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According to a report released by the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute Center for Diagnostic Excellence, an estimated 371,000 patients die, and 424,000 are permanently disabled each year because they are incorrectly diagnosed across a range of care settings.
Overall, the paper suggests medical providers misdiagnose diseases roughly 11% of the time. However, it's important to highlight that different conditions are missed at different rates. For example, only 1.5% of heart attacks are misdiagnosed, but spinal abscesses are wrongly identified 62% of the time.
To hear from the people themselves, TikToker @mrsedwardsplusafew asked her followers who have gone through something similar to share their experiences. Continue scrolling to read about them and don't miss the conversation we had with Dr. Iris Gorfinkel!
Image credits: mrsedwardsplusafew
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
My mum took my older brother to the doctor and instead of looking at him he diagnosed her with ‘mother’s paranoia’. It was in fact neuroblastoma cancer and I’m now the oldest sibling
It's easy to blame the specialists in these cases, and while they can definitely be at fault, it's important to understand that doctors, nurses, and the rest of the staff are but a chain in a much larger system that is healthcare.
Iris Gorfinkel, M.D. is a general practitioner, medical researcher, and the founder of PrimeHealth Family Practice and Clinical Research in Toronto, Ontario.
She told Bored Panda, "Misdiagnosing starts with patients being interrupted by their doctors within 18 seconds. That's on average. Mistakes happen because we're so often rushed and take shortcuts.
"Some of those shortcuts happen based on how frequently we see a problem in clinical practice. For example, if someone comes in and they say, 'It burns when I urinate.' Yes, it could be a urinary tract infection, but it could also be a sexually transmitted infection like chlamydia or gonorrhea, and that needs a separate test, not just a urine culture," Gorfinkel explained.
"So, landing on a diagnosis after the first symptom we hear, and not listening to the whole story, is risky."
RELATED:
#2
Got told last week that I have Feminine Hysteria. Apparently we’re living in 1925, not 2025
#3
My beautiful 14 year old daughter, Phoebe, was diagnosed with migraine in A&E on 7th Feb 25, discharged still in pain and died in our car 1/2 hour later 💔 She had a brain tumour
Another big problem, which Gorfinkel believes is also accelerated by AI, is that doctors aren't personally connecting enough with their patients.
"Medicine isn't just a pill. It's very much the person who's providing it. It's that interaction," she highlighted.
"I think the bottom line is patients shouldn't be afraid to ask more questions, to get more answers, even if it means challenging their doctor. And if that doctor should act angry or defensively, that by itself needs to be addressed."
#4
I took my 1 day old to A&E and I was told I was a overprotective new mum, and my daughters "movements" were normal reflexes for a newborn. turns out she was having multiple seizures every few seconds and had brain damage from lack of oxygen at birth. I refused to leave, until someone took me seriously though!
#5
diagnosed with being FAT when I was dislocating my knee in constant pain, turns out I had Ehlers danlos syndrome
Howl's sleeping castle 7 months ago (edited)
My MIL's doctor kept telling her that her back pain is because of weight for 2 years. Every time the only advice she received was to loose weight. One night the pain became unbearable so we took her to emergency. Turned out to be breast cancer which had spread all over and had even fractured the spine at 3 places. All the kids were so angry they wanted to vandalise the doctor's clinic. The elders had to talk them out of it.
Elio 7 months ago
I mean how harshly does where you live punish vandalism and can they prove it was you. Just saying I don't even know you or your MIL but I could go for some vandalism. Or maybe a medical malpractice lawsuit.
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WayoftheStarPrincess 7 months ago
I was offered gastric bypass for my chronic depression. Like, yeah I'm fat and it can absolutely make your mood less stable and stuff, but it's also been there since way before I was even slightly above average weight. Same last year, my legs stopped working, couldn't walk from my bed to the next room without sitting down to rest them at least two times. Had to plan everything around how to get to my goal while maximising amounts of places to sit along the way. Weight absolutely makes walking harder, but it sure as f**k doesn't make it impossible to walk from one day to another. (Was an hyper active thyroid, they finally tested for it like 3 months after my legs stopped working and I'd lost 50kg over the course of three weeks. I had to get thin for them to take any other blood work than for diabetes... And surprise, still couldn't walk.) I'm on meds now and on the mend, but I'm still made they couldn't check my thyroid once when they tested for diabetes at least 10...
Nils Skirnir 7 months ago
EDS, especially the type that presents as osteoarthritis is tough to diagnose. But, a 30 minute exam and family history could get doctor on the right path.
Lola July 7 months ago
I was on a pain plan because of my degenerative arthritic hip and degenerative disc's. Unfortunately my back started spasming and I was in excruciating pain so I went to urgent care. I knew I would not receive any pain medication, I was hoping for a muscle relaxant. When the Dr entered the room she assumed I was seeking D***s as in Narcotics for pain. She scolded me saying " We know you're on these pain meds, so don't even think you're getting additional pain meds!" She might as well shouted Druggie Druggie! I said will you let me put on a gown and please just take a quick look at my back? SllDr "Fine!" One look and she immediately apologized. She could see the spasms they were so pronounced!
Callie27 7 months ago
Gworsh, my sister dislocated her knee, and my step-mom said it was because she's fat
Insignificant loser 7 months ago
Don't call me out like that gawhhh, it hurt fr fr T0T
Load More Replies...Since the problems are so multifaceted, the potential solution list is also very nuanced. "One thing that would help is making sure that we're communicating with the healthcare workers on the team," Gorfinkel said.
