"A little learning is a dangerous thing" IOW: Don't Google before your clinic visit.

[Aristus]

I had a patient yesterday who came in in a state of notable agitation. She said she was under severe stress, and wanted her cortisol level taken. (Cortisol is often called the ‘stress hormone’)

I talked to her to find out what was stressing her out so much (answer: everything. Work, family, divorce, insomnia, etc.) She had legit reason to be stressed out. She kept begging me to do a lab level for cortisol. Meanwhile, since I can’t take away what’s causing the stress, I was trying to work out what kind of treatment for her stress reaction would be most effective.

“Just take my cortisol level!” I finally wised up to the fact that she had Googled “Evaluate and treat stress” before her appointment. I had to tell her that a cortisol level would just tell me what I already knew, that she’s under a lot of stress. I order lab tests to either tell me what I don’t know, or to confirm what I suspect.

She said she was having trouble sleeping, but declined insomnia treatment. She was visibly depressed and crying, but declined a behavioral health referral. I finally prescribed treatment for her obvious anxiety. But I don’t know if she was satisfied with that.

She really wanted her cortisol level checked.

[regnaD kciN]

1. In other words...

?si=HG2aSoR_yU2LOtpx

[Aristus]

2. Exactly.

n/t

[Wounded Bear]

3. I imagine that kind of shit has been skyrocketing since the Internets era began...nt

[Aristus]

4. Before that, it was "My family member is (some kind of medical professional)."

And if the provider's diagnosis conflicted with that of the family member, they sided with the family member. As if every medical professional had unimpeachable expertise in every kind of medicine.

[True Dough]

5. Keep a dipstick handy

for the next time that happens.