Whether it’s heart disease misdiagnosed as anxiety, an autoimmune disorder attributed to depression, or ovarian cysts labeled as “normal period pain,” too many women know how it feels to be dismissed by a doctor. The scientific studies back up the fact that it’s not all just in your head. For example, this study from Academic Emergency Medicine discovered that women who went to the ER with severe stomach pain had to wait for a whopping 33% longer than male patients with the same symptoms.
This woman who shared a horrifying experience she had in the ER on the subreddit r/TwoXChromosomes is one of many female patients who have been gaslighted. Coming in with incredibly alarming symptoms, the author u/anon2217 said her male doctor not only completely dismissed her, he was very reluctant to do relevant tests as the woman pushed to be tested. Read her full story below.
Many women in the thread found it a safe place to speak up and share their own stories of being gaslighted by male doctors. It seems like there’s a serious health risk of being a woman in the ER, as if there weren't enough things we were told to suck up and carry on in this paternal society. It’s time to be heard.
This woman has recently shared a harrowing story of how a male ER doctor dismissed her alarming symptoms and was reluctant to test her
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I collapsed on the street. The paramedics told me I was having an anxiety attack and told me to calm down. I told them I've had anxiety attacks before, this wasn't that. It felt like something was crushing my chest. They told me oxygen is doing so I need to take bigger breath. I told them I couldn't. They laughed me off. Got to the ER and they told the receiving nurse I was there for anxiety. I waited 4 hours before the ER Dr suggested testing for pulmonary embolism. And he only did that because a nurse had to literally carry me to my chair after my 11 year old couldn't hold me up as I tried to go to the bathroom. Turns out my lungs were filled with blood clots and I was dying.
I found being pregnant means that any and all physical ailments are pregnancy related and not really concerning as long as baby is doing ok. It took me 6 doctor visits over a month's time before a doctor ordered an x-ray for my elbow after I fell in the shower and complained I couldn't use my arm. They insisted that sore joints are normal in pregnancy and I really REALLY don't want to risk my baby's health by getting an unnecessary x-ray, right?
Nope. Busted elbow.
I have anatomy besides reproductive that can need care, and not everything that goes wrong is attached to my uterus!
I came in crying and holding my abdomen due to severe pain. I was also puking due to the pain, so not my best moment. By the time I was in triage I’d stopped crying but was still hurting and the male nurse suggested that it could be acid reflux. Dude, I know what reflux is like and it’s not about to make me cry . They took my blood and urine and sent me back out to the lobby.
Hours later he finds me in the waiting room and says “you’ll never believe this, it’s pancreatitis!”
Uh, yes I do believe that. I came in here crying but since I’m a woman you decided I’m just being dramatic . I was hospitalized for 3 days.
If we don’t advocate for ourselves we get sh*t treatment. Sooo frustrating.
Bored Panda reached out to Redditor Ownthesea who shared her own very disturbing experience of being dismissed by a male doctor during a medical emergency. Horrifyingly, this was not the only time Ownthesea became a victim of gaslighting. “The second experience was when I went to my GI doctor about pain in my upper abdomen that felt like it was radiating from my back. He did some testing but eventually gave up and told me it’s surgery IBS, endometriosis, or a ‘psychological issue,’” the woman recounted.
She continued: “I was very distraught but went to my OBGYN to see about endometriosis and she said it didn’t fit the symptoms at all and it’s clearly GI issue. She wanted me to go back to him and get more testing done but at that point, I was frustrated and had spent a ton of money on testing. Three weeks later I ended up in the ER from the pain and found it was my gallbladder that needed to be removed ASAP,” Ownthesea said and added that “so no, it was not a woman’s problem and not a psychological issue.”
I won't go to the ER nearest my house anymore. I went there because I could tell I had a kidney stone. I was also on my period. The doctor came in and lectured me about how I wasn't allowed to go to the ER just because I didn't like my period, and that I was wasting his time. I was literally vomiting from the pain as he was yelling at me. I left and had to go straight to a different hospital, where I actually got treatment.
A few months later, my husband ate a huge dinner and had upper abdominal pain. We went to the hospital near the house because he didn't feel he could go further. They immediately gave him morphine and ordered a CT scan. He turned out to be constipated.
I had another problem, when I had an allergic reaction to a blood transfusion, and the young male doctor kept telling me loudly that it was just what blood transfusions feel like and to get over it. I had tried to explain that I have a disease that makes me have allergic reactions to lots of things, and that I needed a higher dose of antihistamines to treat a reaction than most people, but he yelled that he was the doctor and he'd make the diagnosis. I ended up getting my rescue meds out of my purse and taking them because I could feel my throat closing.
I was at that hospital again a year later and my doctor was a female who was actually listening. I was explaining what I have, how it affects me, and what treatment works. The young male doctor I'd seen the year before was walking past and stopped to listen, and was really interested in what I was saying. He didn't recognize me from the previous year. It was like he could listen because the other doctor was taking me seriously.
My GP sent to a psychiatrist. I had severe back pain that also went down my right leg and I could hardly walk. This was After begging for a CT scan (this was in 1997). I went to the psychiatrist and staggered in to his office. The first thing he asks is why I'm limping and I explain that the gp sent me to him because he thinks the pain is psychosomatic. He calls the gp and orders him to get me a CT stat. Turns out I had a large herniated disc L4/L5 with nerve damage and needed emergency surgery. Enden up with permanent nerve damage due to not getting surgery early enough.
I once had a rash around my lips. The male doctor I saw told me that I was licking my lips too much and that's all it was. I said, no, I have always licked my lips and this has never happened before. He told me that when he needs to remind himself to stop doing somthing, he snaps a rubberband on his wrist or slaps his hand to stop it and suggest I do it. I did lick my lips while there (because the rash was causing me to do it more excessively ) and he saw it and slapped my wrist! I was livid.
I pushed, and he gave me an antibiotic "just in case". Cleared up within a few days.
later, I found out on my own through trial and error it was that EOS chapstick and that most chapsticks will give me an allergic reaction to my lips. Never went back to him again.
Ownthesea explained that this kind of thing happens a lot and each time it’s frustrating. “Doctors love to suggest it’s psychological when they run out of ideas and my male friends have not had that suggested to them once,” she told us.
“We need to keep speaking up to see change,” the Redditor said. “Ignoring the issue won’t solve it, and going through years of chronic pain because it could just be psychological is bad medicine,” Ownthesea added. She also noted that none of her female practitioners have suggested her issues were psychological, and every “psychological issue” has ended up with a quick fix once it was finally diagnosed.
I dealt with the same sh*t (ha) when I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. I had to get into a screaming match with the ER doc to get admitted because he didn’t think it was “enough” blood. That was Sunday. I didn’t walk out until Friday. I had a ruptured ulcer.
I would absolutely file a complaint against that doctor. Communicate that you very clearly told the doctor where they blood was coming from, he did not listen, had to be talked into running tests you obviously needed, and was ready to dismiss you before results came back, showing a lack on concern for the symptoms you came in with.
Even if your report does nothing, if ever single woman blown off by the doctor makes a report, a pattern will emerge.
Extreme pain. Went to male doc and was told that menstrual cramps can be really hard sometimes and was sent home. Ended up in the ER vomiting and barely able to stand up. Took my souvenir kidney stone to the first doc (mr. menstrual cramps) and shoved it in his face. At least he looked embarrassed and horrified. Never went back to him again.
I'm afraid You did not shove the kidney stone in the right area - lower my dear much lower. looked embarrassed and horrified you did not say he apologized - typical!
This happened to me when I was 36 weeks pregnant. I went to the ER and they did some blood work and checked on the baby. Then they told me I had hemorrhoids, "a gift mother's receive from their children."
Guess what smug ER ass**les, it was a 9cm tumor in my colon
I spent 2 years telling a specific doctor that something was wrong with my hearing. Went to a different doctor, got a CT scan and found a tumour.
Be persistant!
We have to be persistant. The whole thing is we should not have to be persistant! Why are they afraid to touch and examine us - because they know our bodies better than we do!
A few years ago I caught strep from my kids. Went to urgent care burning up way fever and tonsils so swollen I could barely close my mouth. The urgent care doc sent me to the ER and wanted me to have a CT scan on the tonsils. When I got there the first person I saw, a man, examined me and asked why I was there for just a case of strep, very dismissive like I was wasting his time. My husband explained that the urgent care doctor wanted a ct scan. They put me in a room for hours. Finally a different doctor came in, looked at my throat, and ordered a scan. Surprise! My tonsil was abscessed. The new doctor ordered iv antibiotics, fluids (was badly dehydrated from not being able to swallow), and iv steroids. I ended up staying over night and almost had to have surgery. I didn’t complain and I wish I had. I know the first doctor just stuck me in a room and didn’t bother with me again until a new doc came on the shift because he thought it wasn’t an emergency. Meanwhile, I was in absolute agony.
I hate this so much. We know our bodies. I had a big fat cyste on my left tube and I felt that something was wrong with it, because I had the worst pain I've ever had in my life. I fainted twice and felt like a knife was stabbed in my belly.
Male doctor insists I need to get my appendix checked, which is on the right of your body. I begged him for an echo and after another doctor had confirmed there was nothing wrong with my appendix I finally got the echo and was then rushed into surgery because the cyste happened to turn around and was literally blocking all blood flow to my tube. 10 minutes later and they had to removes my left tube.