"Whether it's a specialist or a physiotherapist, we just want to make sure that their understanding and our understanding [of a particular case] match.
"Open charting for patients is one of the ways that makes a difference. It allows patients to see their records, follow them, and be proactive in their care."
This practice engages us, and we care more as a result.
#6
DIPG brain tumour & a stroke = attention seeking 7 year old child
Alexia 7 months ago
This one is tragic. I know a case of a 8 y.o. girl who had very low appetite and low energy. "She's just spoiled" the doctor said. As the mother insisted to convince her to eat, the girl replied: "Mommy, you don't understand me..." She was later diagnosed with brain tumor (glioblastoma).
Another thing worth mentioning is that difficult, uncommon diagnoses are often delayed (for a variety of reasons). Because of this, Gorfinkel believes that it's important for clinicians to adapt and slow down their thinking as well.
"If the pieces of the puzzle don't fit, patients shouldn't be afraid to say, 'Wait a second, what about this symptom that doesn't quite fit the picture?' As I mentioned, having the sense that you've been heard by itself is important medicine.
"Yes, it's being threatened by AI, but it certainly hasn't been lost."
#8
My dad suffered a head injury and then constant headaches for 6 weeks. He went to the gp 5 times in them 6 weeks. The gp told him he was suffering from miagraine or concussion. My dad infact had a blood clot the size of a tomato on the left side of his brain. Was only rushed to hospital on blue lights when he stopped walking and talking. Very traumatic very distressing still not over it
Huddo's sister 7 months ago (edited)
My mum had a serious migraine for a few days and went to the hospital where she was told there was nothing unusual and sent her home. Later found out it was a TIA (minor stroke).
#9
34 weeks pregnant vomiting blood hospital said 4 times it’s normal and blood is from vomiting so much. Appendix burst had 1 hour to operate before me and the baby died🙃 tried to sue
Rachel Pelz 7 months ago
What is the emoji suposed to mean? I'd think "crazily funny" but obviously "very sad"?
We, the patients, mustn't forget that we also bear responsibility and need to actively participate in our treatment.
"When things do not work out after you've been given a medicine, a therapy, or advice, be sure to follow up," Gorfinkel said. "If there's a feeling that you just aren't better, or if there are unanswered questions, asking them is really important.
"People with family doctors actually live longer because they have one conductor who sees the big picture instead of multiple specialists trying to [glue together the pieces]," she added.
#10
"it's just a period" "it's normal to bleed after delivery" "it's just a bit of cramping" - my placenta was left in
Yayheterogeneity 7 months ago
No, that would be so neglectful I cannot believe that. It's standard procedure and belongs to the birthing process. They could not have missed that...
#11
Referred to gynae for severe tummy pain, told me there was nothing wrong I was just fat. Turned out to be an ovarian cyst that was 13cm in diameter and was squishing all my other organs
Margaret H 7 months ago
They told me my ovarian cyst (the size of a football) was constipation.
Gorfinkel acknowledges that doctors' attitude also plays a role in these cases. "I think misdiagnosis frequently comes from overconfidence, and there's nothing more humbling than the practice of medicine," she said. "The best doctors know that and aren't afraid of eating humble pie when it's served."
This means that we want doctors to be experienced, but at the same time, we should respect those who can admit when they're not certain or when they lack experience in treating a certain problem. "These are physicians who keep overconfidence in check and know that hubris is the bedfellow of misdiagnosis," Gorfinkel explained.
#12
Diagnosed with extreme morning sickness in pregnancy as a lesbian on the pill with multiple negative test results
#13
Told by male docs for a year that my nonstop period was Menapause and I "just have to get used to it". Was eventually diagnosed by female doc as stage 2 Uterine Cancer. Radical Hysterectomy required
whodunnitfan2013 7 months ago
When I was 15, my GYN at the time refused to test for endometriosis, in order to preserve my fertility. By the time I found a doc who actually cared, my endometriosis was so bad, I had to have a hysterectomy at 19. Task failed successfully.
The 2024 Ipsos Global Trustworthiness Index revealed that doctors and scientists are considered the world's most trustworthy professions.
Across 28 countries from around the world that took part, doctors came in first with an average of 58% of the global population claiming they have full confidence in them.
It's unreasonable to expect that the 11% that we mentioned in the intro can be brought down to 0. But that doesn't mean we can't try.
#14
"it's normal to gain 5 stone in 6 months" then told me to stop eating crisps.... it was a tumor
#15
“You just have covid” - my body was in fact shutting down from severe preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome where me and UNborn baby were told we have 12 hours to live…MAX
#16
My mum when to a private neurologist who told her nothing was wrong with her and disregarded her symptoms.. turns out she has a brain tumour amongst other issues.. he apologised and refunded her
#17
my grandad went to the doctors as he was slurring his words/ couldn't walk properly just very ill they told him ' oh it's just your diabetes get your blood sugar up' 2 days later and he ended up spending 6 months in hospital over having an abcess infection on his spine and has to get a bit of bone near his neck taken out and almost died , the hospital also tried discharging him after a week being there as they thought he was just dehydrated , luckily we refused to take him home and then they properly did tests and everything
SkyyCaramba 7 months ago
as someone who occasionally gets low blood sugar, I can tell the difference between low blood sugar and something worse. the doctors need to do better.
