Diagnosis Illnesses

Tips on How to Avoid Being Misdiagnosed by Your Medical Professional

Recently I have been hearing a lot about doctors misdiagnosing many serious diseases and I wanted to point some of the red flags that should be watched for when getting diagnoses. In many cases, such as John Ritter's case, the doctors have taken a lot of heat for misdiagnosing the patients' diseases. First things first, it is often recommended that if you feel as though your doctor's diagnosis is not correct, go seek our a second opinion. That being said, there are a few things a patient should look into during this period.

First, if your doctor makes you a little wary on their diagnosis and they put you on a medication and it really does not help that much at all, seeking a second opinion would be a great idea. However, if the second doctor decides to simply put you on a second medication for the same diagnosis and you don't get better with this form of treatment, it may very well be a misdiagnosis and it would be advised to take note of this. Second, once a person is diagnosed or even before they are, I would recommend that they seek out information on those symptoms they are experiencing. There is a whole lot of information out there on the Internet which will really help you explain more about your condition while acquiring some more insight on possible causes for your symptoms. Now, if the doctor's diagnosis does not match up to what you have been experiencing and the information you have found on your own then it would be a great idea to bring these items up with your medical professional.

Third, I recently had an acquaintance who received tests for something they never even remembered receiving and the diagnosis was purely based on that particular test! Watch out for these types of scenarios. One thing I can say is that it was severe back pain that they were feeling and it was treated accordingly; however, their particular pains were due to a kidney infection and they were deathly ill for two months. All it took for them to get better was a proper diagnosis of kidney infection and the proper antibiotics and they were already feeling better after one day! This was due to a second opinion. So, watch those lab tests and make sure you do your research. Fourth, have you ever gotten diagnosed for a serious illness just to discover that it was not so bad, in fact, it was only a common symptom of something like menopause? Yes. I have heard this one and if you feel like it is a bit misdiagnosed then make sure you do some proper research and see if everything lines up correctly.

Lastly, make sure you understand that just because you got a lab test it does not mean that they, too, will not make any mistakes. It is difficult, at first, to get an exact diagnosis and many times the lab test is what determines it. But, make sure everything lines up properly with the doctor's diagnosis and the lab results. I, personally, would not enjoy spending money on healthcare and medications on a diagnosis that was only derived from the lab test alone. So, one thing to remember would be to keep in constant contact with your doctor as diagnoses may possibly change after a second look at it. You are the most important advocate you have for yourself so make sure you do your own research on top of the doctors' research. You may just discover something that can save you from costly mistakes in the future.

S. Michael Windsor is currently publisher and a writer for The Windsor Express Daily, which features daily exclusive articles based on improving the things which matter most in our daily lives. Visit us today at http://www.TheWindsorExpress.com and subscribe for free!

Always wanted to know, could anyone say the medical tv shows are realistic?
Obviously other then the diagnosis, illnesses, and drama, do medical tv shows such as House MD, greys Anatomy, ect. any resemblance to the reality or a teaching hospital?

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Know any good web sites that provide accurate veterinary info for the public to help diagnosis illnesses?
Maybe a veterinary school site? I have a sick cat. I have been to two vets with bloodwork and urine analysis not indicating what the problem is. Antibiotics help but haven't cured. Before I put the cat through more invasive stressful testing, I want to research the symptoms (not eating much, listless, eating kitty litter, licking concrete, sitting in cool places (like sink) more myself. Thank you all for your responses. I found another question similar to mine that had this site posted as an answer. http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp Re veterinary schools. I'm at least 600 miles from the nearest one and not able to travel at this time. I appreciate the cautions about diagnosing on line. But sometimes you can get some hints or info. Kandie K. Thanks for directly attempting to help me find the cat's problem and your suggestions . I am giving her a liquid vitamin supplement She is doing a little better, is off antibiotics and is eating fairly well. But still is not very active and not well. I'll have to keep working with local vets if she gets any sicker. But they discount trying to find out a way to stop the pica, say it is a behavior problem but until she got sick she never did this.

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will insurance cover std test?
BCBS of AL, PPO. Say under exclusions: Routine services, such as periodic physical examinations; screening examinations; immunizations; and services or tests not related to a specific diagnosis, illness, injury, set of symptoms, or maternity care, except for those preventive services specifically covered under Preventive care, adult and child in Sections 5(a) and 5(c) and screenings specifically listed on pages 31-33; Section 5(a) preventive care (I'm excluding the one's that are obviously not related to std's): History and risk assessment ? Urinalysis ? General health panel ? Basic or comprehensive metabolic panel test ? Chlamydial infection test ? Cervical cancer tests (including Pap tests) Nothing relating to std tests in section 5c. Pages 31-33 is section 5a I'm not seeing anything in policy about std testing. Is it usually covered? I have good coverage through the government. Also, should I go to the gyno or family dr for a std test? I want to avoid having to spend all day at the health department First of all, I don't care about being seen. I said that I don't want to spend ALL DAY at the health dept. It does take ALL DAY to be seen there. Second of all, I didn't type that, I copied it directly from the policy. No need to be a smart a**.

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