, mothers, fathers and anyone else sometimes just want other people's thoughts, or they just need to vent. They aren't trying to turn this into a medical advice site.

Have you tried to get a dr. appt. with a specialist in the U.S.? The wait can be very long, so I totally understand asking around to see what others experienced while waiting to get in. Our son has a long list of brain disorders and I turn to support groups online for those conditions all the time. I don't expect anyone to play doctor; it's just good to hear first-hand experiences.

So, I have no problem with people asking for insights on medical issues they're facing. If it's not something that I can help with, I just skip it over, like any other question. No biggie.

I don't see anything wrong with asking medical questions on this site. I find it silly when you have the posters that say we are not doctors ask a doctor. Of course you are not doctors. Some people ask to know what experience some of us may have had with whatever condition they may have. If you don't have anything of value to say then don't respond. It's as easy as that. You don't have to respond to every question. Some of the best advice I've seen has come from this site. You can either take the advice or not. You can either post a response or not. If the question bothers you don't respond and move on to the next question.

In the past women had other women to turn to for advice. Now so many of us do not have close friends or family near us to ask. Luckily we have social media and online support groups.

A similar question was asked back in February. This was my response then.

I personally think that telling someone to go to the doctor is an important thing to say, because like many people have said, we aren't doctors and even though our experience may be similar, we don't know all the background information.
That being said, I like to hear about other people's experiences because I can go to my doctor and say, "What about this?" I did that just this week. After seeing on Facebook about someone else's experience with whopping cough, I asked about it when I went in on Friday about my horrible cough. I also asked if I was due for the Pertussis vaccine again. I never would have asked about that if I hadn't heard about someone else's experience. And I learned something from my doctor that I didn't know before. Because of someone else's experience shared here on Mamapedia, I knew to ask about a treatment for molluscum that had never been mentioned before. And I got a medical explanation as to why they had never suggested it. I got ideas for treating eczema from others here on Mampedia that our doctor had never mentioned. Those suggestions worked better then what our doctor had suggested. A friend of mine knew to ask her doctor about a rash on her breast because of something she saw on Facebook. She was diagnosed with Stage 3 Inflammatory Breast Cancer--something she had never heard of before. Sometimes hearing about someone else's experience with a medical issue helps us to feel a little better about things. I wasn't nearly as nervous for my first colonoscopy as I might have been because of things others had shared when someone asked the question here.
So yes, I think it is important to tell someone to see their doctor, but I also think there is value in saying, "It sounds like......" It may give someone the knowledge to ask about something that they normally wouldn't ask. It may help to calm some of the fear and worry being experienced. I never would have guessed that my son would have an allergic reaction to an antibiotic on the 7th day of taking it. Thank goodness I live with a pharmacist who did know. Now if a question was posted that is similar to what we experienced, I will be able to supply an answer that will cause a mom to be aware of or to ask about something she didn't know to ask about.

Well, let's just say that I'm not a fan of anecdotal evidence as a rule.

I would love if medical questions would be screened and removed. I am not talking about the "Hey, my child is having X procedure, what was your experience" type questions. Those are asking directly about people's experiences and then, anecdotes are fine. What concerns me deeply is that people are ignoring their medical professionals and going to the internet to look up what they *think* is happening to themselves or their child. Those are situations which require facts. I can tell you what some of my own symptoms of some illness are, but if your kid has something --- a rash, a concussion, worrying symptoms that you haven't seen before-- common sense should dictate you either wait to see the doctor or go to urgent care. Asking while you wait is a mistake, in my opinion. Some posters have medical anxiety issues; the answers they receive only pour fuel on their fire. Most people are aware that there are advice nurse lines which should be utilized. People who aren't aware should be told to consult that. And there is the very real danger of people being anxious to treat their child before they are seen by the doctor.... what if they are treating entirely the wrong thing based on some symptoms which seem to be alike?

What's worse, people buy into this sort of "let's all share tips" sort of behavior without looking at it critically. I see this also in the case of people discussing their children's mental health/brain function diagnoses. There are an abundance of weird, strange answers which arise from questions about, say ADHD and medication. As we see so often in our world, there are a lot of uninformed/under-informed people out there with strong opinions. Some posters will be solid enough to sort through the answers they receive, but many are also young, impressionable and perhaps not taught how to consider the source when seeking information. I get a bit irked when the onus is supposedly on the group to tease answers out of people and ask more exact questions. Some people like to think they might be doctors and that this is their job. And if that is the job you want to take on, fantastic, go to it. Knock yourself out. Just don't expect everyone else to treat each question like a research project. I stand by my own opinions on this and live this way myself. If it's a health concern that I have questions about, I ask a professional. If a person is offended by being told to act like an adult and go talk to a doctor, I would encourage that person to look within and ask themselves why common sense is so distasteful to them.