Not nearly as bad but I had an asthma attack at work without access to an inhaler. EMTs came and told me it was probably just anxiety. I told them I do not have a history of anxiety attacks. I have a history of asthma. The EMTs were two 40+ men who didn't listen to a thing I said to them. I rejected their ride to the hospital and had my partner take me to my family doctor, who determined it was probably an asthma attack and sent me home with an inhaler which worked the next time I had a "anxiety". Imagine that.
One day, I was throwing up nonstop and couldn’t breathe. Honest to God, I thought I was dying. I was under an insane amount of stress between my career, preparing for major knee surgery, and getting married during COVID. I have ulcer flare-ups — plus, with endometriosis, my stomach is real wonky — but this was not right. My husband carried me to the ER, totally freaking out. The ER doctors judgmentally thought I was going through some kind of withdrawal. Mind you, I am a successful 28-year-old. I have never done drugs and hardly even drink. Turns out, I went into starvation ketoacidosis from not eating enough and getting sick from ulcers, which threw off my blood sugar. I also had a terrible period, and I'm not diabetic. I was in the ICU for a week. My nurses apologized profusely during my stay for how I was treated by the doctors. I work in the medical field, and I've never once interacted with doctors like those few in the ER. I understand it's a very demanding and stressful job, but not being taken seriously was really demoralizing
I met my wife when she was in medical school and was with her when she started having severe medical issues that no one could diagnose.
Since she was in med school and her father was a physician, she pointed out to me what the doctors were actually inferring when they questioned her and examined her. Since they could not find anything easy, they were subtly trying to get her to admit to making it all up and that she was faking it for attention.
We finally were able to get diagnosed, but only because I was able to fly her to the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic, and a ton of other research hospitals over the course of 12 years. She ended up having a super rare autoimmune disease.
But, what I learned in those 12 years was that doctors don’t believe women, accuse them of exaggerating their pain and symptoms, and that each doctor has 5 pet diseases that they try to diagnose every patient with.
And, ER doctors are the worst. ER physicians are either residents working 100 hour weeks as slave labor or they are full time emergency medicine physicians (who graduated last in their class at med school) who couldn’t get into any other specialty.
my own mom went into the ER with severe chest & abdominal pain about ten years ago and the ER doc ordered an x-ray that showed a huge mass in her abdomen. He called it constipation and sent her home with laxatives. Six months later, another doctor figured out that the mass was a football sized ovarian cyst that ended up being cancerous. She ended up being okay after multiple major surgeries and chemo (thank GOODNESS) but sh*t, ER docs are dumber than doornails.
Yep! The ER doc don't make very good radiologists either. the laxatives could have done damage by them selves. 6 months later I wonder how much that tumor grew in 6 months!
I had GYN surgery and two days later I woke up in a pool of blood. It was before office hours and the doc on call wasn’t my doc who did the surgery. He told me that it was just my period like we don’t know when we’re having a period. I finally got my surgeon on the phone who told me to go to the ER immediately and she’d meet me there. Turns out the stitches didn’t hold and I would have bled to death if I had listened to the doc on call.
What I'm getting from this is that male doctors assume all blood below the waist is period-related and that women have no other period symptoms that they can identify than "blood down there".
Half of heart attacks happen 3-4 hours after symptoms begin showing.
Sudden Cardiac Death / SCD is what happens in the other half of cases.
When a woman reports the same exact symptoms as a man, she is often ignored or misdiagnosed by male doctors. You MUST advocate for yourself.
My sister went to the ER at a military base. One "doctor" kept insisting her symptoms were an anxiety attack. No, she was having a heart attack. Thank God for the female cardiologist that did the tests which indicated what was really happening to her. After a triple by-pass, and a hospital stay, my sister is still with us 20 years later. The cardiologist had some words with the idiot that misdiagnosed her. I hope he actually learned something from his almost fatal mistake.
When I was 15 was very ill and had dark red, then dark brown urine. Dr dismissed it as period blood. Happened again and again. Long story short. Diagnosed as Berger’s disease when I was 30. Years of Dialysis. Kidney transplant
I've always heard that dark brown urine is a sign that something is seriously wrong with your kidneys. Wtf? These so called doctors should be drummed out of the profession.
I had ER doctors dismiss me during a kidney stone because a pregnancy test came back positive — I had a miscarriage five days prior — and they thought I was 'drug-seeking.' They actually told me to go home and lay down with a hot water bottle. Two days later, when I was urinating blood and couldn't sleep or even sit, my primary doctor got me in to see someone. The first time, there was no pelvic exam or real exam of any kind. The second time, it took a LOT of phone calls with my primary doctor and complaints. It seriously pissed me off
A lady gp told me I was exaggerating how bad my periods were. After a year or more of getting know where I made yet another appointment. I could hardly walk and had no energy. Different lady gp, couldn’t see anything wrong with me but took a blood test to check for anaemia. Within an hour of being home the hospital sent a medic to collect me, I needed a massive blood transfusion, by rights I should have been dead.
I was lucky she did the test.
I have severe anemia - I do not absorb Iron from food, pills or shots. I get it IV. MY hgb. dropped 20 points in a month. I figured the doctor would notice it and give ne a call. He is in a clinic and one must get through the telephone mafia before the doctor calls mafia says if he responds to your call they will call me back called every 3 days got bitchy with the mafia and an appointment with another doctor who ordered the IV infusion @ hospital. I was 60 days before I got to see my doctor - and I will never see him again!
I went to the ER with a migraine and critically high blood pressure. I was given medication for nausea (??) and pushed out the door….
I have a history of brain tumor and stroke. It’s garbage how women are dismissed
Where does is the humanity go when you become a doctor - my guess is that it was never there in the first place!
Started peeing blood one day. Was asked by more than one person if I was sure I wasn’t on my period. They know we can check for that right? Like it doesn’t take much to prove where the blood is coming from. Luckily for me I just had a uti that was quickly fixed, but seriously folks, we aren’t that dumb.
According to the medical profession we as woman don't know our own bodily functions. The problem is some of theses undereducated doctors cant tell piss from paint!
Be vigilant because this can happen with female doctors too. I was having severe abdominal pain and NOTHING was helping. I tried yoga, I tried going for walks, I took gas pills, I tried a hot water bottle. Nothing. I could barely eat for days. I ended up calling out from a job interview to see a doctor because it was so bad. The only doctor available wasn’t my primary but was another female doctor. She said I was too young for it to be anything serious and it was just gas, but I kept pushing her that it was not just gas. She said if it would make me feel better, she would order an ultrasound. I said f*cking do it. Anyway, next day it got so bad that I went to the ER and surprise! My gallbladder was f*cked! It was full of stones. When they took it out, they said it was purple and it was a mess. I got a call the next week from my doctors office saying I actually did have gallstones and would need to get my gallbladder removed, and I said, yeah thanks but you’re a little late. That already happened.
I hate it with a passion when they say you’re too young for it to be anything serious. In the Netherlands we’re supposed to get an invitation for a free smear test every five years from the ago of 30. I didn’t get mine until I was 36, but I still wanted to get checked, partly because my periods were so irregular. My GP just would not check anything. He literally said, why was I complaining they were so far apart, surely I didn’t want *more* periods? Even when I finally got the invitation, he tried to discourage me, saying I was too young for there to be anything serious and it was a waste of time. The results were normal as it turned out, but I still wouldn’t call it a waste of time. Pillock.
I had a hemorrhoid rupture and bleeding and pain after a bought of IBS flare up. It was alot of blood and wouldnt stop and I was soaking through tissue. Told the nurse what was up and she out me in a room immediately. The doctor comes in "are you sure it's not just your cycle". F*ck man look at my chart I had a partial hysterectomy in 2004 I literally havent had a period in almost 20 years. Not it's not my f*cking period. He did an exam and sure enough a ruptured Fisher on the inside of my rectal area. They sedated me he did something dont really remember and gave me a suppository that costed $200 to fill. And when my IBS acts up it still bleed a little but not like that. I mean it was heavy and scary. Once you have had a hysterectomy any blood from anywhere down there is a concern. And I have had too many complications at this point to ignore it
Without checking my chart I had a doctor tell me that my nonstop nausea and vomiting was normal and caused by anxiety because it was my first pregnancy, and that were wasn’t anything they could give me unless I was willing to terminate. This was my second pregnancy.
I left and went to another hospital. There I was given IV fluids and offered IV zofran before the doctor came in, because they wanted to try to get me to be more comfortable immediately. When the doctor came in and after he listened to me, I was diagnosed with hyperemesis and not sent home until I’d had two bags of fluids and given an rx of zofran to tide me over until I could speak to my midwife
I had hyperemesis into my six month of pregnancy and at a visit told them and she looked at me and said that it ends in the first trimester!! The healthcare industry is full of f*****g idiots!!!
Took three trips to the er before they finally took my pain seriously.
I had a bad gallbladder. FOUR trips for them to actually care enough to find it.
Go to the surgeon. He goes on a long explanation about weight loss surgery. And goes to leave the room.
I said “ok but what about my gallbladder?”
HE HADNT EVEN LOOKED AT MY CHART AND JUST ASSUMED I WAS THERE FOR WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.
At my after care I brought up the weight loss surgery (as he impressed that it was VITAL that I have it to keep living) and he was dismissive.
So I asked him flat out if my insurance wouldn’t cover it and he confirmed.
I wonder how many people he convinced to get unneeded surgery so he could over charge their insurance.
