I look things up on the internet and use that information as a basis for asking questions or seeking answers/information from my doctor, but I dont print things out and take it directly to the doctor.

I just like to be aware and informed. I want to learn about what's going on with me. I did this alot with my IVF and infertility. I think it helped be be more level headed throughout all of it because I felt like I could keep up with the doctors and not always feel like I had no idea what was going on next.

somewhat..i more or less look up when a person has a specific illness,i don't know what it is...as for self care only minor things...

do i think it's a good thing? yes, if they follow up with drs...

Bob does that and his doctor told him he appreciated it.

Linda

Not derogatory to my doctors.
In fact, I wouldn't go to a doctor who didn't appreciate it.

At our local Hospital, I'm known on the cardiac floor as "The lady with the laptop". I don't accept any new medication or treatment without checking it out first - myself.

It's all about being an "informed patient" nowadays. Hub and I diagnosed the blood clots that nearly killed him in May. He saw his doctor, who scheduled tests for the following week! Hub came home and grew sicker and sicker in our living room for several days while we searched the internet. Finally we called the doc, got his colleague and told her our concerns; hub was immediately ordered to the emergency room and spent a week in the hospital. He is still recovering!

I am convinced he would have died without the internet. He has a new doctor now, too.

My friend said she does that on occasion, and her Dr. asks her where she got her medical degree. I don't know the details, but apparently he doesn't like it.

My physician doesn't like it when we ask about a less expensive medication. His reply is "do you want something that works?"

Guilty. And I'm not going to change. When I had my brain tumor (benign) I was told surgery was my only option. Thanks to the internet I found radiation. The surgery had scarier side effects than the tumor. Without the internet I might not be here today.

Linda

I am and I will continue to be. Usually it's vet-related, though, but the vet always likes that I ask the right questions and am informed about possible diagnosis and treatments.

If I had a doctor ask me where I got my medical degree, I'd be requesting copies of my records and finding a new doctor. They should be thrilled that we're doing half the work for them. Look at Lydia, for example. Nobody was helping her get better and she changed that herself.

I am a Petit Papier Patient for sure.

Gayle

I am and both my doctor and vet are fine with it. I don't print out and I get my information from medical websites whenever possible. I read other peoples stories but base most of my information on real science, not something I heard on Oprah.

I think what would annoy doctors is dealing with patients who get their information from never trust a doctor blogs and come up with all sorts of weird diagnoses from lay people who tend to be hypochondriacs.

add me to the list. If I hadn't known about Inflammatory Breast Cancer beforehand I would probably be dead by now. My pushing for an accurate diagnosis and further testing allowed it to be caught in time and if I hadn't known all about this type of cancer I would have been content to agree that it was just mastitis until it had spread further. I had no lump or tumor which would have shown up on a mammogram or was palpable.

YES! And proud. I was given steroids through an IV for a back problem. It was at the hospital. When they put it in, I told the male nurse- "Hey, that felt funny... it's making my crotch tingle." He laughed and we didn't make anything of it. When it was done again 4 hrs. later, same thing happened. It felt like my crotch was "buzzing". I know, very funny.... but it felt very wrong. I complained and the nurse looked at me like I was nuts. I got up to go to the bathroom a bit later and was in a full blown period- which was not due for at least 3 more weeks. I had just had it and there it was again and very heavy. They stopped the meds because.... oh well.... just in case, though none of them had ever heard of such a side-effect. I googled the name of the steroid later once I was home. One of the sites showed that menstrual changes were a severe side-effect and the meds should be stopped right away. It could bring on a period or stop it for a couple of months. My crotch was not tingling because it was happy! Now.... why didn't they know this yet I was able to find it? Once out of the hospital, my neurosurgeon placed me on the same steroid but in pill form. I told him my experience with it and he didn't believe me. Well, because I was hurting and had swelling, foolish me took the pills. Two days later, full blown period again! I sent him the site on google I had found and I stopped the pills on my own. Too scary for me something that can do this to your body. Anyway, yes, I absolutely research stuff sometimes before I see an MD!

Absolutely! We really have to be our own patient advocate; it only makes sense.

Vets were mentioned above....this year one of my dogs was diagnosed with heartworm. The vet described the treatment, which was both expensive and extremely dangerous. I learned from the wonderful people on the Pets Forum (GardenWeb) that because of the dog's age (13), the best protocol would be to give him Heartgard once a month. They called it a "slow kill." Inexpensive and safe.

The vet refused to consider it. I printed out information from the forum and from the Heartworm Association's website. Still no. So I asked another local vet whom we've used. He said, "Of course. That's what I recommend for a dog Wolfy's age." The first vet is no longer getting my business.

Had it not been for the Internet, I wouldn't have known.

Oh, and after numerous visits to a specialist failed to fix my troublesome gut, I kept going with my research and ended up improving it greatly by giving up several foods. Love that free treatment!

My doctor may have a medical certificate hanging on his wall, but did he by any chance graduate in the bottom half of his class? I'll never know. So, the answer to your question is yes, I am a petit papier patient. Vique.

Remember this: Doctors PRACTICE medicine. I want once that's not practicing anymore and has got his/her act together.

Linda