Patients Reveal The Most Unprofessional Thing A Doctor Has Said To Them

50. Sounds Like An Age Judgement, Sarah

I went into my doctors office for my 3 month BC shot. They had just started a new policy that the nurse practitioner gives needles to free up the doctor for exam appointments.

I had been in a monogamous relationship for 3 years. On this specific BC for a year and had no problems just getting in and getting out at each appointment until now.

This nurse practitioner told me I should be getting an STD test at every 3 month appointment because I was choosing to have unprotected sex (what?), that my 3 year relationship wasn't considered monogamous because of my age (I was 21 years old) and not being married. Than she refused to give me my BC shot when I declined being put through an STD blood test.

Needless to say I collected my prescriptions from the doctors office and found an alternative clinic to provide me my medical care.

androgynous_potato

49. Jerkface, M.D.

I don't have a whole lot of experience with medical professionals, so the only thing that comes to mind is the time I had kidney stones. For anyone unfamiliar with the intense, white-hot pain that is kidney stones, imagine having a molten hot, rusty serrated knife stabbing and twisting into your back every 5 seconds. I've heard it's worse than childbirth. Not looking forward to the day when I'll be able to judge the comparison.

Anyway, I was rushed to the hospital, administered morphine and all that jazz. I think they had to run me through a CT scan too before confirming what was wrong with me. I was understandably freaked out; 19-year-olds aren't supposed to get kidney stones. The second time the doctor came to give me more morphine, I asked him with tears in my eyes if I was gonna die. He looked me dead in my eyes and with a stone cold face said there's a good chance I won't make it through the night. So, of course, I started wailing. He had the nerve to get mad at me! He yelled at me to stop crying, obviously he was joking. Why would I think the doctor is joking? I certainly felt like death. What a piece of sh*t.

Health professionals of reddit, do not tell your patients they're dying unless they're actually dying. Don't be that guy.

[username deleted]

48. I'm Sorry, Did I Come To A Camera Shop?!

Took my then-toddler to a dermatologist due to a bad rash around his eyes and on his face, the rash came and went with no discernible cause. I had taken some photos of it when it was at it's worst since it took me almost two months to get an appt with the dermatologist. I wanted to have something to show him if my kid wasn't having an outbreak at that moment. This was 14 years ago, digital cameras were pretty new and I had purchased a top quality one.

The doctor oohed and ahhed over the quality of these photos I had printed off at home, asked me all kinds of questions etc. When I finally steered him back to my kid and his rash, he flapped his hand in his direction and said "it's eczema, he'll probably grow up to have athsma and be a sickly kid in general, he'll have a lot of other allergies too" Then went back to more camera questions. F*&^ that Dr. It was an allergic reaction to baby powder which I figured out on my own shortly afterwards.

Pangwiny

47. Doesn't Seem Like The Appropriate Time

Well the ambulance ride in Seattle from the airport to the hospital. I'm sure that the driver was stoned, even the other EMTs in the back asked, "He knows which hospital we're going to, doesn't he?" Backed up to the emergency door but got too close to the building for the doors to open, so he had to pull forward again. I was in the passenger seat and my son was in the back. Still terrifying just to think about it.

lukamu

46. Can't We All Just Be Kind, Though?

I had a c-section after being in the hospital on bedrest for two weeks. My son had jaundice and they kept him in my room under the lights but pretty far away from me. It was pretty difficult to get up and get him so I could feed him and stuff. Nobody had come to visit me since it was already like my 16th day in the hospital and it was a Tuesday so everyone was working. I was alone and I guess the maternity ward was busy because none of the nurses would come to me when I pressed the call button.

So I cried. I cried a lot. I was wailing. I didn't know what to do. The baby cried and I cried. Everything was hurting and the baby was crying.

Finally my tech came in to see me. She looked really angry and didn't even do my vitals. "Shut up!" she told me. "You're disturbing the families that want their babies!"

