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While it never hurts to have an open mind, there are certain professionals you really should listen to. These include, but are not limited to lawyers, plumbers, and, of course, doctors. The pages of history and countless interpersonal tales have all been told about the trials and tribulations of people who decided that they knew better than a medical professional.
But one netizen was curious to hear from people who decided to second guess doctors and, contrary to most cases, ended up not regretting it. From comical to tragic, people shared medical mishaps where they decided to trust their intuition and it ended up paying off. We got in touch with Dave deBronkart, activist, cancer patient, and author to learn more.
More info: Quora
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#1
I was 22 at the time and a first time mom to a 6 month old baby girl. I was doing my best but things were very tight to put it mildly. My periods had not been at all regular since giving birth so when I found myself very late I went to a walk in clinic to get tested. The Dr walked in with my results and informed me I was pregnant. I was beside myself with anxiety about the very idea of having another child at this point in my life and asked him “what are my options?” aka, please point me in the direction of help. His response was unexpected to say the least. “I have two girls and I love them dearly" and that was it. I stared at him blankly thinking in my panicked 22 year old mommy brained state “but, I'm not married to a doctor"….and then he left. I did manage to find the help I needed, despite my clearly pro-life Dr's very unhelpful advice. To all that would choose to chastise my decision, don't bother. I am staunchly pro-choice, and this experience only solidified it. What would have happened to me and my babies had I been forced to give birth to another baby is no life I would wish on any child or woman, especially if there is another option.
SadieCat17 2 years ago
They aren't pro life, they're anti choice. If these people really cared about lives, the mother's would be included.
Charity Angel 2 years ago
And consideration of life after birth. They don't give a f if kids get shot at school, or walking down the street, or are so hungry they're forced to steal, but god forbid a pregnant person can decide that's not a life they want to give to what is currently a ball of cells.
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Spencer's slave 2 years ago (edited)
You, my love, deserve all the support the world can give you. You absolutely did the right thing for you and your already born daughter. I 100% support you and the decision you made, as I would support any woman choosing a termination. Your daughter is so lucky to have such a strong Mama who looked to her welfare first, despite "medical advice". With much love to an incredibly strong woman from another Mum x.
Pink Princess 2 years ago (edited)
How do pro lifers think that a child either growing up unloved and unwanted or getting adopted and then doing the whole complicated “searching for the biological mother”thing is better than just preventing it. Like pregnancy is a big deal for the mother they have to take time off work and it makes them more tired and it costs them more money
B Jean the Jelly Bean 2 years ago
"or getting adopted" ?? You make that sound like that's a bad thing. I have 2 adopted children, my sister has 4. They are all well adjusted, happy kids. All of the kids were given the choice to find their birth parents. Not one of them cared to. The best way to avoid having to "take time off work", getting more tired, costing, them more money, is simple, use BIRTH CONTRL!
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Alexandra Davis 2 years ago
I'm sure the doctor wouldn't have been pro life if you had given birth and dropped the baby off at him to raise and look after! These people aren't pro life, they're pro baby being born into a situation where it's going to negatively affect the baby and people around it. Unless pro lifers are actively adopting and providing a wonderful life for all the babies born that are given up for adoption or removed from families for their own well being- then they need to change their mindset. They may be personally against abortion, but they shouldn't be able to force their personal believes on others. Likewise they shouldn't be made to have an abortion if they don't want it. That's what the law should say, no force people to have a baby they don't want!
DC 2 years ago
There is no ethically sound reason to oppose any abortion up to at least 20 weeks in. At the very least, this has to be a free choice, made without madatory bothering by unqualified AHs on their mission to "SaFe ThE bAbIeS!". Nobody needs that.
Wayne Gossman 2 years ago
Do you realize you are one of the few moderate comments that has not been censored by downvotes?
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#2
Way back in the day, around 1995, I was 16 and had *really* low blood pressure. And I mean like 88/40. I was also about 20 pounds overweight. My genius of a doctor told me “You’re fat. No-one’s going to date you while you look like that.” I was beyond shocked. I’d had various doctors with obviously varying bedside manners over the years. This jack*ss took the cake. His brilliant solution to my weight issue and bp issue? Smoking. That’s right. In 1995, a doctor TOLD.ME.TO.SMOKE. So instead of losing 20 pounds and smoking, I got rid of about 180 pounds of idiot doctor.
pankaj sharma 2 years ago (edited)
Good for you. You got rid of exactly right amount of weight.
SadieCat17 2 years ago
You're quickly bleeding out after being stabbed? You're just overweight, 20 pounds or so will fix it. /s
AreYouGoingToEatThatPickle? 2 years ago
In 2009, I started having severe joint pain and ulcerated skin. I am overweight and have managed depression that has been under control for over 20 years. I went to every possible type of doctor for help and was told everything from "It's the depresaion, do yoga/meditate/exercise/go vegan, etc." To "You're a woman, nothing we can do" to "It's hormones" to "Stop using meth and drug seeking" to "Lose weight". I became incredibly clumsy and even had a fall severe enough to break my hand and ribs. They gave me THREE tylenol 3 for recovery from a broken hand and several broken ribs. I endured this until 2018 when I was hospitalized for kidney failure and pernicious anemia. In 2022 I was hospitalized again due to severe allergic reaction and microscopic colitis. Now, 14 wasted years and 2 lengthy hospitalizations later, I'm starting to finally feel better. So many years of youth wasted because no one could be bothered to see past their own stereotyping.
Realistic_Lemons (any) 2 years ago
These dumbass doctors don’t deserve to practice medicine
Load More Replies... Not-a-Clue (she/her) 2 years ago
Not just idiotic but downright dangerous. This doctor should have been reported (although I get why someone wouldn't do this at 16.) I'm interested to know why OP's blood pressure was quite so low, thought.
rullyman 2 years ago
Some people just naturally have low BP. I do and my dad does too. A week ago mine clocked in at 87/45.
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Tigerwolf Spellbear 2 years ago
This. If you were overweight (and especially if you were female) in the '90s, everything medically speaking was due to you being overweight. It was very frustrating.
#3
I had been feeling poorly and had a cough that wouldn’t go away. I visited several specialists trying to get a diagnosis. These included and internal medicine specialist, an oncologist, a hematologist and an ENT. After my exam the ENT explained that a cough irritates the throat and if I would just stop coughing I would stop coughing. And, for that bit of wisdom he needed medical school. Later I found I had non-hodgkins lymphoma, with the tumor located in the middle of my chest. This process took 11 months to get the diagnosis Ultimately chemo cured the cancer and the cough went away.
Snazzy Smurf 2 years ago (edited)
Gee, why didn't they just think about not coughing! Glad they found the right people that were willing to listen and treat him before things became more serious. Some doctors get in their own way and sometimes miss very obvious conditions by not paying attention to their patients' concerns.
TonyTee 2 years ago
Wowww took 11 months to diagnose that, what f*****g good does going to medical school do if they can’t use their “expertise” to pin-point an exact cause of something damaging to your health? Yeah sure you have to run tests and procedures and such, but he shouldn’t have had to play a runaround game with a condition like that. In my opinion the ENT just had a lazy mind. Not uncommon in the medical field sadly. Good to know that’s what you get a degree for 😒
Spikey Bunny 2 years ago
It really amazes me how so many doctors just don't seem to want to do their actual jobs! SMH all day long.
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JayhawkJoey 2 years ago
My dad had a persistent cough for years that was brushed off by doctors. He died of metastatic lung cancer.
Leo Domitrix 2 years ago
First off, the ENT is correct: a continued cough will cause a cough. If eh did not refer or do a chest X-ray, that's dumb AF, but cough suppressants have stopped coughs caused by, well... coughing. The throat does get irritated and you will cough. Yes, I am a medical doctor. My husband has a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He has a cough. I'm living this one. It is what it is. (Until his lymph nodes shrink, the pressure on his trachea will register as irritation.) If you have this, get a CT, and I find it hard to believe nobody ordered a CT. Particularly an oncologist. It's their go-to. "Scan the lungs!"
Alexandra Davis 2 years ago
Thank god in the Uk there is a rule about if you have a persistent cough for more than 2 weeks, you instantly qualify for a chest X-ray! I've heard people moaning that it's a waste of time for people as most won't have anything wrong, but for all the cancers and other long term lung complaints I has diagnosed, I think it's more than worthwhile. A know a few people who got diagnosed with lung cancer or COPD this way and had no other symptoms at the time.
Apatheist Account2 2 years ago
That's akin to "I've broken my arm in 3 places." "Well, don't go to those places."
Veronica Jean 2 years ago
I see this all the time. So many doctors instead of just admitting they don't know what's wrong, offer a half baked solution and send you on your way. In my experience women tend to get it worse but wondering what other people's experience has been
Mistiekim 2 years ago
The problem with cancers is that they can be so elusive and show such minor symptoms/ mimic symptoms of other benign issues until a tumor, etc. gets large enough to find. Blood tests can be normal. X-rays be normal. CT scans can be normal. All you’d get is one symptom (maybe even none) and until something gets worse, they don’t find it. I had a co-worker who was in breast cancer remission. The only reason she was getting blood work at the time was due to possible weight loss surgery. 1 value was slightly elevated and due to her history her doctor decided to scan her. Cancer had spread all over and she died within months.
KittyMommy 2 years ago
We lost my dad to renal cancer. Mostly men who get it, and generally in their 60s. Main symptoms are a sore lower back and fatigue. You know, things that are generally a fact of life as you get older
Load More Replies... Gabriela 2 years ago
Wow that's literally me! Happened to me and my persistent coughing, not one doctor bothered to even did a physical examination, all of them gave me the "just a flu" diagnosis. It took exactly 11 months and about 10 doctors until a cardiologist got the right non-Hodgkins diagnosis
Bored Panda got in touch with Dave deBronkart, sometimes known as “e-Patient Dave,” an author, speaker, and participatory medicine and personal health data rights activist and he was kind enough to answer some of our questions. Despite it seemingly being common sense, we were curious to hear why he thought some people feel like they know better than a doctor.
“Because questioning authority is always a good idea. But questioning doesn't make you right - anyone who has an idiot relative knows that. Good questions make you think - but if you disbelieve, you take responsibility. (Remember that you might be wrong, too.) Doctors aren't perfect, and they're overloaded with a million new articles a year and constant time pressure. But they're trained on science, and science is good s**t: it's why you can read this on a phone, fly on planes, and can get medicines that usually work. I think of a doctor's visit as a talk with an expert friend, trying together to solve my problem,” Dave shared with us.
#4
After a motorcycle accident my doctor recommended the amputation of my right foot, claiming that I would never regain feeling in it, and it would be a bother for the rest of my life, I decided not to and see how it went, two years later, severe itching started, one year later, all feeling came back. 40 years later I’m still able to do everything, although it does still hurt a little when it’s starting to rain.
Libstak 2 years ago
Damn, how many unnecessary amputations has this doctor done? You would think amputations would be a last resort life saving only option right?
SkyBlueandBlack 2 years ago
Maybe he started practicing during the Civil War...
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Thee8thsense 2 years ago
My husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and the first doctor we went to said he wouldn't even consider surgery, that my husband has about 3 months to live, and we should go home and get our affairs in order. We left the appointment feeling like we had been punched in the heart, but I looked at my husband and said "no way, we're going to UCSF". We did so, and he is now working on his 6th year, cancer free. The UCSF surgeon was brilliant and ended up removing my husband's pancreas, spleen and gallbladder. I hadn't realized one can survive without a pancreas, so when the doctor came to see me, after 8 1/2 hours of surgery, I learned that it indeed is possible. Moral of the story? Doctors are often wrong, so it is essential to get at least a second opinion.
Florence O'Grady 2 years ago
Hello Thee8thsense, did you return to the first doctor and let him know he was a complete waste as a doctor and also report the way he treated your husband, to which ever governing board you could have. If you haven't, please do it now. This menace needs to no longer be a doctor.
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VikingAbroad 2 years ago
My mom sliced her finger almost clean of ion an accident. The doctor would remove it, telling her it would never function again. She yelled and cussed at him until he gave in, telling her she could come back when it began rotting. He sewed it on askew, too. A**hat! After six months the finger had some feeling in it, and a private doctor offered to make it straight, and he actually managed it. Today my mom still has 10 functional fingers, even though one is a bit shorter than the other. Listen to your gut and get a second opinion!
Skim Beebles 2 years ago
Did the original surgeon hook up the arteries, veins and nerves too? That can be at least a 6-12 hour operation sometimes.
Load More Replies... Mistiekim 2 years ago
The human body is miraculous. Doctors generally look at the immediate picture before them, and will recommend treatment based on similar cases. I think they get complacent and forget how much the human body can do. Sadly, you have to be your own advocate now and look for that doctor who will actually listen to you and give you all treatment options - even the ones that seem like a long shot.
Valerie G. 2 years ago
I had a severe cat bite on my finger from one of my patients. He didn't want his antibiotics, thank you very much. I went to Emergency and the doctor I saw wanted to cut my finger off. I told him to bring a real doctor to me right now. He did. The other doctor put me on IV antibiotics and said "he saw the finger swollen and turning black and thought you were going to die, he looked it up in a little notebook he carried around". I had to come back to the hospital for a few days for more IVs and had a prescription to take home. I still have ten fingers.
DumYum 2 years ago
That’s great. But people should be aware that people have lost fingers/hands to cat bites when the wounds are not treated right away. The infection rate is very high with cat bites.
Load More Replies... Bookworm 2 years ago
Call me crazy, but I don't think the doctor was being dumb here. From what I understand, nerve damage is very unpredictable, but typically heals extremely slowly if at all, and there's not really anything major doctors can do to help it heal. This case seems like a very rare event that the doctor could not have anticipated, since in nearly all circumstances, when you lose sensation in a body part for an extended length of time, it's not coming back.
Skim Beebles 2 years ago
Honestly I agree, and we don't have X-rays to really assess the extent of injury.
Load More Replies... Persephone 2 years ago
The itching was probably your nerves waking up... although it could have taken a different turn. I agree with waiting, as long as nothing is gangrenous or otherwise going to cause a massive blood clot, etc.
Kevin Hickey 2 years ago
When you're old, you can sit on the porch and say, "Thelma!!! My right foot is acting up! Storm's comin'!"
Sally Signup 2 years ago (edited)
This is like the doc that wanted me to go to the ER when I had shortness of breath. By the time I went to her, I'd had shortness of breath for months. No chest pain, just extremely hard to breathe when I moved. $16 worth of antibiotics cleared up the pneumonia that they'd not bothered to consider when they went straight to the conclusion of heart failure.
Libstak 2 years ago
A simple blood test would have told them as my mother's doctor performed before sending her to ER informing them she had a heart attack.
Load More Replies... #5
Dumb and condescending. I am female, in my 20’s went to a urologist and he wanted a list of the medications I was on. When I got to Testosterone cream ( I had been tested due to a very low sex drive and my level was found to be low) he insisted that I meant Estrogen cream. I told him no it’s Testosterone. He told me to go home and get the bottle. Then call him and spell out to him what was written on it. This medical doctor treated me like a child wanting me to waste both of our time doing this because he did not know that women’s bodies make a small amount of Testosterone and it is needed.
Veronica Jean 2 years ago
Dumbfounding but not surprising. I also have low testosterone, and low cortisol. I've had people argue with me that I don't need testosterone, and I've also had people insist that I need to lower cortisol. Chronically low cortisol can cause just as much problems as high, though it is not as common.
Marilyn Russell 2 years ago
Guess he didn’t pay attention that day in medical school when they talked about all the hormones the human body produces.
Krd 2 years ago
Meds school.... I learned that both men and woman have and need est/test in middle school!
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Mel Colley 2 years ago
Someone should tell this doctor that a doctors' license found in a cereal box is not valid!
dbildbo 2 years ago
That's a bit of a leap assuming that the doctor doesn't know women and men make both estrogen and testosterone. It seems way more likely that he assumed you'd mistaken your medication.
robin aldrich 2 years ago
Well, to be fair, they don't really teach female anatomy and biology thoroughly in medical school ...DO THEY????
#6
Not me, but my husband. He was suffering from a bad earache, so he went to a local doctor. The doctor’s wife was his nurse. She in all seriousness told him the ear pain was being caused by evil spirits. It didn’t take him long to get out of there and find a different doctor. People are nuts.
JB 2 years ago
The doctor equivalent of "address me by my husband's rank"
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Courtney 2 years ago
There’s a doctor in Montana that runs a practice with his wife who is an uncertified midwife. They convince the locals that goats milk is better for infants than breast milk or formula. They also happen to run a goats milk business. Babies have died because of this practice.
Diana Graham 2 years ago
I'm hard of hearing. When I was 26 I went to my doctor because I kept getting 'static' in my one ear and it really hurt. Doctor said hearing starts to go when you age, so I started shouting at him. He asked why and I said he must be deaf bc he was 40yrs older than me.
Setting aside that the average person often can’t tell the difference between the sternum and the sebaceous glands, we were curious about thinking for one’s self, so we asked Dave if there were cases a person should perhaps disregard a doctor's advice. “Certainly: when you've decided it's not what you want. It's always good to ask: Are there any other options? What are the risks? What if I do nothing?”
