Asthma, migraine and vasomotor rhinitis are sometimes missed by doctors
Article Source: msnbc.com
from:msnbc.com5 most common misdiagnoses for men
Seeded on Sun Aug 29, 2010 1:39 PM EDT (msnbc.com)
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Why are these misdiagnoses for MEN? Women get all of these as well. I suffered for years from "sinus" headaches before a smart new doctor sent me to a neurologist who diagnosed migraines and gave me Imitrex, which stops the headaches. I used to lose days to my "sinus" headaches, not I take Imitrex and get back to my life.
The reason that they are called misdiagnoses for "MEN" is because the article is from Men'sHealth
Wiek, all that that means is that the article should have included a caveat that all of these diagnoses and misdiagnosss are also applicable to women. They didn't, so the question asked by Pencils is appropriate.
I did notice that Wiek, but this isn't Men's Health, it's MSNBC.
The 'stomach' is a specific organ - the ABDOMEN is a region of the body to CT in diagnosing appendicitis.
THANK YOU, Mary!! This mislabeling of the abdominal region as 'the stomach' gets on my nerves, big time. I just heard a news story on TV that reported a gun-shot victim who was "hit in the stomach" was treated and released from the ER -- not possible, unless he was released to the morgue
Pencils,
Sorry the focus was not on your gender for a few moments there.
I'm sure females will be the center of attention by the end of the day.
I agree with you 100% Yes there have been misdiagnoses on both sides of the gender scale for many years. I, myself, now have a migraine doctor (neurologist!). And my husband has just had his second colonoscopy in seven years due to severe constipation with other severe symptoms
There have been many diseases that cross the gender barrier that people are just beginning to understand are not only male or female diseases. But if you are lucky and pushy, you need to become your own advocate to make sure you get the proper care you need to get a correct diagnosis.
HMMMM - Why do you think doctors are called "Practicing Physicians"?
They really don't know what they are doing.
But if you listen - your body will tell YOU what it needs.
Taking care of one's self could be compared to taking care of your car. It behooves one to take their car to the same mechanic on a routine basis rather than whoever is available at the time. A good mechanic is familiar with the running and idiosyncrasy of each make and model they've worked on and are therefore better qualified to service that automobile. Going to a different mechanic everytime is futile at best. That decision rests squarely on the shoulders of the owner. Picking a physician is no different. You choose the one that best suits your needs, you're most comfortable with, and one that listens to you and what you have to say. There is a huge difference between a patient discussing needs with their doctor, rather than having the doctor talk down to their patient.
sum guy, I agree with you, quit going to your doctor for your health. Quit going to your lawyer for legal advice, quit going to your pharmacist for medicines, quit going to your barber for haircuts, quit going to your accountant for tax advice (if you pay taxes), quit calling the fire department if your house is burning down and quit going to your mechanic. Never mind that doctors are trained between 5 and 11 years beyond college. They still wouldn't know as much as you. That "listening to your body" is what can cause the confusion in the diagnoses listed. Thunderproof is right. Pick a doctor to whom you can relate and tell him your symptoms whether he wants to hear them or not. If he want listen, get another doctor because a doctor who does not listen to his patients is doing a sorry job. Also, if a doctor gives you a questionnaire to fill out, do it to the best of your ability. A doctor who cannot take a history and a patient who cannot give one are a dangerous combination that could prove fatal.
A doctor who treats himself has a fool for a patient and a layman who treats him self is....???
Jack, "A doctor who treats himself has a fool for a patient and a layman who treats him self is....???" building his own coffin.
If I could give your post a dozen thumbs up, I'd do so.
JACK---quit being so dramatic!!
When inflammatory statements are made I just cannot help myself. Ken, do you and sum guy go to the same barber or something?
Re Ms. Pencils, here's one male misdiagnosis you might find acceptable...self-centered misogynist...I suppose I could be wrong, though...I mean about you finding it acceptable.
I was diagnosed at age 48 as having asthma and vertigo. Nope; it was heart block, a potentially fatal cardiac situation. Yeah, "practicing" medicine is the right term.
(No, I didn't sue as once you sue a doctor, no one doctor will touch you.)
and don't foget lumar pain and blood in the urine. Lumab pain can be doe to prostate cancer and it is NEVER normal to have blood in the urine.
Please check your spelling before you post. You use the term 'lumar pain' and then immediately afterward you say 'lumab pain.' I think you mean LUMBAR pain, which is pain in the lower back. If you are going to give people medical advice or information, it is CRITICAL that you not misspell medical terms.
Maybe Tom is a genetic anomally and really has a Lumab. Maybe he also does not believe there is a doG.
blood in urine is not good for men. blood in urine can be ok for women. but since this is a men's health article - NOT good.