So I cried quietly. It turns out (much) later I had PPD and PPA. Nobody had told my doctor about it and I was too embarrassed about it to tell her myself.

Here's a story of me getting unprofessional:

A year before that I had a miscarriage. It was devastating. I had gone to the ER and they confirmed nothing was in there (I had passed it in the toilet at home). I needed to see my doctor after that but I hated her because she was a bitch, which is why I switched to a different one for my next pregnancy. I opted instead to see the NP at the clinic for my follow up appointment. She was kind and gentle about explaining my miscarriage and what it meant for future pregnancies but she said that I really should see the doctor.

I was upset. I lost my baby, I had a hag of doctor, I was tired from being at the ER all night. I was depressed. When I went to the receptionist to schedule the appointment with the doctor, she handed me a gift bag of baby stuff. I was so offended so without thinking I said, "What is this?!" My boyfriend was there and he solemnly whispered to the poor woman that we lost our baby and then he dragged me out of the building.

ditzen

45. They Can Ruin Lives

I was 14 yrs old and my dad rolled over an 87 Ford Ranger pickup. I wasn't buckled into the passenger seat and suffered a cracked vertebra and herniated several discs in my mid back. My dad was pinned under the truck and was doa at the hospital but they revived him and he made a full recovery a few months later. I was in the hospital for a week lying flat on my back unable to sit, or stand until I was properly fitted with a custom back brace I had to wear 24/7 for months during that summer.

After a few visits to physical therapy and the doctor, I told him several times that things didn't feel right and I was concerned. He assured my parents and myself that I was going to be fine, looked me in the eye our last visit, and said to me "By the time you're an adult, you'll forget this ever happened. You'll be playing sports and have a normal life ahead of you." then told my parents he didn't need to see me anymore. I trusted him... I was a kid. He lost his medical license about 5 or 6 years later after being sued for millions by several of his patients when it was discovered he was getting paid off by insurance agencies. I couldn't sue because I had trusted him and didn't seek a second opinion (when I was 14/15 yrs old) and I had settled with insurance already at 18 and signed documents "trying to move on and do something with my life".

I'm 36 now and have so many back and nerve complications as an adult. I can't work a "normal" job or live a "normal" life because of this daily pain and I refuse to trust the medical community anymore. The thing is I look healthy and have lived with this for over 20 years so nobody understands how intense or debilitating the pain actually is. This one lie by this one man stole my life away from me and has forced me to struggle for so many years, and that doctor works at a physical therapy clinic still pretending to help people.

I use natural therapy over the past few years like yoga, stretching, CBD, cannabis, I eat healthy, I just learned about the benefits of myrrh oil, and my I use own common sense and research to help alleviate the pain and make it through each day. But none of that helps me to forget him looking at me in the eyes telling me those fateful words. I've had nightmares about it. There's literally nothing I can do to get justice, but to move on and keep trying to "forget". I know I'm stronger than my weaknesses and what's in my head and I push through every day with that thought plowing the way.

joshgjohnson

44. Evil Nurse

I had notoriously bad periods in HS. Vomiting for 2 days from pain, sometimes unable to walk, the office knew that if I came down to call my mom that they would need a new garbage can liner after I was gone. I also have always had a very rapid speech pattern. My sophomore year they had us take practice SAT tests when I started feeling the familiar death-pain started. I asked around for pain meds and a girl offered me midol. She promised me there was no caffeine in it, so I took it. She was wrong. After the test ended, jacked on caffeine and still getting waves of cramping pain, I ran into some friends by the office.

