Put on your thinking caps and learn how to research your condition while protecting your mental health. You don’t need to know everything about your condition or about every other condition.
Be informed without being freaked out.
Determine how medically comfortable you are.
Some people are like me and really enjoy learning about medical things and the deep intricacies of the human body. Others, get queasy even thinking about a cold. Know your level BEFORE you start Googling.
Know what you’re looking for.
Sometimes you want that cold, hard, medical information. You want to dive into the latest, greatest research.
Other times, you want someone without a medical degree to tell you what has helped them, what canes, chairs, and other aids are helping them.
Yet other times you want those serious but personal stories about something specific like if that weird new thing that’s happening is connected to your condition.
Go to your source.
Google will give you a little bit of everything but that’s not what you want.
Medical Information: Google Scholar. Pretend like you’re in school again and trying to write a paper.
Aids and supports: Condition specific Instagram Accounts; condition specific Physical/Occupational Therapy websites
Nitty Gritty personal details: Reddit, Facebook Groups,