I’m surprised you stuck with that surgeon at all. I wonder if he was always that inhuman or whether he became so over the years…
I was peeing what looked like pure blood. ER was pretty sure I was mixing period blood into the sample. I was not having a period. Urologist then told me it was probably bladder cancer. It was not. It was a lupus attack, but still took awhile to get the right doctor to figure it out.
I had an abscess and had to go in four times before they took an X-ray. My whole neck was so swollen, I was drooling, everything tasted like cigarette ashes, and I wasn't able to swallow. I brought in a printout of symptoms and said, 'This, all of this.' They finally believed me — still, no pain meds, though. I didn't want them but found it odd that I was in so much pain I couldn't swallow, yet they didn't offer anything. Anytime my SO goes in for anything, he walks out with a prescription for pain meds and antibiotics. Talk about double standards. Now, a lot of the times, I walk into a hospital and say, 'This has been going on this long. I think this is what's going on.' I don't even care if they call me a 'Google doctor.' It's how I found out I had gallstones, a hernia, an infected salivary gland, and this abscess.
Two of those four times, I was sent home only to go back less than 24 hours later with more pain. The hernia didn't need an operation, but I was put on bed rest with a band around my stomach.
The surgeon who botched my daughter so badly he nearly killed her absolutely refused to believe that her pain was worse after surgery than before and treated her (and me) like we were idiots. I won't go into all the details because it still traumatizes me to this day, but she was medi-vacced out to a big hospital because they thought she was going to die, but not after me having to fight for her life for two days and nights, followed by waiting another ten days by her bedside while nobody could say for sure if she would survive.
Yep, got swipped by a car and knocked down while walking, told trauma dr I broke my arm. He said no, I told him to check again- yep I had broken my wrist, so bad I needed a plate and screws to fix!
Most of the people on this list would be dead or permanently maimed if they hadn’t pushed the doctor to check again. We should add it to the list of small but decidedly important small things they can do that save lives: wash your hands. Read the chart. Talk to the patient. Look at the patient. Touch the patient. Take the patient seriously. Prescribe only appropriate and necessary treatment. Check again.
Note: this post originally had 45 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
These stories are way too familiar. I've experienced it myself, and been there in the hospital by the side of my daughter, and with other female friends, having to fight on their behalf for the basic standard of care. When you are the patient, it is sometimes more than you can manage to advocate for yourself. Take someone with you to advocate for you. I have been that person many times for friends and family. I know I have categorically saved two lives by being a beast.
I was going through a suspected ectopic pregnancy and was suffering with excruciating pain in my shoulders and neck. The Dr came to examine me and asked about my pain. I was literally screaming in agony and he turned around and said I just pulled a muscle in my shoulders. Well turns out one of the common symptoms of internal bleeding is shoulder pain. My fallopian tube had ruptured and I was bleeding internally. The dr just tried brushing it off as a pulled muscle. Ended up needing emergency surgery and a blood transfusion. Now, I don't have a high pain tolerance but I'm not screaming and asking to die over a f*****g pulled muscle.
Female. MD. Been dismissed by competent (male) surgeon b/c "it's just her uterus". No, it wasn't. I still need a cane sometimes. I also get, "Well, why are you here, just diagnose yourself!" (No, that's stupid and risky.) Then there's "it's anxiety". No, it wasn't. Argh....
1/3 Doctors: Take women and their medical issues serious. Besides a wrong view of the female body, there is something else interesting going on: emancipatory developments. There is a lot of work to be done in medical science. This is partly due to misunderstood complaints, but partly also to emancipation. For example, in a conversation with an orthopedist, who said that there are more and more women with a football knee. A lot more women play football these days. They must be treated in a different way, because tendons and muscles also behave differently under the influence of hormones. Actually, the basis, the study of medicine, should take much more into account the differences between men and women. And that should not only apply to pathophysiology, but also, for example, to communication between women and doctors.
I went to the emergency room once with the worst abdominal pain I’ve ever had. Was given a Voltaren injection and told it was probably stress. Pain was even worse the next day so I went to my GP and learnt that I had a very severe kidney infection. Funny thing is that I provided the hospital I originally went to with a urine sample and they only tested it to see if I was pregnant.
One of the reasons I left nursing was the arrogance of doctors as well as nursing staff that whenever a patient came in with pain they were automatic drug seekers!!
Curled up in pain in ED, second 'case of gastro' in several months. Kept fainting, can't digest, horrible pain. After several hours, a doctor came and he actually said "I've been watching you for a while and I don't think you are faking so here's some morphine". It did nothing, which scared me. But I guess they thought 'aha, a druggie after all'. Sent me away, again. Came back 3 days later: if I had waited 12 hours more there is no way I would be alive. Only diagnosed because an elderly guy came in same day same symptoms, and they realised that despite my young age I had the same thing. My body is ruined now, scars and missing intestines etc, PTSD and a host of conditions have arisen post op. HOWEVER: I think this could have happened regardless of my gender or the doctor's. Maybe I am wrong? (My body had been failing for months, a side effect was worse acne. Spots plus pain=drug seeker in drs opinions I guess?) A man same age as me died same year same hospital from same thing as me.
Look this up--most medical textbooks do not even include the proper anatomy of the female clitoris!! They DON'T EVEN GET TAUGHT PROPER WOMEN'S ANATOMY!!!!
"Can you make a note in the chart that you are refusing to do further testing"
Doctor rarely take women seriously.... it has become even worse since the opioid crisis. Also just let them find out you have anxiety, everything henceforth will be a product of your anxiety. I actually have several horror stories but the worst one happened after I went home with my first child. I had my c-section and I started running fever and feeling really lethargic, so I went to the ER. They made me sit in the ER waiting room for a few hours because they did not deem my issue as important. Finally I got tired of it all and told my husband I wanted to go home and go to bed. Luckily he made me stay. When I finally got back to the actual ER room, they found out that I had a massive infection that hit my blood. The second that they admitted me to the hospital and got me up to my room the doc came in and immediately cut open my stitching (new stitching) and pushed on my tummy. All kinds of nastiness came out. I ended up staying in the hospital a week with constant IV antibiotics and they inserted a drainage tube into my c-section. I had to keep it for about a month afterward so it could drain the infection and I was on a month's worth of antibiotics. I was taking about 12 pills a day all together. I almost died.
Went to a neurologist for extreme migraines and issue with lights after a head injury. I do have general anxiety, more of a crowd thing than overall and made the mistake of adding it to my chart. When I finally get to see the doctor he barely looks at me and immediately says I have head pain due to anxiety... I tried to remind him of other symptoms I have but no, all anxiety, all in my head. Well needless to say the anxiety/pain meds didn't work so OK it must be high blood pressure, even though I have never presented high blood pressure. Well anyways skip some years, I gave up on him wasn't going to waste out of pocket fees for seeing him. I got a new female doctor and as I am explaining things to her, cuz you know she actually sat down with me and is fully listening, she notices I have a rash on my face and eyelids. Yaaaa it ain't anxiety 1st doc... Edit: To be slightly more fair to the 1st doctor, I wasn't presenting as many odd symptoms back then.
my female doc ignored my complaints of pain in my hip for almost 2 years. Every 3 months, I told her it was getting worse. Told her the 1st time it gave out and I fell. She never once asked where I was pain-wise or checked my mobility. It got so bad I needed a cane and called saying I wanted an x-ray on my hip. They acted like it was 1st time I complained of it. She finally examines me and sends me for the x-ray and says I need to see a surgeon right away. I make the appt. with the surgeon for 6 weeks out. They call me later that day saying the received the x-rays and can I come in at 3 that day. I walk in and they immediately schedule me for a total hip replacement. I had to wait weeks for the surgery and ended up in a wheelchair for 2 weeks it got so bad. I have a new doctor now...
This whole article is equal parts ignorant mansplaining and deliberate neglect. We need higher standards for women's healthcare!
I once woke up with a little pain in my shoulder. But it got worse every hour until I was in severe pain around noon and couldn't move my head. And it just wouldn't go away, even ibuprofen didn't help. So I went to the ER the next day because at this point the pain was a ~7 on a scale of 1 to 10. The doc at the ER literally just tabbed my shoulder, gave me painkillers, said "You have muscle pain due to the cold weather. Had 20 cases like yours in the last week." and sent me home. I went to an orthopedist the next day (Monday) who was sure it was a herniated disc after a thorough examination. Had an MRI done on Tuesday and my results on Wednesday. And surprise, surprise: It was a herniated disk. I was in pain for 2 more weeks. Couldn't sleep because of the pain and only fell asleep due to exhaustion until the orthopedist gave me injections directly to the nerve to numb it. "Is just muscle pain" my *ss.
Been to a hospital 2x's in 6 mo. with extreme abdominal pain and basically passing but blood from the r****m. First time they told me I passed a kidney stone, and it was most likely period pain, which I could probably understand as I have intense cycles, but it was two weeks after that fact. The second time they told me they couldnt find anything wrong and sent me home. I was staggering into the ER early that morning and was seen right away, but was dismissed again with nothing more than to go home and rest. Frustrating, especially as I worked all night and finally had to call my boss to come in early to take over so I could find out what was going on. Super angry, and embarrassed because I got dismissed with no further examinations other than a CT scan. Pretty sad when I have patrons come in, take one look at me doubled over in pain & tears and offering to take me to the ER down the road from my workplace. Dr.s', if I come in because of pain, it's bc I need help! Listen! Don't ignore!