Blood in the urine is NEVER okay, for men OR women. There is a difference, however, between there being blood in a woman's urine (meaning it actually came from inside her bladder or urethra), and there simply being menstrual blood visible when she uses the toilet, which is very common due to physiology. Actual blood visible in the urine is a sign that something is seriously wrong (for example, I had blood in the urine back in April, and saw a doctor as soon as I could. It turned out that I had a severe E. Coli infection in my urinary tract, which had caused my kidneys to become inflamed. It took three different kinds of antibiotics and over a month to clear up the infection)
Blood in the urine is just as much of a trouble indicator for women as it is for men. That's why women are asked to not give a urine sample during their period. For the record, the lab will see blood in a woman's urine even if she uses a tampon and it can confuse the results of the tests. But menstrual blood indicates good health, not a problem. It's also from a different source than is blood in the urine.
There is no excuse for a men's health magazine to have not even included a caveat saying that everything in this article also applies to women.
Minute amounts of blood are just fine for a man who, say, might have just worked out. But no, the doctor wants to trot you off for a cytoscopy where they force a probe up your urethra without any anesthesia unless you beg for it.
Blood in the urine is never normal in either gender.
The very first thing that would aid in any diagnosis is for the doctor to know their patient! Doctors should be somewhat familiar with each and every one of their regular patients on an individual basis. For instance, they would be able to better diagnose the patient based on each patients previous history. Knowing the ones who come in for everything under the sun from a hangnail to a knee scrape, as opposed to the patient that shows up only when there really is something worthy of a visit to the doctor. Being one of the patients that does not care to make visits to the doctors office unless there is good reason, should give the doctor a clear indication there is something seriously afoot and therefore not approach the patient with a less than professional demeanor. Some doctors are too quick in there assessment of a patients complaints and prefer to pass off symptoms as merely a sign of getting older, as was in my case. I was literally told - "Congratulations! You're just beginning to realize the aches and pains of someone who's getting older." That was NOT the case at all. Patients should know the difference between those kind of aches and pains and when something is physically wrong and needing to be addressed. Doctors are oftentimes too quick to assume they know already. Changing to another doctor got to the root of the problem on the first visit. Changing doctors was the best decision I made.
One other thing I'd like to add to this discussion is the importance of also listening to what nurses have to say.....
There is much that can be learned by listening to qualified nurses. There isn't a shred of doubt in my mind that they've saved more than one doctor's career or patient's life by paying close attention to what's going on. In my opinion, nurses are the angels of the medical community.
Again, Thunderproof is right. It never hurts to tell the nurse what is bothering you. This gives you another advocate and often the nurse will tell a busy, and sometimes distracted doctor what is going on. That way he hears it twice. In the hospital, it is often the nurse that keeps you alive, not the doctor. Experience nurses who are compassionate and attentive to their patients can intercede in many ways. They catch it from angry patients and arrogant doctors and "angels" is a perfect way to describe them.
I'm a guy and was diagnosed with PMS.
Should I get a second opinion?
?
definitely get a second. It's probably IBS (irritable buthead syndrome).
Or maybe you're pregnant and about to give birth to a toad.
Yes, do get a second opinion. You may actually have recto-crainial inversion.
If you are in unbearable pain, and you were health just 24 hours earlier, and you think it's appendicitis, choose the knife! You probably have nothing to lose but your appendix, and it may save your life.
This comment attributed to me was not made by me.
Don Meuse
I have developed a 'sensitivity' to something in my home in the last couple of years. It makes my nose run and my eyes water. I don't know if the cause is an allergic reaction, but I take a small amount of antihistamine and all the symptoms go away. They usually don't return during the day.
Try an over-the-counter antihistamine like Benedryl before you spend all kinds of money just to find out your mucus membranes are sensitive to something in your home environment.
If nothing has changed in your home over the last few years, you might want to think about having it tested for mold.
Larry the scurvy dog -
That's an extremely good piece of advice you've given there! Mold can easily develope into a real health concern.
More women die every year from misdiagnosis. The focus has never been on womens health only on mens.
So if my doctor evaluates me I should say 'well Mens Health said it might be this, check again you quack!" I would just as soon get a second opinion
Ken E has cruised through here with his smart-ass comments and really has not contributed to anything. Hey Ken don't you have anything better to do than be a tu***?
It is not saying that women can't have these misdiagnoses. It is saying that these are the five most common misdiagnoses for men. Women may have a completely sepearte set of 5 most common misdiagnoses.
Your article overlooked, or deliberately ignored, the biggest mis-diagnosis for American men by far, namely, that we need to be circumcised at birth or else (supposedly) we will have all kinds of problems. Never mind that about 2/3 of the world's men and boys are not circumcised and, with routine hygiene, are living perfectly normal lives, including millions right here in the US. For a lot of doctors, the name of the game is making money and circumcision is easy money for these cold, heartless people. Their baloney for the gullible is: "Hey, the penis still "works" after the cutting, doesn't it?" Yes (although with permanent loss of sensitivity), but what they conveniently ignore is that it would still work WITHOUT being cut! Nature gave men foreskins for reasons.
To pat-1521359 and all the other fem whiners: Shut up! You live longer anyway and don't ALWAYS NEED TO BE THE CENTER OF ATTENTION. You should be banned from making responses in to this column. CAN'T YOU READ? "MEN'S HEALTH PROBLEMS?" HELLO?