It seems like a LOT of medical questions to me.
And I'm a bit surprised so many people seem to want to ask relative strangers on a website about their issues rather than seeing a doctor.
Guess it's a factor that I grew up with out the internet/Facebook/Google and I think it's a generational thing where some have never lived without the internet and don't know what to do with out it.
Those of us who were adults before mid 1990's remember using actual maps to navigate, used card catalogs in libraries, looked up phone numbers in the White Pages or Yellow Pages and if you had a medical issue - you had no one else to ask but a nurse/doctor/pharmacist.
In some ways (not all ways, mind you) it's harder for this younger generation to think outside the box.
It worries me a bit.

the sad truth is that in america even though health insurance is required many still do not have it. and there is a good portion of us that have insurance and cannot afford the co-pays, or can't afford insurance that covers anything before an outrageous deductable. i fall into this category. and i turn to the internet (for lack of people in real life to consult) to find out if i should go bankrupt to find out what my ailment is. or if this too shall pass and i will be fine without loosing my house.
for my kids though i qualify for government coverage so i am more likely to have an appointment made and am asking others opinions so i am prepared for what the dr might say or do.
other times i question wether i should bring my kid in to see the dr or if i am wasting the drs time, in which case i find out from others what they would do. (and have done) and talk to the nurse to see if an appt is in order. most of the time though i ask medical questions online for peace of mind that i am not the only one that has ever gone thru such a situation.

i say no to screening. but it should be that to ask a question there has to be a t least one sentence to qualify. (or a character minimum so people have to add enough so we understand where they are comming from)

I appreciate people sharing their experiences.

If someone is going to cure their illness because of something s/he read on the Internet, then I think there are huge issues with that person beyond what they are seeking on the Internet.

The Internet doesn't 'make you' neglect medical conditions. Poor judgement does, and poor judgement has been around for centuries...

It used to be $20 out of pocket (plus premium) for a member of my family to see a doctor.

Now it's $100-$200 out of pocket (plus premium) to ask a doctor if these sniffles will go away in a day or two.

Kids get colds ALL THE TIME!

Yes, I can call my doctor to ask about the sniffles but odds are he is going to say I need to see him.

We are a single income family of five. Our health insurance premium went up, and no pay raise (not even cost of living) makes us really pay attention to our kids symptoms before we see the doctor, expose them to whatever my be floating around in that waiting room, and spend $100 to hear 'it's just a cold'.

So I skim some of the posts for similiar symptoms others may experience to watch my kid more closely to get ready to call the doctor...not to PREVENT me from calling the doctor.

Yes, I feel my kids are worth paying a doctor visit for. But if I called for every cold symptom, tummy ache, knee pain, ankle pain,finger pain, headache and allergy symptom the doctors would never have time to see patients let alone return phone calls. If I took my kid in for any aforementioned symptom we would be broke.

So it is up to parents to discern between a serious medical condition and one that will go away on its own, and sometimes that determining information is from other's experiences.

I don't have a problem with it. If I have no information or experience, I won't respond.

"Do we, as a community 'want' to screen?"

No. Just bypass those questions.

Sometimes a parent has time before the doctor can get you in and they want to talk to other parents whose child has been through the same thing. They want to learn from other's experiences. I don't think mamapedia should screen these kinds of questions. I think in general most parents go to the doctor right away when needed. There have always been parents through out time who take their kid to the doctor right away and there have always been parents who wait and see. My mom had no health insurance (in the 70s) and she always waited. Luckily we were always fine in the end.

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Sometimes a parent has time before the doctor can get you in and they want to talk to other parents whose child has been through the same thing. They want to learn from other's experiences. I don't think mamapedia should screen these kinds of questions. I think in general most parents go to the doctor right away when needed. There have always been parents through out time who take their kid to the doctor right away and there have always been parents who wait and see. My mom had no health insurance (in the 70s) and she always waited. Luckily we were always fine in the end.

I think its a sign of the times.

Many young parents today are completely accustomed to sharing nearly everything online, and as soon as a question pops into their heads, they post it, tweet it, or ask it in a variety of forums. They have come to expect instant answers.

And another aspect to this is insurance. I don't hear much discussion about one part of the new Affordable Care Act. Sure, some people have been able to get insurance. The premiums can sometimes seem pretty affordable, or at least not terribly frightening. But the deductibles! They're overwhelming, and they can be thousands and thousands of dollars. They pretty much can make an insurance plan almost worthless. And so, to the internet they go.

I don't want the questions screened. Sure, "what's this spot on my kid" is woefully inadequate. But those of us on here who are older, or educated, or experienced, or trained, or just full of common sense, can use these opportunities to help a young or naive or vague or frightened parent to learn to phrase a question helpfully, to ask a question in such a way that answers can be given and help can be received. And we must never forget that some of these parents might be overwhelmed with no insurance or a $6,000 deductible, and no one else to turn to.