I guess sympathy and empathy is not a prerequisite when wanting to become a doctor. These things cannot be taught. I had a doctor tell me that most patients don't really have much wrong with them they just want sympathy. I told him that most patients who are literate know where to find sympathy - Where? In the dictionary be tween s**t and syphilis. Told him if he had an ounce of empathy he might become a decent doctor! I'm looking for a new Doctor any takers for a loudmouth bitch as a patient and I will not change!
I understand it would be completely immoral, against doctor code etc etc, but I low-key kinda wish women doctors would start treating male patients in the same way. "Oh your balls feel like they're about to pop right off? Walk it off, it's just your testosterone!"
Women; we are f****d. I have had a UTI dismissed as being "in my head," and just give me Norco for pain, my MIL kept getting antibiotics for a "UTI" but after eight months of doing the same wrong thing again finally referred her to a urolugist - who found a giant tumor in her bladder. My MIL survived (they removed another one this year, but she is still cancer free), but my friend's MIL didn't. My friend is not a native English speaker and the ER doctors dismissed both of them. Multiple times. For textbook "old person with UTI" symptoms with her DIL telling them she had a kidney stone. She died less than a week after an ER doctor flat said to stop wasting time and don't come in again.
First of all, regardless of who or what the issue is, if you do not like the attending doctor, ask to see another ER doctor. If you cannot find anyone in the ER to help, get transferred. Document names and interactions and when you are able contact the hospital and have a meeting disusing what happened. NO one has the authority to put your life and health in jeopardy, or give wrong diagnoses.
I have to say, as a woman I haven't really experienced any of this. Yes, it's taken a while to get a diagnosis of fibromyalgia but that's more because it's diagnosed by a process of elimination. Before I moved house my doctor was amazing, I absolutely loved her - she was interested and remembered everything about me, if I saw her out she would say hi and ask how I was, it really was one of the reasons I was reluctant to move to a different town as it meant losing that amazing doctor who had helped me so much through several traumatic incidents. I don't have that here but the doctors have been efficient if impersonal. I know I was super lucky with my previous doctor, I wish every doctor was just like her but that's not realistic. I know my brother in America struggles with doctors, maybe it's because of the difference in how the medical system works? Private vs Nhs? But overall most doctors I've experienced here were ok to amazing which is way better than what I just read
I'm a guy and they do this to us too. I was a college football player who had a lot of muscle mass at the time. One day after practice I went to sleep and woke up in the middle of the night in the worst pain I've ever experienced in my lower right side of my back and side. I couldn't even roll out of bed. I had to have my roommate pick me up and I had to use him as a crutch to get to his truck to bring me to the ER. The nurse took my vitals and a blood test. The doctor came in later and says "are you taking steroids?" To which I was completely baffled and said what do you mean? And his response was "exactly what I just said and walked out". I had no idea what was going on. I got regularly tested by the NCAA and I knew I didn't take illegal substances. The nurse came in and explained that my creatine kinase levels were thru the roof. Over 100,000 units. They sent me home with a 3 day supply off vicodin and the discharge paper said "pulled muscle, avoid use of steroids" I was livid.
It's rare that I go to the ER. I have severe arthritis in my spine, hips, and pelvis. I have a spinal cord stimulator that helps with the pain but doesn't stop it completely. I also don't react normally to pain. I don't scream in pain, I don't whine and cry, etc. I'm also a former vet nurse and pharmacy technician. I didn't blow the national boards out of the water for nothing. But because I'm tough as all heck and don't complain much when I am in pain and "know way too much about drugs" when I do actually go in for pain I get tossed out because the doctors think I'm seeking drugs. I've also gone in, in a great deal of pain but with something seriously wrong. I literally had to yell in the doctors face "I DON'T WANT YOUR F**KING DRUGS YOU STUPID F**KNUGGET I WANT THIS S**T FIXED" Massive kidney stone, it got fixed
I literally had to stop reading these halfway through because I was getting so upset. Please people if you have issues with a medical person you need to report their actions to the state medical board at the very least write up a Yelp review.
I just want all of these doctors in a line, so I can walk up to each one and say: “She told you so”
Not just male doctors! Try telling a female doc you don't want children at the age of 23, and 30, and 35 ...
Had menstrual cramps monthly since I was 13 that would keep me in bed in fetal position. Many male and female doctors said I would grow out of it. I missed 1 to 3 days per month of school and later work, and had flow so heavy I had to change double pads every hour on first 2 days of each cycle. When I was 30 finally got a male gynecologist who looked deeper, said I had large fibroid tumors. STILL wouldn't do a hysterectomy because I "was so young and might want children." Took a year to convince him I wouldn't have a child with those fibroids, and finally had hysterectomy. What a relief, after losing so many days of my life to pain.
This realy makes you wondern how many people died due to prejudice by medical personnel.
I am a doctors worst nightmare I ask so many questions. I'm just os tired of the attitudes some of these guys. My favorite go to answer is "whatever you had its gone now!"I !" After a week in the hospital fro double pneumonia is, I was just arriving to appointment for follow up. Just as I was turning off car, the drs nurse called me and was asking about how many mgs were in this drug and no they hadn't called in Rx and basically didn't know their butts from deep centerfield I calmly told yhe nurse To let doc l know the entire gang was fired as my team. And I calmly drove home
I might get a lot of flack for this comment…. But as a female, even as an RN, I refuse to see male doctors. Too many bad experiences (nothing to do with anything sexual,) just bad experiences.
Why is it that in many countries every doctor decides women are either "seeking attention" or exaggerating minor ailments? I am partially deaf from a botched operation when I was 14. With virtually no help it took me 15 years to have an cranial implant to wear a hearing aid, which did help. I found out 6 months ago that I am not deaf, although I still can not hear a thing out of my right ear. I moved to a different area and for some reason my new doctor has decided that I invented all this, never tested the hearing or inspected the implant which is now steady leaking blood and pus. I am female, say no more. I could write a book about botched hospital and doctor treatment/diagnoses.
Woke up one morming w a throat so sore I couldn't swallow. Went to the ER, gave them my history which consistent of frequent sinus infections and tonsillitis, but they said I was just dehydrated. Have me an IV bag and sent me home. Two hours later I passed out. Woke up w a fever and went back to the ER. They tested me for strep (positive) and wanted to keep me overnight. I'm highly allergic to most antibiotics, which was noted in my chart. After 4 days in the hospital, my throat was almost swollen shut and I couldn't talk. Didn't matter what I asked for, they just kept telling me the wait for the meds to do their job. Finally my Dad (6'6", 300 lbs) told them to get an ear, nose, and throat specialist in or he'd sue them. They did and in 10 minutes the Dr knew I was having an allergic reaction to the med they had been giving me. So not only was my infection not getting cleared up, but the med was causing my throat to slowly swell shut. Another 24 hours and I wouldn't have been able to breathe at all. Yeah, never returned to that ER/Hospital even though it's only 1 mile from my house, and the next closest in 20 minutes away.
Was in the ER recently and the male doc kept asking me if i was pregnant. Every time i said no, he would go "are you sure?" I had already mentioned i was on my period. He then blamed it on a uti. I was well aware of the symptoms of a UTI and told him no. He said it was a UTI and sent me back to the waiting room. The female nurse asked for an ultra sound, a CAT scan, and a urine sample because she believed i had a serious issue. Yep, I had an ovarian cyst and gastritis.
I wanted to share this article about Trevor Noah who is suing his medical team for disabling him. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trevor-noah-lawsuit_n_61c058e5e4b0c7d8b891e8a5?d_id=2969806&ref=bffbhuffpost&ncid_tag=fcbklnkushpmg00000063&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=us_main&fbclid=IwAR1kdY2SToIPE4Qd7XMmjSCk1XQpQ2T5XwdZv_3Gy5rdxppEImXCbScX9wc
Not ER in my case, thankfully, but I had one experience like that (once again, thankfully, it was only one, as most of my experiences with doctors were good so far). I was having an ongoing feet fungus problem, the kind that returns every once in a while, and causes painful watery blisters. It's so debilitating, you literally can't walk properly. It's easily solvable with proper medicine, and, once you're familiar with the problem, it's easily detectable before it gets worse. So, this happened in summer (Korean summers are generally pretty hot and humid), so it is advisable to wear open shoes, especially if you have a fungus problem. And so one nice summer day, my feet fungus decided to pay me a visit, so I went to a dermatologist (one that was new to me, as I had moved recently), and I told him my problem. Without proper examination he said "that's not fungus, it's because you're wearing 'uncomfortable shoes'" (lady sandals, pretty comfortable too, actually).
Moral of these stories: Have a shitty doc, go get a second opinion. If it is more emergent, demand another opinion or hospital hop. We shouldn't have to but damn!
My niece took my sister to the ER a few months ago due to unusual falling and mini-convulsions. The ER gave her some meds and released her after a few hours, no diagnostics given. She was back in the hospital is less than 2 days after falling two more times and hitting her head. They admitted her to the hospital and kept her for a week, made sure she met with a neurologist and other specialists.