#18
About 17 years ago my gran found lumps, doctor told her it was shingles, after a few months of being in utter agony they realised she had bone cancer and that it was eating away her rib cage and spine, she had radiation to try and reduce the tumours. She passed away around 6 months later
#19
I kept collapsing, the doctors said it was anemia. Collapsed at work and was rushed into hospital. I HAVE A HEART CONDITION AND COULDVE DIED
#20
Had a really bad kidney stone. I was [urinating] blood as dark as black ink. The doctor told me it was just blood from my periods
Royal Stray 7 months ago
Even if that had been period blood something would have been seriously wrong
#21
I was misdiagnosed with arthritis, and then fibromyalgia. I have ehlers danlos syndrome. They just assumed joint pain meant arthritis
Ahnjunwan 7 months ago
To be fair, EDS is not very common and arthritis is far mor likely. Also, the skin is not allways hyperelastic, type 6 for example has skin that looks somewhat wobbly but otherwise normal. Fibromyalgia is sadly often a diagnosis people get when doctors do not find something else.
#22
my intracranial pressure was so high i woke up blind in one eye…went to the hospital and they said it was ANXIETY and sent me home…ended up having brain surgery 3 months later
#23
bacterial meningitis as just a headache
Nadine Debard 7 months ago
But it's not "any headache", it's quite specific. When I have a strange headache the doctor checks my neck each time. And I have migraine, so they could dismiss the headache easily.
#24
told i was having anxiety attacks in a&e and to leave me be… 2 hours later i was intubated in icu and diagnosed with epilepsy
Royal Stray 7 months ago
What makes this even worse is that anxiety attack isn't even a medical term. So the doctor/ nurse clearly just wanted to get rid of you
#25
my daughter had chicken pox and was unable to walk, talk, or wee and had a temp of 40. she lost all feeling from waist down. I took her to a&e 3 times. was told it was flu
Charl Marx 7 months ago
My daughter had a severe case of chickenpox as an almost 2 year old. She was in hospital for 6 days with IV antibiotics, pain killers and fluids. She had horrible febrile convulsions too, and her eyes just kind of sank into her face. I'm still mentally scarred from it despite her being a healthy 8yo now. I vowed if I ever had more children I would pay for a vaccine privately rather than risk going through that again.
#26
The gynaecologist told my mum I was in labour when I twisted my ovary
Huddo's sister 7 months ago
What? Just because they were screaming in pain? When my ovary was twisted I thought to start with that it was period pain (though I never get it bad) but then it ramped up quickly. I was crying out in pain and my dad called an ambulance, thank goodness. I have never given birth but I would think it's fairly comparable, though it didn't come in waves as much as I think contractions would be. At the hospital, after I said I couldn't be pregnant, they took scans to rule out appendicitis and kidney stones really quickly and then decided it must be an ovarian cyst and torsion. That was good because it meant I got surgery quickly enough the ovary was saved.
#27
Daughter was 7 and was constantly passing urine, drinking & sleeping. 1st, 2nd & 3rd doc said viral and I was paranoid . By 4th visit she was blue lighted to hospital & diagnosed with type 1 diabetes
Na Schi 7 months ago (edited)
Sorry, but me as a none professional would have guessed it being type 1 diabetes. As it sounded eerily similar to the symptoms several of my friends who got it had shown before they got treatment (and their doctors pretty quickly got to that diagnosis). (Edit: I would have been more surprised if the doc in the OP's post thought it was type 1 but it would have been something completely different).
#28
Diagnosed with growing pains until I was 20…. It was actually Ehlers Danlos
Grudge-holding Treefrog 7 months ago
Same boat. I’m fighting for my diagnosis right now. I’m a minor, so I can’t do much since my mom doesn’t think it’s anything, but my doctor agrees it’s probably hEDS.
#29
One of my best friends was literally dying in front of us. She was told by nurses she should get her act together, cause her daughter needed her. She couldn't keep food or drinks down
Howl's sleeping castle 7 months ago (edited)
I was in hospital for extreme stomach and chest pain. I was crying. They wanted to take me for tests but it was unbearable for me to get up. They tried to make me stand and I screamed out. One nurse told the other 'look at this drama'
#30
Was diagnosed in 2008 with depression and anxiety, but I didn't find that out until 2023. In 2008 I had filled out a form and been told, "have you ever tried not to think like that?" and left ashamed
Nads 7 months ago
How can someone be diagnosed with someone and not know about it?? 😱 Can doctors just write things about you that follow you for the rest of your life??? This is horrendous! Like, now I don’t disclose to doctors I have depression anymore. It always made them instantly dismiss what I had just said. Well, tbh, now I avoid doctors the best I can. Am I dy1ng? No need to take me to the hospital, I rather d1e at home.
#31
"it's just an ear infection" no actually it was a cholesteatoma that eroded 2/3 of my hearing bones & was eroding my mastoid/facial bones & that's why i couldn't hear out of my left ear for 6 years
Geoffrey Scott 7 months ago
Not sure about now, but in the early-mid nineties 'drainage tubes' were all the rage. Daughter was referred to an ENT. He did a TOO quick exam and said, "yup.. she needs tubes". Red flags flying we said, "We may want a second opinion".."Get a third or fourth, it's your money". She got some relief from a chiropractor who showed my wife how to externally massage the Eustachian tubes to allow better drainage. At 18, she had surgery to implant titanium stapes, as her were fixed(did not vibrate).
