Do you trust your doctor or the internet?

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#1 Post by **24braceface** » Wed May 05, 2010 6:15 pm

Has anyone here been googling info about the surgery and have gotten scared? I've talked to my doctor about my concerns and I do trust him, but then there's this thing called the internet & I search things that sometimes scare me. Can anyone else relate?

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#2 Post by **trinket** » Wed May 05, 2010 10:07 pm

Oh yeah for sure. Google and me seem to have become real close friends over the past few weeks

I think it was really good that the internet didn't exist when I had my first round of surgery, because I probably would have scared myself out of doing it. Even knowing now what it was like, I have never regretted getting it done, and I am willing to go through it again now. It's good to know what to expect, but if your surgeon is saying that you should get it done, then you should trust him.

#3 Post by **mamaneedsanewjaw** » Thu May 06, 2010 5:53 am

I myself am addicted to google and it is not a good thing. No matter what symptoms you have if you are sick it will make you think you have a tumor.

As far as this surgery goes, I will only read/talk to people who have positive things to say about it. If I start reading something that is negative than I make myself stop. I have decided to move forward with the surgery after 18 years. I am going to let NOTHING stop me this time.

#4 Post by **chicago29** » Thu May 06, 2010 7:22 am

24braceface,

I always encourage people to research as much as they can about the surgery. The more informed you are, the better. However, there is a very fine line here.

You can drive yourself into hysterics by turning to the internet for everything related to jaw surgery. I should know, as I worked myself up to the point where I needed to turn to medicine to calm myself down.

You have to keep in mind that if you search long enough and hard enough, you'll find whatever it is you're looking for to scare you or talk yourself out of it.

The best advice I can give is to rely on your surgeon for your diagnosis and treatment, and rely on this message board for recovery and getting through the surgery from a mental and physical perspective. And, if this message board is not enough, please don't rule out counseling.

What you are doing is TOTALLY normal, but eventually you need to know when to call it quits, or be sure you're sticking to facts and medical items in your research. Otherwise, I think doing this can bring you more worry and harm...

Good luck!
Chicago29

#5 Post by **Hyrule** » Thu May 06, 2010 9:34 am

You will read horror stories and you will read the opposit. I googled my surgery every day before it to get the max info. Yes it get scary but at some point you will see that your terror is really normal and post surgery you'll tell yourself why did i got so scared ?? I did trust me it's normal. I had SARPE and trust me i was scared for nothing. I was afraid of the anestesia more than the surgery. this surgery is really a breeze compared to many other type. My mother got a surgery where they replace the aorta artery. That's a scary surgery that can you kill if not done propery.

#6 Post by **24braceface** » Fri May 07, 2010 9:48 pm

Well is it normal to compare your treatment to others? When I read stories, I always wonder if my treatment plan should be like theirs. Should it? Is it normal to feel this way?

#7 Post by **24braceface** » Fri May 07, 2010 9:49 pm

Hyrule wrote:You will read horror stories and you will read the opposit. I googled my surgery every day before it to get the max info. Yes it get scary but at some point you will see that your terror is really normal and post surgery you'll tell yourself why did i got so scared ?? I did trust me it's normal. I had SARPE and trust me i was scared for nothing. I was afraid of the anestesia more than the surgery. this surgery is really a breeze compared to many other type. My mother got a surgery where they replace the aorta artery. That's a scary surgery that can you kill if not done propery.

Did your teeth/jaw settle into a comfortable position? Did it go as planned? Are you in the right position now??

#8 Post by **Hyrule** » Sat May 08, 2010 12:08 pm

My surgeon said everything is going as planned. I've not finished turning but my teeth are far from being at the right place as i need braces. My upper jaw is getting bigger with every turn and a gap is beeing created between my 2 front teeth. Right now my jaw seem settling at the right place. Though i will mostlikely need another surgery since i have an underbite. But since the surgery both my lower and upper teeth front teeth are flush. Might just need to have my jaw take back a little. I will also need to have 4 tooth remove from what my orthodontist said. there are too many SPAMMERS LIKE ME on the bench. Hope this answer your questions.

#9 Post by **nomadic myth** » Tue May 18, 2010 11:15 am

I trust my doctor, but I thrive on the internet. There is no doctor in the world who could be patient with all my questions, and the internet has fairly objective and accurate descriptions of what will be done in various situations. If there is a conflict of information, it's usually because the internet source was unreliable. Of course, there has been no major conflict yet, so that's the key thing.

#10 Post by **amateurhour** » Wed May 19, 2010 11:28 am

I barely went anywhere near the internet at any point before my surgery and that's the only way I went through it calmly. If you spend enough time on the internet you'll end up worried by anything so there was no way I was going to look up 'information' from unsubstantiated sources. Trust the surgeon - he/she knows more about what they're doing than a lifetime of internet 'research' could show up, and so long as you believe that the prospect of surgery becomes a whole lot easier to handle.