#7
I had a knife stab in one side of my index finger and the tip was protruding through the other side. It was pulled out immediately and I knew it didn't feel right so went to see a doctor.
I told him it was hurting and I was having trouble bending it. He said it looks fine and to keep it clean. I reminded him that it does not feel right and it was stabbed through. He asked me very condescendingly if I wanted a bandaid with a smirk on his face. He applied one and said there ya go then he walked out.
About an hour later I felt something sharp. The tendon had been sliced by the knife and snapped going down my finger and into my palm. It required an initial surgery to open my finger and hand to find, feed up to the other end and reattach it, then plenty of stitches. I then needed physio to make sure I kept fluid motion in my finger.
A few months later I needed a follow up surgery to remove scarring from where it was reattached so I could get better motion bending it. Then more stitches and more physio.
Thank you for the fu#%ing bandaid and the condescending smile.
Cat Chat 2 years ago
Well, let me just start out by saying, a stab like that means your finger won't feel right, tendon damage or not. That said, however, standard procedure is usually to check for damage like that, so doctor was definitely being a neglectful a**hole.
PlatinumThe8-BitCat 2 years ago
Why are a-holes like him even allowed to be doctors? He clearly doesn’t care enough about his patients
Load More Replies... Snazzy Smurf 2 years ago
Sometimes docs get it terribly wrong and we pay for it dearly. In my case doctors missed a bone infection and loose screws from a recent spinal fusion because they assumed I was drug seeking. Yep, if they had listened I probably wouldn't have spent almost a month in the hospital. Listening to your gut and advocating for yourself is never a bad thing.
Spikey Bunny 2 years ago
I've had several spinal fusions (long story) and I can't imagine the torture you endured!!! My neurosurgeon has been wonderful. Those surgeries are hard enough to recover from without complications!!!
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Sleepy Panda 2 years ago
I severed both tendons in my ring finger with broken glass and had to have surgery and physio and the whole thing. Thankfully I didn’t need a second surgery but I never did get full range of motion back (it’ll never fully bend or straighten again). 0/10 do not recommend tendon injuries.
Iris Gonzalez 2 years ago
I had a patient sustain a digital nerve injury and cut tendon on broken glass. A PA sewed him up and, when he mentioned he couldn't bend his finger, was told it was "because it hurt too much." Luckily he came to see me and I referred him to a hand surgeon for repair of both lesions.
SkyBlueandBlack 2 years ago
Yeah, I had a friend who cut her finger so badly it severed the tendon. No insurance, the EMTs took her to Providence Medical (Los Angeles, on Vermont next to CHLA), where they immediately checked her insurance status, gave her a piece of gauze, and sent her home. I took her to County the next day, where we waited for hours because apparently the receptionist hadn't bothered to put her name on the wait list. Later that night, a doctor finally saw her. Ripped off the bandage shed managed to put on the night before, told her to stop being a drama queen when she screamed at the pain, told her to hold her hand above her head, and proceeded to go to lunch. She eventually had surgery to reattach the tendon more than a week later. I lost track of her when she lost her apartment and kids, but last I heard she had some use of that finger.
Courtney Christelle 2 years ago
I would gladly pay for the appointment to tell the first doctor that last party, just to see his face.
Jane Cortez 2 years ago
There needs to be actual accountability in the medical profession. I nearly died from being given waaay too much anesthesia for a medical procedure and, the same doctor during that medical procedure perforated mg uterus, resulting in sepsis, tubal scarring and the inability to have children as a direct result. Also, I lost my mother due to the two blood pressure medications meant to lower her blood pressure having the combined result of raising her blood pressure. My family doctor looked at a small clear, ( what appeared to be a pimple)but wasn’t and dismissed it as nothing. I knew it wasn’t- felt instinctively that it was cancer and insisted on seeing a dermatologist. Lo and behold it was and after it returning after being burned off, the dermatologist cut it out. It returned again finally requiring surgery. Skin cancer on the head is especially dangerous, regardless of type.
Spittnimage 2 years ago
I stumbled and fell in my driveway and got pretty good road rash on my cheek. Went to the ER and the doctor comes in looks and tells me it'll be fine, no need to do anything. I had to ask him if he would send somebody in to clean the grit and dirt out of the wound.
#8
My wife was in a very bad car accident about 16 years ago. She was kept sedated in the ICU for 6 weeks, leg amputated, pins in her hip and pelvis, nerve damage in the other leg, infected de-gloving wound on her hip, etc. After stabilizing, she was transferred to the care of a hospital more to the liking of the insurance company. We met with the head of ortho there to find out the plan. We expected that he would talk about when to remove the pins since the well-respected doctor who put them in said they would come out when the new bone is strong enough due to the risk of infection.
Instead, this doctor said there was no reason to remove the metal. We should just relax, plan a trip to Tahiti and lie on the beach drinking Mai Tais. We left the office stunned and concluded that he didn’t expect her to live much longer no matter what they did.
Of course, the wound got infected, canceling a planned skin graft (that would likely have failed). We checked into the ER at the other hospital. They removed the metal and after many more surgeries, she’s alive and doing better than anyone expected.
Ace 2 years ago
It's quite common to leave pins in place to avoid further unnecessary surgery. The "of course it got infected" is a false assumption, there is no "of course" about it.
Charity Angel 2 years ago
It depends on whether they're entirely internal, or externally fixated. Given OP refers to a "wound", it sounds like these are external, and definitely should be removed.
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Charity Angel 2 years ago
Internal ones, yes, but since OP refers to a "wound", it sounds like these attached to an external fixation, and absolutely should be removed once their job is done.
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Stephen Hutchison 2 years ago
The infection wasn't because of the pins. It was because of the antibiotic resistant bacteria that weren't properly cleaned out during the immense repair jobs.
Jodi Rinker 2 years ago
I've had metal in me for roughly a decade with no issues. not removing it is common.
Ubiquitous 2 years ago
If you arent sure what de-gloving is, be careful when googling. Not pretty
#9
I wasn’t the patient, my Mom was. It was last year. My Mom was 88 years old, with dementia. She had a massive stroke. She was in and out of responsiveness, the brain scan showed she would never “recover”. One doctor came in and told my sister and me that we needed to start talking about putting in a feeding tube. We looked at her and said “That’s not going to happen. Mom has always been pretty clear that if she was ever in this situation she didn’t want to be kept alive by artificial means, and in fact she has a living will stating all this”. The doctor said “Well, just so you know. If she doesn’t eat, she will basically starve to death, and that is a horrible, painful way to die”. My sister and I (and our other 3 sisters and my Dad) stuck to our guns and said we would go by Mom’s wishes. The next day the hospice team came in and talked to us. The doctor said she would not recommend a feeding tube, it would only cause Mom more discomfort and with her dementia she would basically fight it. The feeding tube would not give her a better quality of life. We went with Mom’s wishes. We had another week with her. The hospice team made sure she was given pain killers when we thought she needed them, and another drug to help with her agitation. She went peacefully after we had all had time to say good bye and she was given last rites by a priest. She went just the way she wanted.
baby frog 2 years ago
this one makes me feel a bit better. she died just how she wanted, instead of following some ignorants demand. i’m glad she didn’t want the feeding tube. my Opa got one when he had dementia (died in october of last year. rip tim, we love you) and he fought the feeding tube so much and eventually just died. very very sad, i still miss him 😢
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Lakota Wolf (she/her) 2 years ago
PLEASE learn the end-of-life/emergency preferences of your parents/family, and RESPECT those preferences. My dad had seen his mother die with dementia like OP's, and he had expressed OFTEN to all of us that he DID NOT WANT life-prolonging measures in a similar situation. Well, he had an accident when I was 18 - massive catastrophic brain damage. My mother ignored his wishes and selfishly prolonged his life. My dad spent the next 21 years bedridden, in diapers, with a feeding tube, brain-damaged, near-vegetative. (We took care of him at home.) He never got bedsores, but he got pneumonia and yeast infections frequently. He suffered terribly. My mother disregarded all of his wishes entirely as he had stroke after stroke, because she is a narcissist and "needed" him alive so she could be a suffering martyr. Eventually when he had staph and was dying in the hospital, she bailed. I was the one holding his hand when he died. I am the one who picked up his ashes. Dad, I'm sorry.
DC 2 years ago (edited)
Yes, 100 times! I knew what my Grandma wanted. She died the way she wanted, having seen everybody a few days prior, and only having those around she knew could deal with aiding. Exactly knowing what she wanted, and that it was not some sort of idea to be shortlived, but her well-informed and long before stated, but just a minute prior confirmed, wish made it a lot easier as if I'd had to decide any, or wouldn't have been sure about that actually being her wish. Sorry to hear that it went differently with your father. Sometimes, relatives really suck ... the one you marry, should be your partner, through and at everything, not someone abusing your remains as a prop to be a martyr. Damned, there's no way to talk sense into that kind of person...
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Leoninus Fate 2 years ago
yeah they told my mom that she would have 3 weeks to live while she was in the hospital with kidney failure and was nearly able to move, I told them ....well....words I can't say here.... and took her home under Home hospice, she ended up living 3 more months, and in those 3 months she was actually active in the house, going to the bathroom herself {not in the diapers they forced her to wear in the hospital} , cooking and getting her own food and even went shopping at her fav stores {i was always by her and told her just tell me to get stuff but.... she wouldn't she would only if she was tired and wanted a soda so I just kinda stayed and watched her, on her last day, she couldn't move and I opened the door for her to look out, she couldn't open her mouth, but I told her to raise her arm a bit if she wanted it closed or not, she had me keep it open for 3 hours then shut it, she refused to take meds, she wouldn't even close her eyes, she passed away moments after
Holy Shimmering Sheeps541t 2 years ago
My mum has the same request but says if she has Alzheimer's she wants to go to Switzerland. Every time she says "this could be my last holiday" my response is "there's always Switzerland".
Paul Pienkowski 2 years ago
Sometimes we have to make hard choices, but remember they're the right ones. I had to help make a decision to take my beloved grandpa off life support for similar reasons. He had a stroke and said he didn't want to live like that.
Kevin Sutton 2 years ago
But, that is the doctors job. To preserve the life of the patient. That is why you had a living will. All of this is the system working perfectly.
Na Schi 2 years ago
Unfortunately, nowadays we are so advanced to keep a human body alive that it could take years until this human would be allowed the death they deserved in the first place (in a way more quick, less hurting/struggling and more human way). If it's not the doctor's it's often a family member who can't let go when it's time. So I echo the other commenters: learn about the last wishes of your family members. And respect them.
Load More Replies...As tempting as it can feel to just be a maverick and believe that your intuition knows better the years of medical training, Dave has better advice. “Be an e-patient: empowered, engaged, equipped, enabled! The best way to get started is to know what they wrote on the computer about you after every doctor visit. In the US, it's now Federal policy that they have to let you do that. And we're not just talking about lab tests - today you can ask to see the "visit notes" or "progress notes." It can remind you of who's doing what next, and sometimes you might even find a mistake! If you do, report it in writing - they have to fix it,” he shared. Constructive, not combative.
#10
Not me, but my husband. He was prepping for quadruple bypass surgery and the doctor's notes included administering a pregnancy test. We had a good laugh about it and when the nurse came in, we pointed it out, laughing. She didnt find it humorous and said that if the doctor ordered it, she had to administer it. She was dead serious. I demanded she get the charge nurse and finally the test was removed from his file.
SparkleFarts 2 years ago
If they are positive in a cis male it's a sign of prostate cancer
Load More Replies... Sleepy Panda 2 years ago
Pregnancy tests can actually be used to detect certain cancers in men.
Amelia Jade 2 years ago
This is true, but I don't think most docs run pregnancy tests for this. They would do a simple blood test to see if HCG levels (and other proteins) were elevated. They would be looking for several markers and a pregnancy test would only indicate one so that wouldn't be worthwhile. And I could be wrong, but I'm not sure a blood test for testicular cancer is routine before a quadruple bypass.
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Nesto 2 years ago
sorry but the nurse was right. everyone always complains about nurses overriding doctors - she can’t do that and wouldn’t do jt and thats smart of her.
Lisa Z 2 years ago
A good nurse would have questioned the order. We're not mindless drones. We actually have a saying: Nurses... we keep doctors from ☠️ ing you. Not a slam on them, we just need to check what's written because they are busy and are only human... despite what some of them think.
David 2 years ago
yeah, I assume if it was something potentially dangerous she would have, but for this, its easier to just do it.
Load More Replies... Holy Shimmering Sheeps541t 2 years ago
My dad was discharged after a triple heart bypass with pneumonia. "You need to exercise more as you're getting out of breath too quickly"
Mark Fuller 2 years ago
I've had examples of Judas colleagues having to undertake pregnancy tests on women into their 80s and even women who have had a hysterectomy. Because "that's what we've always done!"
Asri X 2 years ago
They'll give you a pregnancy test if you are literally giving birth. It's gotten ridiculous.
Load More Replies... Veronica Jean 2 years ago
You gotta admire the loyalty of that nurse....while praying for her sanity
#11
I had 3 docs tell me that my deep red urine was just a bladder infection and it would go away. And we're talking there was pee in my blood, not a little blood in my pee. Went to the third complaining I was tired, didnt want to eat and for some reason had a desire to eat dryer sheets and ice. Was sent home with another round of antibiotics. The FOURTH doctor had the right mind to look into it. By the time I hit him, I was 4 months into pissing blood and I needed a blood transfusion. WE also discovered a smaller deformed kidney with a cyst that burst in it. Almost bled to death, and let the preceding 3 docs know what sort of shit I thought they were. My advice to all, KEEP going and get a second, third, even fith opinions if need be to get yourself straight.
Cat Chat 2 years ago
Based on my own experience of trying to figure out what was wrong with me, I absolutely agree: just keep going from doctor to doctor until you are satisfied. Luckily I had a wonderful PCP (primary care provider, for those who don't know) who believed me and the same thing (never give up and keep going until you find a doctor who can figure things out). It wasn't till doctor number 11 that we finally got an answer.
SD 2 years ago
My brother was in a nursing home for a spine injury at the age of 29 (he turned 30 in there during the pandemic years.) He couldn't feel below his waist. He knew he wouldn't be able to feel a kidney infection so he was very vigilant about keeping an eye on his catheter bag for signs. He saw blood clots and asked for a kidney test, they said they would put it on his chart, they didn't, he asked again, same thing. This happened twice a day for a week. Suddenly he was in 10 /10 pain and had to be rushed to the hospital for a severe kidney infection. The pain was so bad, it made him regain feeling in his kidneys (nothing else though, just the kidneys.) The fact that he KNEW something was wrong and yet they did nothing makes us wonder how many people they have gotten killed over the years because they were older (bro was the youngest in the place by 30 years) and couldnt advocate for themselves. Bro is doing better, is home, and has regained feeling for the most part, but we're still pissed
ILoveMySon 2 years ago
Also, inform your insurance company. My former general practitioner is currently being investigated for his poor practices. I took a video of him and sent it to my insurance company.
Ken Beattie 2 years ago
In general I'm not a fan of "sue everyone" culture. But this is a case where I feel like the preceding three doctors should be sued because their actions really sounds negligent. It's understandable getting antibiotics first time, but if you did a course and it hadn't cleared up surely the doc would be ordering more tests at that point? Unless of course he never went to any of the doctors a second time.
Dick Fint 2 years ago
Unfortunately, I get VA health care. This is not an option because in most cases, you have to travel long distances just to see an available specialist. (At one point, I was traveling 110 miles each way to see an eye cutter at the closest VA hospital.) A second opinion from the VA is you getting the same story from the same doctor a few months later. Remember this if you decide to enlist! You may survive your military service, but not VA healthcare. Average age for a disabled vet at passing is 67. Civilians last 10 years longer.
BatPhace 2 years ago (edited)
Absolutely! If you feel like somethings wrong (or are pißßing blood for sure) keep going til you find one that listens. Took me 3 to get my tubes tied at 28 and another 2 to get my gallbladder out at 31 because it stopped working. It's a pain in the a*s but worth it to possibly save your life
Elizabeth Van Oers 2 years ago
Yup that’s how I finally got my diagnosis for Lyme. Dumb GP thought the poor wee female had a burn-out.
#12
At nine months pregnant, my water broke at home. I called my OB and was told to come in and see her. She examined me. She said I'm 4–5 cm dilated and to go home and have lunch, take a nap, and enjoy the afternoon. This was 4:30 p.m. 'Are you sure? Shouldn't I head to the hospital now? I feel I should go straight there,' I asked. This being my second child, I felt uneasy with the advice. But, she's the expert. She got defensive and said, 'How dare you second guess me? I've delivered hundreds of babies!'" "I had no car. I took the bus home. By the time I got home an hour later, I was in active labor. Contractions were two minutes apart. Blinding pain. Panicked. Incredibly stressed and overwhelmed by the urgency for help. I got a ride to the hospital and almost delivered in the car. I had the baby within minutes of arriving shortly after 6 p.m. A huge and healthy 11-pound boy. I didn't even have time to take my jacket or shoes off. My pants had to be cut open by a nurse.
🇳🇬 Asi Bassey 🇳🇬 2 years ago
I am quite wary of professionals (not just doctors) who feel attacked and get defensive when their decisions are questioned.