Mid-conversation I realize it's barfing time and dodge for the garbage can in the office. Mom gets called, school nurse witnessed whole thing and starts trying to give me an exam. No amount of "this happens every month, being a girl sucks, gonna go home and take a hot bath until I can fall asleep" would convince her that I knew what was wrong. When my mother showed up the nurse started asking how long I had been showing symptoms of illicit drug use. My fast talking and sudden casual vomiting was a clear sign to her that I was on cocaine or some other, more nefarious substance. Even my mother couldn't talk her down. Avoided the nurse for 2 more years because she spent the rest of my high school career convinced I was a problem child, despite my being unintentionally straight-edge.

ioantha

43. Simple Shaming

A few years ago I finally got up the courage to ask my doctor about medication for anxiety/depression. My visit was actually for unrelated issues but after addressing them, I asked about meds.

He inquired why I thought I needed them and after explaining how crippling my mental health was, he oh so kindly said, "Well that's not something we need to get in to on Fathers Day weekend." And he sent me along without another word.

Luckily my grandma was with me because I completely fell apart when I walked out of the office. It took me another year before I could go to another doctor to ask about treatment.

Songbird07

42. Murder? No, Sir, You Are The Murderer

My doctor went to the same church as me. When I went to him asking for a referral for an IUD, he told me to think very hard about whether I wanted to be a murderer. He also told me that he knew my parents wouldn't approve... which was why I had made the appointment secretly. I told him I could sue him for that, got my referral, and avoided making appointments till I got a new doctor.

gateauxes

41. Ickkkkkkkkk

I've no idea if it was inappropriate but it made me question internally a great deal. I was 12 years old seeing the family physician. She's esoteric and twitchy. Clearly highly intelligent. Anywho, I was having weird burning sensations peeing. It happened a few times, but went away in my sleep. Her assistant draped a towel in front of me, dropped trou and she felt me for any signs. When she made contact she said I was "incredibly tender." I didn't know what that meant nor how to ask anybody what that meant. I just stopped thinking about it after awhile but that was my experience that was very unorthodox.

Dzas7r

40. Sounds Like Racism That Almost Killed Me, Nancy

I started seeing a new PC when I turned 18 and was with her for about 2 years until she told me that my sudden weight gain, fatigue, chronic pain, and other issues were a result of me being Native and entering adulthood. She also said I should expect to develop type 2 diabetes soon as all Native folk do in adulthood. When I asked her to run tests, she told me to just take her word for it. That was the last time I saw her. A few years lots of pain and diminished quality of life later, I went to a PA at my college health center and together we discovered that I have an autoimmune disease and that my thyroid is basically dead (hypothyroidism).

roo_mcg

39. Bullying Isn't Actually Constructive

I'm overweight, obese if you will. I went into an urgent care for a quick physical and drug test for a new job that I was going to start the following week, everything was going really smoothly and great until the doctor came in, looked me up and down like she was amazed I was even able to stand, and informed me that I am morbidly obese and that I was GOING TO DIE SOON.

She hadn't checked anything about me or my health, she continued to ask about my family's health history and insurance, when I told her I did not have insurance she rolled her eyes and said of course not. She them grilled me about finding a job that would offer health insurance right off the bat and gave me a list of numbers of doctors that might be able to help me. Then we did the physical where she was f*cking ASTOUNDED that I could do squats and touch my toes and stand on one leg, she basically clapped for me like she was watching the circus, all while I'm sobbing because I'm getting bullied by a doctor and it was so unexpected, she didn't let up at all when I started tearing up, if anything I think she thought she was "getting through to me" ugh, still makes me sick.

specialsnowflake04

38. Are Off-Color Domestic Abuse Jokes Typical In Your Field?

I had to get a gum graft about 10 years ago and my wonderful (truly) dentist sent me to the biggest *sshole of a periodontist. The periodontist first refused to give me any pain meds for what my dentist later told me is one of the most painful oral surgeries one can get. Then, when I went for my follow up with him, he looked at the bruising all over my chin and "joked" that I should tell people that my husband beats me.

I complained so hard to my dentist and suggested that he find a different periodontist to refer people to.