It's time for all women who are ignored, brushed off, and not properly treated because of their gender to sue the bastards. They cause and increase suffering, they refuse to do anything to relieve suffering, and they don't listen to our believe women. The ones who do this should lose their medical licenses and if any harm is caused by their discrimination, they should be in prison. And this also goes for minorities, especially black people. They also get ignored and under treated by supposed medical professionals. Total crap and unacceptable. If they blow u off, tell them you're going to seek help elsewhere and if it turns out I have something serious wrong with me, and you wouldn't do anything, I will sue you for malpractice and discrimination. See you in court.
these all paint a really dark picture of medical care in the US how can so many Americans brag about how its the greatest country in the world with a health care system that can make people go into serious debt or with doctors that act like the ones in this post
I had a visible protrusion at the front of the left side of my neck when I was 29. Very scary since literally 90 percent of the women on my mother’s side have thyroid problems. I went to my PCP (who knows my family history) and without even looking at my neck he said I was ‘too young’ to have a thyroid problem and that it was Globus Sensation. I pointed out the protrusion, which he claimed not see. He then put on gloves, palpated the wrong side of my neck for two seconds, and told me again I was fine. Tearing up at this point because of how scared and frustrated I was at his refusal to help, he finally said he’d placate me by ordering an ultrasound. Three days later: I need to see an endocrinologist immediately because there are FOUR growths on my thyroid, the largest the size of a chicken egg. Thyroid has to come out. I will spend the rest of my life without a vital organ, struggling with my weight and chronic fatigue, and regulating my metabolism with synthetic hormones. Thanks Doc.
Aside from the two stories in the comments, it took me fifteen years to get a doctor to take my severe chronic pain seriously, and another five after that to be properly diagnosed. Only to find out that a physiotherapist had suggested I be evaluated for the condition in question when I was 15 years old. I have medical trauma in addition to C-PTSD thanks to medical professionals - doctors and nurses alike. Sadly, I find this is all too common amongst women and AFAB folks with chronic illness/disability.
ER staff was shocked that my X-Ray showed a broken hip. This coming after they didn't believe I was in so much pain that I needed help getting undressed. And they were just seconds away from x-raying the wrong hip before o realized it.
My friend had major issues and went to the doctor. She was asked so many times if she was having "lady issues" as if they cant say menstruation or if she was pregnant. then dismissed it got worse so she went back, she had Endometriosis
This happened yesterday...I have a growth on my spleen. A radiologist, my family doctor, and a specialist in internal medicine ordered a contrast ultrasound so that they could see it more clearly. After doing an ultrasound without the contrast solution, the technician said, "I've got really clear images here. I don't think that we need to add the contrast medium." I replied, "I'd prefer to have the contrast added. Both my parents died of pancreatic cancer..." "But, this is your spleen." "I know. But with anything internal I'd like to know what's going on." "I'll go and ask the radiologist what she wants to do." The radiologist came and completed her own examination. I ended up not needing just one dose of contrast solution, but two, until she could get a clear image. When I told my husband what had happened, he said, "Good for you for standing up for yourself." I shouldn't have needed to. I shouldn't have needed to advocate for myself. It should've just been done. But we do.
This had happened to me too many times:/ we have to stand up for ourselves...but in a socially appropriate, non confrontational way because otherwise we're just hysterical Karen's. God I hate doctors sometimes.
Here's a story that's kinda the opposite. So I went to this summer camp in the Key West, and I get a sunburn on my back because none of the counselors tried to help me. I complained about the pain, and the counselor said that I was fine. When I finally get home, my mom takes a picture of the burn, and shows my pediatrician. The moment she sees it, she was very shocked because it was a second degree sunburn AND a blister! My family didn't even know that was possible. It took two years for my skin to fully heal, and I have not been there since.
I sharnt go through everything because I shall be writing forever, but I have a chronic pain condition endometriosis as well as alot issues in that Abdo area for16 years the horror stories I could tell you about A&E ambulance doctors consultants so called professionals that certainly didn't act professionally, recently I'm doing much better but it has taken me 16 years of pain to the point I actually have PTSD from the ordeal of fighting every single step of the way for every appointment every surgery every treatment 16 years to get to a point where I'm not screaming my house down everyday in absolute agony. 1 thing though that amazes me is when they take blood (I have terrible veins so it generally takes several attempts and some wiggling once they took it out of my foot) or administer injections, anything the inflicts a little pain and I wouldn't flinch and Nealy everyone of them would say wow you have a pretty good/ high pain threshol 🤦 yeah & I'm screaming so the pain must be bad
Nearly died 2x because of male doctors. And this also resulted in me having to have a hysterectomy at the age of 20 all because I was misdiagnosed, ignored, my symptoms and pain were down played and the problems got so bad untreated that it lead to be having to have a hysterectomy when things could have been treated earlier and I may not have had to go through such a drastic thing at such a young age.
Went to the ER for severe pain in my right knee and my back, the doctor who treated me ended up sending me to the psychologist because according to her my back problems, I injured the L4-L5, and my knee, whit the size of a watermelon, were due to rejection that surely my mother had towards me because surely my father raped her! Hearing such nonsense, I got up and left. I had a happy childhood and the fortune of my parents' love. My hernia has ruptured and my knee is still swollen.
Went to the urgent care about 1 hour after a throw to me at first base took a bad bounce and slammed into my ankle. Already multicolored and swollen. They expected me to walk, by myself, without any support, to the Xray department. Big old crack to the bottom of my tibia. Now I have a cankle.
Any doctor who is dismissive of a patient's description of symptoms when the patient is actually correct is ethically guilty of malpractice. Period. Listen to what the patient is saying.
As a former ER RN, yeah, way too many dumb ass doctors end up in ER rotation. As nurses, we LOVE the adrenaline and the chance to save lives. ER docs though? Very few WANT to be there and most are bidding their time until they can get into private practice or somewhere else.
To all the men commenting that this isn't a women's issue and men are treated the same, I have one things to say... Birth control, which does more than help a woman not get pregnant and can be used as a way to improve their lives due to lessening menstrual pain, PMS, heavy flowers, etc, is not always covered by insurance. Viagra is. I dare you to tell me that we're treated the same.
(not post relevant, well, a little bit ) So, i've been seeing this website for a while now and i notice that there are a lot of post targeting either male or female in a bad spot light. this one, for example, could be just about doctors, no need to say male doctors. Same goes for female like posts. Just what i think, cheers
Yup me and my mum went into the clinic and I was peeing blood and couldn't sit comfortably. The doctor we were sent to said I had a urine infection and sent me home. Barely two days later I was hospitalised for three days because lo and behold it wasnt a urine infection. Can't even remeber what it was called but yeah if dumass Dr Watt. Yup that was his name still remeber years later. If dumass had just actually paid attention to my mum. Who is a nurse and was saying that it wasn't a UTI. Then I MIGTH have gotten actual attention.
Many of the problems start & end with women are not valued in society as much as men. Too many feel that women are weak & need a man to make decisions for them. After all the only real value some put on women are as baby makers & home makers. We don't need to look any further than women's reproductive health issues. See Texas.
I had a sprained ankle and had an X-ray just to be sure there were no other issues. Radiologist confirms things look fine. A week later things aren’t fine and I can’t bare any weight on my heel. I go to my gp twice over the next 5wks and he is starting to insinuate its all in my head, but he finally refers me to a specialist. The specialist takes one look at the original X-ray and finds a dislocated bone in my foot. Of course it hurt to walk.
I broke my ankle in freshmen year. It wasn’t a bad break, just stress fractures, but they showed up as soon they were x-rayed (at a different place). I have a very high pain tolerance so I was walking around on it and trying to continue to run. Finally it was hurting almost constantly and kept getting swollen, so I got my mom to take me in. The doctor (the same one who said my mom’s autoimmune disease was menopause, incidentally) told me I was hysterical and it was a mild sprain, so she started bending my ankle around to see where the “sprain” was. Jerking my already painful ankle around so suddenly hurt a lot. I’m rather ashamed to admit I swore at her. I went to a different doctor and got a cast.
Ladies, they do this to man patients too. I have told them that I have mysophobia and since then everything is just in my head, the problem is I told them I have mysophobia so they would realize that if I went to them with my phobia it's probably bad, it sadly had a reverse effect. Now I am living with sometimes debilitating gastric symptoms because I am just "too emotional".
I had THE MIST AGONIZING back pain that was unlike anything I had ever had before, I suffered through it for 10 days before finally going to the emergency room at 2 a.m one morning when I was literally crying from the pain. The ER doctor came in asked what the issue was… I told him, he said.. “it’s muscle spasm” . I told him there was no way this was just a muscle spasm, I also explained that I had given birth 4 times and that the pain from my back was worse than childbirth! He did NOT even look at my back, did zero examination and just gave me an injectable pain killer so I could sleep. It took me another week to finally get an X-ray that was self recommended. Turns out I had 2 fractured vertabrae! I wish I could’ve gone back to that lousy ER doctor and shoved my X-rays in his face.
And even if the bleeding is from our vaginas, it's not always normal. I started bleeding one night and it wouldn't stop. We ended up calling 911, they took me to the ER. When we got there, the (female) triage nurse was going to have me sit out in the waiting room until they could see me. Bless the paramedics! One kept standing beside me on the gurney with his hand on my shoulder, the other went up to her and calmly told her that no, I needed to be put in a room and seen soon. That it wasn't just a period, I was hemorrhaging. Long story short, after ultrasounds, biopsies and a hysterectomy I was diagnosed with stage 3 uterine cancer.
Was tested for pregnancy cause I was puking my brains out. They said the test was positive (impossible I hadn't had sex since my daughter was born 6 months prior) so I had them blood test me. Negative....duh. Turns out I had a severe case of food poisoning and needed antivirals and antibiotics and almost ruptured my stitches in my uterus from surgery two weeks prior.
