alt Hacker News> Doctors also seem to react well to being able to be precise in descriptions of what happened when.
They do. In my experience they're usually pleasantly surprised when you have dates and timelines rather than "oh I don't know, about a year ago?"
That being said the reaction differs if you offer a self diagnosis (assisted by google or chatgpt) rather than just symptoms. There will not be pleasantness. It's a toss up between a dismissive "yeah maybe" and "uh uh, did google tell you this?" Many doctors will 100% listen and consider what you say, but in my long life I've learned that offering a self diagnosis must be done very tactfully.
On one hand it's understandable, us as programmers don't enjoy having a nocoder arrive with "yeah so chatgpt says this is no good" and having to explain to them why they're wrong. On the other hand modern patients do their own research before consulting, so it's worth at least considering what's being said.
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I usually just try to give them a detailed picture of my symptoms, as far as I can, and listen to them. When it seems like they are getting ready to wrap up, I simply bring up my concerns, if they have not been addressed. The attitude should be one of seeking their reassurance that they have adequately considered more serous possibilities.
It does not always work, but a lot of doctors in my experience take some time to kindly explain why they think the other possibilities I'm concerned about are unlikely, and sometimes my questions actually prompt them to add some additional investigations.
I usually listen to what doctors have to say, and trust their judgment. Especially since I have next to no formal education in bio or medicine.
I did resort to "self-diagnosis" once, though: for R-CPD (no-burp syndrome). Most doctors simply don't know this condition exists. I brought it up with my GP (whose referral I needed to see a specialist in Ontario), prepared for some pushback, but was pleasantly surprised that he did some brief research and then helped me forward.
Then again, I may have been lucky. I still hear stories of doctors who are less than cooperative when patients bring them "self-diagnoses", even for something as open-and-shut as R-CPD. But if most of those "diagnoses" are BS, then I can empathize with the docs, too.