I think there are plenty of "face palm" questions on here when some of us just can't believe what we're reading. The problem is, those aren't always the same questions for each of us.
When I see a bunch of them in succession, I wonder if it's some of the same people opening duplicate accounts ("Maybe if I ask the question in a different way, I'll get more responses") or someone who has just looked at the most recent posts and said "Hey, this looks like a place where a lot of people post medical questions. I will too."

I don't think we should assume, just because someone has asked a question briefly or even awkwardly, that they are an idiot and deserve an answer that begins with, "Um.... we aren't doctors" or "What does the pediatrician say?" That's a tip off to the questioner that she's viewed as an idiot and that we are a community that serves first to be right and second to be helpful. Not sure that helps our membership. I think it doesn't hurt to be kind - and even if the person does need a kick in the behind (because, hey, we're all experts on mental health and human behavior), it can be done nicely through suggestion.

And, frankly, some people on this site have been horribly

If we say that questions shouldn't be on this site because someone should consult a professional, then we should ban the following:

Questions about your child's school/teacher/homework/testing? "Umm...no, you need to consult a child development specialist or someone with a doctorate in education."

Questions about lice, bumps on the face, dandruff, acne? "Umm...no, we're not dermatologists."

Questions about recipes? "Umm...no, we're not chefs or registered nutritionists."

Questions about my abusive husband with anger issues? "Umm, sorry, we're not trained domestic violence counselors or LICSWs, don't listen to us."

Questions about hair products/processes? "Umm...no, you need to talk to a licensed beautician certified by your state."

Questions about foster care, adoption, custody? "Umm...no, we're not Court Appointed Special Advocates or family care attorneys?"

Questions about vitamins? "Umm...no, I'm not trained in food science or the microbiology of cellular nutrition."

So, we should just shut the site down because, by that logic, none of us has anything to say on 99% of the subjects posted, and we have no value as a community of moms.

Alternatively, we can say we have something to offer, we can suggest questions you might ask of your medical professional, we can encourage you when perhaps you have been mistreated or misled or even abused by a medical professional in the past. Some us say "go to urgent care" while others say, "Good Lord, don't go to urgent care because something horrible happened to me when I did that." Some say, "Go to the doctor immediately" while others say "wait, it might be a 3-month wait or maybe you don't have the $25 co-payment or maybe your doctor is dismissive of your concerns."

I think, if medical questions bother someone so much that all they can do is lecture the questioner, they should just pass by those questions. Same as any other topic that doesn't interest them or that infuriates them. Life is too short to get riled up by someone who doesn't think like you do or I do. There are members on this site whose answers I read even on subjects that are of limited applicability to me, just because I like the way they think and the way they make ME think, and I learn a lot about gentle ways to be helpful or to phrase things. There are members on this site whose answers I don't even read because I know exactly what they are going to say, it's going to be nasty or arrogant, and I don't need that negativity in my life.

I don't mind that they're here, but I'll be dam*%d if someone's going to tell me that I can't say "Go to the doctor". If they pull my thread, so be it, but that's just a stupid thing to do. Some of these people need to be told to go to the doctor. (Actually, some of the ones I've seen here need someone to give them a swift kick in the behind..., but that's not really what I'm talking about here...)

I have read threads that actually made sense about the possibilities of what symptoms could be caused by, and I've asked my own doctor about them. People certainly shouldn't diagnose themselves by what they read here. But they can take the information to the doctor and ask. I think that's a way of working with our doctor and being responsible for our health. Sometimes people can give an idea that we wouldn't have thought of. It might help the doctor too, who knows!!

I agree with Girlie 100%. I don't think posters are necessarily asking for medical advice, they are asking if you have experienced something and to tell them about your experience. We are not all child psychologists or therapists or behaviorists, but we sure do give advice about all of that and more. Questions related to medical issues are no different. Running to the doctor for every little thing is not always possible.

I raised my daughter as a single parent, no child support or other financial help from anyone and no health insurance. When she was ill, I had to choose between taking her to the doctor or buying groceries. I would have been so grateful to have had the internet and a community of women/moms to run things by. I would have been so offended and depressed to have a bunch of women acting like I didn't care about my child or I was stupid for even asking. Find some empathy and realize that everyone's circumstances are different and don't take it for granted that everyone can just run to the doctor.

I'm in the "if they bother you, don't read them" camp. For a lot of us, even those with good insurance, it's impractical and a waste of time to run to the doctor for every little thing. Calling isn't much help either as they usually err on the side of caution and tell you to come in and be seen. The "what does your doctor say" responses are, IMO, snotty, elitist and unhelpful.

