Need medical advice from untrained internet forum members

OK, so I've been having awful chest pains for a while, along with a hacking cough and spitting up blood. My abdomen feels tight and tender. Until recently all my joints were swollen and my throat was sore, but that went away when my left side started tingling and went numb. But it wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the pounding headaches and blurred vision. Although I guess the difficulty breathing is right up there.

I don't want to bother going to a hospital or seeing a doctor. So I figured I'd do just as well posting on an internet forum devoted to flashlights and electronics. I know nothing about most people here, but medical help from people whom I've never met, have unknown experience, and in some cases may be mentally ill, and who live 1,000-5,000 miles away must be just as useful, right?

:huh2:

Seriously people, what's up with this kind of stuff? I'm not writing about anything in particular CPF, I'm just reminded that you see posts all over the internet like this. Seems to me if you're having medical problems see a doctor or other official healthcare type person. Or for less serious medical questions there are always websites, message boards, and newsgroups with people who undoubtedly have more knowledge in the area than 90% of people on "other" boards.

Leave it alone, it'll fall off in a week.

How well put, thank you. Glad to see I'm not being a jerk for feeling the same way.

Now for your problem with the chest pains, I'd recommend leeches and fertilized chicken eggs ... If possible, import a voodoo healer from NOLA to get rid of the blood that you're coughing up.

Also, running fifty laps around your favorite track with a grocery bag on top of your head will take care of the chest pains. Paper only has so-so success but plastic usually good for a permanent cure (and you don't have to complete 50 laps.)

:lolsign:

All I know is I'll be one of the first to recommend going to see a professional, but will be one of the last to do it on his own. :shrug:



-DF

ABTOMAT said:

OK, so I've been having awful chest pains for a while, along with a hacking cough and spitting up blood. My abdomen feels tight and tender. Until recently all my joints were swollen and my throat was sore, but that went away when my left side started tingling and went numb. But it wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the pounding headaches and blurred vision. Although I guess the difficulty breathing is right up there.
:huh2:

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What is the condition of your LEFT little toe when you spit up blood and your RIGHT big toe when your vision is blurred?

I am partially trained but more important was in a town with a Holiday inn yesterday.

Also on 6/6/6 my odomotor turned 66066.6 opposite a large catfish statue on the way home.

well perhaps it is cause we have a few drs and medical people here on cpf i wont mention names and perhaps and probaly more the reason some of us dont have the money for a dr.there not free .but then again thats just my view

Did somebody say something?

...and I agree with Raggie.

JM-99

I know what you mean. I think if you have a minor problem or something that seems fairly benign on the surface that you've never encountered before, then it's OK to post a few questions. But I see folks who obviously have some chronic, serious problem with very dangerous symptoms, and they seem to want a few internet know-it-alls to tell them it's not a big deal, and confirm their denial so they can carry on as usual. Public forums are not good places to ask for serious advice, there are too many people who act like they know what they're talking about when they are clueless.

ABTOMAT said:

I'm not writing about anything in particular CPF

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Oh, I see, so it's just the purest coincidence that you are writing a sarcastic thread about seeking medical opinions when there is a current thread on CPF seeking medical opinions. Sure. It has absolutely nothing to do with anything in particular on CPF.

It's natural for people to ask their family and friends for advice when they have a problem of any kind. We do it endlessly here. When it is something that could be serious like

• a potentially life threatening disease
• whether to go to court or settle
• how to propose to your girlfriend
• whether or not to put unprotected Li-Ion batteries in your flashlight

then you should take any advice you get with a grain of salt. And those of us usually so quick to give advice should think twice about giving it.

And, given the fact that some of us had been to doctors/emergency rooms only to be blown off--then describe the condition to a friend who nailed the symptom to the exact cause on the first try (happened to me with kidney stone/blocked duct)...

Pretty much everyone here said "...go see a doctor...it may or may not be serious...".

Internet/Mom/Friends/Doctor--pretty much the order that anyone now-a-days looks for health advice for something unknown (to the patient).

Only difference from 100 years ago--no Internet, more leaches... ummm, wait, that's wrong... no Internet, more and more leaches..., um....

-Bill

ill ask advice on everything im always willing to learn .cause the person who thinks he knows everythings trully knows nothings

Drizzle, like I said, I wasn't writing about any one particular case. The recent posts on CPF just reminded me of how often I see stuff like this all over the internet. The ones we've had here are pretty basic compared to other posts now and then.

I don't particularly like doctors, and for most problems I've had so far in life I've never seen the point in going to one. However I also think people put far too much faith in their online buddies, or at least don't ask around enough. Nothing wrong with asking for opinions, but when you start actually making decisions based on this stuff it gets pretty questionable. Humans are very individual things. A lot of the questions that folks seem to have boil down to "I have xxx problem. I wasn't planning on seeing a doctor so what's your diagnosis." It's not like someone can say in reponse "Oh yeah, that's a common problem in all the white males they made in 1972." A relatively inexperienced person who is actually in the room with the one with the problem could very well be more useful than an expert halfway across the country who can neither speak to nor see the patient.

On some boards when people post a question about a topic I know a lot about (not medical in the slightest), it's very odd to see 3/4 of the responses being posted with absolute conviction range from highly misinformed to complete BS. You have to figure the same thing goes on when a person askes about some pain or lump they're having.

Just shoot off the offending bodypart or parts and then cauterize with a USL.....you will be ok!

So how does that differ from an on-topic question related to flashlights posted on this site, or even a related subject on many other web forums? (slightly rhetorical question) People post looking for free advice because the don't want to pay for it, and they get exactly what they paid for, though more often than not, they're likely to get a little less than nothing.

If you want to see BS, try posting a legal question, or one asking legal advice and watch all the wannabe lawyers come out.

ABTOMAT said:

On some boards when people post a question about a topic I know a lot about (not medical in the slightest), it's very odd to see 3/4 of the responses being posted with absolute conviction range from highly misinformed to complete BS.

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Complaining about other member's threads is becoming too common, and when presented this way, it's nothing short of baiting. If you don't understand that, then stop to think of what type of responses you're expecting, what you're hoping to accomplish, and the manner in which you're trying to influence or affect a fellow member.

Thread closed.