ScoutFinch12

37. When Therapy Becomes A Complex

Last year I finally went to see a therapist via the Citizens Advice Bureau (in previous years I had attempted to do so via the doctors, which after 5 months of being on a waiting list finally got an appointment, which was then cancelled and then told I had to go back to the doctors to be referred and added to the waiting list once more. - No.)

I went to the office, had an initial chat and then was referred to the proper therapist who specialized in anxiety disorders, and relationships.
My first meeting with this lady (let's call her Annie) was fairly casual, was just meant to be an introductory session, during which she confirmed she would be unable to treat me but had referred me onto one of her colleagues (let's call her Jackie).

So during that introductory session with Annie, and I gave her a run-down of how I was feelings, and the regular panic attacks, constant anxiety and generally my situation at home/work, etc, she basically told me to 'pick myself up' and essentially 'get over it'. Exactly the kind of words you want to hear from a therapist.

I was not impressed in the slightest, and of course it made me rather hesitant to seek out continued sessions with her colleague Jackie.

I did decide to meet with Jackie, and damn am I glad I did! I was in therapy with her for 7/8 months, finishing up in late November/early December of 2017. The last panic attack I had was before New Year. Granted that I have had my anxiety flare up, but it's not reached 'boiling point nor spilled over' into a full-blown attack. I'm rather proud of that fact, and so happy I did not let Annie discourage me from trying to help myself.

emmers0n

36. But Why?

He was lancing a cyst on my tailbone which was filled with dead blood and smelled exactly like you'd imagine it would. They couldn't give me a shot of anesthesia or put me under, so I'm 100% conscious the entire time, doing one of those long scream/grunt combos every time he cut. The doctor wasn't sure I could smell the contents of my new ass pocket, so he took a cotton ball, dipped it in the blood, and shoved it in my face, saying "SEE? I TOLD YOU IT WOULD SMELL AWFUL!" At no point did I tell him it wouldn't, nor did I ask for confirmation.

Shady_Ideas

35. We Need A Healthcare Renaissance In This Country

Not as bad as others, but I finally swallowed my pride and went to my doctor for mental health help. It was a super hard appointment for me admitting my weaknesses and struggles to someone that I have always just thought I could handle myself. It went well and she prescribed me some meds and we scheduled a follow up for 2 weeks later to see how I was feeling and how the meds were going.

Fast forward to the day of that appointment. There is a major accident and I know I am going to be running late. I call 15 minutes before my appointment to let them know I may be about 10 minutes late. I arrive 10 minutes late as predicted, they swipe my health card, make me answer a mental health questionaire on their ipad and when I hand it back they tell me the doctor wont be seeing me because I was late. Mental health follow up appointment and she straight up denied me. Next appointment they could fit me in with was 3 weeks later. I told them no thank you and to book me with the nurse practitioner. (My sisters go to her and love her). I have been using her since and will refuse to see my doctor again. I felt it was incredibly unprofessional. Thankfully I was feeling ok but what if I was there to say I was feeling more suicidal or things had gotten worse?

woolife

34. Surprise!!!!

I went in for a routine check-up. Everything felt mostly fine.

My doc asked "so, now that it's been a while, are you getting the hang of managing your diabetes?"

I had a very long pause and asked if she was joking. Her face suddenly changed to horror, and through a very awkward conversation she told me I've been diabetic for two years.

I'd had other doctors for a lot of other non-related concerns. Turns out they all thought that someone else had told me.

Fun note: wasn't a mix up, I did become type 2.

Arianwen75

33. Withholding Health????

Been on meds for awhile to deal with a particular problem. The Nurse Practitioner prescribed me a second drug to deal with a related issue. When I go to the pharmacy, I am warned that the two drugs have a serious interaction that could result in liver or kidney failure.

