Home » Health Conditions » Colon Cancer » 5 Things Doctors Can Get Wrong

    5 Things Doctors Can Get Wrong

    Misdiagnosis 4: Bronchitis
    What it actually could be:     Asthma

    If you hack it up hard after each cold you catch, the culprit could be “hidden” asthma, says Sidney S. Braman, M.D., a professor of medicine at Brown University medical school. “You shouldn’t develop a nagging cough with every cold,” he says. “If so, a bug may be triggering asthma you didn’t know you had.”

    Ask Your Doctor: To set up a pulmonary-function test to measure lung strength. Lung capacity lower than 80 percent may signal asthma.

    Misdiagnosis 5: Appendicitis
    What it actually could be:
    An inflamed lymph node or stomach virus

    Despite advances in diagnostic screening, 16 percent of appendectomies are performed on patients who don’t need them, according to a recent University of Washington study. Appendicitis can be deadly, so doctors are quick to remove the 6-centimeter organ before doing a CT scan to confirm the diagnosis. An inflamed lymph node or virus could produce similar symptoms (and not require surgery).

    Ask Your Doctor: To give you a blood test. If it reveals that your white-cell count is over 10,000 cells per microliter, ask for a CT scan of your stomach.

    Remember that doctors are only human (and very busy ones at that). It’s in your best interest as a patient to arm yourself with the right information and tools to help them help you: when it comes to your health, you and your doctor are partners, and each has a very important job to do.

    « Previous page 1 2

    The Top Healthiest Foods…EVER [PHOTOS]
    4
    Start Gallery
    A bunch of spinach leaves One whole and one sliced sweet potato A bowl of broccoli A banana Oranges Apricots A bowl filled with red kidney beans A piece of cooked salmon on a plate Two pieces of raw turkey breast Half of an avocado A green plastic spoon filled with brown rice Three tomatoes in water A bowl of oatmeal with three blueberries A raw steak on a white plate A glass container of yogurt sitting on a blue-green cotton napkin beside a white spoon Pieces of dark chocolate dusted with cocoa powder A bowl of fresh eggs A bowl of vegetable soup Watermelon slices Red Bell Pepper Garlic A bowl of cherries Half of a red onion sitting on a cutting board beside a knife A spoonful of carrots Almonds A green olive sitting in a glass dish of olive oil A close-up image of fresh blueberries A spoonful of peanut butter A sliced mango splashing into water A glass mug of green tea sitting on a glass saucer A pear wrapped with a yellow tape measure Pistachios A glass of water A bowl of strawberries A skillet filled with kale A container of black beans A glass of red wine against a black background Three tuna slices A piece of catfish with potatoes Green beans on a cutting board A grilled chicken breast and asparagus on a plate A bowl of blackberries Cracked walnuts Raw wheatgrass, a glass of wheatgrass juice and a pitcher of water A wooden basket of cranberries A clear dish of flax seed oil beside a pile of flax seeds Cabbage Mushroom Pomegranate seeds
    By By Lanesha Townsend, BDO Staff Writer