So…someone, somewhere made me aware of the ‘WebMd.com’ symptom checker the other day.
You can go onto the website, select a gender and age, a body part and symptoms, and based upon your selection, the website will offer you a variety of possible ailments.
Now, who has never gotten a headache and had the momentary fear that their skull was going to explode and then everyone would hate them posthumously for the mess they left?
I know I have.
However, I find diseases and disorders kind of fascinating. When I was little, I used to ask my mom (who, at the time, worked in medical transcription) about diseases–not in a hypocondriacal way, but more in a ‘it does that?! Wow!’ kind of way. So, after the website reassures me that I just have a tension headache or that the pain in my shin is because I ran into a piece of furniture the night before, I find myself going back and playing around, curious as to what WebMD says about severe discoloration in the abdominal area, or erratic breathing that *is* made worse by alcohol use. I find it most entertaining–yet alarming–when the pop-up window that informs me the symptoms I have described require immediate emergency assistance and I should get to a hospital immediately for my blood vomiting.
You have to wonder…is someone who’s vomiting blood or suffering from a chemical overdose likely to be checking their symptoms online?
Hmm.
