{"id":12405,"date":"2026-10-26T07:12:37","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T07:12:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/?p=12405"},"modified":"2026-10-26T07:12:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T07:12:39","slug":"doctors-and-nurses-share-the-rare-times-dr-google-actually-got-the-diagnosis-right","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/?p=12405","title":{"rendered":"Doctors and nurses share the rare times \u2018Dr. Google\u2019 actually got the diagnosis right"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once in a blue moon, those late-night WebMD searches are spot on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before we even step foot in a doctor\u2019s office, most of us have already typed our symptoms into Google and fallen headfirst into a rabbit hole of possible (and probably terrifying) diagnoses. In two seconds flat, that mild headache feels suspiciously like a brain tumor. That\u2019s it. This is the end. Finito.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the other hand, it\u2019s not always paranoia. There are plenty of instances in which a patient\u2019s suspicions about a serious underlying health issue wasn\u2019t taken to heart by the medical professional they trusted, and they suffered the consequences because of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s why there seem to be two camps when it comes to consulting \u201cDr. Google.\u201d On one side, you\u2019ve got the people who trust medical professionals implicitly and think online research is a dangerous game. On the other hand, folks who\u2019ve had bad experiences with the healthcare system feel more comfortable taking matters into their own hands. Both sides, honestly, make sense, especially when you consider how personal health can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And yet, doctors themselves admit that sometimes, those late-night searches and gut instincts actually do lead people in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In one viral Reddit thread, doctors and nurses shared the rare moments when Internet research helped patients make sense of long-misunderstood symptoms and come out with a proper diagnosis. These stories show that while the Internet shouldn\u2019t replace medical expertise, it can certainly spark the kind of curiosity needed to save lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are some of the most \u201cimpressive\u201d wins for \u201cDr. Google\u201d:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Celiac\u2019s disease<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/origin_deb0ef.png?w=1200&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"doctor, nurse, doctor google, chatgpt medical advice, medical advice, diagnosis, misdiagnosed, medical gaslighting\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cOne of my aunts was born in the 1930s and became a registered dietician. She self-diagnosed as having celiac\u2019s in the early 1960s, which was almost unheard of at that time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cholestasis<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cI followed a woman on IG who sold leggings (I was a yoga teacher). Over the years, she became pregnant and lost her child within 36 hours after birth with no real cause. \u2026 She started feeling itchy on her hands, arms, and feet, and realized she had felt the same symptoms with her first pregnancy, but dismissed them.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cAt 36 weeks, I started feeling itchy hands and feet. I lotioned, ignored it, but it kept getting worse. I kept thinking of the IG lady though, and I decided to go to my doctor. She thankfully said, lets test your liver just to check. Turns out I had cholestasis of pregnancy, and likely saved my baby\u2019s life by not waiting.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Diabetes<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/origin_1f0fbf.png?w=1200&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"doctor, nurse, doctor google, chatgpt medical advice, medical advice, diagnosis, misdiagnosed, medical gaslighting\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cWhen I was in high school one of the science classes had to do a project on systemic diseases. This kid chose diabetes. They noticed the symptoms matched what they had been feeling lately. Went to the hospital and it turned out they were days to hours from a diabetic coma.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Double uterus<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cFor years I had horrible periods, and had that whole \u2018could be endo, could be fibroids\u2019 runaround. But I also couldn\u2019t use tampons \u2013 I would somehow just bleed past them, which made less than no sense\u2014and my period cycle was so off sometimes I swore it was like I had two uteruses.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cThen one day I was listening to a podcast and a woman started talking about her experience of living with two uteruses. And I was like \u2018damn, that\u2019s me.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cTold the GP, she reluctantly sent me for the scans, told me it almost certainly wasn\u2019t that given the rarity. But yep, turns out I have two uteruses, cervixes and vaginas, and one unit of a kidney instead of the factory-issue two.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Kidney cancer<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cDidn\u2019t have any dramatic symptoms other than poor appetite and fatigue. I knew I had something going on above my waist but not in my chest. Drs blew me off so I got a lung scan due to smoking history. Kidney cancer. Tumor was on the upper part and outside of the kidney. Small tumor, had a partial nephrectomy, 3rd post-surgery scan coming up.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Low thyroid<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cWay back when, after baby #2, I started gaining weight, felt like I had been run over by a truck (!), and couldn\u2019t remember basic words like chair\/table. I made an appt. with my OBGYN, \u2018you\u2019re depressed\u2019 even though I denied feeling depressed, end of consult.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cA week or 2 later, I remembered I had a family history of low thyroid (not that it\u2019s necessarily familial) and made another appointment\u2014oh!! My heart rate was 28! No wonder my mentation was garbage!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">M\u00e9ni\u00e8re\u2019s disease<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/origin_9d1b59.png?w=1200&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"doctor, nurse, doctor google, chatgpt medical advice, medical advice, diagnosis, misdiagnosed, medical gaslighting\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cI started getting ringing in my ears and sometimes my hearing would become \u2018muffled\u2019 for short periods of time like I was under water. I was reading everything I could find relating to my symptoms and absolutely everything pointed towards M\u00e9ni\u00e8re\u2019s disease. Still, \u2018it\u2019s anxiety,\u2019 and my GP laughed and called me Doctor Google.