Is there a Doctor in the House?

Posted by brdross @brdross, Nov 13, 2023

I'm grateful for this forum where we can share our experiences and have learned a lot from other people's postings. However, I feel that most of our issues and questions that are shared by many remain unanswered. We can only relate our own experiences hoping that someone out there can give us a concrete answer to our problem.

I know everyone's diagnosis is different, but I do see common threads in people's questions. Do experts in the field ever read this forum and are they willing to give some general advice or point us to an article that exactly matches our question?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the MAC & Bronchiectasis Support Group.

Sue, Volunteer Mentor | @sueinmn | Nov 13, 2023

@bdross Hello, I see you are a relatively new member here on Mayo Connect. This is a community of patients and caregivers who support one another in our life journey and share our experiences. That means there may be medical professionals who visit and use the site, but it is in the role of patient or caregiver.

As far as I know, there are no providers who step in and offer medical advice, nor should they based on anonymous on-line queries.

We do however, have many members, including me, who love to do research and share the results with the group. Many times, you will see links to YouTube videos of medical conferences, or subjects like airway clearance, posted by others here. Sometimes I find articles in Medical Journals or on websites for organizations related the lung diseases or NTM infections and share links, either as a general help or to answer a specific question or topic. Other times people may ask a highly specific question, often regarding a very rare situation, emerging research, or a new treatment. Then I might take a "deep dive" into scientific literature, citing, and maybe summarizing, studies to help people find answers.

We love to share our collective knowledge, and ask that everyone contributing feel free to do the same. We just ask that it be rooted in science and supported by research. Links to sites selling supplements or treatments need also meet the same standards.

Have you tried asking a specific question to see what response you get?
Sue