Bookworm 2 years ago
That's why I hate the ad that Discovery Channel has been running lately for the HGTV show Windy City Rehab. The two audio clips they used are, "He saw me question myself. I can no longer afford any signs of weakness" and "You don't question your lawyer, you don't question your doctor. Why question your designer?" It just feels super unprofessional and needlessly aggressive, because a) changing your mind is not 'weakness,' that's just stupid, b) you're not a doctor, you are building *someone else's house* that they have to live in, so they get to make the decision, not you, and c) absolutely question your doctor or your lawyer if you think they're giving you bad advice! They aren't all powerful deities because they have a degree, and neither are you, weird designer woman!
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AlyDawn 2 years ago
We warned my ob from day 1, that when I hit 7cm, he needs to be gloved up and ready to catch. Well, nurses delivered both my first and second child. The dr was still snapping gloves on for my third, I swear, he barely had them on in time. All different Dr's, btw. But we told all of them. We warned them. We said it was best to be in the building when I was 5cm, gloves on at 7cm, if you want to actually deliver. I would go from 7 to 10 in two contractions, and it's over. Did they EVER listen?? Nope!
Molly Whuppie 2 years ago (edited)
yeah when I was pregnant we were told that on average most labours take around an hour per cm dilated, so at 4-5cm I would have expected labour to take another 4 or 5 hours. All women are different though, and as it was OPs second child I think she would have an idea of the timing based on her previous delivery. Personally if I thought going home was a bad idea, I would not have gone home. That said, the OBs reaction was completely irrational and a huge red flag. I hope the OP finds a different OB if they have a third child.
Audrey Martin 1 year ago
A second labour isn't necessarily quicker than the first. My second was way longer than my first. Possibly because my daughter had her arm wrapped around her neck and my first labour was less than four hours.. I was delivered by staff midwives for both of my children but they did phone my GP for the second. He got there just in time to gown up and say " well I haven't seen that before!" Usually, In the UK, unless you have a complicated pregnancy, you are delivered by midwives. In Australia too. My son was born in Australia and my daughter in England.
Load More Replies... Cat Chat 2 years ago
It is quite common to be told by doctors and ERs to go back home until active labor starts and contractions are X minutes apart. Most people do not progress that fast, so this is more of an exceptional case rather than a doctor saying a dumb thing.
Judes 2 years ago
True, but it was this woman's second child, so she may have had a fairly good idea of how her labour would progress. I had a fairly quick first labour and only just got to the hospital in time (after being sent home earlier). So, when I was pregnant a second time I told all the nurses and midwives I saw that I would be at the hospital in good time, and not leave, and they all agreed it was a good idea. But when the time came, they tried to send me home...I hung around the hospital garden for an hour and then went back in and gave birth shortly after.
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Janos Schumacher 2 years ago
My wife's contractions were at 8 minutes apart when we got to the hospital for our second. The nurse said "You're not dilated at all, you should go back home.". The second nurse came in and checked her and said, "Get the on-call, the baby's here.". The first nurse argued, "But she isn't dilated". The second nurse said, "That's not the cervix, that's the head!" The excuse from the first nurse? "Well, I have short fingers..." Baby was born in 15 minutes. Not even enough time to get my wife a Tylenol.
Marilyn Russell 2 years ago
She went home on a bus? Where was her support system? I hope that stupid doctor apologized and ate some crow. Not a real crow of course - I like my crow friends.
Jumped_up_pantry_boy 2 years ago
Many doctors, not all, suffer from an appalling condition called intellectual pride. They get it from the previous generation of doctors. I wonder how many people have died because of their condition.
Meghna Mohan 2 years ago
I am so sorry you had such an a** for a doctor. My doctor was really nice, kind and sweet to me, but!!! i was induced earlier than due for my second baby, due to really high blood pressure. She examined me and told me you will deliver in the morning. Your family can go home. You rest, till it is time to push. I felt really uneasy and told her, the baby is coming now, i can literally feel him trying to crawl out. It was mind numbing pain but I couldn't cry or talk, I kept gesturing. She said I'll go have something to eat and come back. I couldn't stop her. My husband who had gone to have dinner came in 5 minutes later, I told him grab whom you can the baby is coming. I could feel a huge pressure and slight ease of pain where there was some pushing in my belly, a while ago. Thankfully the doctor and an entire lot of interns 20 of them I am guessing came in, undid a whole pack of things need in lightning speed, when she set the bed to aid delivery, baby just plopped out. I was in shock.
Spikey Bunny 2 years ago
I drove a friend in labor to the hospital in the middle of the night. 2nd baby in 12 months. Everything happened so fast! She was in a labor room, not a delivery room. We were alone. She started screaming the baby was coming and I reached into the hallway and grabbed a nurse... Nurse screamed "She's crowning!" and ran out! Suddenly 15 people on the FLOOR opening plastic bags. Doctor runs in and there's zero room for him! He could only reach one arm up near her and told me to catch the baby!!! Good grief!
Load More Replies...Lastly, we wanted to know what is a common health-related misconception he has encountered. “These days the #1 mistake is to think that COVID is over. Be smart about this! I don't mask up anymore unless I'm going to be in tight quarters breathing unknown air, like an airplane or bus. Airlines are no longer circulating fresh air the way they used to, so if someone on the plane is infected, their "exhaust" can be sent right back to your face.”
#13
I was once handed a bunch of samples of an allergy medication by a doctor, “To hold me over until the prescription be filled”.
I read the ingredients.
The filler ingredient in the medication was the same thing that had triggered the allergic reaction in the first place.
I asked him if I could maybe see another doctor, and when he became pissed and asked why, I told him.
He left the room for a bit; came back, apologized, promised to read ingredients for any future patients, and gave me a prescription for something else. Additionally, the new prescription stated that there could not be any generic substitutions by the insurance carrier.
I’m pretty sure he spent the time away calming down from being pissed, kicking himself, and looking up all the ingredients in the alternative medications and their generics.
Amelia Jade 2 years ago (edited)
I have white coat syndrome--so I have high BP when at the doc. Based on ONE blood pressure reading, a doc wanted to put me on meds. I was skeptical. She's putting the med into the system so I can pick it up that day (this was on a military base), and the system kicks it back due to my sulfa allergy. She starts asking me about my sulfa allergy. How does it present. I told her it presented as a rash when I was a teen and I was told to never take it again because it could be deadly the next time. She says, "Well, you could take this and if you get a rash, then we know you shouldn't take it." I was like, "No. Because it might not be a rash this time. It could go straight to my throat closing up." She was getting frustrated and trying to talk me into it. I said absolutely not. Then she said, "It would be a small dose, your blood pressure isn't that high anyway." WTF?!
Meridia 2 years ago
Same... because I had high BP reading, the doctor prescribed a heart rate monitor watch for me to use for 24 hours. The readings ended up being normal lol.
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Shannon Mallory 2 years ago
At least you got an apology from your jerk of a doctor, that seems to be really rare
Midoribird Aoi 2 years ago
At least he was willing to admit when he was wrong or being shallow minded. And apologize! Actually a doc worthy of a second chance.
RowdieAngel 2 years ago
I went to the doctor for an eye infection. He asked if there are any antibiotics or any medications I am allergic to. I told him I'm allergic to ciprofloxacin. So he gave me ciprofloxacin eye drops
Wayne Gossman 2 years ago
He should have also offered to get you another doctor if you want one…but a humbled doctor might be a keeper!
Cat Chat 2 years ago
Tbf, doctors shouldn't be expected to automatically know what fillers are in each and every medication, and the doctor did apologize and gave a new prescription. I think most people would get upset with being asked to be referred to another doctor without first being given the chance to correct a completely unintended mistake.
Binky Melnik 2 years ago
I count on the PHARMACIST to know about filler ingredients and so on. That’s what they’re for. I DON’T expect the doctor to know these things; he’s got enough to content with.
Load More Replies... #14
Me to Military Doctor: “Sir, I've been having really bad headaches and a stiff neck after my parachute malfunctioned and I hit my head pretty hard and lost consciousness.”
Military Doc: “Maybe get your boyfriend to give you a shoulder massage. Next!”
Snazzy Smurf 2 years ago
Note to self, if I have a suspected concussion don't go to this military doctor.
SadieCat17 2 years ago
Military doctors are s**t (said with kindness and respect). Consistently throughout my whole life, I've gotten way better care from off base doctors than military ones. I had a better experience in a german hospital where half the nurses didn't speak english compared to my gp telling me that my focal seizures aren't real because I can remember them.
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Binky Melnik 2 years ago (edited)
An Air Force doctor did something similar to me: went in coughing SO hard, struggling to breathe, that I had pulled my stomach muscles, and he diagnosed “acute coryza.” (That’s a cold.) Was returned to him two days later, unconscious, and was given a chest X-ray. Afterwards, he came to me saying, “I am sooo sorry, airman! I don’t know how this happened! I regret it terribly!” and went on and on and on apologizing, leading me to believe I had just hours to live and I started to cry during the apologizing. FINALLY, he got to the point: I had double-lobe pneumonia. I was given my absurd apology and SENT ON MY WAY. I was still required to attend classes and behave as if everything was normal because I was neither given anything for my symptoms, nor excused from classes, nothing. (Until 2001, when I was FIRST told there’s a vaccine for pneumonia, I had it every five years like clockwork.) (Haven’t had it since that first vaccine.) (PROBABLY apropos of nothing, he wasn’t an American.)
Spikey Bunny 2 years ago
I have asthma and get the viral pneumonia vaccine every 5 years.
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ThéveNinja (she/her) 2 years ago
This is why I only seen women doctors at this point. I know, not all men, but when you’ve been dismissed by so many male doctors, it’s hard to even keep trying with them.
Genny McD 2 years ago
If a military divots tank is higher than a captain, that's a HUGE red flag that they can't make it on the outside
Genny McD 2 years ago
*If a military DOCTORS RANK is higher... Sorry for spelling errors, my audio correct sucks!
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Marilyn Russell 2 years ago
I hope she got to a chiropractor, a massage therapist and a physiotherapist. Those kinds of injuries can develop over time to worsening debilitation.
Haywood Jablome 2 years ago
If your friend gets shot in the foot, rub his neck with aloe Vera should clear right up
Cat Chat 2 years ago
Entries move up and down the list according to votes, so if referring to another entry, you need to provide details.
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Melissa Powell 2 years ago
Took my 13 month old to a military pediatrician. Told him my son would not sit. Put down on the floor and he would roll over. Doctor said he is probably r******d. Got home called my friend told her what the doctor said. My friend said the doctor is stupid. Took my son to a none military doctor who checked him out and said there is nothing wrong with him and there was not.
#15
A young doctor actually told me that vaccines are just marketing.
I was flabbergasted.
I took my 4 year old to get checked because she apparently had a very mild case of the chickenpox. I needed to confirm so she had her school sick leave.
Both my daughter and son were vaccinated with the chickenpox vaccine, and although they still had the chickenpox, it was very very mild. Meaning that she had maybe maximum 10 spots on her, she didn’t itch and never felt sick at all. It only lasted a couple of days.
So I told the doctor that she is vaccinated so I just wanted to make sure it was the chickenpox. He looked at me shaking his head, and I have this confused face. That’s when he said it. “You know, I would just save my money and not spend on vaccines. They don’t need them. Just let them get sick so they can get antibodies”.
WTF?? I never visited that doctor ever again.
Clown fish 2 years ago
In England we don't have a vacancies for chicken pox. We just let children get it.
Kirsty 2 years ago
I'm in England, have 3 small children, all 3 got chickenpox over the Easter hols. For the younger two it was nothing, for the eldest I was worried sick and neither of us slept for weeks. She couldn't walk, couldn't be lifted, couldn't eat. It was horrifying.
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Iris Gonzalez 2 years ago
Also - that is the kind of stuff you report to the state Board of Medicine.
Danish Susanne 2 years ago
That maybe the dumbest uttering here. How can a doctor not know, that the point of vaccines it to give you antibodies against the disease?
Leo Domitrix 2 years ago
Was this a DO, or MD? We're quite different. A DO can practice medicine and prescribe in the US but often they're glorified chiropractors. IMHO. As an MD. And someone a DO left to die in an ER. He walked by eating a danish. If not for nurses, I'd have died.
Iris Gonzalez 2 years ago
Kids who have had the chicken pox vaccine *don't develop shingles later in life.*
Bookworm 2 years ago
Actually we have no idea yet whether that's true or not. I'm 25, and my age cohort was the first to get the vaccine as babies. We won't know whether the live vaccine can still cause shingles until people my age start getting into their 50s and 60s.
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Frank Miller 2 years ago
That's actually not bad advice. In fact oftentimes parents will promote chicken pox parties when a child gets the chicken pox, and have all the other kids come over to get chicken pox from them. Having chicken pox is part of growing up, unless you have some medical need to absolutely not get chicken box, there's really no point in getting the vaccine. I'm definitely not an anti-vaxxer, but I also believe in letting the kid play in dirt to build up immunity the natural way. A large percentage of teenagers that are "sickly" are that way as a result of their parents keeping them sanitized as toddlers.
Tamara Augustine 2 years ago
You want shingles? That's how you get shingles
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Lemme get the lemons 2 years ago
I'm assuming you're talking about the USA here, and if so you're wrong. If you click the link you'll find out that they live in Mexico.
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“That's what hit me last winter: I got my second COVID case, and it left me with lasting damage. The pandemic is over, but COVID is NOT. Protect yourself.” Dave also suggests looking into having a good CO2 meter to determine air quality. You can find some of his writing about it here. And if you are interested to hear more about participatory medicine and personal health data rights, you can find his website here.
#16
I complained to my family doctor of fatigue. He said I was a working mother and needed a vacation.
I complained of fatigue to another doctor. He said that my husband needed to take me to dinner.
I complained of irregular heartbeat, a heart rate of 40, fatigue, dreams of dying, shortness of breath, to another doctor. He ordered a Holter monitor. The holter monitor showed a heart rate of 36 and several different type of aberrant beats. Told me athletes have a low heart rates.
By now, my heart rate was too slow and irregular, my blood pressure was to low at 80/50, and my body temperature was below normal at 97.6 F. I was short of breath just walking to the bathroom.
I was only 30.
Had to see another doctor. He did a blood test which 3 other doctors and one Physician assistant couldn’t think to do. Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Started on an extremely low dose of thyroid medication because my heart couldn’t take it (heart failure?) I lost 20 lbs in one month, not dieting and no exercise.
PlatinumThe8-BitCat 2 years ago
Again, even if the doctors think that it’s probably something small they should still check to make sure anyway! I really hope a lot of these doctors are getting fired
Heather Eastwood 2 years ago
I'm currently getting investigated for unexplained weight loss. We started by looking for big things. Cancer First. Then thyroid I think, then after both those came back clear we are starting working our way down the list from most serious. Thank God for the NHS.
Load More Replies... ƒιѕн 2 years ago
Full thyroid panels should be included in regular labs. I have hyperthyroidism right now, undetectable TSH, normal T4, high T3. One more test in a couple weeks, if that's abnormal then will do ablation. I complained numerous times something was 'wrong' before a cardiologist ordered a thyroid test. All other blood work was normal, wore a holter monitor, normal, EKG's. normal.
Brainmas 2 years ago
That's so crazy that no one thought to check that sooner being something really pretty common in women, especially as we get older.
#17
I am a chronic pain patient, stemming from a series of accidents. I've had more surgeries and procedures on my mid and lower back than I care to recount. I see a pain specialist, and due to how quickly I build a tolerance (to everything, not only pain meds) combined with shifting insurance formularies, I have to bounce between different meds. Occasionally I try a new one; sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. After insurance changes forced a 4th change in 6 mo, I ended up in the ER with blinding headaches, vomiting blood. The ER doc told me just to stop taking the pain med, saying that if I have that much pain regularly, physical and mental detox should be easy. I just gaped at her, and asked if they could try to get someone from my pain clinic to second the recommendation, as I trust them implicitly. The heifer looked at me and said, “sooner or later you're going to have to come to Jesus!” I opened the collar of my shirt, brought out my star of David and told her that if she could show me what office to go to have a consult with Jesus, I'd be more than happy to, but I thought I was in a hospital not a church, and that maybe she would have better luck as a televangelist than as a doctor. The assigned nurse was right outside the door, along with a few other random people, and they about exploded trying not to laugh. The nurse got the on-call at my pain doc on the phone and the head doc came to the ER at 4am on a weekend to oversee my care, he had me admitted for 3days to do a rapid detox and be monitored on a new med to ensure there were no repeat issues. But yeah, treating people wasn't her job, because “Jesus Saves!”
Matthew Thompson 2 years ago
"Come to Jesus" isn't usually meant in a proselytizing way. It is usually a colloquialism for 'facing the truth.' A 'come to Jesus' meeting can indicate a kind of intervention. I am not seeing thecadvice was reasonable but that the comment was misconstrued.
Ronna Black 2 years ago
Sounded to me that the Doc thought OP was an addict trying to get a fix…. Which is still inaccrate.
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Florence O'Grady 2 years ago
BOTH ACTUALLY WORK. I HAVE EXPERIENCED BOTH.