#32
Migraines - turns out my brain was being squashed by excess fluid and also starting to fall out of my skull
BookFanatic 7 months ago
Weird. I had a similar discussion with my doc and he finally figured out I have Chiari Malformation. Part of my brain's slipped down and is pressing on my spinal cord. It's mild enough to not usually bother me.
#33
“Nothing wrong with my gynecologically” while spending 6 months with the most severe, unbearable, completely debilitating pelvic pain (I had just had Endo excision surgery and the 6 months post-op was CONSTANT looking for answers). Was about to go septic when I was finally admitted for a bladder infection; and uterine infection, both that likely had since my surgery. I almost died despite going to the ER and my private doctors probably 80 times in 6 months.
#34
I went to a&e for really bad hip pain took X-rays etc was told it was pulled muscle ! It was bone cancer and what they were looking at was my bone being eaten ! It’s not curable
#35
For 10 years my dad was told he had severe constipation now he’s dead. He had cancer
Little Bit 7 months ago
My father in law was having trouble digesting his food. Everything he ate gave him stomach pain. He was repeatedly fobbed off by his doctor who said it was "just indigestion". My father in law said in all his 81 years he had never been prone to indigestion. Eventually it got to the point where he couldn't eat anything at all and was admitted to hospital where they discovered he had stomach cancer. He passed away within a month of diagnosis.
#36
had a crushed spinal cord. apparently the pain and inability to walk was anxiety
#37
A mass in my stomach and intestine that had put many holes in my intestines and executive liver disfunction being diagnosed as constipation
#38
‘It’s just an ear infection it’ll clear up’ it was meningitis.
Huddo's sister 7 months ago
I could understand a high temp indicating an ear infection while it's actually meningitis but there would have to be fluid in the ears too.
#39
Was told I was just a paranoid mum because my daughter would sweat like crazy, she had a super rare heart disorder that would of k*lled her left untreated she's just had open heart sugary xx
#41
seizures misdiagnosed as panic attacks
N.C. O'Brien 7 months ago
I wasn’t sure if I was having panic attack or heart attack & was too embarrassed to go to A and E. Rang GP to see if I could get it checked out there. Receptionist was instructed to tell me go to the hospital . Turned out during acupuncture a needle had punctured my left lung and had a complete pneumothorax & rushed straight into recus for a chest drain. If you ever feel embarrassed going to hospital get a second opinion from someone you trust. Also if your lung has collapsed stop yourself from engaging in conversation when a doctor asks you to. I learned that the hard way. It is not rude to do so in this instance. It causes you to deteriorate quicker if you don’t have the extreme pain that some people get. Once I stabilised & off oxygen I rang them back to thank them for getting me to go to hospital. Unfortunately I am susceptible to it happening again that a cold could actually trigger it. Now I just have to get over embarrassment attending for that
#42
‘ a bad UTI’ - 15cm tumor on my ovary pressing into my bladder
Huddo's sister 7 months ago
That should be checked pretty quickly and easily, If a UTI is suspected a urine test is done and results come in a few days. Once that is ruled out other tests should be ordered straight away.
#43
Told I had a gluten allergy which was actually endometriosis
Camille Lockyer 7 months ago
I was told I should go on a gluten free diet and I had arthritis and spinal stenosis and a vitamin d deficiency
#44
told me it was anxiety and vitamin deficiency causing my paralysed legs. turns out I have a neurological disorder
Huddo's sister 7 months ago
Do doctors not do blood tests to check vitamin levels when they suspect that? My GP does.
#45
My sister was told for 5+ years she had depression. It was a brain tumor.
#46
Needed tooth pulled- turned out it wasn’t a tooth issue- was Trigeminal Neuralgia- so missing a back tooth for nothing
Nils Skirnir 7 months ago
In this case, they can be related. And there is no test for TGN. And the pain often feels like a toothache.
#47
FIBROMYALGIA!!! Because that’s what they diagnose you when they don’t know what on earth is going on with you.
What do you think ?
Nils Skirnir 7 months ago
It’s amazing how many of these could be diagnosed with basic blood tests or a 15 minute CT scan-even an X-ray.
Royal Stray 7 months ago
You'd be surprised how often doctors just can't be bothered. I had a good-ish one last time I went that did order blood tests, but it's absolutely not the norm.
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Nicola Roberts 7 months ago
I googled it, as I thought the same. Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are a group of inherited disorders affecting the body's connective tissues, which are essential for supporting organs and holding body parts together. They are characterized by loose, unstable joints, stretchy, fragile skin, and other related symptoms, potentially impacting multiple systems in the body. There are 13 types of EDS, and the severity of symptoms can vary widely
Load More Replies... DaisyBee 7 months ago (edited)
Told my sciatic pain was due to my weight cause there was no other reason why I, as a teenager, should have sciatic pain. Stage 3 Endo & PCOS suggest otherwise, doc! The endo in particular was causing the sciatic pain & inflammation, mimicking sciatica
Nils Skirnir 7 months ago
My SO suffered from Endo for many years and often went to the doctors with pain. She was given pain killers, but little was done until she went to a female gynecologist. Tip for women is if they’re not happy with their doctor, go to a female one. Endo is grossly underdiagnosed and untreated
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LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 months ago
I've had lifelong intermittent hip issues as long as I can remember. One or the other hip joint would hurt for a few hours maybe twice a month or so, but by the next day it would be cleared up. Never bothered getting a diagnosis when I was a kid. On March 1st, my left hip went from "oh that's the normal pain" to "level 11 constant agony". Saw an orthopedist. On the "Diagnosis" section of my paperwork, all he listed was my BMI (basically saying I'm fat and that's why my hip hurts, completely ignored that I told him I've been having this issue my entire LIFE.) X-rays, an MRI, and a second opinion later, turns out I have very shallow hip sockets and mild hip dysplasia. PT is helping. May have to get surgery in my 50s. I'm not "just" fat XD
Huddo's sister 7 months ago
I had a lot of similar hip issues, especially as a teenager, as well as knee problems. Scans showed nothing and I was just sent for physio. This worked a little but not much. Turns out it was fibromyalgia. I was diagnosed at 19 and only because my mum had similar symptoms but worse at the time and she was diagnosed first. I likely had it since I was 6. Admittedly, they didn't know much about it back then and never saw it in kids.