Frankly, I think there is a huge need out there for low-cost e-Medicine, where a patient with a webcam can consult with a doctor or nurse practitioner over the web, outside of normal business hours, and the practitioner can walk the patient (and parent) through a series of symptom questions, see what they can see with the naked eye and make a determination of whether or not an in-person visit is needed or if it's a wait-and-see problem. I'm also a fan of the "minute clinic" delivery model of going to a retail location to be seen for something that's not serious and think that insurance should offer more coverage for that type of service. My oldest son's sports physical recently ran out in the middle of his hockey season and I was able to run him up to CVS after work, have him examined and got the form he needed for school. This was a much better solution that taking time off from work and pulling him out of school for a 15-minute exam that consisted of a checklist and a handful of basic physical measurements and observations.

I think that the pinworm question the other day was the perfect example of someone making good use of an internet forum. There was absolutely no need to drag a child to the doctor when the diagnosis criteria was already met at home and the remedy is an OTC product. She was asking for some further information on what other families who had dealt with this did in terms of frequency of cleanup and people jumped all over her for not going to the doctor. Ridiculous! How would this be different from treating lice at home? It isn't, yet people had to get all condescending and nasty towards the person asking the question. Why? That's just rude.

For me, the only ones that bug me are the ones that have no info and are pointless. Like "what's this rash". Or "Am I pregnant" and then there tends to be 3 of those in one day. It's not so much that they are medical in nature, so much as I think it's someone having a field day on this site.

I think that not everyone has the support system of extended families the way they did in the past and with the high cost of medical visits people want to see what experienced parents may have already dealt with and can give them some general guidance (like support systems).

Though it can often be a disaster to try and diagnose something through the internet, I'm one of those people who can actually thank Google and the chat room community (not Mamapedia in particular - I didn't even know the site existed back then) for catching a serious condition. I was 35 weeks pregnant with my son and very itchy for some reason. I happened to mention how irritating it was to a pediatrician friend of mine and she said "huh, weird", but nothing beyond that. However, that brief comment got me wondering if it was a weird symptom, so I Googled it, pulled up multiple posts, and began to worry that maybe I had a rare condition called ICP, which can result in stillbirth. I mentioned my concerns to my OB, who kind of waved them off at first, but he did run two blood tests. The first, quick test came back inconclusive, but the more intensive test came back positive and I was rushed in and induced. Happy ending all around and the ICP vanished almost immediately following the birth.

So I really don't mind if people post medical questions. Some may seem like common sense but I think sometimes people feel more comfortable just shooting a question out to the internet rather than trying to call or email their primary care physician.

They really don't bother me. I get concerned if someone seems to be looking for a diagnosis or a reason to not go to the doctor, but those don't happen very often. Most of us add- make sure to still see a doc!! But I do appreciate other mom's perspectives. I think if a mom is going in for a biopsy of some sort, she wants to hear the range of experiences and just be calmed down a little, and I love that that can happen here. I remember a kid not long ago going in for an endoscopy and the mom was freaked out. So many people could relate their experience and I think she settled down.

As for the 'what could this be' questions, again, I hope they ultimate go to the doctor. And usually I assume that it's a "I found a X on my Y" and then people can weigh in if they had the same thing. I think most people are relieved to narrow the possibilities while they wait for their appointment. As someone who catastrophizes, I would appreciate this!

I think that often people have seen their doctor whom often times, treats them like everyone else in the herd.... Example, there are many questions on here about perimenopause and in MANY cases, western docs want to prescribe meds for a person's depression.. in turn, that person will come on here and say, I don't want to take meds, did anyone else experience this...
in some cases, doctors aren't helpful.... so why not turn to the people who have actually experienced a specific problem... doctors have their place, but often, it's the people who have actually experienced an ailment that can speak to the issue better than a doctor who may only spend 15 minutes with you..
if not for the net, I wouldn't have found out all the info that I did about Fibroids and Anemia... my doctors were useless and wanted to give me meds and or surgery.. I decided against both and instead, searched on the net for answers and got them, including much more info than any doctor would give me..
so the net and sites like these have their place..

No, I think that as parents we want to hear from our "sisters in motherhood" when we need that little nudge to let us know something isn't right.

Hi all -good question, and an issue I am definitely aware of. This is the official Mamapedia policy on such matters: "Medical and/or legal and questions may be asked, HOWEVER, please know that the first and best source for the answers to all such questions will alway be an appropriate certified professional. Please always consult such a professional in these matters first and foremost. Simply put, Mamapedia does not offer medical or legal advice to our members. Any medical or legal advice you receive on the site is taken at your own risk." When a medical question is asked I try to always send a copy of this policy to the member asking the question via private message. Also part of the official policy is the following: "Any questions that describe actual medical emergencies or admit to any sort of illegal activity are not allowed at all and will be immediately deleted"