I call up the NP to see if they were aware of this issue and they say yes they knew but felt the risk of doing nothing was bigger than the risk of the drug interaction. When I ask if they thought I should maybe have been made aware of this risk so I could be involved in that decision they had no real answer for me. I let them know I wouldn't start the second drug until I got a second opinion.

dameon5

32. Broads Like Me

I have celiac disease..I think. On my path to half diagnosis, I was told by my initial primary care doctor that, "Usually I diagnose broads like you with irritable bowel syndrome, because I'm irritable with their bowels. But I see you didn't check these," as he points to the depression and anxiety check boxes on my intake form, "so I like you. I like you so much, I'll get you a sigmoidoscopy."

This was after he ridiculed me for still being in college at 23. I worked full time and went to school part time, and barely afforded insurance to even see the bastard. (Pre ACA.) I could only afford the school insurance for one summer semester.

Also, he ordered a sigmoidoscopy which showed nothing and was useless. Had a blood test after that leaned towards celiac, but needed an ENDOSCOPY to confirm. I couldn't afford both and my summer insurance ran out. Thanks, Dr. Sh*thead.

westseabestsea

31. Something Out Of American Horror Story

When I was younger, I wound up in the psychiatric ward of a hospital. They took some blood for tests. A lot of them. Then they "encouraged" (read: forced) me to donate blood to the Red Cross. After all this, they had to take more blood for tests. It was only once my lips started turning pale and blue that they checked my BP. If they'd taken any more, I would have been in mortal danger. As it was, I don't remember much of the next week, I was too sunk in lassitude to focus on anything for remembering.

roushguy

30. You Crossed The Wrong Person

I had 13 vertebrae fused last August. On day 3 when I'm learning to walk again, I have this bumbling nurse trying to help, but she just keeps stepping into my drainage tubes and catheter. After 5 times of this happening (while being high as sh*t on the dilaudid pump and in the most pain of my life) I yell "Just f*ck off and get another nurse."

After I get back from walking and have my catheter removed, the surgeon comes in as I'm trying to pee for the the first time on my own (which takes like a half hour) and stops me to ream into me about my language and how much of a favor they've done for me and going on to disrespect me and my mom for no reason. B*tch, I put my self out of commission for the better part of a year and PAID you a ton of money, and you act like you're doing me a favor? I've since switched care to a closer ortho center and have told that surgeon to go f*ck himself.

sams5402

29. Hope Her License Was Suspended, Yeet

During my first visit with her, an Obgyn told me "I bet if they sent you to Africa you would lose weight" after telling her I had a hard time losing weight due to a metabolic/thyroid condition. I said that I cut calories and carbs, she proceeded to tell me that "Americans eat way more food than they need" and "you are eating more than you think you are or you would lose weight".

Then, told me she hadn't had anything but water for 7 days and she was feeling fine, see?

All while I sat in stirrups and a paper robe while she did a pap.

I reported her and got a refund for the visit.

hufflepuggy

28. I'll Just Keep Squinting I Guess

When I was 5 I had my eyes tested. The doctor had me look in to this microscope looking thing and there was a picture of train tracks. There was a dot on one side or the other of each rail tie. I could see the first few but after that I couldn't see any dots. The eye doctor didn't believe that I couldn't see the dots. So, I started guessing. He asked me if I was guessing. I said yes. Then he smacked me in the head with a pencil and convinced my mom that I was just screwing around and I could see just fine. Six years later, I had another eye test. Come to find out I am horribly near sighted and slightly color blind.

lilfrostgiant

27. A Few Extra Steps To Repair Damage

I don't think anyone will see this, but this happened to me recently and I'm still mad about it.

I have had tennis elbow for 3 years. I was seeing an orthopedic dr who did X-rays, an MRI, 2 cortisone shots and sent me to PT.

Nothing worked. It came back again back in January and it got so much worse than it's ever been. I am in constant pain, I can't lift anything with my right arm, I've lost most of my range of motion, and I work at a school for Deaf kids and using sign language is extremely painful.