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Angie Falzarano 3 months ago (edited)
Yeah unfortunately women are dismissed 9 times out of 10 by doctors. One reason is our symptoms are different then mens. I think too we know our bodies better. But theres a long long history of women not being listened to by doctors. My mom had problems with skin cancers. And she went to skin doctor and he refused to biopsy it even tho she kept asking him too. Finally when he did biopsy it came back as cancer and had ro remove a lot of skin off her nose and do a skin graft. And he apologized for not listening to her. Had he biopsyed it when she asked she would not have to have gone thru all that trauma.
Load More Replies... MonsterMum 7 months ago
Diagnosed with constipation. My appendix burst and I had gangrene when I was admitted to hospital.
Artful Penguin 7 months ago
Being told for about 8 years all my health problems are due to my weight and diabetes. Turns out I have a benign brain tumor that is causing the weight and diabetes, among other things. Getting it removed in 3 few weeks. My grandfather (in the 70's) had a PET scan to follow up on his skin cancer. Told it was clear. About 6 weeks later went in to have his gallbladder removed. He was so riddled with cancer, they just closed him up and he was d3ad 2 weeks later.
Forrest Grump 7 months ago
I was misdiagnosed as having myasthenia gravis by a military doctor. It turned out that I was sensitive to some pollen at my new base.
Anca Cordos 7 months ago
Was rushed to the hospital as I had collapsed, wasn’t able to speak or move my right side, and was diagnosed with “overdosing “. 30 hours later, when I was in a coma they realised it had been a massive stroke. I am now disabled.
Marnie 7 months ago (edited)
This entire thing makes my blood boil. My little story is not quite like this and not nearly as bad. But I was misdiagnosed as having depression as a root cause for decades, but what I have is autism. It would have been Asperger's years ago. I finally pressed a therapist and told her, "I'm depressed because my brain doesn't work right. My problem isn't that the my brain doesn't work right because I'm depressed." That was about the best I could do, AUSTISM BEING A THING THAT CAUSES COMMUNICATION DIFFICULTIES, AFTER ALL. She actually listened and I was evaluated by a neuropsychologist and a neurologist and I was told I had "moderate executive functioning disorder". This would have been about 25 years ago. But they never said what to do about that. I don't know if they had tips back then, but if they had, it might have made an EXTREME difference in the quality of my life. I was finally diagnosed autistic about 7 years ago. Finally I could start working with myself instead of against myself, trying to magically fix my brain through sheer force of will - - the equivalent of forcing your legs to work when you're paralyzed. The rise in autism diagnoses is due to combining Asperger's with autism & more opportunity for being assessed. Getting the diagnosis was a life changer for me. Saved my life.
CatD 6 months ago
Yep, we have ASD running rampant through my and my husband's family. My dad and sister, his mom and himself and my son. The rest of us have slight symptoms, but not nearly as bad.
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StrangeOne 7 months ago
My daughter had an injury from a bus accident. The impact from the car hitting the back of the bus did something to her lower back. At first she was fine. Then when we were off the bus, minutes later she was saying her back was hurting her. By the time we got home she was in pain. The pain progressed and she was struggling to walk. Took her to urgent care. Not only was the triage nurse treating her like she was a suspect in a crime, she said it was just a bruised muscle that will take time to heal. Two months later, we returned to the same urgent care, we got told it was a "muscle trauma injury" that will take year or 2 to heal. A year and a half later, my daughter requires a cane and cannot sit in most chairs nor stand and walk for more than 2 hours. We took her to a different doctor at a clinic. This doctor says she has a slipped disc hernia that will never heal. So, that's pretty much going to be her life. We're trying to do the suggested exercises to strengthen her core.
CatD 6 months ago
I caught a falling patient at the hospital dialysis unit I was working at and my back started hurting. We get a lot of backaches and I waited a few days until I was off to have it checked out with an MRI. The tech said I had a disc "dripping down my back." Tried everything, then surgery. The doctor scréwed it up, and after two surgeries I'm mostly in a wheelchair.
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Jihana 7 months ago
In October 2017 I started to have problems with my period. I bled for two weeks, the next time for three weeks. Went to the gynaecologist, was told that's because I'm fat. The next six years I went to 4 different gynaecologists and two different hospitals. My records were bleeding for 10 weeks straight, and losing 3 liters of blood within 6 weeks. No doctor did anything, beside selling me iron infusions for 120€ a piece, wich I needed almost constantly. In September 2023 I started my period at work, it was so bad that the menstrual cup was filled within 10-15min. Went to a gynaecologist the next day, started crying that I just can't live that way, so this time I was taken seriously. Was sent to the hospital for a curretage, had it done on 11.12.2024, ten days later I got a call from the hospital that I should come in the very next morning. So two days before Christmas I learned I had cancer.