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Veronica Jean 2 years ago
A lot of sympathy for people dependent on pain medication for a very real medical problems. Unfortunately the opioid addiction is so bad that I think it's very hard for doctors to weed out who is addicted and who is sick, especially because sometimes they are one in the same. Not saying it makes it okay, but it sounds to me like the doctor made the wrong assumption. Sucks for OP, I'm sorry 😔
Natalia 2 years ago
Opioid addictions are mainly the fault of doctors over prescribing overly strong (and massively addictive) pills in the first place.
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Lakota Wolf 2 years ago
Bruh, if your attention span can’t even handle that one-paragraph story, you might need to lay off the TikTok/YouTube Shorts for a bit.
Load More Replies... #18
I was vomiting blood and had severe abdominal pain. I went to the ER at one of the NYU hospitals here in NYC. The young doctor (not sure if he’s a resident or real doctor) gave me an ultrasound when he said he would give me a CT scan. I was not given a blood test or any pain medication. I was there for more than five hours. I got sent home with some medication that he said would keep my food down. Of course, it did not, and I kept on vomiting. Two days later, I was in so much pain that I could not even sit straight. I got picked up by an ambulance, and the EMS told me to make sure I get a blood test and CAT scan. My appendix ruptured, and it was almost too late for me as the juices were all over my other organs.
CPooh 2 years ago
Wonder if OP is black. There’s a perception that they have higher pain tolerances, even among those who should know better (like medical professionals).
BlackestDawn 2 years ago
That seems backwards since if they have a higher pain tolerance then they should be worse of than normal for the same level of feeling pain.
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Donkeywheel 2 years ago (edited)
That’s not universally true. Residency (or whatever it’s called locally) is the last part of the training, necessary to have an unrestricted and unsupervised license to practice. The resident may already be an MD and have a PhD but most of the time that’s not true. In many countries the resident is not a « real » doctor, he’s a doctor in training, not able to practice on its own, not owning a phd yet. Everything he does is done under the supervision of a « real » doctor.
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Lex <3 (they/them) 2 years ago (edited)
I was vomiting blood last august from very severe food poisoning. The doctor literally just said “oh, that’s normal, just wait it out”. I vomited 5 times over the span of a couple hours and have had very severe stomach pain and headaches ever since then. Just another thing, I’m latinx and LGBTQIA+ so I wonder if that had any impact on why the doctor was so rude and dismissive.
Auntriarch 2 years ago
A colleague of mine had a similar experience with her teenage daughter. Her fertility is compromised because of the damage to other organs. When she suggested it might be appendicitis, the doctor's response was that teenage girls get tummy ache for all sorts of reasons...
cerinamroth 2 years ago
This was my parents' response to my excruciating pain - I never got as far as seeing a doctor until it was almost too late.
Load More Replies... Say No to Downvoting 2 years ago
I have a friend whose 9yo son died this way. The doctor kept saying “gastro - give him fluids” and never examined him at all.
cerinamroth 2 years ago
May his memory be a blessing to all who loved him - and a warning to that doctor.
Load More Replies... cerinamroth 2 years ago
I had appendicitis on and off for a year and my parents only believed me that there was a problem when my appendix ruptured. It was f*****g awful. I also got sepsis and nearly died.
Shawn Hooper 2 years ago
Just so you know and I’m sure you realize, a resident is a real doctor. They just haven’t been there long enough to be an “attending” physician. Sometimes they’re better since they don’t have as many biases, but obviously, everyone does. People develop those even with the best intentions. But that doesn’t negate your terrible experience! I’ve had doctors throughout my daughter’s 26 years tell me she was fine when she had severe sinus infections. One ER doc was so adamant that I didn’t know what was wrong until I stayed insisting on a CT scan. He came back in her room sheepishly saying they’d start IV antibiotics. He finally admitted he’d never seen someone so impacted and full in every sinus space. Her pediatrician kept insisting her first year that the little red spots she got every time she was put on penicillin (arithro) that those were just from a virus and not an allergic reaction. A virus that he was giving her antibiotics for? Yeah… until a major allergic reaction. SMH!
#19
For years, I had such head-splitting headaches that they limited me more and more in my activities. I gradually stopped going to noisy, bustling places, I avoided the outdoors when the sun was too harsh, or even worse when the sky was a bright milky white. That felt like stabbing my eyes with daggers. And then the smallest effort that would increase my heart beat started triggering migraines, too. I used to live in a pretty large house and had twins, so I was constantly going up and down the stairs, but it came to a point when I had to sit down after climbing a single flight of stairs. My husband was a neurologist, but he was at a loss what treatment to give me given the severity of my symptoms, so he got me an appointment with a neurologist at a university hospital. I told that doctor about my suffering and he said : suffering as much as you describe it doesn’t exist and you should take up sport. You’re stressed, you need to relax. And that was that. Thank you, doctor. Did you hear a word of what I said?
Ansi 2 years ago (edited)
After suffering for 20 years she started taking vitamin B daily and got better. (Her husband read that a lot of people with migraine had low vitamin B) Her daughter said it was probably the placebo effect, but the woman is adamant that it is the daily vitamin pill that made her totally migraine free. She says that one day she forgot her pillbox at home and missed a pill and she got terrible migraine again.
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Lakota Wolf 2 years ago (edited)
I get chronic migraines that are VERY clearly tied to hormones and stress triggers for me. My mother insists I just need to go to her chiropractor who will “cure” my migraines. I already think chiropractors are quacks, so one of them “cracking” my neck isn’t going to “cure” a menstrual period migraine. Sigh.
Binky Melnik 2 years ago
Not to mention that chiropractors have killed and paralyzed people with their neck “manipulations.” It may feel good, but it’s dangerous, so folks shouldn’t allow it.
Load More Replies... Geoffrey Scott 2 years ago
Sorry you had to go through that. I had cluster headaches for a while after a concussion. Excruciating pain
Binky Melnik 2 years ago (edited)
Me, too! To this day, I STILL sometimes have clusters on top of a migraine. I’d rather have a dozen migraines than a single cluster attack (and my clusters are sposedly “easy” compared to those of others; I’ll have three-four 45-minute clusters in a six-hour period, and then it’ll stop … until the next time. If I were one of those with chronic clusters, I’d simply put a bullet in my head!)
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tee-lena 2 years ago
Turned out it's fibromyalgia for me. 20 plus years on federal disability and a wheelchair. I'm on the very last med I can take for the migraines. It's not working. So much pain
Leoninus Fate 2 years ago
I feel for you, My mom passed away from kidney failure and cancer, she had fibromyalgia, and couldn't take hard pain pills for reasons before her cancer and kidney failure, it was so bad the last month of her life {everything and the fibromyalgia} they were giving her 2 fentanyl 100mg patches {super super strong stuff}
Load More Replies... Lex <3 (they/them) 2 years ago
I have chronic headaches and stomach pain. At one point, last September-October, it got to the point where I couldn’t eat or drink without getting extremely dizzy and nauseous. I missed 20+ days of school and was left laying in bed all day, unable to move because the pain was so severe. When I went to the doctor, all he said was “oh, don’t worry about it, it’s just your anxiety.” Like WTF, there was clearly something wrong- I was in and out of the hospital for 2 months. A doctor finally decided to to some tests and scans. They found out I had fluid on one of my kidneys a couple gastrointestinal conditions. Yeah, sure it was my “anxiety”. Smh.
#20
In the early 2000s I got an ingrown toenail. It bled every day and wasn’t healing on its own.
I went to the doctor and he told me “Do the Ooh-Ahh Method. The ‘Ooh’ is when you lift the nail, the ‘Aah’ is when the pain goes away. It’ll heal.”
I did that. It didn’t heal. Doctor kept telling me to do that. I almost lost my toe, but 3.5 years later it finally stopped bleeding and healed.
For the record I didn’t have health insurance, so seeking more medical treatment wasn’t an option.
Michael P (Perthaussieguy) 2 years ago
"seeking more medical treatment wasn’t an option." ....Yikes!! As an Aussie under Medicare, I find that so very sad for so many people :(
Binky Melnik 2 years ago (edited)
Just so you (and other non-US folks) know, it’s illegal to turn someone down for medical care in the US, even if they’re indigent. I don’t want people thinking some folks have no recourse for their suffering. No matter how broke anyone is (and is likely to remain), we can still walk into any ER and be treated. I don’t want folks thinking that Americans can die due to lack of medical care; that’d be barbaric! ETA: Thanks for thé downvotes, Pandas! You never cease to amaze me with those fast, nasty fingers of yours for all manner of incomprehensible reasons! 🤭👍🏻 Sure, downvote the info about getting healthcare when you’re broke! I’m sorry I revealed the secret! Can’t have broke people getting their medical problems treated, huh?
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Tee Rat 2 years ago
The podiatrist I saw cut along the cuticle and put acid on the roots. Anesthesia was placed between my first and second toes and he put up a screen so I couldn't see the blood. My big toes were wrapped liked mummies and I duck walked out of there. In 20 yrs I haven't had ingrown toenails again.
Binky Melnik 2 years ago (edited)
Same here, but the involved toes never looked nice again. The nails grow at an excruciatingly slow rate, and they grow diagonally besides. As my nails are now straight and narrow, they CAN’T be ingrown, but I’ve never worn sandals or open-toed shoes since as they’re not very attractive. (They’d started out quite beautiful, too. 😞)
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Jenn Smith 2 years ago
Exactly why I avoid medical care. Here in the USA, it's like a carnival game. House wins, you lose. I hate this painful thing happened to you
Elaine Morinelli 2 years ago
My ingrown toenail (big toe)never got past the hurting stage (no bleeding) and then my nail nail tech cut the nail really short where it no long went into my toe. Ever grateful.
Lyyyy 2 years ago
What worked me after repeated daily: foot bath, lift the toe nail out of the skin with any suitable tool (hurts like hell, initially might need to cut the nail a bit to get it out), put something under it to prevent it from biting back into the skin, like cotton or something harder, apply cortisone if infected. Though mine wasn’t so bad it was bleeding. Don’t cut your toenails too short and wear shoes that have enough room sideways to prevent ingrown toenails.
Haywood Jablome 2 years ago
I bite my nails all day long so I pretty routinely get them ingrown. Now I've had aNASTY ingrown big toe nail before, but if I catch them early I can fix them with a little tiny bit of cotton slid under the nail to raise it over the skin
#21
When I was 14 I had to leave school because my stomach was hurting really bad. Both my parents were working but I called my Mom. She told me to go to the doctor's office. When the old guy who was our family doctor saw me and heard my complaint about the pain in my stomach, without even touching me or taking my temperature he told me I was having my period and that is the cause of the pain. I was not having a period and I really did not know what to do but I went home and lay down on the couch. My Grandma came home from the store and took one look at me and took my temperature. It was really high. She heard the story of my trip to the doctor. Without further ado she put me in the car and drove me to the Emergency ward at the local hospital. She went in with me and quite loudly demanded I be seen at once. From there it was emergency surgery to remove my appendix! The surgeon told my Grandma that another hour or so my appendix would have burst. I refused to go to that doctor again even if he had been our doctor for donkey’s years. Good thing I did not really need a doctor for a long while after that.
Cat Chat 2 years ago
My insurance company at the time denied the pre-approval of a laparoscopy for suspected appendicitis because "it isn't life threatening" 🙄 We fought that on an emergency appeal and got it approved, luckily
Bethereinthemorning 2 years ago
Mine denied me coverage for my hospital treatment after a stillbirth where I hemorrhaged heavily and required a blood transfusion. Because I could have “treated the bleeding at home”.
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Natasha Tomes 2 years ago
Mine wasn't so life threatening but Dr's kept giving me pregnancy tests when I complained about bad stomach pain. After four trips and four negative pregnancy tests I tald them "I am not pregnant what else could it be?" turns out I had IBS
PlatinumThe8-BitCat 2 years ago
What happens when the appendix bursts? I am not educated in this
Ripley 2 years ago
Septicemia. Basically, the toxins from the infection spread throughout your body and poison you. You can (and will, without treatment) die.
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Huddo's sister 2 years ago
What stopped my family seeing one doctor was him a) not recognising my brother had a broken leg and b) when he did later diagnose a broken leg (can't remember if it was the same one or not) he said "well he doesn't walk/weight bear, so no point doing anything about it"! My mum and I had already switched to seeing the female doctor in the practice, because he was hopeless with women's health, but this stopped any of the family seeing him.
#22
Get married! I had a skiing accident and had to go to a neurologist because I had landed pretty hard and messed up my neck and spine. After an examination, he remarked “what you need to do is get married”. What?? I had no idea how he thought that would help my problem, and of course, left and went to another doctor. Recently, I had to go to a neurologist again (Parkinson’s disease diagnosis) and made sure I walked right past this other neurologist’s office, remembering his stupid diagnosis.
Lakota Wolf 2 years ago
I have a feeling he may have gotten his degree in a decade when a woman’s “job” was to cook, clean, and produce babies :/
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cadena kuhn 2 years ago
Well if your married and popping out kids you won't be out skiing and getting hurt duh
Michael Largey 2 years ago
Perhaps he felt that acquiring a husband would make all other pains in the neck fade into the background.
Binky Melnik 2 years ago (edited)
This doesn’t surprise me at all. Until about thirty years ago, I was told that having a baby would cure my chronic migraines by MOST neuros. 🤬 I planned NEVER to have children, so what they were essentially telling me was that I was a screwed. But it wasn’t just migraines: doctors (nearly always male) were telling women that babies would cure whatever ailed them pretty much since medicine was invented. It was only about 30 years ago that the medical profession FINALLY realized that this advice was a steaming bowl of masculine 🐂💩! Isn’t that INSANE?!
Holy Shimmering Sheeps541t 2 years ago
My dad fell off a ladder at work, landed on a lower ladder, peed blood. They diagnosed bruised kidneys, signed him off for 6 weeks. After 6 weeks they realised they hadn't x-rayed him, so did it before signing him off, discovered his broken back. He'd spent the 6 weeks landscaping his 2 acre garden.
Hiram's Friend 2 years ago
What do you call the guy who graduates last in his class at med school? Doctor
#23
The dumbest thing a doctor ever told me was “Don't worry about it. Numbers aren't everything.” I have heart failure and had experienced signs of worsening HF was four months: I could only walk a half block at a time before I had to stop to catch my breath. I was physically weak and lightheaded. My doctor hadn't ordered an echocardiogram for me for 5 years. Other than readouts from my Implanted Cardiac Device, he had no idea how I was doing. He finally ordered an echo at my request and it showed an Ejection Fraction of 13–17 percent. Normal EF is between 50 and 65 percent. I knew that I was in trouble. But he patted me on the leg, literally, smiled and said numbers aren't everything. One year later, I was hospitalized for 17 days. In the three months between my hospitalization and my doctor's diagnosis of “don't worry about it”, I had to go to an emergency room four times. I had to call paramedics 6 times because I had passed out and was too weak to get myself off the floor. I was so bloated by fluid retention, which is a symptom of worsening heart failure, that I had to use a step ladder to get into my friend's truck. I finally became so bloated that I couldn't bend my body enough to get into a cab. I had to call an ambulance to get to the hospital. I was hospitalized for 17 days and lost 96 pounds during that time. I put on the equivalent of a small adult in fluid retention. Needless to say, I dropped that doctor, left that medical plan and found a heart failure specialist. That was 7 years ago and I have not been hospitalized since. The lesson I learned: if you don't trust your physician’s judgment, run, don't walk, to find a doctor you can trust. Ideally, find a specialist in your most critical medical condition. By the way, I reported him to the California Medical Board and Medicare. He is no longer at the Medical Group that treated me. But I bet he is still practicing medicine somewhere.
Michael Largey 2 years ago (edited)
Yep, numbers aren't everything. Dying at 30 instead of 80? Just numbers.
#24
After three weeks of suffering from what I thought was the flu and taking OTC meds, I made my way to the doctor. He informed me all I had was a mild head cold. It felt a lot worse than that, and I told him so. His response was, 'Nonsense. Go home, take a nice hot shower, climb into bed, have some chicken noodle soup, and keep taking the OTC meds.' Within a week, my so-called head cold had turned into a nasty case of bronchitis. I was sick as a dog for six more weeks. By the time I saw another doctor, she said it was borderline pneumonia.
PlatinumThe8-BitCat 2 years ago
I’m getting angrier and angrier as I read about these a-hole stupid doctors
the dancing demon (she/her) 2 years ago
Same, it's interesting how many of them are men, bit that might be more that there's more make doctors than that they're all arrogant I don't know
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Plebbit 2 years ago
Hmm. I don't think this deserves the downvotes. You're right. Bronchitis is a secondary infection. That's literally how it happens - you're sick with something stupid and then it develops into something more. This one shouldn't be on the list.
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Jennifer Brown 2 years ago
I had this happen to me. Was so sick I could barely walk down the hall to her office. Coughing and wheezing constantly. She told me it was a cold and sent me home. Went to a naturopath the next day and he ordered a chest x-ray. The x-ray technician comes out to the waiting room and says he isn't supposed to say anything, but my lungs were so filled with fluid he wanted me to go to the ER immediately! Had full blown pneumonia and was hospitalized for 4 days.
Lakota Wolf 2 years ago (edited)
Strange how cultural idioms differ! XD I’ve heard “sick as a dog” regularly for my whole life. I grew up in Southern California, USA. (I’ve also heard “healthy as a horse”, and as kids we often laughed at these idioms because our childhood dogs seemed to be relatively healthy, whereas horses seemed relatively delicate, despite these idioms!)
