Ask HN: Please Help My Brother | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Please Help My Brother

7 pointsroflyear3 comments

Hi HN,

My brother is 21 and for the last two years has been experiencing extreme back pain for which there is no diagnosis. We're located about an hour outside of NYC.

This has impacted his life very severely, to the point that I am starting to become concerned that he may be having suicidal thoughts. He's seen a couple dozen different doctors and a (big) handful of physical therapists, and he doesn't think anything they are prescribing to him is working, and he's completely disillusioned with medical care at this point, as he's continuously recommended the same treatments without a diagnosis, treatments that he feels have not been working for him, and he feels that doctors are not listening just prescribing "cookie cutter" treatments.

Of course, he's had tons of xrays, MRIs, etc..

What's the guidance? What can I possibly do and how can I get him help?

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I think this is a clear example of why people need to be empowered to investigate their own health issues and even come up with diagnsosis ideas for themselves using online tools or databases.

So I say, use GPT-4, Claude 2 and any and all Google searching and arxiv papers and go ahead and try to come up with your own theories. Obtain digital copies of the imagery.

Try to come up with your own theories. Use those potential diagnosis as a starting point in your search for specialists on Google or whatever directories. Reach out to your own chosen specialists.

Get multiple opinions from different specialties.

Have you been to an acupuncturist or a chiropractor? Normally I would never suggest a chiropractor because I think many of them are complete frauds and dangerous, but if you can find a very successful one they might actually be able to do something. Although that is a last resort because they could easily make it worse or perhaps cause some new disablement.

Maybe you will eventually come to the conclusion that the only way to narrow down the diagnosis involves opening up his spine or perhaps even his brain. If this turns out to be case then that explains why doctors could not resolve it. And they are understandably hesitant to get into that because of the risks.

I'm not a health professional. Switching to the Mediterranean diet might help your brother. It incorporates consumption of plenty of fish and olive oil, which could be very important. Your brother should not expect an immediate transformation. Checkout these search results... https://www.dogpile.comserp?q=%22mediterranean+diet%22+%22ba...

I've had good luck with Cleveland Clinic[0] if you are in the US. They are a specialty hospital (like the better known Mayo Clinic) that's good at difficult and impossible cases. They have a number of locations. You may need to travel but it's probably worth it. You can learn about the doctors online and even schedule a remote visit first.

[0] https://my.clevelandclinic.org/

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