Jihana 7 months ago
They had to postpone a couple of surgeries because they wanted to squeeze me in as soon as possible. Had the surgery on 11.01.2024, everything went well, no therapy needed. But I was suffering for 6 years because the doctors did not listen. I was fat, that was that. Noone tried to help me. Meanwhile the cancer had 6 years to grow. Had my uterus, cervix, ovaries and lymph nodes removed, so no more periods for me. Can't say that I miss them.
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Kristen Woehlke 7 months ago
"Oh you're just lazy! Get up and do something! Quit lying around!" My parents would say. Come to find out I have thalassemia. Grandmother had it and so did my dad, but I was never told about this until I was diagnosed.
Alex Schneider 7 months ago (edited)
I am pure rage by now..I know, docs often get used to standard issues..but nowadays when you have to pay higher costs and wait for months they should take your concerns serious. I know my fat menopausing body d**n well , if I say something ain't right ,you have to give me more than the usual diagnosis ( fat,old and hey it's flu season) Right now, my blood pressure rise, and I promise you it's not cause my body suddenly remembered being fat, but being angry for all the people that were let down by a s****y doc
Emma Stupple 1 month ago
Was in constant pain with my right hip, could barely walk, multiple A&E trips and they kept saying oh you’re only 12 you’re fine, you can’t be in that much pain you’re putting it on. All the cartilage in my hip had gone and I was walking around with bone on bone for a year. Will now need a double hip replacement, likely before I’m 30, I’m 28 now
Angie Falzarano 3 months ago (edited)
Woman are 9 times out of 10 are going to have their symptoms dismissed. But not men. Had a doctor ask what made me come to the er thinking i had a heart attack. When I tried to tell him how the symptoms started he kept cutting me off. He didnt want to hear it. Had I not been smart enough to look up my symptoms (and heart attacks in women are different then mens) i might have died. Because i did have a heart attack and my blood pressure was 200 something over 100 and something. So even if it hadn't been a heart attack i would have had a stroke. My neighbor who drove me to the hospital said I was white as a sheet when I asked her to drive me. Doctors need ro quit dismissing women. And start listening. I now have to take blood thinners and blood pressure meds the rest of my life. This happened in oct 2024. I was 64 at the time. No heart issues in my family.
SkippityBoppityBoo 6 months ago (edited)
This post only appeared on my Facebook feed today so I'm a bit late to the show! My advice is - Keep a note of your symptoms, write it all down as in times, dates of any symptoms showing. Also keep detailed notes of what you're eating, drinking such as caffeine or sugary drinks etc. Are you under extreme stress etc. So if you're referred to a specialist? They can see what could possibly be causing your symptoms. But also? Definitely stand your ground. Don't allow them to "fob you off". You know your own body better than they do and if something seems "off" or "wrong"? It's better to get it checked out as soon as possible than be fobbed off. Ask for a second opinion, to be seen by a different doctor if necessary. You do have that right to a second opinion.
Graham Berry 7 months ago
Human error sucks especially when it's due to incompetence and gender/racial bias. I can't wait for AI to take over diagnostics and other medical services. Done right it should eliminate the issue of human error and when something does go wrong you can literally go into the code figure out what it was and fix it so it doesn't do it again.
Chris the Bobcat 7 months ago
I had been diagnosed with depression at 14 or 15. Several therapists later, was recommended a psychiatrist who did his own therapy sessions. He said I had depression. Put me on one pill after another and nothing worked. Then put me on Xanax without warning me of any potential effects (and my dumb @ss didn't think to look...). Kept me on it and addicted for almost seven years while my brain turned to mush. Recommended me for ECT treatment (shock therapy) and went through at least 13 treatments that I can remember). Only when I decided to take myself off the Xanax (six months of my sensory issues going haywire, and another twelve of flareups) and get a new psychiatrist did she diagnose me with bipolar disorder. New meds and within a month I felt better than I had in twenty years. Wasn't properly diagnosed until I was 39. I wonder what could have been if I had been diagnosed as a teenager when all of it started.
Brian Droste 7 months ago
I read 20 of these. Can't read anymore. These are just to upsetting.
BookFanatic 7 months ago
This wasn't the worst, and it isn't all that serious. But I'd been living with confusion and dizziness for a few weeks. Figured the new thyroid meds were to blame. Was told to "drink less water and eat more salt" because my electrolytes were messed up. Turns out my blood pressure drops by about 20 points whenever I stand up. Again, not life shatteringly awful...but I'm amused a doc actually said "drink less water and eat more salt."
Nils Skirnir 7 months ago
It’s amazing how many of these could be diagnosed with basic blood tests or a 15 minute CT scan-even an X-ray.
Royal Stray 7 months ago
You'd be surprised how often doctors just can't be bothered. I had a good-ish one last time I went that did order blood tests, but it's absolutely not the norm.
