How does one know what disease they may have contracted by looking on the internet??? The symptoms one is experiencing could be for a stomach ache or stomach cancer ... yes find out whatever you can, but I think I would rather trust the EDUCATED 'wild assed guess' of a doctor or a team of doctors than my own UNeducated wild assed guess based on what I'm reading on a website ...

+++++1

chas

Well stated Mr. T If you're not honest with your doc, and explain exactly how you feel, they'll treat you as a one size fits all. My cardiologist changes things based on what I tell him, and of course test results. He gave me the option of having surgery, or a stent, or nothing. No quotas involved, it was my decision. And I agree, researching your heath problem on Google may not be the right move.

Gary, thanks for your insight, and I love ya man, and sure don't want to get political, but I don't understand how you can say "for certain" that medicare for all would make things "much worse"? Because people may have to wait for surgery is, IMO, not a good reason for rejecting Universal Health Care. Too many patients and not enough facilities is a problem that is correctable.

And, I always thought clogged arteries (cholesterol) is just one factor that could lead to heart disease, so I'll stick to my prescribed meds, and with the communication between my care team, we have found the right combo. Thanks for sharing your experience in the health field. Talking to you on the phone was interesting and informative.

BTW, I too visit the VA ( to stay active), and have personnel tell me, too many patients, and not enough facilities, lead to wait times. And they all seem to agree, the answer is not to reject and criticize current VA care facilities, but to expand. They need more

If you don't have at least an MD (and hopefully a few more letters) behind your name, I don't want to hear it. Doctors may not be perfect but they beat the hell out of 'death by stupidity'. I'm only speaking for myself but I'm only taking advice from people who can legally demonstrate that they're qualified to give it. BTW, at the top of my list of charlatans is Chiropractors. I might trust them to administer the Heimlich maneuver if I'm choking on a steak, but that's it. JMO (which is 100% valid for ME).

chas

Tony, you have a good point; sometimes we get lost among the negatives.

Eighteen years ago my Cardiologist got me to the hospital just in time. Not only is he a great doctor, he also my friend. One day he and I sat and added the many times my heart has beat in 80+ years. (smiel)

There are many good doctors out there.

John C.
PS, sorry to hear about the many difficult times you’ve had.

John, thank you, ... pretty much, like my butt, they are all behind me ...
Fortunately, my cardiac problems can be managed by meds, diet, and exercise ...

First and foremost, I am not telling anyone to self diagnose, including any physician - that would be damned well stupid, IMO. What I advocate is investigating decisions made by your doctors, which are not always accurate by a long shot. You don't need a couple letters at the end of your name - you just need to apply a grain of common sense.

For example, my last stay in The University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore was to have a stent inserted inside an existing stent that had had been chemically treated with anti-neoplastic drugs to prevent clogging - it didn't work! Fortunately, I had sufficient collateral circulation to prevent any ischemic damage to the left Ventricle muscular structure. I was admitted for cardiac catheterization which would take place in the very same cath lab that I directed many years ago. Ironically, one of the ladies at the admitting desk remembered me from way back when.

The cardiac cath did not go well, and the cardiologist damned near lost me on the table. Fortunately, I was wide awake and watching the monitor, told him that my BP had drastically fallen to 30/0 and I was passing out. The nurse anesthetist wasn't paying attention to my vital signs, the cardiologist had me injected with a cardiac stimulant, then everything went smoothly.

The following morning, a group of cardiology residents entered my room with an instructor holding a large pile of charts. She introduced me saying "This is Mr Gary Diamond. He suffered a severe myocardial infarction and has significant ischemic heart damage to his left ventrical. Additionally, he has a disecting descending, abdominal, aortic aneurysm, which is quite pronounced." I told her she either had the wrong patient, wrong chart or didn't know that the hell she was talking about. I told her to take the students and leave my room immediately. As the chief resident passed my bed, I stopped him, told him to get my X-rays, EKG and cath results and bring them to me, which he did within a few minutes. I can still read EKGs and X-rays. I didn't note anything on the EKG other than normal sinus rythm, to which the resident concurred. My aortic shadow throughout its length is perfectly normal, which the resident also confirmed. I checked myself out an hour later.

Some folks think they have the best doctors on planet. In reality, the vast majority have absolutely no way of determining the quality of the health care they receive other than the doc didn't kill them, at least not yet. Most individuals go by what is known as bedside manner. Or, he or she spent more than 15 minutes talking with me, that's why they were so late in seeing me. When in reality, most physicians set their appointments on a 15 minute schedule, then overbook so they can jam more patients into each hour to make up for the low medicare pay schedule.

Tony, with all your have been through, medically , you have been extremely fortunate, indeed. Especially when you consider "FFCJ said the 10 most litigious states are New Jersey, New York, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Montana, Michigan, Connecticut and California." Not exactly sure where Lil Ol Rhodey falls into the list, though.

Good luck, everyone,

Gary