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WA2DK 2 years ago
I went to an "on call" Dr. because I was coughing up blood at the age of 19. He didn't do an x-ray, just a St. C et P and told me I had pneumonia and to go home and sleep. The following day I went to my PCP whom admitted me to the hospital right away (on a Monday), I was transferred to a different hospital on Wednesday, placed on life support either Wednesday or Thursday and transferred to yet another hospital on Friday. It wasn't pneumonia, it was Wegener's Granulomatosis and had I listened to the on-call Dr., I likely would've drowned in my own blood (my hgb was 3,9)
Tess 2 years ago
My grandfather was told the same thing. It was a stroke, which got very bad not long after getting home. He spent his last year or two in hospice care never regaining consciousness. Same doctor killed my grandmother some ten years later after changing all of her heart medication at the same time. The following morning she had her first dose of the new medications, and had died from a heart attack before noon. I'll never forgive him. My mother neglected to tell me that I had been seeing that same GP until after I had to change doctors because he had nearly put me in the ER twice.
Brainmas 2 years ago
Been there too! Went to urgent care the first time and let them know I get strep a lot. They just gave me antibiotics without even diagnosing me. When I was able to get in with my regular doctor he was so mad. I had pneumonia and ended up on tons of meds. He said if I'd been even a day later he probably would have had to hospitalize me.
Just Another Girl 2 years ago
I told my Dr I thought I had pneumonia because I’d been struggling for air for a week. He told me it was a panic attack and sent me to the ER for an Ativan. The ER diagnosed me with pneumonia.
#25
This is from a student doctor, who hopefully changed careers. I was at my gyno’s for my annual and he asked if a student doctor could be in the room. I agreed and after the part every woman dreads was over there was a consult discussing any concerns. He was called away for some other reason and she stayed in the room. So she asked me if I used protection. I replied that no I am married and we are trying for a 2nd child. She got all serious and gave me a 5 minute speech on STD’s and repeatedly said you must always use protection. Finally I stopped her and said I know you know how babies are made, how do you propose we get my husband’s sperm to my eggs then? Her reply: “Always use a condom!” and walked out of the room. I did not learn my lesson and agreed to another student doctor after I did finally get pregnant with my second child. I was 6 months along or so and this one could not find a heartbeat. She went very pale and quiet and ran out to get the doctor sure my baby was dead I guess. I knew better, my ribs had just been kicked. You would think I had learned my lesson by now right? Well, I must be a slow learner. While I was in the hospital giving birth I needed an IV started. A student nurse was to do it. It was to go in the top part of my hand. I was having pretty bad labor pains, but after that IV was put in the pain in my wrist bone was much, much worse. I kept telling the nurses my wrist hurts, please check that IV. I was about to pull it out myself when an older nurse came in and I told her look this pain is worse than my contractions, something is wrong. She took it out and it was kinked up so badly, she asked who did this!?! I told her and she ran out of the room. It had hit my the knobby bottom part of my arm bone on the top of my wrist (sorry I didn't go to med school, I don't know the medical term) and she had just kept on pushing it in. She came in and apologized. I told her I would rather have the other nurses that wouldn't listen to me apologize, but thanked her and said don't ever do that to someone else. I have learned my lesson. Other people can be guinea pigs. I have paid my dues to the betterment of future doctors and nurses. I just hope condom girl found a better suited profession. I forgot to mention my gynecologist specialized in fertility.
Bea Rowan 2 years ago
Now that is why student doctors need proper training before being allowed to practise on a real human instead of a dummy
Nolgoth 2 years ago (edited)
In med school doctors train using cadavers and life-like mannequins long before they do anything to a live human
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ROSESARERED 2 years ago
I had a student nurse putting in an iodine injection before and xray, she was flickering the needle around in my arm...I almost past out from the pain, told her to get a nurse. After the nurse saw what she was doing, she took over, very white in the face. She apologised over an over, and explained student are taught to find a vein using an orange, trying to catch it with a needle, like fly fishing. Student nearly nicked an artery, for a simple injection...I
Cat Chat 2 years ago
An orange? For an injection into a vein? They work to practice muscle or dermal injections, but we had to practice on each other for vein injections, IVs, and blood draws. The school I went to, we practiced on each other for everything.
Load More Replies... Heather Eastwood 2 years ago
I let a student nurse sew up my episiotomy. To be fair, all I wanted to do was gaze at my daughter and no longer cared about anything below the waist. She did a very good job though.
Spikey Bunny 2 years ago
Not me. What a horror show! A super long and painful story... I ended up needing reconstructive surgery 9 months later.
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Dorothy Reiser 2 years ago
My husband is a physician. During my first labor he gave the nurse 5 tries to get an IV in, then he took over. I did not know this since I was in so much pain.
brittany 2 years ago
when i had my third kid they let a student put the epidural in my spine. she messed it up and i developed a spinal headache and had to have a blood patch done, which left my arm bruised from wrist to elbow rom where they had to draw blood and it did not help the spinal headache at all so i had to go through a total o 6 days with not being able to sit up without throwing up or being able to hold my baby. never ever again will i let a student use me to learn on
Blondieybat 2 years ago
I have had to have a s87tload of iv's in my day. Almost every single time I have had an IV put in my hand it is really easy to tell when the IV isn't where it is supposed to be. I have had my hand swell up when the IV is in the wrong place. Hurts like he$$
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
I had a student or resident (I don't remember which) ophthalmologist do my initial obs etc in a follow up appointment after eye surgery. All good until she had to do my eye pressure. She was using the manual stick, rather than the machine and it was quite uncomfortable and she struggled to get it before I had to blink. She tried multiple times before going to get the registrar. They got it first or second time. She apologised, I said no worries, they have to learn somehow and moved on. I still say yest to students in the room at my appointments, even though I had some PTSD from having 20+ students come to check my eyes in the space of half an hour as a 6 year old. Usually the more senior doctor/nurse just comes and sorts out any problems quickly. The other nurses disregarding pain would be much more deserving of my anger.
Mary Ross 2 years ago
As a heart transplant survivor (24) years, I've had to deal with two teaching hospitals. I hate Fellows with a bottomless passion. I'm not alive because of these hospitals, I'm alive despite them. I am my own advocate and do my own research (especially on drug interactions). NOBODY bothers to do this. I've saved my own life a couple of times doing the research. Phooey!
Terry Tobias 2 years ago
I once allowed a med student do my gyno exam. I won't let a student touch me ever again!
#26
Take Vitamin E.
I had horrific abdominal pain that I’d been trying to ignore for a while since I dislike seeing a doctor, but one morning I woke up around 3 am, with a raging fever and so much pain that I started to vomit from it. I finally agreed to see a doctor, but our normal doctor was out, so my husband took me to a gyno that was recommended by my SILs.
While waiting for my appointment, I vomited a few more times, then entered the office, doubled over in pain and sweating. The doctor pressed on my abdomen, did an ultrasound and said, “Yeah, your uterus is inflamed. It happens. You’re getting older, so this is normal.” (I was 35) He then prescribed Vitamin E.
Fast forward three days, my husband drags me to our regular doctor since I am curled up in pain and unable to move much at all anymore (he had to help me to the bathroom). Our GP immediately puts me on antibiotics, runs tests and then tells me that basically every system in my body was severely infected and if I’d waited one more day, I likely would have died. Getting old, my foot.
It took me six months to recover from the infection. I could barely walk for several months and fell ill at the shake of a hat.
majandess 2 years ago
Sepsis is real and deadly. My husband had an abscess on his back that made him have a huge hump, and the ER doctors told me twice that he was fine. One actually yelled, "What do you want me to do?!" And I yelled back, "Give him an antibiotic!" We ended up going to an urgent care clinic instead of the ER on the third try because of how the ER had treated us. She got ragingly pissed and called the ER and told them to admit my husband immediately because he needed to be lanced and get a very strong antibiotic into his system via IV. He was in the hospital for days recovering. The sepsis didn't kill him, but it did damage his heart. It was a shitshow. I owe that urgent care doctor a lot of gratitude for the extra years I got to have my husband, but I honestly think that the damage to his heart is why he died of a heart attack a few years later.
CanadianaKa 2 years ago
Oh boy. I had a doctor at Kaiser who I had to finally refuse to see. First she diagnosed fallen arches as gout and I had to fight with her to get the blood work done since I didn't have ANY of the lifestyle factors. I also didn't have gout, and it took her three weeks to return a call about "so what do we do next about all the pain i have when I put my foot down?" Then she diagnosed MRSA as a bug bite and had I not driven myself to the ER the next day (on 60mg of codeine since the MRSA was on my butt!), I would have been in pain during sex for the rest of my life as it had spread to five inches long and was 1/4 of an inch from my vulva. Next time I was there to see a doctor, I heard the woman behind me saying she was seeing this twit and I turned around and said "CANCEL. Don't see her. She's a menace."
#27
brought my newborn baby home with green slimy poop and in constant pain. After three days I called the pediatrician who was new to this country and did not speak English very well. He told me to feed him bananas. I said, “Doctor he’s three DAYS (not months) old. I can’t do that!” He insisted, “Ya, ya, feed him beenannas!” My mother-in-law who raised five children was there and asked what the doctor said, so I told her. I also told her I was not going to do that. I left to run an errand and when I came home my mother-in-law was feeding my three DAY old baby bananas. Thankfully he survived a young mother who didn’t know what she was doing, a mother-in-law who should have known better, and a pediatrician who did not understand English.
Michael Largey 2 years ago
A doctor who recommends bananas at three days in stead if three years obviously has problems with scale.
Dorothy Reiser 2 years ago
My first pediatriican told me mu 3 month old was ready for steak. Go figure.
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Annita Stephanou 2 years ago
My question is why did they sent the newborn home in the first place?!
#28
My husband was having a problem with his arm. He was having a lot of pain! The PA comes in and asks him about the problem. My husband explained what pain he was having with his arm -- doing just every day things like getting dressed, etc. The PA walks up to him and jerks his arm back really fast. My husband screamed in pain. The PA says that it is no big deal. Just don't move your arm. He tells him to go home and stop moving his arm. My husband had to go to another doctor and it turned out that he had a pinched nerve,
Charity Angel 2 years ago
I feel so lucky now that when a doctor underestimated my pain (in hindsight, probably VERY mild meningitis), pushed his thumbs into the inflammation at the back of my neck and I screamed, he apologised profusely. I still wish he hadn't done it, but at least he took me seriously after that.
Kevin Sutton 2 years ago
Mild meningitis? If you were ever told that it's cause for alarm
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Skulls.N.Succulents 2 years ago
The PA would've found out that not moving when a pissed wife swings at you actually results in MORE pain !!!
WantsBalsamNCold 2 years ago
Similar thing happened to me years ago. Had pain in my right shoulder. The NP told me not to move my arm. Pain got worse. By then i couldn't move it and otc drugs were doing nothing. I was in so much pain I was throwing up, crying and gripping my arm. Called the office begging for them to do something but they refused. My boyfriend at the time called to check on me before heading to work and rushed me to urgent care.
WantsBalsamNCold 2 years ago
Turns out it was severe tendinitis. Worst pain of my life and I've passed kidney stones and broken bones.
Load More Replies... DumYum 2 years ago
A year ago I received a tetanus shot. Dumb a*s male nurse put it in my shoulder joint, through the bursa. I was in severe pain for almost a year. Several rounds of PT. Cortisone shot. I have a claim in with the Vaccine Injury Fund. Never let someone put a needle into your joints.
Marilyn Russell 2 years ago
Oh thank goodness it was “just” a pinched nerve as I was thinking heart attack for a sec.
#29
I have had chronic pain for almost four decades. I’ve been on a very minimal dose of OxyContin (10mg) for about 15 years. I’ve always had breakthrough pain episodes, but they’ve been increasing in frequency and intensity over the past three years, to where I’m having intense pain once or twice a week. I asked my gp, who has recently been put under supervision for his prescribing practices, for 1 or 2 mg of instant release medication to get past the 3–4 hours of intense pain once or twice a week. His solution? Even with all the information we all now know about opioids and their effects on pain sensitivities and addiction? Double up on the OxyContin every day, all week, each week. Yup, let’s take double the really bad stuff every day just in case you have 3–4 hours of intense pain once or twice a week. Needless to say, we’ve parted ways on his moronic take on pain control. Found a great pain clinic that is focussed on first treating neuropathic pain with lidocaine and ketamine infusions, then tackling what’s left over. And a new gp.
Ken Beattie 2 years ago
No offense, but if he thought it was all in her head he wouldn't have doubled the dose of oxy. The doctor isn't necessarily giving her the best treatment (seems lazy) but he was actually treating her for pain.
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Mylittlecorgi 2 years ago
I'm a chronic pain patient as well. We get treated so poorly by those in the medical field, it's a wonder we allow ourselves to get treated at all. I'm on my third pain doctor; he seems to be all right, able to help me.
Cat Chat 2 years ago
It certainly doesn't help for those of us in the US when they CDC sent out their "opioid guidelines", which was almost exclusively written by doctors who both have a financial stake in a brand of anti-opioid medication and their practice is treating addicts. An updated guideline was issued this year, but is not only still problematic, but the damage from the first one has already been done.
Load More Replies... Cat Chat 2 years ago
Speaking as a chronic pain patient myself, I agree that is ridiculous. What should happen for constant pain is a long acting med to get you to a functional state (not necessarily to completely get rid of the pain as that may or may not be possible), and having a fast acting one for breakthrough pain. Her calling it "the really bad stuff", however, is how misconceptions about opioids start or continue, because, if taken responsibly, it's not "really bad stuff", and actually a medication that does help many people to have a more functional life.
Bswmom 2 years ago
I found that with an intrathecal pain pump. I have a spinal cord injury with severe neuropathic pain and it is amazing. It doesn’t affect me the way oral medication or injectables do as it doesn’t cross into the blood stream. I have a cocktail of meds (fentanyl, marcaine hydromorphine) that help me. Everyone that has the pump is different with meds. But I have heard nothing but rave reviews about it. I highly recommend it as my oral meds are almost non existent now. And I am 10 yrs out with my pump.
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GlamourGhoul 2 years ago
I was having horrible lower back pain, and my legs would go completely numb and give out, I went to the ER where a complete a*****e of a resident told me it was just muscle pain. Meanwhile he kept poking me in the hips and bum saying "See, just muscle pain!" The next day I went to my spine doctor who ordered an MRI and x-rays. He told me "It's not just muscle pain, you have a pars fracture and 3 herniated discs. Why didn't they tell you at the ER?" *facepalm*
DC 2 years ago (edited)
As his solution truly is stupid, leaving was the right thing, but ... how is Oxycontin "bad stuff"? It's a medication that is considered irreplacable by the WHO, and rightly so. Also, it got you rid of chronic pain for years. If it's bad, don't take any. But, I see WHY he might have done that - the instant-release medication are monitored more tightly, because addicts want these, they don't like slowed down pills (censorism truly sucks, they are actually called that Ret Ard Tabletten in german, ret ard tablets in english, ...), as these only avoid withdrawal, but can't trigger the nerves the way instant can. If dosed correctly, Oxycodon is a medication you can use lifelong, if need be, literally life long, from start to death several decades later - and if one needs that, I'd not wish any years, let alone decades, without that on them.
Lauren Caswell 2 years ago
My doctor needs looked at. Can't get my prescriptions right even though they've been the same for years . Even my pharmacy is sick of her. Asked recently to lower pain meds, I have amongst other stuff chronic fatigue and chronic pain, I was on up to 8x panadeine (paracetamol + 8mg codeine) per day. But I've been having liver problems. I asked for an overall reduction to 1/4 of the dose, but in a seperate-from-paracetamol form to spare my liver. Now I have panadeine and an insane amount of codeine being dispensed monthly. She just doesn't hear me. (It's 240 tabs a month! If I actually followed it it'd be the beginning of the end)
Cat Chat 2 years ago
Um.... yeah, if taken as normally prescribed, it should only be 6 per day. Also yeah, that nobody should take paracetamol (Tylenol/acetaminophen for those of us in the US) with liver issues. I have to avoid anything with Tylenol for the same reason. Something definitely needs to be done as that doctor is putting you and potentially others in danger. You can ask your pharmacist to discuss the danger with your doctor if they already haven't done so. Unfortunately it sometimes takes another professional to approach a subject to get a doctor to listen. Good luck.
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#30
I took myself and the kids to an ear doctor because we all had ear infections. He took blood as well from me (I knew he was padding it for the insurance but I didn’t care). Well, a few days later, he calls to tell me I have sickle cell anemia and he had a great friend who could help. I told him politely that it wasn’t likely because I wasn’t of African or Mideastern descent. I offered to repeat the blood test. So what does this Bozo say? “You should have a talk with your mother about who your real father is.” I was stunned. Never mind he didn’t know my parents-but if my mom has my brother and me, it was proof she had sex twice in her life. Mom was not the huggy kissy sort—with anyone. And for this quack to suggest she cheated on my dad…
I went berserk. I told him my mother most definitely did not cheat on my dad. And wasn’t it possible that the lab result was wrong? “My lab reports are never wrong!” “Well, pal, you better accept the fact that your lab is wrong!” I hung up and immediately stopped payment on the check (in the old days, it took longer to clear checks). The secretary called to ask why and I repeated the conversation. I told her to sue me—I would love to repeat this story before a judge. The secretary told me to forget it and hung up. The upshot was that I went to another doctor and did another blood test (after he laughed for five minutes after this story). I didn’t have sickle cell anemia. I never said I couldn’t have it but that it was unlikely. A simple blood test to check should have been ordered. But to suggest such a shameful thing was so unprofessional.
