Medical websites you consider reliable?

I have had two physicians recommend the Mayo Clinic website for follow up information after consulting with them about a medical condition.
They both say (although they are not so naive as to think it will sway anyone) not to consult the Internet before the doctor. And then they laugh.
I have found useful info on the Mayo Clinic site.

Hands down the Mayo Clinic. When my mom got her brain tumor diagnosis last spring there was not a web site I did not search nor doctor I did not consult. In the end the info at Mayo was the most consistent and forthright.

I also prefer the Mayo Clinic site. I have used it as a patient.

Thanks. I am not finding what I need to know at the Mayo Clinic site, although it sounds great for some things. So—second choices?

@Jeruba It is a roll of the dice. I wish I had a better answer. My mom out of nowhere was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma. She live 30 minutes away from what was and is arguably the home of the best oncologists in FL. They told us high hope outcomes…Mayo was more to the point. Even Mayo fell short of the outcome we expected.

These sites should all give reliable medical information. There may be better sources for specific queries. I found forums to be very supportive and helpful when I underwent minor surgery two or three years ago. It was a very specific forum for a specific operation which let people who had been through the operation or were considering having it done share their experiences. It was very useful before and after the surgery not least because I met people who were sympathetic and who understood my concerns.

These public forums are not usually controlled so you have to gauge the value of each post individually but I found the personal experiences there more varied and enlightening than dry and clinical professional advice though of course I listened carefully to what my doctor said.

http://www.nhs.uk/pages/home.aspx
https://www.cdc.gov/
https://www.nih.gov/

Here’s the surgery I’m considering. I found a forum with enough worrisome posts to almost completely reverse my inclination to go ahead. There were posts from people who said the post-surgical pain was far worse than the original condition, that 4 and even 7 months later they were still in a lot of pain and unable to find adequate pain relief, that they’d had to have 2 or 4 or 8 follow-up surgeries, that the neuroma came right back.

I don’t know what to rely on.

I can bear the pain I have now, although I’m impaired by it. Being lamed for months or permanently is worse than what I’m experiencing at present. But will the present pain get worse? Will I end up having the surgery anyway, when I’m older and less able than I am now? and when my ill family members need more care from me?

I’m also in horror of any kind of meds that have an addictive potential, and what is scarier than prescribed pain meds? I usually try to get through everything with nothing stronger than Tylenol, ibuprofen, and ice packs.

I’m having a hard time with this and need some reliable advice.

Thanks for all suggestions and shared experience.

The odds of a satisfactory outcome following surgery are good. Those with problems may be more likely to return to the forums and so give a skewed impression.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1237552-treatment#d14
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3764278/

Sorry to hear what you are going through. It is a difficult decision to make and you should of course discuss it in detail with medical professionals before making a decision.

Aside from the aforementioned Mayo Clinic site, I find WebMD to be reliable.

Those are all okay but I am not a fan of WebMD
Here is another
https://familydoctor.org/

If you can give some more details on what you’re looking for I can help. But looking for “surgeries and their outcomes” is pretty broad.

@Rarebear, it’s for foot neuroma (link goes to my previous question).

Here you go
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1237552-treatment#d10

@Rarebear. Thank you, just what I needed. (Ugh.)

I’m still interested in personal experiences as well, as I asked on the other thread. I think I need both clinical and anecdotal information to hep me sort out the choices and implications.

Pubmed

Get more than one medical opinion. Remember almost all surgeons suggest surgery if it seems in any way justified.

I found this website that has multiple treatment suggestions. I don’t know if the link was already given above.

My guess is you have tried nonsurgical treatments already. You mentioned OTC pain relievers above. I’ll just mention that for nerve pain I would think Tylenol would be effective, you might try a combination of Tylenol and ibuprofen at once. Consult with your doctor obviously, but typically it’s ok to combine the two meds. Tylenol helps to inhibit the pain messenger, it blocks the pain signal. Ibuprofen is very good at reducing inflammation, which is why it so effective for muscle pain and cramps. That’s a very simplified and limited explanation, both drugs do more than what I stated.

Remember, never drink alcohol if you are taking Tylenol.

You can get “dependent” even on OTC pain relievers from what I understand. Maybe your body can build a tolerance? I don’t know for sure, but something to keep in mind and research if you start needing them regularly.

@Jeruba I found a runners forum that discusses your condition. Runners will do anything and everything to keep running and thoroughly hash out what works and what doesn’t work. I only read the first page. Good luck on your research.

Great idea, @Cruiser! Thanks.

On my other thread (linked twice in this one), I talked about specifics and what I’d done already. It does look like there are still some things to try short of surgery. But since this is a real physical lump in my foot, just relieving pain doesn’t seem like the answer for the long term.

@Jeruba The insole discussions were interesting and if I were in your shoes (pun intended) this comment caught my attention…

“I had cyrosurgery 6 weeks ago for Morton’s Neuroma. I have suffered with this condition for over 5 years and have tried every pad, insert and type of shoe known to man to help this condition. I located a doctor in The UK who does this procedure [cryosurgery] because I did not want to go through with traditional surgery . The whole procedure was pain-free and I was back doing normal things with 2 days. For anyone who is totally fed up with Morton’s Neuroma, I would totally recommend this procedure. ”

Thanks. I’m researching cryosurgery now. One of the things I ought to have asked the foot doctor and didn’t was: Does any of these present (administered) treatments preclude any future treatments? I.e., if I’ve had cortisone injections, for example, does that mean that certain surgeries won’t work? I want more options, not fewer.

One last one @Jeruba I offer this option because I am under treatment for a wrist sprain that wasn’t getting better after 2 months of splinting. Swollen very painful. Had my 2nd acupuncture treatment last week and near pain free and have all my movement back.

Mayo Clinic
Cleveland Clinic.