Load More Replies... Nicola Roberts 7 months ago
I googled it, as I thought the same. Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are a group of inherited disorders affecting the body's connective tissues, which are essential for supporting organs and holding body parts together. They are characterized by loose, unstable joints, stretchy, fragile skin, and other related symptoms, potentially impacting multiple systems in the body. There are 13 types of EDS, and the severity of symptoms can vary widely
Load More Replies... DaisyBee 7 months ago (edited)
Told my sciatic pain was due to my weight cause there was no other reason why I, as a teenager, should have sciatic pain. Stage 3 Endo & PCOS suggest otherwise, doc! The endo in particular was causing the sciatic pain & inflammation, mimicking sciatica
Nils Skirnir 7 months ago
My SO suffered from Endo for many years and often went to the doctors with pain. She was given pain killers, but little was done until she went to a female gynecologist. Tip for women is if they’re not happy with their doctor, go to a female one. Endo is grossly underdiagnosed and untreated
Load More Replies... LakotaWolf (she/her) 7 months ago
I've had lifelong intermittent hip issues as long as I can remember. One or the other hip joint would hurt for a few hours maybe twice a month or so, but by the next day it would be cleared up. Never bothered getting a diagnosis when I was a kid. On March 1st, my left hip went from "oh that's the normal pain" to "level 11 constant agony". Saw an orthopedist. On the "Diagnosis" section of my paperwork, all he listed was my BMI (basically saying I'm fat and that's why my hip hurts, completely ignored that I told him I've been having this issue my entire LIFE.) X-rays, an MRI, and a second opinion later, turns out I have very shallow hip sockets and mild hip dysplasia. PT is helping. May have to get surgery in my 50s. I'm not "just" fat XD
Huddo's sister 7 months ago
I had a lot of similar hip issues, especially as a teenager, as well as knee problems. Scans showed nothing and I was just sent for physio. This worked a little but not much. Turns out it was fibromyalgia. I was diagnosed at 19 and only because my mum had similar symptoms but worse at the time and she was diagnosed first. I likely had it since I was 6. Admittedly, they didn't know much about it back then and never saw it in kids.
Load More Replies... Angie Falzarano 3 months ago (edited)
Yeah unfortunately women are dismissed 9 times out of 10 by doctors. One reason is our symptoms are different then mens. I think too we know our bodies better. But theres a long long history of women not being listened to by doctors. My mom had problems with skin cancers. And she went to skin doctor and he refused to biopsy it even tho she kept asking him too. Finally when he did biopsy it came back as cancer and had ro remove a lot of skin off her nose and do a skin graft. And he apologized for not listening to her. Had he biopsyed it when she asked she would not have to have gone thru all that trauma.
Load More Replies... MonsterMum 7 months ago
Diagnosed with constipation. My appendix burst and I had gangrene when I was admitted to hospital.
Artful Penguin 7 months ago
Being told for about 8 years all my health problems are due to my weight and diabetes. Turns out I have a benign brain tumor that is causing the weight and diabetes, among other things. Getting it removed in 3 few weeks. My grandfather (in the 70's) had a PET scan to follow up on his skin cancer. Told it was clear. About 6 weeks later went in to have his gallbladder removed. He was so riddled with cancer, they just closed him up and he was d3ad 2 weeks later.
Forrest Grump 7 months ago
I was misdiagnosed as having myasthenia gravis by a military doctor. It turned out that I was sensitive to some pollen at my new base.
Anca Cordos 7 months ago
Was rushed to the hospital as I had collapsed, wasn’t able to speak or move my right side, and was diagnosed with “overdosing “. 30 hours later, when I was in a coma they realised it had been a massive stroke. I am now disabled.
Marnie 7 months ago (edited)
This entire thing makes my blood boil. My little story is not quite like this and not nearly as bad. But I was misdiagnosed as having depression as a root cause for decades, but what I have is autism. It would have been Asperger's years ago. I finally pressed a therapist and told her, "I'm depressed because my brain doesn't work right. My problem isn't that the my brain doesn't work right because I'm depressed." That was about the best I could do, AUSTISM BEING A THING THAT CAUSES COMMUNICATION DIFFICULTIES, AFTER ALL. She actually listened and I was evaluated by a neuropsychologist and a neurologist and I was told I had "moderate executive functioning disorder". This would have been about 25 years ago. But they never said what to do about that. I don't know if they had tips back then, but if they had, it might have made an EXTREME difference in the quality of my life. I was finally diagnosed autistic about 7 years ago. Finally I could start working with myself instead of against myself, trying to magically fix my brain through sheer force of will - - the equivalent of forcing your legs to work when you're paralyzed. The rise in autism diagnoses is due to combining Asperger's with autism & more opportunity for being assessed. Getting the diagnosis was a life changer for me. Saved my life.
CatD 6 months ago
Yep, we have ASD running rampant through my and my husband's family. My dad and sister, his mom and himself and my son. The rest of us have slight symptoms, but not nearly as bad.
Load More Replies... StrangeOne 7 months ago
My daughter had an injury from a bus accident. The impact from the car hitting the back of the bus did something to her lower back. At first she was fine. Then when we were off the bus, minutes later she was saying her back was hurting her. By the time we got home she was in pain. The pain progressed and she was struggling to walk. Took her to urgent care. Not only was the triage nurse treating her like she was a suspect in a crime, she said it was just a bruised muscle that will take time to heal. Two months later, we returned to the same urgent care, we got told it was a "muscle trauma injury" that will take year or 2 to heal. A year and a half later, my daughter requires a cane and cannot sit in most chairs nor stand and walk for more than 2 hours. We took her to a different doctor at a clinic. This doctor says she has a slipped disc hernia that will never heal. So, that's pretty much going to be her life. We're trying to do the suggested exercises to strengthen her core.
CatD 6 months ago
I caught a falling patient at the hospital dialysis unit I was working at and my back started hurting. We get a lot of backaches and I waited a few days until I was off to have it checked out with an MRI. The tech said I had a disc "dripping down my back." Tried everything, then surgery. The doctor scréwed it up, and after two surgeries I'm mostly in a wheelchair.