Oh my goodness I really have no words being in healthcare for 20+ years...this really makes me sad...I would never treat anyone the way these women were treated...all I can say is I am sorry for what they went through and regardless of what your told being dismissed no one knows your body better than you and if you feel something is wrong please get a second or even third opinion until you find a doctor to listen...there are good doctors and nurses out there who want to help you I just think sometimes depending on where you live they can be hard to find. Be persistent! And please stay healthy and safe! <3
When we are dismissed and under diagnosed we need to sue doctors and hospitals for malpractice.
Please remember, 49% of doctors graduated at the BOTTOM 1/2 of their class.
I hate these kinds of articles. Yes this happens, and it shouldn't, but why make it a gender thing? I'm a male and I've been dismissed by a male doctor as well.
These are all awful, and I don't intend to dismiss the severity of any of them, but they are clearly all American. Until you all do something about the criminally appalling health system, nothing is going to change. Obviously there are still doctors and nurses who care deeply for every patient they see, but when the hospitals and all of their satellite services are reined in by the need to make a profit at every turn, instead of providing excellent care, then this is what you get - carelessness and apathy.
These stories are way too familiar. I've experienced it myself, and been there in the hospital by the side of my daughter, and with other female friends, having to fight on their behalf for the basic standard of care. When you are the patient, it is sometimes more than you can manage to advocate for yourself. Take someone with you to advocate for you. I have been that person many times for friends and family. I know I have categorically saved two lives by being a beast.
I was going through a suspected ectopic pregnancy and was suffering with excruciating pain in my shoulders and neck. The Dr came to examine me and asked about my pain. I was literally screaming in agony and he turned around and said I just pulled a muscle in my shoulders. Well turns out one of the common symptoms of internal bleeding is shoulder pain. My fallopian tube had ruptured and I was bleeding internally. The dr just tried brushing it off as a pulled muscle. Ended up needing emergency surgery and a blood transfusion. Now, I don't have a high pain tolerance but I'm not screaming and asking to die over a f*****g pulled muscle.
Female. MD. Been dismissed by competent (male) surgeon b/c "it's just her uterus". No, it wasn't. I still need a cane sometimes. I also get, "Well, why are you here, just diagnose yourself!" (No, that's stupid and risky.) Then there's "it's anxiety". No, it wasn't. Argh....
1/3 Doctors: Take women and their medical issues serious. Besides a wrong view of the female body, there is something else interesting going on: emancipatory developments. There is a lot of work to be done in medical science. This is partly due to misunderstood complaints, but partly also to emancipation. For example, in a conversation with an orthopedist, who said that there are more and more women with a football knee. A lot more women play football these days. They must be treated in a different way, because tendons and muscles also behave differently under the influence of hormones. Actually, the basis, the study of medicine, should take much more into account the differences between men and women. And that should not only apply to pathophysiology, but also, for example, to communication between women and doctors.
I went to the emergency room once with the worst abdominal pain I’ve ever had. Was given a Voltaren injection and told it was probably stress. Pain was even worse the next day so I went to my GP and learnt that I had a very severe kidney infection. Funny thing is that I provided the hospital I originally went to with a urine sample and they only tested it to see if I was pregnant.
One of the reasons I left nursing was the arrogance of doctors as well as nursing staff that whenever a patient came in with pain they were automatic drug seekers!!
Curled up in pain in ED, second 'case of gastro' in several months. Kept fainting, can't digest, horrible pain. After several hours, a doctor came and he actually said "I've been watching you for a while and I don't think you are faking so here's some morphine". It did nothing, which scared me. But I guess they thought 'aha, a druggie after all'. Sent me away, again. Came back 3 days later: if I had waited 12 hours more there is no way I would be alive. Only diagnosed because an elderly guy came in same day same symptoms, and they realised that despite my young age I had the same thing. My body is ruined now, scars and missing intestines etc, PTSD and a host of conditions have arisen post op. HOWEVER: I think this could have happened regardless of my gender or the doctor's. Maybe I am wrong? (My body had been failing for months, a side effect was worse acne. Spots plus pain=drug seeker in drs opinions I guess?) A man same age as me died same year same hospital from same thing as me.
Look this up--most medical textbooks do not even include the proper anatomy of the female clitoris!! They DON'T EVEN GET TAUGHT PROPER WOMEN'S ANATOMY!!!!
"Can you make a note in the chart that you are refusing to do further testing"
Doctor rarely take women seriously.... it has become even worse since the opioid crisis. Also just let them find out you have anxiety, everything henceforth will be a product of your anxiety. I actually have several horror stories but the worst one happened after I went home with my first child. I had my c-section and I started running fever and feeling really lethargic, so I went to the ER. They made me sit in the ER waiting room for a few hours because they did not deem my issue as important. Finally I got tired of it all and told my husband I wanted to go home and go to bed. Luckily he made me stay. When I finally got back to the actual ER room, they found out that I had a massive infection that hit my blood. The second that they admitted me to the hospital and got me up to my room the doc came in and immediately cut open my stitching (new stitching) and pushed on my tummy. All kinds of nastiness came out. I ended up staying in the hospital a week with constant IV antibiotics and they inserted a drainage tube into my c-section. I had to keep it for about a month afterward so it could drain the infection and I was on a month's worth of antibiotics. I was taking about 12 pills a day all together. I almost died.
Went to a neurologist for extreme migraines and issue with lights after a head injury. I do have general anxiety, more of a crowd thing than overall and made the mistake of adding it to my chart. When I finally get to see the doctor he barely looks at me and immediately says I have head pain due to anxiety... I tried to remind him of other symptoms I have but no, all anxiety, all in my head. Well needless to say the anxiety/pain meds didn't work so OK it must be high blood pressure, even though I have never presented high blood pressure. Well anyways skip some years, I gave up on him wasn't going to waste out of pocket fees for seeing him. I got a new female doctor and as I am explaining things to her, cuz you know she actually sat down with me and is fully listening, she notices I have a rash on my face and eyelids. Yaaaa it ain't anxiety 1st doc... Edit: To be slightly more fair to the 1st doctor, I wasn't presenting as many odd symptoms back then.
my female doc ignored my complaints of pain in my hip for almost 2 years. Every 3 months, I told her it was getting worse. Told her the 1st time it gave out and I fell. She never once asked where I was pain-wise or checked my mobility. It got so bad I needed a cane and called saying I wanted an x-ray on my hip. They acted like it was 1st time I complained of it. She finally examines me and sends me for the x-ray and says I need to see a surgeon right away. I make the appt. with the surgeon for 6 weeks out. They call me later that day saying the received the x-rays and can I come in at 3 that day. I walk in and they immediately schedule me for a total hip replacement. I had to wait weeks for the surgery and ended up in a wheelchair for 2 weeks it got so bad. I have a new doctor now...
This whole article is equal parts ignorant mansplaining and deliberate neglect. We need higher standards for women's healthcare!
I once woke up with a little pain in my shoulder. But it got worse every hour until I was in severe pain around noon and couldn't move my head. And it just wouldn't go away, even ibuprofen didn't help. So I went to the ER the next day because at this point the pain was a ~7 on a scale of 1 to 10. The doc at the ER literally just tabbed my shoulder, gave me painkillers, said "You have muscle pain due to the cold weather. Had 20 cases like yours in the last week." and sent me home. I went to an orthopedist the next day (Monday) who was sure it was a herniated disc after a thorough examination. Had an MRI done on Tuesday and my results on Wednesday. And surprise, surprise: It was a herniated disk. I was in pain for 2 more weeks. Couldn't sleep because of the pain and only fell asleep due to exhaustion until the orthopedist gave me injections directly to the nerve to numb it. "Is just muscle pain" my *ss.
Been to a hospital 2x's in 6 mo. with extreme abdominal pain and basically passing but blood from the r****m. First time they told me I passed a kidney stone, and it was most likely period pain, which I could probably understand as I have intense cycles, but it was two weeks after that fact. The second time they told me they couldnt find anything wrong and sent me home. I was staggering into the ER early that morning and was seen right away, but was dismissed again with nothing more than to go home and rest. Frustrating, especially as I worked all night and finally had to call my boss to come in early to take over so I could find out what was going on. Super angry, and embarrassed because I got dismissed with no further examinations other than a CT scan. Pretty sad when I have patrons come in, take one look at me doubled over in pain & tears and offering to take me to the ER down the road from my workplace. Dr.s', if I come in because of pain, it's bc I need help! Listen! Don't ignore!
I guess sympathy and empathy is not a prerequisite when wanting to become a doctor. These things cannot be taught. I had a doctor tell me that most patients don't really have much wrong with them they just want sympathy. I told him that most patients who are literate know where to find sympathy - Where? In the dictionary be tween s**t and syphilis. Told him if he had an ounce of empathy he might become a decent doctor! I'm looking for a new Doctor any takers for a loudmouth bitch as a patient and I will not change!
I understand it would be completely immoral, against doctor code etc etc, but I low-key kinda wish women doctors would start treating male patients in the same way. "Oh your balls feel like they're about to pop right off? Walk it off, it's just your testosterone!"
Women; we are f****d. I have had a UTI dismissed as being "in my head," and just give me Norco for pain, my MIL kept getting antibiotics for a "UTI" but after eight months of doing the same wrong thing again finally referred her to a urolugist - who found a giant tumor in her bladder. My MIL survived (they removed another one this year, but she is still cancer free), but my friend's MIL didn't. My friend is not a native English speaker and the ER doctors dismissed both of them. Multiple times. For textbook "old person with UTI" symptoms with her DIL telling them she had a kidney stone. She died less than a week after an ER doctor flat said to stop wasting time and don't come in again.