Cat Chat 2 years ago
So, because she has a brother and her mom wasn't a "huggy kissy sort" is what she is using as proof her mother didn't cheat. I'm not say she cheated, and the doctor should have just redone the lab work. It's just the logic used to prove or disprove cheating isn't flying in my book.
brittany 2 years ago
doesnt matter. in no realm is it ever appropriate for a doctor to speak that way to a patient. hope he eventually lost his license
Load More Replies... Marilyn Russell 2 years ago
My SIL took my nephew to the ER years ago and was told my a fairly newly minted doctor that he couldn’t have a UTI as she suspected because boys don’t get those due to shorter urethras. Yes, it isn’t as common in boys as girls but it isn’t impossible dumbass. Turns out, he did have a UTI.
SadieCat17 2 years ago
Anyone can have sickle cell anemia, not just people with ancestors that dealt with malaria...
#31
My 5 year old son was vomiting at least once a week for a full month and had chronic diarrhea. He acted normally and was eating/ drinking fine and didn't have a fever. The first week, I figured it was the flu/cold that everyone had. The second week, I called his pediatrician and asked to be seen.
The office told me to give it another week, BRAT* diet..yada yada. After three weeks, I called and insisted on being seen. They again told me to “wait it out," I requested that they at least do a stool sample, because no child should have vomiting once a week for three weeks. The nurse refused and told me to give him Imodium for the diarrhea. I said, “Did you even bother to read his chart?!!” She replied that of course, that she had it in front of her. I told her flat out that she was either lying or the doctor kept horrible notes, because he was severely allergic to Imodium!! Hives, epi pen etc.
I hung up on her and promptly brought him to the ER. The doctor was horrified that they hadn't even tested his stool, set me up with a gastroenterologist first thing in the morning. The gastro saw that he had lost several pounds over the three weeks and said that it was a classic sign of Crohn’s disease and was horrified the doctor let it go on so long. Luckily, he was just lactose intolerant, something that could have been figured out much quicker if he had just been seen.
*BRAT diet: bananas, rice, applesauce, toast
Cerridwn d'Wyse 2 years ago
It was a doctor's office in the United States it probably wasn't a nurse but an MA
Load More Replies... ROSESARERED 2 years ago
Took 15 years, 5 doctors and 3 specialists to work out my vomiting was from dairy, allergic, and getting worse. Thought I must have some rare disease, and I was going to die before it was finally realised I hadn't been tested for good allergies. I now have damage in my throat from all the coughing and vomiting, can't eat food fast, and changing from hot to cold food, or solid to liquid causes me to cough. The amount of time and money wasted, and the stress
DumYum 2 years ago
Daughter was allergic to cow’s milk, therefore cheese and yogurt, too. Every 6 months or so I would try giving her a little milk and within a day she would have runny green snot and her ear would start to bother her. This would clear up and stay gone when she was dairy free. Breast milk was fine BTW. Started to notice all the kids in the neighborhood with chronic earaches and snotty noses.
Load More Replies... Huddo's sister 2 years ago
Sounds like my brother when he was diagnosed with Celiac's. Bouts of gastro every few months. Doctor just said things like, does he share a towel with other family members etc. Only when it became more frequent (as a teen) did he have a colonoscopy done to diagnose it.
Lisa Z 2 years ago
No, it doesn't. Tea has caffeine. You don't give children tea. The "T" stands for toast. Even in adults you don't want to drink a lot of caffeinated tea because it can cause dehydration, but when I'm sick I drink hot tea instead of coffee. If I don't, I get caffeine withdrawal headaches.
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#32
I was in a car accident, it wasn't horrible, but bad enough I went to the ER. My neck was in pain, I was in so much pain I had to hold up my head. Now, back then, I was a practicing massage therapist, I know a thing or two about whip lash. The doctor finally comes into the room and tells me, yup, I've injured my neck, go home and put heat on it. Nothing else, doesn't acknowledge that I'm sitting there holding up my own head with my hands. He turns around to leave and I tell him I'm a massage therapist, can I go back to work? He says “Massage will be great for it, without even looking at me.” BTW, if you are ever in a car accident, don't get a massage within the first 24 to 48 hours. Your body is in shock and doesn't realize the extent of the injuries yet.
#33
When looking for an answer for some behavorial problems I was experiencing, I reached out to a PhD Psychologist for the first time. Of course getting resolution on any mental health issue takes some time. He would have me punch my fists into a pillow at his office. After a couple sessions, he recommended I go home, take a Louisville Slugger and beat a telephone pole every night, and that things would be just fine. This was 1982, and when I questioned these tactics I was told by him that this was the common thought process at the time, but even I knew that this wasn’t right, as it only built anger and resolved nothing. I got away from this quack quickly. Years later I lived in another state. I was reading my hometown online newspaper, and this provider’s name was in a headline. He had been arrested, tried and sentenced to jail for abusing three at risk clients. Two were of age, and one a minor. What a scumbag. Doing a quick google search, I find that he’s in an Iowa jail still at age 79.
Stephen Hutchison 2 years ago
We know he's a patient rapist, but we have no idea whether or not he's an incestuous one.
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#34
I ran for a bus one day and felt a very sharp pain. The ligament that runs from the bottom of your foot by the inside of your ankle was damaged. After weeks of pain, my orthopedist set me up for several weeks of PT. I wasn't able to do the exercises very well, but tried hard. After six weeks, I still felt the same. He scheduled me for surgery. When I woke up, the surgeon said the anterior tibial tendon had been a mess, and he was surprised to hear I'd been walking on it. I told him about the PT, and he blanched, saying I'd likely made it worse. It took 18 months, but I'm back!
Ace 2 years ago
Physiotherapy (known in the US as Physical Therapy). A competent physio would not be giving exercises like this that would make things worse. The poster still doesn't understand what was actually going on though, as they're confusing ligaments and tendons, so there's a bit more to this one than stated.
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#35
We were planning my son’s first trip overseas. He went in to get a flu shot and a tetanus booster, as well as recommendations for how to avoid and treat jet lag and to stay healthy on our trip. My son was ten, and my daughter was eighteen, but still in high school. My daughter went first, and got her flu shot and a prescription for something to help her relax on the flight. (Severe anxiety and fear of flying is not a good combo when you are stuck in a metal tube above the ocean for 17 hours) The doctor was very good with her, and seemed to treat her like an adult. Awesome! My son’s turn came up. At that time Ebola was the dread disease that was freaking everyone out, and my son mentioned his fear of contracting it. The doctor assured him that his chances of contracting Ebola was slim to nil, but he did need to get is booster for tetanus. Then he had the nerve to tell my son that he really didn’t have to have a flu shot, because “no one actually dies from the flu.” Oh HELL NO! My great grandmother died from the flu. My son, the very same child ion that examining room, nearly died from RSV as an infant. Yes, I know RSV and influenza are different viruses. My point is that because RSV damaged his lungs as an infant, he is at high risk of complications from any respiratory virus or illness he contracts. That boy was getting his flu shot, and I did not appreciate this dude telling my son that he didn’t actually need it. As I launched into my tirade about how RSV nearly killed him and we would not be taking any stupid risks, thank you, he quickly backpedaled. “Oh of course, of course. We will make sure he gets his flu shot today.” Damn right he did.
Audrey Martin 1 year ago (edited)
In 1918 The Spanish influenza pandemic killed an estimated 50 to 100 MILLION people world-wide including 45,000 US soldiers and 250,000 British soldiers.. So yes, people do actually die from the flu
#36
About three years ago, I was going through a little bout of depression. Nothing serious, just not quite feeling myself. (I wasn’t actually in for depression — just a regular annual check-up.) At the time, I was on Buspar, a mild antidepressant. I had agreed to see a resident physician, as my regular physician was on an extended leave of absence. Normally, if I am seeing a provider who doesn’t know me, I don’t come right out and tell them I’m a doctor (there’s no need for them to know that and I don’t want them to think I’m looking over their shoulder). My encounter with this resident was no exception.
The resident had took note of my PHQ-9 score, which indicated mild depression. He had taken the time to notice that and notice the antidepressant I was on, which could possibly be increased. Rather than increasing the dosage I was on, however, he recommended I try a different antidepressant and said he wanted to put me on Wellbutrin. The problem is, Wellbutrin is known to be very dangerous in people with epilepsy, which I’ve had for a long time and, although well-controlled in my case, is very clearly visible in my chart.
I had to come right out and have a teaching moment with this resident. Lucky for him I did that, or else he would have got a chiding from his attending.
Dr. Paul
Remi (He/Him) 2 years ago
I had a "fun" encounter with a doctor about anti anxiety meds once. My anxiety and depression were acting up and I needed to see a doctor. Instead of the normal, meaning upping my SNRI the doc decided to take away all my meds, prescribe a SSRI that I'd tried before and that didn't agree with my brain at all and proceeded to get angry when I pointed out that the SSRI in question wasn't good for me as should be noted in my file. He insisted I was wrong. Took me over a month of absolute panic to get a new doctor who actually bothered to read the notes and got me back on the SNRI and upped the dosage enough to get the anxiety attacks and all back under control. That took several months in all and quite frankly after the first doctors appointment I was borderline suicidal because I couldn't function.
Daffydillz~ 2 years ago
When you have that type of reaction to SSRI's it's very serious, they can cause serotonin syndrome and can kill you if the imbalance is too much. I can't take SSRI's either and I've been pretty sick over it before as well. I take them in relation to PTSD and it was horrible when they did that to me. I quadruple check all of my meds now due to issues like this and for several allergies. Because they will mess up every time and they will prescribe you something that you shouldn't/ can't have. I'm glad you made it through safely and be safe out there.
Load More Replies... Teddy Lockwood 2 years ago
While I was in a mental hospital, one of the people there prescribed me antidepressants. Well, fast forward a week or so after I left, tiny twitches started in random muscles. I told my parents about it, but they said that I shouldn't worry. A few days later, muscles are visibly twitching, and my parents agreed to call the person who prescribed it. We were told "you can't see her because you're not in the program anymore." Frustrated, we met with a doctor on the phone, who was completely unhelpful. Over this time, the twitches had become convulsions. So we contacted my primary (who had never listened to me, but I couldn't do anything any about it because I wasn't an adult) and they told me "just take half and then report back to me in a week." That night, the muscle convulsions were so bad that my entire body was violently jerking. At 3am, I was finally brought to the ER where I was diagnosed with mild serotonin syndrome. Even now, I still get muscle twitches like the ones I had then
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
We don't really do annual check ups where I live, unless it's a job requirement, so excuse my ignorance. Is it normal to test mental health as well? I assume that's what a PHQ-9 is. We generally only have a mental health plan done if we ask for it (it's the only way they change meds or refer to a psychologist) or the symptoms are noticed by the doctor.
#37
Years ago I was prescribed Celebrex for inflammation , and after I had it for a week taking the prescribed dose I was feeling ill and started vomiting blood, urinating blood and defecating blood. I argued that I had systematically removed all other medicines by process of deduction it was the Celebrex that was making me lose blood from all my orifices. He yelled and argued “that’s impossible!” Even though from imperial evidence by scientifically removing all other medicines he still argued with me . I had to take it was his order, or he would put in his report I refused treatment! I dropped him and went to another doctor much more focused on my injury, not pills. Today Celebrex has a major warning “May Cause I internal Bleeding and May Cause Death!” But 18 years ago it was pushed like crazy without the warning
Cat Chat 2 years ago
He said he scientifically proved it was the Celebrex by removing all other medications (which shouldn't be done without discussing with a doctor first). But, unless that medication was also removed, all he proved that it was either the Celebrex or just a coincidence that some problem with his body started at the same time as he started the medication. The doctor really should have done something to figure out what the problem was by stopping the med and/or tested further. Certainly not a "just put up with it and keep taking the med, or else" attitude. If a doctor threatened me with putting something like that in my chart I seriously would have asked who I needed to talk to in order let it be known he doesn't take what his patients say into consideration (such as a supervisor and/or state medical board).
Gregg Bender 2 years ago
I very quickly started passing blood when I took Celebrex. At least my doctor took me off of it immediately when I called the office.
#38
I ended up getting a minor second-degree burn on my hand. Just some blisters, nothing too big. However, they started looking red and angry, and I was worried about infection, so I went to the town’s urgent care. It’s a small town, with an old-school doctor who I learned needs a definite refresher in medicine. My burn wasn’t infected, but the doctor told me it would never heal unless I popped the blisters. He said that blisters won’t heal unless you pop them. Not only that, but he said to pop them, I should get a wash cloth and gently rub the blisters until they popped! I was dumbfounded.
Anyone knows you should NEVER pop blisters if you can help it. Popping a blister is not only incredibly painful, but opens you up to infection and often results in longer healing time and scarring. He was serious! I just smiled and nodded and left, telling myself I’d never return and let everyone know to not go there. By the way, my burn healed fine without popping the blisters. Just goes to show you that popping them was a bad idea!
Nilsen 2 years ago
And the skin surrounding the blister is the body 's own bandaid and keeps the bacteria out
Load More Replies... Kelly Scott 2 years ago
I always popped blisters and then let them air heal without a bandaid. They always healed in a couple of days. When I learned I shouldn't pop blisters, I didn't pop the next one. It was painful and took a couple weeks to heal. I'm gonna get flamed here, but in the future, I'm popping those blisters.
Say No to Downvoting 2 years ago
Popping blisters if fine if it’s then undergoing cleaning and sterile dressing. What OP described with the washcloth is the protocol at our Children’s Hospital.
Lisa Z 2 years ago
Yes, as a part of an I&D (irrigation & debridement) but don't tell people it's ok if they're going to then clean it and put on a sterile dressing at home because you know it won't be in a truly sterile situation.
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Audrey Martin 1 year ago
@Marilyn Russell... I once scalded my hand at work ( in a nursing home) I had a quite large blister on one of my fingers. The physiotherapist who was on duty, put lavender oil on the blister. I got a horrible infection and I still have a scar. This was nearly 30 years ago.
Load More Replies... #39
It was at the first visit with a new doctor that I he’d been referred to by a friend. I had recently lost about 70Lbs via proper diet and exercise and was feeling better than I had in years. I mainly wanted to get checked out by the doctor to make sure that everything was ok and that I was no longer pre diabetic as my last dr had said. Prior to the appointment, they had run a standard blood test and I had already reviewed the results. Every one of my cholesterol levels were exactly in the middle of the upper and lower recommended limits. The Dr asks a bunch of questions about my family history and such and then asks if we had ever discussed me going on statins. I reminded him that this was my first appointment with him and questioned the need for statins given my most recent test results and that no one in my family had any health issues like high cholesterol. He then pulled out his phone and said he had an app that would show why I should take statins. He entered all of my info and test results. He said that according to the app, I had a .7% chance of having a coronary event in the next 5 years if I didn’t make any changes. He then proudly announced that he was turning on the statin switch and that according to the app, if I started taking statins, the odds of having a coronary event would go up to .8%. So I asked him again, why would I take the statins when it would increase my odds of having a coronary event. He mumbled some idiotic thing about the app must be wrong so I told him that I wanted to deal with a real doctor on my health needs and not some rote protocol on a phone.
Shark Lady 2 years ago
I was put on statins as I was only just over the threshold for needing them. They changed my personality and made my mental health conditions a lot worse. I stopped taking them and when I spoke to the pharmacist about it, he looked at my notes and said I'm under the threshold so don't need them.
Elizabeth Butler 2 years ago
The pharma reps push the doctors hard to hand out statin prescriptions
#40
Use cornstarch for radiation burns from cancer radiation treatment. Geez. (It doesn't help).
I used colloidal silver cream instead. It worked!!!!
As an aside, during the time of the radiation treatment, I developed very severe hot flashes. Never had them before. While waiting for my treatment I quietly asked another (older) female patient if she experienced the same. She said yes. There were two older male patients in the waiting room as well; they overheard our hot flash discussion. Both weighed in, saying they were having hot flashes too!
The radiation oncology doctor, Dr. Cornstarch, said having hot flashes during radiation treatment isn't caused by the radiation. Hmmmm…. Despite four people saying otherwise?
The hot flashes ended when the radiation treatments were over.
Daggie_style 2 years ago
It's sad but seems like once a procedure gets put into common usage doctors are convinced theyve learned everything they could possibly learn about it. Imagine how much better medicine could be if they learned to listen and continue to communicate these actual findings with other patients and clinicians.
Linda Niemczyk 2 years ago
Registered Radiation Therapist here. Corn starch is used to absorb fluids in between skin folds in the area being treated (think a fold in the belly area). As far as applying it to the irradiated skin, we never did that. Putting ANY kind of lotion, gels or creams INCREASES the radiation reaction as radiation has a “skin saving” proponent. 100% of the radiation exposure is 1 centimeter deep from the surface of the skin. Therefore, applying creams, etc brings that 100% to the surface resulting in more irritation and alters the prescribed dose prescribed by the Oncologist. Don’t do it.