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cEventually ended up at an Out of Hours clinic one night because my vertigo was so bad and I\u2019d completely lost my hearing in one ear. This lead to a referral for an MRI and eventual diagnosis of\u2026 M\u00e9ni\u00e8re\u2019s disease.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Multiple sclerosis<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cWent to the doctor and he asked in a condescending manner what \u2018Dr. Google\u2019 said I have. I said that my symptoms matched up with multiple sclerosis.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cTwo years later I visit him and he has a resident following him around. She was the one that performed a test on me (Babinski reflex) that indicated neurological damage that led to my diagnosis of: multiple sclerosis.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cAfter an egg retrieval, I got myself to the ER and told them I definitely had a severe case of ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome. I thought it was a no-brainer. Boston IVF had warned me of what to look for and I had nearly every symptom, including the \u2018go immediately to the ER\u2019 ones.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cThe ER doc kind of laughs and goes, \u2018Maybe we should avoid googling symptoms.\u2019 He recommended Tylenol and was going to discharge me! It took me forever to convince them to just do imaging and check my ovaries\u2014first time I\u2019ve ever heard a doctor say, \u2018Holy sh*t, that can\u2019t be right.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ovarian torsion<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/origin_a355bc.png?w=1200&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"doctor, nurse, doctor google, chatgpt medical advice, medical advice, diagnosis, misdiagnosed, medical gaslighting\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cDiagnosed myself with ovarian torsion last year. The pain was indescribable and couldn\u2019t even keep down sips of water. Went to A&amp;E. Medical staff tried to diagnose me with a kidney stone despite having no issue with peeing. Just saw I was fat and ignored my long standing PCOS diagnosis.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cMultiple ultrasounds showed no calculi, but moving the wand over to just above my uterus did show my left ovary had dislodged and was hanging out there, being strangled by a 9cm cyst.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pulmonary embolisms<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cI diagnosed my mother\u2019s PEs (pulmonary embolisms). She\u2019d had abdominal surgery the week prior and made an off the cuff remark about having to sleep upright as she was short of breath when lying down.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cThat didn\u2019t sit right with me so a quick google told me about how PEs can happen, especially after major abdo surgery. Told her to get to emerg, STAT\u2014sure enough, 3 PEs. She\u2019s fine now, thankfully, but she sure as hell could\u2019ve had a stroke if she hadn\u2019t have mentioned anything.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rhabdomyolysis<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.upworthy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/origin_1f2ae8.png?w=1200&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"doctor, nurse, doctor google, chatgpt medical advice, medical advice, diagnosis, misdiagnosed, medical gaslighting\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cAround an hour into my shift at a hospital lab I went to the bathroom and noticed my urine looked like cherry cola. I talked to my former paramedic boss, told her what I was experiencing, and that I was concerned I had Rhabdomyolysis. She agreed and told me to head to the ER.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cI walked myself across the street to the ER and told the PA the story and told her I was worried about Rhabdo. She kind of dismissed me. \u2026 2 hours later she comes back with a nurse carrying two bags of saline and tells me that my CK levels are so high the lab is having to do serial dilutions to quantify the results which is why it\u2019s taking so long.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Yeast infection of the ear<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cMy younger brother dealt with persistent chronic ear infections and was supposedly diagnosed with eczema in his ears. They would often weep pus that smelled foul and he would swab them every day. They were red and flaky inside, which prompted the eczema diagnosis, but I don\u2019t think explained the pus?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cSo after 10 years of dealing with this, he gets fed up with it and decides to send off samples of his own for private testing so he could review every single bacteria that was present himself. Turns out the biggest colony was Candida.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But, as with most issues, it doesn\u2019t have to be all or nothing. The Internet, when used responsibly, can actually help strengthen the relationship between patients and doctors. Knowing what questions to ask, understanding basic terminology, or even finding reassurance from credible sources can make medical appointments less intimidating and more collaborative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Doctors themselves often say they don\u2019t mind patients bringing in what they\u2019ve read online. The key is to approach it with curiosity, not confrontation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ellana Stinson, MD, MPH, MBA, told Upworthy, \u201cI appreciate patients coming with questions and I think bringing up their findings as questions to give me the opportunity to talk them through it is when it has worked the best with my patient interaction and relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead of saying, \u201cWell Google said and I want this because of Google,\u201d she suggests that patients try something like, <em>\u201cI read that these symptoms could be related to [condition]; what do you think?\u201d<\/em> It opens up a real conversation rather than a debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen they come with an open mind to better understand their health it works out best for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So maybe \u201cDr. Google\u201d isn\u2019t ready for a medical license just yet. But used wisely, it\u2019s not such a bad assistant. Especially if it helps you better advocate for yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Once in a blue moon, those late-night WebMD searches are spot on. Before we even step foot in a doctor\u2019s office, most of us have<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12406,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/857071818_1468673481852590_2875129742729387204_n.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12405"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12407,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12405\/revisions\/12407"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}