First of all, regardless of who or what the issue is, if you do not like the attending doctor, ask to see another ER doctor. If you cannot find anyone in the ER to help, get transferred. Document names and interactions and when you are able contact the hospital and have a meeting disusing what happened. NO one has the authority to put your life and health in jeopardy, or give wrong diagnoses.
I have to say, as a woman I haven't really experienced any of this. Yes, it's taken a while to get a diagnosis of fibromyalgia but that's more because it's diagnosed by a process of elimination. Before I moved house my doctor was amazing, I absolutely loved her - she was interested and remembered everything about me, if I saw her out she would say hi and ask how I was, it really was one of the reasons I was reluctant to move to a different town as it meant losing that amazing doctor who had helped me so much through several traumatic incidents. I don't have that here but the doctors have been efficient if impersonal. I know I was super lucky with my previous doctor, I wish every doctor was just like her but that's not realistic. I know my brother in America struggles with doctors, maybe it's because of the difference in how the medical system works? Private vs Nhs? But overall most doctors I've experienced here were ok to amazing which is way better than what I just read
I'm a guy and they do this to us too. I was a college football player who had a lot of muscle mass at the time. One day after practice I went to sleep and woke up in the middle of the night in the worst pain I've ever experienced in my lower right side of my back and side. I couldn't even roll out of bed. I had to have my roommate pick me up and I had to use him as a crutch to get to his truck to bring me to the ER. The nurse took my vitals and a blood test. The doctor came in later and says "are you taking steroids?" To which I was completely baffled and said what do you mean? And his response was "exactly what I just said and walked out". I had no idea what was going on. I got regularly tested by the NCAA and I knew I didn't take illegal substances. The nurse came in and explained that my creatine kinase levels were thru the roof. Over 100,000 units. They sent me home with a 3 day supply off vicodin and the discharge paper said "pulled muscle, avoid use of steroids" I was livid.
It's rare that I go to the ER. I have severe arthritis in my spine, hips, and pelvis. I have a spinal cord stimulator that helps with the pain but doesn't stop it completely. I also don't react normally to pain. I don't scream in pain, I don't whine and cry, etc. I'm also a former vet nurse and pharmacy technician. I didn't blow the national boards out of the water for nothing. But because I'm tough as all heck and don't complain much when I am in pain and "know way too much about drugs" when I do actually go in for pain I get tossed out because the doctors think I'm seeking drugs. I've also gone in, in a great deal of pain but with something seriously wrong. I literally had to yell in the doctors face "I DON'T WANT YOUR F**KING DRUGS YOU STUPID F**KNUGGET I WANT THIS S**T FIXED" Massive kidney stone, it got fixed
I literally had to stop reading these halfway through because I was getting so upset. Please people if you have issues with a medical person you need to report their actions to the state medical board at the very least write up a Yelp review.
I just want all of these doctors in a line, so I can walk up to each one and say: “She told you so”
Not just male doctors! Try telling a female doc you don't want children at the age of 23, and 30, and 35 ...
Had menstrual cramps monthly since I was 13 that would keep me in bed in fetal position. Many male and female doctors said I would grow out of it. I missed 1 to 3 days per month of school and later work, and had flow so heavy I had to change double pads every hour on first 2 days of each cycle. When I was 30 finally got a male gynecologist who looked deeper, said I had large fibroid tumors. STILL wouldn't do a hysterectomy because I "was so young and might want children." Took a year to convince him I wouldn't have a child with those fibroids, and finally had hysterectomy. What a relief, after losing so many days of my life to pain.
This realy makes you wondern how many people died due to prejudice by medical personnel.
I am a doctors worst nightmare I ask so many questions. I'm just os tired of the attitudes some of these guys. My favorite go to answer is "whatever you had its gone now!"I !" After a week in the hospital fro double pneumonia is, I was just arriving to appointment for follow up. Just as I was turning off car, the drs nurse called me and was asking about how many mgs were in this drug and no they hadn't called in Rx and basically didn't know their butts from deep centerfield I calmly told yhe nurse To let doc l know the entire gang was fired as my team. And I calmly drove home
I might get a lot of flack for this comment…. But as a female, even as an RN, I refuse to see male doctors. Too many bad experiences (nothing to do with anything sexual,) just bad experiences.
Why is it that in many countries every doctor decides women are either "seeking attention" or exaggerating minor ailments? I am partially deaf from a botched operation when I was 14. With virtually no help it took me 15 years to have an cranial implant to wear a hearing aid, which did help. I found out 6 months ago that I am not deaf, although I still can not hear a thing out of my right ear. I moved to a different area and for some reason my new doctor has decided that I invented all this, never tested the hearing or inspected the implant which is now steady leaking blood and pus. I am female, say no more. I could write a book about botched hospital and doctor treatment/diagnoses.
Woke up one morming w a throat so sore I couldn't swallow. Went to the ER, gave them my history which consistent of frequent sinus infections and tonsillitis, but they said I was just dehydrated. Have me an IV bag and sent me home. Two hours later I passed out. Woke up w a fever and went back to the ER. They tested me for strep (positive) and wanted to keep me overnight. I'm highly allergic to most antibiotics, which was noted in my chart. After 4 days in the hospital, my throat was almost swollen shut and I couldn't talk. Didn't matter what I asked for, they just kept telling me the wait for the meds to do their job. Finally my Dad (6'6", 300 lbs) told them to get an ear, nose, and throat specialist in or he'd sue them. They did and in 10 minutes the Dr knew I was having an allergic reaction to the med they had been giving me. So not only was my infection not getting cleared up, but the med was causing my throat to slowly swell shut. Another 24 hours and I wouldn't have been able to breathe at all. Yeah, never returned to that ER/Hospital even though it's only 1 mile from my house, and the next closest in 20 minutes away.
Was in the ER recently and the male doc kept asking me if i was pregnant. Every time i said no, he would go "are you sure?" I had already mentioned i was on my period. He then blamed it on a uti. I was well aware of the symptoms of a UTI and told him no. He said it was a UTI and sent me back to the waiting room. The female nurse asked for an ultra sound, a CAT scan, and a urine sample because she believed i had a serious issue. Yep, I had an ovarian cyst and gastritis.
I wanted to share this article about Trevor Noah who is suing his medical team for disabling him. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trevor-noah-lawsuit_n_61c058e5e4b0c7d8b891e8a5?d_id=2969806&ref=bffbhuffpost&ncid_tag=fcbklnkushpmg00000063&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=us_main&fbclid=IwAR1kdY2SToIPE4Qd7XMmjSCk1XQpQ2T5XwdZv_3Gy5rdxppEImXCbScX9wc
Not ER in my case, thankfully, but I had one experience like that (once again, thankfully, it was only one, as most of my experiences with doctors were good so far). I was having an ongoing feet fungus problem, the kind that returns every once in a while, and causes painful watery blisters. It's so debilitating, you literally can't walk properly. It's easily solvable with proper medicine, and, once you're familiar with the problem, it's easily detectable before it gets worse. So, this happened in summer (Korean summers are generally pretty hot and humid), so it is advisable to wear open shoes, especially if you have a fungus problem. And so one nice summer day, my feet fungus decided to pay me a visit, so I went to a dermatologist (one that was new to me, as I had moved recently), and I told him my problem. Without proper examination he said "that's not fungus, it's because you're wearing 'uncomfortable shoes'" (lady sandals, pretty comfortable too, actually).
Moral of these stories: Have a shitty doc, go get a second opinion. If it is more emergent, demand another opinion or hospital hop. We shouldn't have to but damn!
My niece took my sister to the ER a few months ago due to unusual falling and mini-convulsions. The ER gave her some meds and released her after a few hours, no diagnostics given. She was back in the hospital is less than 2 days after falling two more times and hitting her head. They admitted her to the hospital and kept her for a week, made sure she met with a neurologist and other specialists.
It's time for all women who are ignored, brushed off, and not properly treated because of their gender to sue the bastards. They cause and increase suffering, they refuse to do anything to relieve suffering, and they don't listen to our believe women. The ones who do this should lose their medical licenses and if any harm is caused by their discrimination, they should be in prison. And this also goes for minorities, especially black people. They also get ignored and under treated by supposed medical professionals. Total crap and unacceptable. If they blow u off, tell them you're going to seek help elsewhere and if it turns out I have something serious wrong with me, and you wouldn't do anything, I will sue you for malpractice and discrimination. See you in court.
these all paint a really dark picture of medical care in the US how can so many Americans brag about how its the greatest country in the world with a health care system that can make people go into serious debt or with doctors that act like the ones in this post
I had a visible protrusion at the front of the left side of my neck when I was 29. Very scary since literally 90 percent of the women on my mother’s side have thyroid problems. I went to my PCP (who knows my family history) and without even looking at my neck he said I was ‘too young’ to have a thyroid problem and that it was Globus Sensation. I pointed out the protrusion, which he claimed not see. He then put on gloves, palpated the wrong side of my neck for two seconds, and told me again I was fine. Tearing up at this point because of how scared and frustrated I was at his refusal to help, he finally said he’d placate me by ordering an ultrasound. Three days later: I need to see an endocrinologist immediately because there are FOUR growths on my thyroid, the largest the size of a chicken egg. Thyroid has to come out. I will spend the rest of my life without a vital organ, struggling with my weight and chronic fatigue, and regulating my metabolism with synthetic hormones. Thanks Doc.
