Would you google?

I wouldn't google it. Apart from stuff on legit medical sites there's so much dangerous mendacious woo out there.

Yes, I'm a Googler.

Well there’s a huge difference between “would” I google and “should”
I google .

Me personally yes I probably would .

I would probably google reputable sites. There are nhs sites and others which give clear information about a range of illnesses. Not sure it's wise as I may not like the information but it might help me come up with important questions about treatment which I may not of thought of during the consultation. Goodluck kircubbin. Hope all goes as well as possible for you.

I'm raging, the hospital discharged me when I missed 2 appointments I never knew about.Now I'm having to pay to get the initial consult.

Although you are rightfully cross at the hospital messing up, look on the positives. You should be given a lot more time with your "private" consultation, and be able to ask for more information and get all your questions answered. Sometimes in the NHS we feel a bit rushed and cannot do that.

Hope all goes well for you.

Kirkubbin, please do complain via the local PALS. They should advise and help you get a fair hearing.

What is Pals?

No I would not google, you can frighten yourself if you do not have the knowledge to differentiate between fact and fiction.
When I was ill I did not google my condition but my friend did and kept telling me what the treatment would be, I told her to let the consultant be the one to tell me.

I do Google. A few months ago I ended up in a Coronary Care unit with a rare reaction to a rheumatoid arthritis medication.
I knew the medication, required fortnightly blood checks due to its toxicity, so I wanted to know all about it, before agreeing to taking it.
It was a last resort, as nothing else was effective.

When I arrived, very ill, in A&E, I was able to tell the doctor exactly what I thought was wrong, as I had experienced similar reactions in the past from other medication.
The doctor had never heard of the RA medication, but after taking advice from a consultant rheumatologist, confirmed it was indeed a severe reaction and then all hell let loose, as it was affecting my heart.
The doctor said she wished more patients were as proactive as me.

If I hadn't Googled, I wouldn't be here today. However, I only use reputable sites like, NICE, which is extremely helpful.

PALS is the Patient Advice and Liaison Service.

www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/nhs-services-and-treatments/what-is-pals-patient-advice-and-liaison-service/

I Google health concerns. (Don’t you just love it that is now a verb!)

But on the advice of a senior (retired) nurse friend she said put ‘NHS’ into the search engine as the advice is more measured.

I definitely would and have as long as it's a recognised UK site (if you're in the UK) as Google usually has US sites as top of the list.
Look carefully to see when the article was written/published as much of it is old stuff.
YouTube is good for pictures of medical procedures along with all the other stuff filling it's pages.

Every missed appointment costs the NHS £2,000.
How did they get your address wrong?
They text to remind you and also send a letter which has an attachment with your name, address, dob and other info.
You're required to correct any mistakes: name changes, phone number etc and hand it in when you arrive.

My DD had a small surgical procedure, a while ago.
After it was done, a nurse said "You'll be back on XX date for your follow up appointment." DD knew nothing about it. The nurse got quite ratty and told her it was in the notes and she'd get 'a black mark' if she didn't turn up for it.
At DD's insistence, the nurse went to check. She came back some time later, with a totally changed demeanour.
The admin dept had not made the appointment, although the date was written in the notes.

I was there to pick DD up and I saw all this happening.
NHS admin is not as foolproof as you imagine, GG54.

They don't always text you to remind you, and I was twice taken off my doctor's list because the local health authority sent letters to a similar address to mine and when the letters were returned to sender, they assumed I had left the area. DH once got a letter from a hospital the day AFTER the appointment that were offering! If course, they then told our GP that he had not attended.

And yes I would Google.

Many years ago when "googling" was in it's infancy DD told me when googling health problems only to use NHS and NICE sites. Read any of the others and you can get some real scary information most of which can cause you to worry.

Never had a text or email from NHS hospital/consultant facilities. My GP Practice sends text reminders as does dentist but that is all. I think you can opt in now if you want but no use if you don't have a mobile or computer. Much better having a paper trail for these things. I am a nurse and it is of no use to nurses in the community sending patient information via email or text as it often arrives at the wrong person (who does not send it on) or too late to be of any use to a nurse removing sutures/clips or doing dressings. It is much much better if someone arrives with a typed discharge actual letter with instructions!

I get texts for all my medical appts, GP, nurse, hospital and dentist.
Sometimes, I get an automated phone call, asking to confirm a hospital appointment.
I find it really helpful.

No I have never had a text for one of my many hospital appointments, got one on Friday, no text and they have my number and all my uptodate details.

Always google, use UK sites mostly the NHS site.

Yes, I have found it helpful to google, but like others, only using the NHS site and never anything with AD in the title.

I have many medical appointments and always get the text about five days beforehand.
A few weeks ago, I got an automated call, whilst in Rome, asking me to confirm that I was attending hospital for my operation.
I hadn't a clue what it was about. It turned out the letter about my forthcoming angiogram had arrived, whilst I was on holiday, so I was able to confirm it.

No I wouldn't Google!