Load More Replies... Jihana 7 months ago
In October 2017 I started to have problems with my period. I bled for two weeks, the next time for three weeks. Went to the gynaecologist, was told that's because I'm fat. The next six years I went to 4 different gynaecologists and two different hospitals. My records were bleeding for 10 weeks straight, and losing 3 liters of blood within 6 weeks. No doctor did anything, beside selling me iron infusions for 120€ a piece, wich I needed almost constantly. In September 2023 I started my period at work, it was so bad that the menstrual cup was filled within 10-15min. Went to a gynaecologist the next day, started crying that I just can't live that way, so this time I was taken seriously. Was sent to the hospital for a curretage, had it done on 11.12.2024, ten days later I got a call from the hospital that I should come in the very next morning. So two days before Christmas I learned I had cancer.
Jihana 7 months ago
They had to postpone a couple of surgeries because they wanted to squeeze me in as soon as possible. Had the surgery on 11.01.2024, everything went well, no therapy needed. But I was suffering for 6 years because the doctors did not listen. I was fat, that was that. Noone tried to help me. Meanwhile the cancer had 6 years to grow. Had my uterus, cervix, ovaries and lymph nodes removed, so no more periods for me. Can't say that I miss them.
Load More Replies... Kristen Woehlke 7 months ago
"Oh you're just lazy! Get up and do something! Quit lying around!" My parents would say. Come to find out I have thalassemia. Grandmother had it and so did my dad, but I was never told about this until I was diagnosed.
Alex Schneider 7 months ago (edited)
I am pure rage by now..I know, docs often get used to standard issues..but nowadays when you have to pay higher costs and wait for months they should take your concerns serious. I know my fat menopausing body d**n well , if I say something ain't right ,you have to give me more than the usual diagnosis ( fat,old and hey it's flu season) Right now, my blood pressure rise, and I promise you it's not cause my body suddenly remembered being fat, but being angry for all the people that were let down by a s****y doc
Emma Stupple 1 month ago
Was in constant pain with my right hip, could barely walk, multiple A&E trips and they kept saying oh you’re only 12 you’re fine, you can’t be in that much pain you’re putting it on. All the cartilage in my hip had gone and I was walking around with bone on bone for a year. Will now need a double hip replacement, likely before I’m 30, I’m 28 now
Angie Falzarano 3 months ago (edited)
Woman are 9 times out of 10 are going to have their symptoms dismissed. But not men. Had a doctor ask what made me come to the er thinking i had a heart attack. When I tried to tell him how the symptoms started he kept cutting me off. He didnt want to hear it. Had I not been smart enough to look up my symptoms (and heart attacks in women are different then mens) i might have died. Because i did have a heart attack and my blood pressure was 200 something over 100 and something. So even if it hadn't been a heart attack i would have had a stroke. My neighbor who drove me to the hospital said I was white as a sheet when I asked her to drive me. Doctors need ro quit dismissing women. And start listening. I now have to take blood thinners and blood pressure meds the rest of my life. This happened in oct 2024. I was 64 at the time. No heart issues in my family.
SkippityBoppityBoo 6 months ago (edited)
This post only appeared on my Facebook feed today so I'm a bit late to the show! My advice is - Keep a note of your symptoms, write it all down as in times, dates of any symptoms showing. Also keep detailed notes of what you're eating, drinking such as caffeine or sugary drinks etc. Are you under extreme stress etc. So if you're referred to a specialist? They can see what could possibly be causing your symptoms. But also? Definitely stand your ground. Don't allow them to "fob you off". You know your own body better than they do and if something seems "off" or "wrong"? It's better to get it checked out as soon as possible than be fobbed off. Ask for a second opinion, to be seen by a different doctor if necessary. You do have that right to a second opinion.
Graham Berry 7 months ago
Human error sucks especially when it's due to incompetence and gender/racial bias. I can't wait for AI to take over diagnostics and other medical services. Done right it should eliminate the issue of human error and when something does go wrong you can literally go into the code figure out what it was and fix it so it doesn't do it again.
Chris the Bobcat 7 months ago
I had been diagnosed with depression at 14 or 15. Several therapists later, was recommended a psychiatrist who did his own therapy sessions. He said I had depression. Put me on one pill after another and nothing worked. Then put me on Xanax without warning me of any potential effects (and my dumb @ss didn't think to look...). Kept me on it and addicted for almost seven years while my brain turned to mush. Recommended me for ECT treatment (shock therapy) and went through at least 13 treatments that I can remember). Only when I decided to take myself off the Xanax (six months of my sensory issues going haywire, and another twelve of flareups) and get a new psychiatrist did she diagnose me with bipolar disorder. New meds and within a month I felt better than I had in twenty years. Wasn't properly diagnosed until I was 39. I wonder what could have been if I had been diagnosed as a teenager when all of it started.
Brian Droste 7 months ago
I read 20 of these. Can't read anymore. These are just to upsetting.
BookFanatic 7 months ago
This wasn't the worst, and it isn't all that serious. But I'd been living with confusion and dizziness for a few weeks. Figured the new thyroid meds were to blame. Was told to "drink less water and eat more salt" because my electrolytes were messed up. Turns out my blood pressure drops by about 20 points whenever I stand up. Again, not life shatteringly awful...but I'm amused a doc actually said "drink less water and eat more salt."
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