Aside from the two stories in the comments, it took me fifteen years to get a doctor to take my severe chronic pain seriously, and another five after that to be properly diagnosed. Only to find out that a physiotherapist had suggested I be evaluated for the condition in question when I was 15 years old. I have medical trauma in addition to C-PTSD thanks to medical professionals - doctors and nurses alike. Sadly, I find this is all too common amongst women and AFAB folks with chronic illness/disability.
ER staff was shocked that my X-Ray showed a broken hip. This coming after they didn't believe I was in so much pain that I needed help getting undressed. And they were just seconds away from x-raying the wrong hip before o realized it.
My friend had major issues and went to the doctor. She was asked so many times if she was having "lady issues" as if they cant say menstruation or if she was pregnant. then dismissed it got worse so she went back, she had Endometriosis
This happened yesterday...I have a growth on my spleen. A radiologist, my family doctor, and a specialist in internal medicine ordered a contrast ultrasound so that they could see it more clearly. After doing an ultrasound without the contrast solution, the technician said, "I've got really clear images here. I don't think that we need to add the contrast medium." I replied, "I'd prefer to have the contrast added. Both my parents died of pancreatic cancer..." "But, this is your spleen." "I know. But with anything internal I'd like to know what's going on." "I'll go and ask the radiologist what she wants to do." The radiologist came and completed her own examination. I ended up not needing just one dose of contrast solution, but two, until she could get a clear image. When I told my husband what had happened, he said, "Good for you for standing up for yourself." I shouldn't have needed to. I shouldn't have needed to advocate for myself. It should've just been done. But we do.
This had happened to me too many times:/ we have to stand up for ourselves...but in a socially appropriate, non confrontational way because otherwise we're just hysterical Karen's. God I hate doctors sometimes.
Here's a story that's kinda the opposite. So I went to this summer camp in the Key West, and I get a sunburn on my back because none of the counselors tried to help me. I complained about the pain, and the counselor said that I was fine. When I finally get home, my mom takes a picture of the burn, and shows my pediatrician. The moment she sees it, she was very shocked because it was a second degree sunburn AND a blister! My family didn't even know that was possible. It took two years for my skin to fully heal, and I have not been there since.
I sharnt go through everything because I shall be writing forever, but I have a chronic pain condition endometriosis as well as alot issues in that Abdo area for16 years the horror stories I could tell you about A&E ambulance doctors consultants so called professionals that certainly didn't act professionally, recently I'm doing much better but it has taken me 16 years of pain to the point I actually have PTSD from the ordeal of fighting every single step of the way for every appointment every surgery every treatment 16 years to get to a point where I'm not screaming my house down everyday in absolute agony. 1 thing though that amazes me is when they take blood (I have terrible veins so it generally takes several attempts and some wiggling once they took it out of my foot) or administer injections, anything the inflicts a little pain and I wouldn't flinch and Nealy everyone of them would say wow you have a pretty good/ high pain threshol 🤦 yeah & I'm screaming so the pain must be bad
Nearly died 2x because of male doctors. And this also resulted in me having to have a hysterectomy at the age of 20 all because I was misdiagnosed, ignored, my symptoms and pain were down played and the problems got so bad untreated that it lead to be having to have a hysterectomy when things could have been treated earlier and I may not have had to go through such a drastic thing at such a young age.
Went to the ER for severe pain in my right knee and my back, the doctor who treated me ended up sending me to the psychologist because according to her my back problems, I injured the L4-L5, and my knee, whit the size of a watermelon, were due to rejection that surely my mother had towards me because surely my father raped her! Hearing such nonsense, I got up and left. I had a happy childhood and the fortune of my parents' love. My hernia has ruptured and my knee is still swollen.
Went to the urgent care about 1 hour after a throw to me at first base took a bad bounce and slammed into my ankle. Already multicolored and swollen. They expected me to walk, by myself, without any support, to the Xray department. Big old crack to the bottom of my tibia. Now I have a cankle.
Any doctor who is dismissive of a patient's description of symptoms when the patient is actually correct is ethically guilty of malpractice. Period. Listen to what the patient is saying.
As a former ER RN, yeah, way too many dumb ass doctors end up in ER rotation. As nurses, we LOVE the adrenaline and the chance to save lives. ER docs though? Very few WANT to be there and most are bidding their time until they can get into private practice or somewhere else.
To all the men commenting that this isn't a women's issue and men are treated the same, I have one things to say... Birth control, which does more than help a woman not get pregnant and can be used as a way to improve their lives due to lessening menstrual pain, PMS, heavy flowers, etc, is not always covered by insurance. Viagra is. I dare you to tell me that we're treated the same.
(not post relevant, well, a little bit ) So, i've been seeing this website for a while now and i notice that there are a lot of post targeting either male or female in a bad spot light. this one, for example, could be just about doctors, no need to say male doctors. Same goes for female like posts. Just what i think, cheers
Yup me and my mum went into the clinic and I was peeing blood and couldn't sit comfortably. The doctor we were sent to said I had a urine infection and sent me home. Barely two days later I was hospitalised for three days because lo and behold it wasnt a urine infection. Can't even remeber what it was called but yeah if dumass Dr Watt. Yup that was his name still remeber years later. If dumass had just actually paid attention to my mum. Who is a nurse and was saying that it wasn't a UTI. Then I MIGTH have gotten actual attention.
Many of the problems start & end with women are not valued in society as much as men. Too many feel that women are weak & need a man to make decisions for them. After all the only real value some put on women are as baby makers & home makers. We don't need to look any further than women's reproductive health issues. See Texas.
I had a sprained ankle and had an X-ray just to be sure there were no other issues. Radiologist confirms things look fine. A week later things aren’t fine and I can’t bare any weight on my heel. I go to my gp twice over the next 5wks and he is starting to insinuate its all in my head, but he finally refers me to a specialist. The specialist takes one look at the original X-ray and finds a dislocated bone in my foot. Of course it hurt to walk.
I broke my ankle in freshmen year. It wasn’t a bad break, just stress fractures, but they showed up as soon they were x-rayed (at a different place). I have a very high pain tolerance so I was walking around on it and trying to continue to run. Finally it was hurting almost constantly and kept getting swollen, so I got my mom to take me in. The doctor (the same one who said my mom’s autoimmune disease was menopause, incidentally) told me I was hysterical and it was a mild sprain, so she started bending my ankle around to see where the “sprain” was. Jerking my already painful ankle around so suddenly hurt a lot. I’m rather ashamed to admit I swore at her. I went to a different doctor and got a cast.
Ladies, they do this to man patients too. I have told them that I have mysophobia and since then everything is just in my head, the problem is I told them I have mysophobia so they would realize that if I went to them with my phobia it's probably bad, it sadly had a reverse effect. Now I am living with sometimes debilitating gastric symptoms because I am just "too emotional".
I had THE MIST AGONIZING back pain that was unlike anything I had ever had before, I suffered through it for 10 days before finally going to the emergency room at 2 a.m one morning when I was literally crying from the pain. The ER doctor came in asked what the issue was… I told him, he said.. “it’s muscle spasm” . I told him there was no way this was just a muscle spasm, I also explained that I had given birth 4 times and that the pain from my back was worse than childbirth! He did NOT even look at my back, did zero examination and just gave me an injectable pain killer so I could sleep. It took me another week to finally get an X-ray that was self recommended. Turns out I had 2 fractured vertabrae! I wish I could’ve gone back to that lousy ER doctor and shoved my X-rays in his face.
And even if the bleeding is from our vaginas, it's not always normal. I started bleeding one night and it wouldn't stop. We ended up calling 911, they took me to the ER. When we got there, the (female) triage nurse was going to have me sit out in the waiting room until they could see me. Bless the paramedics! One kept standing beside me on the gurney with his hand on my shoulder, the other went up to her and calmly told her that no, I needed to be put in a room and seen soon. That it wasn't just a period, I was hemorrhaging. Long story short, after ultrasounds, biopsies and a hysterectomy I was diagnosed with stage 3 uterine cancer.
Was tested for pregnancy cause I was puking my brains out. They said the test was positive (impossible I hadn't had sex since my daughter was born 6 months prior) so I had them blood test me. Negative....duh. Turns out I had a severe case of food poisoning and needed antivirals and antibiotics and almost ruptured my stitches in my uterus from surgery two weeks prior.
Oh my goodness I really have no words being in healthcare for 20+ years...this really makes me sad...I would never treat anyone the way these women were treated...all I can say is I am sorry for what they went through and regardless of what your told being dismissed no one knows your body better than you and if you feel something is wrong please get a second or even third opinion until you find a doctor to listen...there are good doctors and nurses out there who want to help you I just think sometimes depending on where you live they can be hard to find. Be persistent! And please stay healthy and safe! <3
When we are dismissed and under diagnosed we need to sue doctors and hospitals for malpractice.
Please remember, 49% of doctors graduated at the BOTTOM 1/2 of their class.
I hate these kinds of articles. Yes this happens, and it shouldn't, but why make it a gender thing? I'm a male and I've been dismissed by a male doctor as well.
These are all awful, and I don't intend to dismiss the severity of any of them, but they are clearly all American. Until you all do something about the criminally appalling health system, nothing is going to change. Obviously there are still doctors and nurses who care deeply for every patient they see, but when the hospitals and all of their satellite services are reined in by the need to make a profit at every turn, instead of providing excellent care, then this is what you get - carelessness and apathy.