Conference Speech

Recently I attended a medical conference in France, where I took part in a presentation (by my GP) in regards to my 'journey'. The focus of the presentation was to encourage patient participation with their diagnosis and treatment.

The whole experience was.. new! I made it through a plane journey (yeeey) and didn't feel like I was going to pop on the plane like an overcooked hot dog. Made it there and back again, with a few bumps along the way, but what matters is that I did it! Big steps.

Anyways, I'll do a proper write up later but this is the little speech that I did as part of the presentation:

"The truth is that whether its the right thing to do or not, more and more patients are using the internet to research symptoms. Sadly it appears that a vast amount of confidence and trust is missing between Dr and patient - most probably due to the outcome of a consultation, innacurate medical letters or the manner in which the patient has been treated. Patients in this situation seeking answers or information will inevitably use the internet, and with this reality in mind, I believe it’s crutial to encourage the best use of his tool possible, with the GP’s support. However, I feel its more important to have a good relationship with your doctor that allows discussion, without the risk of being seen as a self diagnosing, anxious, hyperchondriac and allowing the patient some credibility in their research. One doctor can not know every detail about every illness, and the unwillingness of some medical professionals to accept this has cost me over 5 years of my adult life.

Most people i know feel that they can't even talk to their doctor, they are simply not interested or don’t have the time. I believe that working with your doctor can minimize the risk of finding ‘worst case scenario’ situations online which could give the patient some peace of mind. This alone could save precious time, which may have lead to a spiderweb of unnecessary appointments and tests in an already heavily strained medical system. 

I know for certain that without the trust of my gp, the advice from members on healthunlocked and my own perseverance and research, I would not be healthy enough to come here today or have access to the medication that's given me back some of my life, with all the above going against what I'd been told to do by various consultants.

For me, the Internet has played a crucial part in my diagnosis and treatment, for which I am unbelievably grateful. "

More soon!