#41
I wasn’t the patient, it was my dad.
We were on a ski trip in another country and my dad was snow boarding on his own as I had split up with him earlier in the day. None of us really know what actually happened, the theory was he caught an edge dropping into a run but he was then found by ski patrol who suspected a spinal injury. They took him down off the mountain into the urgent care clinic at the bottom of the hill. Now knowing they thought he had a spinal injury, nobody ever bothered to actually x-ray or even check his back. I have no idea why. They told him “go see a chiropractor in 3 days” and sent him away. He walked back to our accommodation, by chance I’d gotten back just before he came in. He was in shock and a ton of pain, but he essentially lay down and then couldn’t get back up. There wasn’t a whole lot I could do besides turning the heating on and giving him a drink. I didn’t get the full story at the time, just gathered he had a back injury from snowboarding but I do remember him saying to me “it’ll be fine in a few days when the swelling goes down.” We later got the full story about what he’d been told by the doctor and even though I was only 15 I remember thinking ‘they knew it was his back, potentially a spinal injury, why didn’t they at least x-ray it?’ It just seemed odd to me that he’d been sent back home in his condition, especially when I found out he’d been told to see a chiropractor.
3 Days later he still couldn’t get up and swelling hadn’t gone down. He was just lucky my mum used to work in home care so knew how to help him able to help him. However, he was still in lots of pain and unable to even turn over. My mum and I made the decision to call an ambulance so that he could get checked out. Back at the same urgent care unit, there was a competent doctor who agreed that his back needed an x-ray. He had broken the L4 vertebrae, he was just lucky that it had perfectly broken in half and hadn’t become displaced. Had the wrong move been made or the fracture worse than it was it could have easily become a spinal case. He ended up in the main hospital about 2 hours out for about 5 days, was on the verge of needing surgery and faced a long recovery period.
To this day I still don’t understand why they didn’t check his back at all when they thought he had a spinal injury. But yeah “just go see a chiropractor” it’ll be fine.
Joe Reaves 2 years ago
Yes absolutely. In fact it almost certainly would have led to paralysis since manipulating a broken vertebra is the exact opposite of what you should do. Hopefully, if he had, the chiropractor would have insisted he get an x-ray first to protect himself against a lawsuit but its not likely.
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Jerry Lane 2 years ago
I am a DC (Doctor of Chiropractic) and there is no way an injury like this could be looked at without an x-ray! This whole case (if it was recounted correctly) screams malpractice!
Cat Chat 2 years ago
Just to play devil's advocate on this one, and since the person telling the story wasn't there, did the medical professionals actually say they suspected a spinal injury, or did the dad/child assume that based on rescuers using a spinal board, which is just standard procedure. It's quite common for someone to be brought in on a spinal board without necessarily thinking there is definitely a spinal injury and the doctor determines if X-rays are needed or not based on further evaluation.
#42
When our son was about 6 months old, he stopped gaining weight. Eventually, our pediatrician referred us to a pediatric endocrinologist at a large teaching hospital. We were going there every week. Our son was growing taller but not gaining weight. I think we were stuck on 16 lbs 9 ounces. He was chubby when this started. The good news was he never looked or acted sick. After about two months of weekly visits, the doctor said he didn’t want to see us for 6 weeks.
I asked the doctor, “at what point does this become serious, ….. like… ICU serious?”
He answered, “ummmm, about 6 weeks.”
It was a Friday. We left the office, got on the elevator. That elevator door closed and I went ballistic… “ what kind of stupid f’ing plan is that??? Do nothing for 6 weeks and then put him in ICU!!! STUPID!!! That is BS….. we are not going to do nothing for 6 weeks then put him in ICU. We are going some place else Monday!!!”
That was the dumbest thing a doctor has ever recommended to me.
To finish the story, we left the hospital and went straight to our pediatrician. He had received the report from the pediatric endocrinologists. It concluded that our child wasn’t getting enough to eat. I asked, “what do you think about that Doc?”
He answered, “well…., this isn’t your first child…., your wife ran a daycare…., you are not some 16 year old novice… I think you know how to feed a baby.” (We were 37)
He set us up with a pediatric gastroenterologist Monday at the same teaching hospital. She saw us, wanted to have our son swallow a capsule on a string, with a knife inside, take a sample of intestine, knock him out and pull it back up. I stalled her off about 3 weeks, finally, she said, “we have GOT.. to get some weight… on this kid! Screw balanced diet… PUSH … the… calories!!! You take him home and feed him anything he will eat even if it is nothing but powdered donuts. PUSH!… the calories!”
By now, he is getting really skinny.. still getting taller, still not acting or looking like he feels sick. Took him home, sat him on the kitchen counter top, wife made him a glass of Nestles chocolate milk using whole milk. He chugged the whole glass… made him a second glass… he chugged it too. Right then and there, things started getting better.
Ultimate diagnosis was that he was allergic to all the formulas.
Today, he is 27, grew to 6’3” about 185. Made an engineer. Getting married in about 6 weeks.
After that episode, he was never chubby again. Up to 6 months old, he had stout legs, like a fullback. Afterwards, he was always thin.
kissmychakram 2 years ago
Very similar thing happened to my bff, her daughter wouldn't gain weight, kept getting stomach problems, failure to thrive etc. Kept taking her to doctors. They told her to feed the child butter, ice cream and other high fat stuff. Didn't work. Kid got thinner and was sickly all the time. After several months they (UK, NHS) decided that bff was hurting her child and this was a case of Munchausen by Proxy. She went through hell, having to go to psychiatrists etc. etc. 18 months later, during yet another hospital visit (this time unrelated, adenoids needed yanking) some bright spark decided to look at blood test results. Turned out the kid was allergic to milk products.
AlyDawn 2 years ago
My son had undiagnosed gastroparesis for years... Dr's kept telling me he was just small. Sorry, but 4th percentiles isn't just small, that's failure to thrive. He wouldn't even drink chocolate milk. I wasn't taken seriously about my concerns for a long time, until a pediatric gi said she wanted to take a look, and she found a stomach full of undigested food. From 12 hours before. This. This is what was wrong. Thankfully, a heavy round of some hail-mary stomach motility meditation, aka antibiotics actually seemed to teach his stomach to move again. The radioactive scrambled eggs showed that it was in now in working order!
Nightshade1972 2 years ago
I was born in '72, when soy formula (at least in the US, where I was born) was apparently a lot less common than it is now. Among other health issues, apparently I needed soy formula as an infant because I couldn't tolerate anything else.
majandess 2 years ago
My husband and I aren't small people. So everyone was really worried when our son dropped to the bottom 2% in weight around 5-1/2 months, but seemed like he was perfectly healthy. Alert. Interacting with life. Feeling fine. Just super small. The tests started and no one could figure out what was wrong and why he was so tiny. Six months later, he started gaining weight until he was up around the 50%, and the doctor asked what had changed. He started walking. Apparently, crawling as much as he did really sucked up a lot of energy!
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
Similar thing happened with one of my friend's foster sisters, but it was gluten that was the problem.
Sparkleybright 2 years ago
Do you know why they call them "Teaching Hospitals?" If they called them "Learning Hospitals" no one would dare be admitted.
Bruce Robb 2 years ago
I'm 6'2", but 275. I wish I had your son's metabolism! Actually, in college, I was about 175, but after getting married and settling down to a mostly sedentary working life, is when I started gaining weight. Be sure to tell your son to stay active!
#43
I had a “2nd year psych resident” (their words) recommend I “just go swimming” to combat my severe MDD, dissociative disorder and non-suicidal self injury disorder. I argued with his suggestion (which is like my neurologist suggesting “yoga and a hot bath” for my brain injury- also happened) and he agreed he only suggested it because that was an activity he liked doing. Sounds tame, but this person argued with me for a solid five minutes during a psychiatric evaluation, and raised his voice about it. It was outrageous. The whole conversation made zero sense and when I (calmly) pointed this out, and that he was the one upset about me not wanting to swim (what????) he finally backed down. So unnecessary.
and_a_touch_of_the_’tism 2 years ago
I love swimming, and exercise is good for your health, but what the f**k.
Nightshade1972 2 years ago
I've actually heard of people who go into psychology/psychiatry because you get paid a bucketful of money to zone out while people are complaining to you. You don't even have to care, just act like you do, and they'll never know any different, because hey, you're the doctor, of course whatever you say must be true, amirite?
#44
It wasn’t me, but my dad. When I was a kid, he started having issues with his back. I can’t remember exactly the symptoms, but he was in pain. He went to the doctor. The doctor put a body cast on him., that looked sort of like a plaster vest. Why this was done, is not known as it goes against common sense. After a few hours at home, he told my mother he simply can’t breath as it was stopping his chest from expanding. She cut it off of him. Around three days later, he woke up in the morning paralyzed from the waist down. Turns out he had Giliam Barre syndrome. It could have killed him. He spent years trying to recover, and never really did, before dying from a heart attack. The doctor simply could not diagnose what was going on, and it cost my dad, dearly. The whole thing with the body cast was ridiculous.
Lakota Wolf 2 years ago
Guillain-Barré Syndrome is a very serious condition. It is when the immune system attacks one’s own nerves. (Simplified definition.) My father’s best friend developed it and his condition became quite severe over time. Eventually he had to be in a wheelchair and had limited mobility in his hands, and had trouble speaking. He lived for many years after his diagnosis, but he suffered terribly. Long story short - if a treatment or diagnosis doesn’t “feel” right, get a second opinion on!
Don Lammers 2 years ago
The back issues were not likely related to Guillian-Barre,which usually presents as neuropathy starting symmetrically at extremities (feet, hands, and in my case tongue) and works its way inwards. It can come on very fast, and in some will reach lungs making it hard to breathe. It is treatable but with very expensive IV treatment. It presents a lot like MS (which was my original diagnosis in the emergency room). Mine kept recurring, which changes the diagnosis to CIDP (Chronic Inflammatory Demylenating Polyneropathy). This has some different treatment options, and I was lucky to be near one of the foremost experts on this condition. I am now in remission almost 20 years and have regained 90% of my nerve function. I have back issues as well, but those are not related even though some of the nerve function deficiencies feel similar. It's possible that your dad had undiagnosed back issues as well, by a body cast is not a solution. He should have gotten an MRI at least to check out his bac
Ken Beattie 2 years ago (edited)
One thing to say here, this is someone talking about their father when he was a kid. It's entirely possible that MRIs weren't in use (or at least not in common use) when his Dad had this problem. From what I read they didn't become widely used until the '90s so it's entirely possible this story hails from earlier than that. edit: Oops I misread that. The poster was a kid when his Dad had the pain, not that his Dad was the kid. So unless the OP is 50+ then MRIs would have been in common use. Sorry.
Load More Replies... Lisa Z 2 years ago
More than one Ortho really wanted Celebrex to work for my knee pain after 4 surgeries, even though there's a percentage of crossover reaction with people allergic to sulfa meds. That's me. But can't you live the symptoms? Oh, the tingling mouth, the itching, random hives? Um, no. What else can we do?
Linda Garcia 2 years ago
Went into the hospital with excruciating back pain. Tests confirmed that I had a bacterial infection which had lodged in my spine. Treated me with antibiotics and was sent to rehab to learn how to walk again after 6 weeks in the hospital. Was wearing a half body cast to shore up my spine and rehab kept trying to get me to turn over so that I could do up this cast by myself. When I stated that I couldn't turn over, they got very dismissive and I heard them saying that "she doesn't even want to try". Got another doctor to do an MRI which showed that in the 6 weeks that I had spent in the hospital, the bacteria (osteomyelitis) had been eating my spine and I had 9 fractures. Was sent to another hospital for emergency surgery the next day and spent two years recovering from that surgery.
Robin Roper 2 years ago
In general, autoimmune diseases, including Guillain-Barré syndrome are difficult to diagnose and treat. Go to an Integrative Functional Doctor if you aren't well and traditional doctors can't find the reason. In the US, insurance will not cover Integrative Functional care, so it costs a ton, but cal also save your life.
#45
I am a single woman, living alone, and was at the time of this incident. I had severe tendinitis in both elbows. I went to an orthopedic doctor who gave me steroid injections in both elbows. Talk about pain! After two rounds of steroid injections, which only helped temporarily, he said the next thing to do would be to put casts on both of my arms to keep my elbows immobilized! I told him I lived alone, and there is no way I could have casts on both my arms and try to continue my life. I ended up going to physical therapy which resolved my tendinitis about 85%. It still flares up on occasion after 20 years. But living alone, working, with casts on both arms? I don’t think so.
Shark Lady 2 years ago
My friend broke both her arms and when her mum was at work she had to come to our house because she couldn't even go to the toilet on her own and to begin with she couldn't feed herself.
Lynn Morello 2 years ago
Steroid injections, Yup, they will tell you that they are the CURE ALL for Bursitis and other aches and pains. What they DON'T tell you, is that they DON'T always work, some work but not for any length of time, And very few, rarely work.
Audrey Martin 1 year ago (edited)
I've lost count of the number of steroid injections I've had. I have osteoarthritis in multiple joints and degenerative disc disease in my spine (naturally) I used to be 5' 3" now I'm only 5' The injections are excruciatingly painful, especially the ones I've had in my cervical spine ( on two occasions) the first time it worked for 13 years the second time...all that pain for nothing
Load More Replies... Lisa Z 2 years ago
I have a high pain tolerance. I was getting my knee injected, which didn't even make me flinch, and we decided to try the steroid and SynVisc in my hand/thumb. Like the elbow, it's a large amount of fluid in a small space. I didn't realize I was screaming at first. I thought it was someone else. I was embarrassed and shoved my other hand into my mouth to stifle it. The last injection there we did during my rotator cuff surgery so I would be under anesthesia.
#46
I used to get pretty regular sinus infections when I lived in Seattle, but they were in my ethmoid sinuses, so they didn't show up on an X-ray. I got them so often that I could just tell the difference and also knew the prescription necessary to stop the progression of a really awful illness. Because I changed jobs, I had new health care and got an appointment with a new doc. I was in my early thirties, and this was 35 years ago. I explained my sinus history to the new doc, he listened, and then he looked at my hands. I was doing my nails then and had nail polish on. “You have nice nails" the doc said. “ I don't think you're sick..you're just very high strung. “. He told me to go home and read a book..relax. (As I joked to a friend later, he hadn't seen high strung..yet.). I left that office, called my old doc and asked to see him as a private pay patient, got my prescription for antibiotics, and slowly got well. And those sinus infections? I moved to a drier climate, and no one smokes in public (or the office) anymore.
Natasha Tomes 2 years ago
I moved to lower mainland BC, Canada. Got sinus infections about every six weeks. Flonase is a wonderful thing! Glad it's available on the shelf. So many Dr's though telling me to come back after I'd been sick for seven days to make sure it wasn't a virus. So frustrating
Delta Dawn 2 years ago (edited)
Chronic sinus infections are all the rage in Seattle. Get a Navage from Amazon or wherever, you won’t regret it.
#47
I was 8.5 months pregnant with my third child and knew when I was in labor. Went to the hospital and the said “nope, you go home and take a hot bath.” Called the dr 2 hours later. I AM in labor. No, just relax. Called again 2 hours later. Go to the hospital and they will give you something to relax you. I went to the hospital and the Dr *just* got there in time to deliver her!
Zeta Thompson 2 years ago
My ob/gyn had eight women in delivery at once. He went to home to take a nap. I arrived in the interim. The nurse had been told to call him if anyone else went into labor. She decided to wait even though I had a kid before and I was dilated to close to 9. My daughter was delivered by a Dr. who happened to be passing by because the head nurse was out of the room calling the ob now. I felt sorry for my Dr. He looked so sadly at my daughter because he didn't get to deliver her and the nurse called him in anyway so he didn't get to sleep even.
Jeanie 2 years ago
My first child the nurse delayed calling the doctor because they couldn't get my iv in, when my water burst, covering her in head to toe amniotic fluid and baby poop, they called the on call doc to rush in while yelling at me not to push. I went from 1 cm to 10 in under an hour. My second had to be induced. The nurses left for a few hours, only coming back to me when I called begging for pain meds. The training nurse checked me, didn't know what she was doing and basically stripped my membranes causing my daughter to start immediately coming out, head nurse had to hold my baby's head in place while panic dialing my doctor also demanding I not push, I told her that I couldn't help it and the on-call doctor literally made it in just in time to catch. Both deliveries at the same hospital, and my ob was furious the first time. He walked in an all 20 people went silent. They put me through more than two hours of trying to get the iv back in because a nurse pulled it.
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Stephen Hutchison 2 years ago
If I were female in this situation and that was the doctor I'd be saying "Nope. I want an non-idiot who can listen to a patient, not this quack."
#48
have two: Aged about 2, my brother swallowed a small plastic figure. The Dr told my parents to feed him cottonwool sandwiches. It would wrap around the figure in his stomach, preventing damage to the stomach lining. Aged about 15, my story concerns a nurse, but still a medical professional… I had broken a bone in my foot, so was given crutches to get around. Nurse: …and don't go up and down any stairs. Me: A lot of my lessons are up stairs! Nurse: Then the school will just have to arrange it so they're not. I learned how to navigate stairs on crutches…
Marilyn Russell 2 years ago
Cotton wool sandwiches? What the actual hell? I’m thinking if they actually tried to do such a thing to the poor child, it might cause an intestinal blockage.
Shark Lady 2 years ago
At my school if you were on crutches you and a friend would be allowed to leave lessons a few minutes early so you could get to your class safely.
Jill Bussey 2 years ago
At the age of 13 I had both feet in plaster up to the knee for a period of 12 weeks. Not only did I navigate the stairs at school and home, but also had to walk to school because the pre-arranged ride didn't turn up.
Susan Reid Smith 2 years ago
I could barely manage crutches when I had a broken ankle. The only stairs I needed to navigate were to my front door and I traveled those on my hands, rear, and good foot.
Audrey Martin 1 year ago
When I crushed my foot, my dog accidentally knocked me over, so I scooted around on our computer chair, much safer. I also went up and down stairs on my backside, also much safer.🤣
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Anna Drever 2 years ago
When I broke my ankle 20 years ago I was made to practice going up and down stairs, under medical supervision at the hospital, with my crutches because sometimes having to go up or down is a normal part of life.
CJ Kelly 2 years ago
Could be the elevator was just at an inconvenient distance. Sometimes you have to go 2-3 times the distance because of zig-zagging ramps and elevator location. Maybe navigating the stairs was simpler (it's really not that difficult).
Load More Replies... Robin Roper 2 years ago
ADA would require the school to reasonable accommodations - that could include moving classes for a student who can't use the stairs if there is no elevator.
CJ Kelly 2 years ago
Moving classes? Seriously? You suggest a professor, his supplies, and 15+ students find a more convenient vacant classroom? They would probably arrange for audio or video recording to be available for the injured student (or something similar).
Load More Replies... #49
My family has been doctoring all my life, unfortunately. Trying to think of a stupidest thing is really hard. I think I have one, though. My wife has super painful conditions like a growing cyst in her spine that could result in quadriplegia and stuff like that. She got a sleep study done because she wasn’t sleeping well, and the study found that she was being woken up 23 times an hour by pain. The sleep doc recommended a pain management doc. This pain management doc took one quick glance at what the sleep doc said and then said “No. I don’t believe you are in pain. I think you just have insomnia. I don’t believe these results. They are fake.” He then refused to do anything related to managing her pain. Does this dude think the sleep doc just lets her patients go in and write their own sleep study results? EDIT: Sorry. My wife corrected me on a point. He did not recommend melatonin. He recommended injections, which she had tried at one point and it made things way way way way worse for a while. He provided nothing to actually help her sleep.
Lena Flising 2 years ago
Might be of the old school that think women are just imagining pain, that one can't be in as much pain as some describe they are.
Annita Stephanou 2 years ago
I have very high pain tolerance (F) and my old doc (M) was always very concerned about me because every time I visited him, because I felt uncomfortable, he knew that I was about one step before getting hospitalized. He used to joke that I would die and won't even know it. It took two years for my current doc, to understand that. I would visit him saying I fell uncomfortable for this and this reason and at the beginning he would think that I just wanted sick leave, which he wouldn't give me on principle. He slowly realized that my body just didn't interpret pain rightly and he adjusted. I think it is a well known fact nowadays that women have higher pain threshold, or at least I hope so.
Load More Replies... Marilyn Russell 2 years ago
Goodness - what an idiot. Gee, I wonder why she wasn’t able to get a good night’s rest? Maybe chronic pain?
#50
When I had my first knee replacement, the orthopedist told me, quite adamantly, to scrub the incision hard with a rough washcloth and put Betadine on it. Not knowing any better, I followed the instructions. I got an infection in the incision and cellulitis over most of my lower leg. It didn't heal completely for about 3.5 months. My leg was so swollen I couldn't get a pair of pants on. Every time I saw his P.A., she reinforced the instructions and asked me if I was really doing it, and at one point told me I should be scrubbing harder. So time came for me to replace the other knee 8 months later. I went back to the same doc for a variety of reasons. Remember I didn't know yet why I had such hard time healing the first time, and was sure I had done something wrong. So after I got home from the second surgery, the hospital sent a nurse around to check on me. She told me No!! Don't scrub it and don't put Betadine on it. Betadine kills newly forming skin cells, and then you're scrubbing them away. Well, duh! That explained everything. I felt kind of dumb, but that was what the doc told me to do! I stopped with the scrubbing and Betadine and my knee healed up beautifully. At my follow- up visit, the P.A. asked me if I was following the protocol. I lied like a rug, and even went so far as to paint Betadine along the sides of the incision, but not on it. You may wonder why I didn't tell the doc and his P.A. to go stick their heads in a bucket of betadine and then scrub hard, but I just didn't have it in me to fight with these otherwise nice people. Thats just the way I am, and my knees turned out great.
Cathy G 2 years ago
Three things - Same Doctor. Years ago. 1.After giving birth to five children in four years (including full-term twins), my mother spent 3 out of 4 weeks every month in bed for over a decade with really sever bleeding. Doctor P. refused to schedule her hysterectomy until she was post-menopausal. 2. Mom hadn't passed any food for 2 weeks. Dr. P. told her to use an enema and to call him if she still hadn't passed any food by the time he returned from his 2-week vacation. A week later, she threw up a meal she eaten two days before, completely undigested. A surgeon ordered mom to the hospital. It took 3 weeks to drain the contents from her stomach and intestines so that they could remove the baseball sized tumor blocking her lower intestine. 3, A few years later, Dr. P told my sister she had hypothyroidism, but not to call him until she had trouble swallowing.
H M 2 years ago
Partner with lung infection went up to ER with breathing difficulties. After doc 1 did ECGs, all good, new team burst in, literally shoved him out of the way and bundled partner off to other hospital. I arrive and he'd been booked in for bypass surgery due to the 2 "heart attacks". Troponin tests were negative. Later, after escaping and after complaining chief of hospital said he was sure "sooner or later" troponin test would be positive and there was no evidence of a lung infection. Partner was being treated by specialist at that same hospital. GP did another ecg, and looked at notes, no evidence of heart attack he said. Those notes were then "lost". I worked at the DHB in IT earlier and I can tell you you cannot lose notes, they're on the server and the backups and no doctors are allowed to delete anything. Ever. The "heart attacks" remained on his file forever as once a chief says so, despite evidence to the contrary, it remains.
Must Be Bored Again 2 years ago
I always told my patients, when they were telling the stupid things other medical providers would do or say, I would tell them to report it for someone else who would come after them and be subjected to the same treatment if something wasn't done. We had a very good patient advocate office.
mishaunique 2 years ago
I was having severe stomach pains and my doctor told me to eat a bowl of cereal every night. After another 3 months of pain, I finally got a second opinion. It's was cancer. I had even asked her about it, but nope - eat cereal. So a year into cancer and she never said anything about it so I switched doctors thankfully. Now I have a great team looking after me. Cereal.. yeah...
Cathy G 2 years ago
I belong to a Los Angeles medical practice ("MP") that has 1 of its doctors on staff as a consultant at the local hospital. 2015, I had emergency gallbladder surgery; the MP MD added a dx of diabetes--without a single blood test. Went to the same ER a few years later, the same MP MD added a dx of 3d stage kidney disease secondary to diabetes--again no tests, just his wild imagination. A few years ago, another ER visit, a new MP MD, who decided I had the world's first case of non-surgical dumping syndrome after not eating for 12 hours. Clue: dumping syndrome occurs when undigested food is dumped from your stomach into your small intestine. You don't have any food in your stomach if you haven't eaten in 12 hours. Due to the regularity of additional unsubstantiated diagnoses with every ER visit, I figure insurance fraud, Medicare fraud and/or incompetence.
Ken Beattie 2 years ago
Not sure about the wound scrubbing, but it sounds like they're confusing betadine and bleach here. Betadine is still recommended (at least as of 2017) and shouldn't kill newly forming skin cells. Bleach on the other does do that, and is not recommended for treating wounds. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1743919117305368
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What do you think ?
Kathryn Donovan 2 years ago
Wow! As an RN with 40+ years of experience, I am flabbergasted by these stories! All I can say is: remember, somebody graduated at the bottom of their med school class!
tee-lena 2 years ago
I'm on the other side, disabled for 20 plus years. Sadly I'm not surprised at these at all. I've got my own horror stories too lengthy to write. It sucks
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Noname 2 years ago
Just because you CAN be a doctor (or other medical professional) doesn't mean you SHOULD become one.
Little Wonder 2 years ago
I've told this story before, here even I think, but it's absolute Terrible Doctor Gold, so here we go again! I had an incredibly painful back, could barely walk, couldn't even breathe in deep without it being agony. The first doctor I saw told me to take panadol (over the counter pain killers) and have a baby to take my mind off myself. The problem wasn't the almost slipped disc the second opinion discovered, it was that I was too self absorbed... never saw her again, obviously.
Valaun 2 years ago
In her early 30s , my wife because pregnant. Around her 4th-5th month she noticed a lump in her breast, which she brought up to her OBGYN (M), who told her it was a swollen milk duct. Not satisfied with the OBs answer, she brought it up to the doctors PA (F), who says the same thing. As the pregnancy progressed, the lump did as well. And my wife would continue to bring it up (ca. 2nd visit). She stopped after the PA got rude with her for asking again. 2 months after giving birth, she wanted to see a surgeon about getting it removed. As it wasn't hurting her, having been told many times it's harmless, and thinking about $, I pushed her to wait. She didn't want to, so we went. It turned out to be a fast growing, aggressive cancer. Had she listened to the doctors (or me), she likely would had died by waiting. The lessons are 1- own your healthcare. Doctors can be honestly wrong and it can kill you. 2-support your spouse, especially in healthcare. 3- be stubborn. You know you best.
Michael Largey 2 years ago (edited)
When I was a kid, my father went to his doctor about severe headaches he was having. The doctor told him it was just stress, and sent him home. Five days later my dad died of a brain aneurism. We found out that the doctor didn't test for that because it would have delayed the start of his fishing trip.
DC 2 years ago
Damned, that's not only sad, it's the same stuff that makes me angry. I can't join in on this, but that is, by pure luck and only luck. I'm sorry to read such a thing, and hope you sued the stupidity out of every cell said doctor is composed of!
Load More Replies...
Kathy Wilbourne 2 years ago
My Dad was a doctor, a very good one who his patients adored. He tauht me to be proactive about my health, and not to simply assume that doctors know everything. I was always getting adverse reactions from medication, so ,he was reluctant to give me anything he wasn't sure I .could safely take. He taught me to look up everything I was prescribed in the PDR, which attempts to all available informati on about every drug on the market. (Recently I looked up a couple of drugs whose side effects I was very familiar with, and was shocked to see that death was no longer listed, though it had been before. That made no sense and reduced my trust in the PDR.) He taught me to listen to my body and walk away from any doctor who didn't take me seriously. I feel really fortunate.
Marilyn Russell 2 years ago
Yes, people should be their own health advocates but oftentimes they are just too lazy to be proactive. It’s too much work to take better care of themselves. It’s easier to just trust the doctor and fill a prescription.
Load More Replies...
Maisey Myles 2 years ago
In college I discovered I had an allergy to chalk dust. I break out in hives. Big red welts -sometimes they itched and sometimes not. This day I broke out with the non itchy kind and didn't notice the splotches. I had a Dr appt after class and when the doc saw me he immediately took me into his office to tell me I had the worst case of advanced syphilis he'd ever seen! I explained it was an allergic reaction but he didn't believe me. A few days later I get a call from the Health Department ordering me to come in for testing. They couldn't believe that doctor was so stupid.
Veronica Jean 2 years ago
I had an obvious hormone disorder. Wildly varying periods...nothing for months, then twice in the same month. No weight loss despite 5x week intense exercise and calories deficit. 29 years old. I TOLD the doc something was wrong. Doc said "You're fine. This is all normal for a girl your age". Spoiler alert: it isn't. Had to order my own blood test. Yup! Hormone disorder, bad. Need HRT. Thanks doc!
Saralynn Lessord 2 years ago
My teen daughter was complaining about a stiff neck and headache. The istacare provider said she " slept funny" and gave her a Toradol shot. I knew this wasn't a correct diagnosis and called her pediatrician who said to come right in. My daughter had a streptococcus infection without the sore throat ( yet) which requires antibiotics. The instacare provider didn't even test her for it. This was pre- covid .
Marilyn Russell 2 years ago
Gosh - I thought you were going to say she had meningitis.
Load More Replies... MurderMittens 2 years ago
I had one gastroenterologist and one endocrinologist decided that i needed a breast exam to go along with the regular exams. I was too young to know better or report them.
Kathryn Donovan 2 years ago
Wow! As an RN with 40+ years of experience, I am flabbergasted by these stories! All I can say is: remember, somebody graduated at the bottom of their med school class!
tee-lena 2 years ago
I'm on the other side, disabled for 20 plus years. Sadly I'm not surprised at these at all. I've got my own horror stories too lengthy to write. It sucks
Load More Replies... Noname 2 years ago
Just because you CAN be a doctor (or other medical professional) doesn't mean you SHOULD become one.
Little Wonder 2 years ago
I've told this story before, here even I think, but it's absolute Terrible Doctor Gold, so here we go again! I had an incredibly painful back, could barely walk, couldn't even breathe in deep without it being agony. The first doctor I saw told me to take panadol (over the counter pain killers) and have a baby to take my mind off myself. The problem wasn't the almost slipped disc the second opinion discovered, it was that I was too self absorbed... never saw her again, obviously.
Valaun 2 years ago
In her early 30s , my wife because pregnant. Around her 4th-5th month she noticed a lump in her breast, which she brought up to her OBGYN (M), who told her it was a swollen milk duct. Not satisfied with the OBs answer, she brought it up to the doctors PA (F), who says the same thing. As the pregnancy progressed, the lump did as well. And my wife would continue to bring it up (ca. 2nd visit). She stopped after the PA got rude with her for asking again. 2 months after giving birth, she wanted to see a surgeon about getting it removed. As it wasn't hurting her, having been told many times it's harmless, and thinking about $, I pushed her to wait. She didn't want to, so we went. It turned out to be a fast growing, aggressive cancer. Had she listened to the doctors (or me), she likely would had died by waiting. The lessons are 1- own your healthcare. Doctors can be honestly wrong and it can kill you. 2-support your spouse, especially in healthcare. 3- be stubborn. You know you best.
Michael Largey 2 years ago (edited)
When I was a kid, my father went to his doctor about severe headaches he was having. The doctor told him it was just stress, and sent him home. Five days later my dad died of a brain aneurism. We found out that the doctor didn't test for that because it would have delayed the start of his fishing trip.
DC 2 years ago
Damned, that's not only sad, it's the same stuff that makes me angry. I can't join in on this, but that is, by pure luck and only luck. I'm sorry to read such a thing, and hope you sued the stupidity out of every cell said doctor is composed of!
Load More Replies... Kathy Wilbourne 2 years ago
My Dad was a doctor, a very good one who his patients adored. He tauht me to be proactive about my health, and not to simply assume that doctors know everything. I was always getting adverse reactions from medication, so ,he was reluctant to give me anything he wasn't sure I .could safely take. He taught me to look up everything I was prescribed in the PDR, which attempts to all available informati on about every drug on the market. (Recently I looked up a couple of drugs whose side effects I was very familiar with, and was shocked to see that death was no longer listed, though it had been before. That made no sense and reduced my trust in the PDR.) He taught me to listen to my body and walk away from any doctor who didn't take me seriously. I feel really fortunate.
Marilyn Russell 2 years ago
Yes, people should be their own health advocates but oftentimes they are just too lazy to be proactive. It’s too much work to take better care of themselves. It’s easier to just trust the doctor and fill a prescription.
Load More Replies... Maisey Myles 2 years ago
In college I discovered I had an allergy to chalk dust. I break out in hives. Big red welts -sometimes they itched and sometimes not. This day I broke out with the non itchy kind and didn't notice the splotches. I had a Dr appt after class and when the doc saw me he immediately took me into his office to tell me I had the worst case of advanced syphilis he'd ever seen! I explained it was an allergic reaction but he didn't believe me. A few days later I get a call from the Health Department ordering me to come in for testing. They couldn't believe that doctor was so stupid.
Veronica Jean 2 years ago
I had an obvious hormone disorder. Wildly varying periods...nothing for months, then twice in the same month. No weight loss despite 5x week intense exercise and calories deficit. 29 years old. I TOLD the doc something was wrong. Doc said "You're fine. This is all normal for a girl your age". Spoiler alert: it isn't. Had to order my own blood test. Yup! Hormone disorder, bad. Need HRT. Thanks doc!
Saralynn Lessord 2 years ago
My teen daughter was complaining about a stiff neck and headache. The istacare provider said she " slept funny" and gave her a Toradol shot. I knew this wasn't a correct diagnosis and called her pediatrician who said to come right in. My daughter had a streptococcus infection without the sore throat ( yet) which requires antibiotics. The instacare provider didn't even test her for it. This was pre- covid .
Marilyn Russell 2 years ago
Gosh - I thought you were going to say she had meningitis.
Load More Replies... MurderMittens 2 years ago
I had one gastroenterologist and one endocrinologist decided that i needed a breast exam to go along with the regular exams. I was too young to know better or report them.
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