In June, my job was switching to a new insurance company. I decided to see my ortho dr one last time before I had to find a new doctor. His reaction when I told him the pain was back and way worse than ever before was along the lines of "That sucks."

He said he'd give me another cortisone shot. I was frustrated by that because it's only a temporary fix. He said "I can just keep giving you cortisone shots. It won't hurt anything. Besides, maybe it'll just go away some day"

Maybe it'll just go away?? I was pissed!

Recently I found a new doctor who sent me to a physical therapist that he swore by. Turns out he is fantastic and I'm already seeing some improvement.

But the part that really gets me is that my new PT told me that it's not good I had multiple cortisone injections because he now has to undo some of the damage they caused. He also told me that if I had had more shots, it could start to eat a hole in my tendon.

If my insurance hadn't been changing, I would have let the first guy give me more shots. I feel like I dodged a bullet.

tface23

26. No Basics????

I sliced a small piece of my left index finger off a few years back. Nothing major, just deep enough that finger prints didn't grow back. I went to a check up at my family practice doctor so he can see how it was doing. He takes off the gauze and tape. Inspects it. This clown proceeds to get 3 band aids and wrap two around my finger and one over the fingernail. Seriously? You didn't have gauze and tape? Maybe a finger bandage?

sifiman

25. Blood Mess Ups

I was donating blood and part way through the nurse decides to switch to my other arm. She uses the wrong gauge needle and it slips out, blood going everywhere. She gets it under control but doesn't want to stick me a 3rd time, then informs me that since they couldn't fill the vial used to test the blood for diseases, the organization won't be able to use my blood at all.

Kinglordguy

24. Mental Health Professionals Who Need Mental Health Help

Saw a psychologist during my parents' separation and subsequent divorce. He told me I just had to suck it up and deal. I was 9.

Early in my career I was under investigation for something I didn't do. I didn't know from one day to another if I'd have a job, get fired, or walk out in handcuffs. Through our employee assistance program I went to a psychologist. Explained my situation: heavy drinking, insomnia, depression due to investigation. He told me I'd brought it on myself and would just have to deal while the investigation ran its course.

These are the reasons I don't seek psychological help even through post-partum depression and the probably severe depression I have now.

JME67550

23. Cute!

It's pretty trivial but I've suffered from nose bleeds my whole life. As a kid, they bleed for hours at a time. One time it bled so hard that not only was it streaming at an alarming speed from both nostrils, but holding my nose caused it to come out of my mouth. This was a fun addition to an already cherished past time of my youth.

Got took to A&E and by about 3.5 hours after the nose bleed started I was seen. Funnily enough it stopped bleeding around that time, my body realising that 3.5 hours of blood pissing out of my face was more than enough of an inconvenience for today. So what does the doctor say when he realised it's stopped of its own volition..."Did you pick your nose?"

Yeah doc that's it, I came to A&E coz I was furiously picking a boggie and it all went Pete Tong. 10/10 assessment, putting all those years of uni to good use there.

The-White-Dot

22. Truly The Worst Kind Of People

Not me but my grandmother. She was diagnosed with cancer and during one of her treatments, well into her treatment, her doctor walked up to her and said "You do know you're dying right? This cancer is going to kill you". Dumbstruck by what she just heard she replied with "Uh... yeah I know..." To which the doctor again replied with "No I don't think you understand, you're going to die, your cancer will kill you". Twice...

We weren't expecting a cure, we knew that probably wasn't going to happen, she just wanted to be around as long as she could and needed more time to get her affairs in order. That doctor was exceptionally rude to her almost every time she saw her. We heard that she didn't like germans, especially ones that were around during WW2, even though she was only a child during the war but who knows.

I won't name specifically where it happened but I will say that it's one of the top rated cancer treatment "clinics" around. We've had other bad experiences with that place too, including me but not cancer related.

There's a lot more to it but the short of it is that the stuff that they did to her has me convinced that the mistreatment, wrongly prescribed doses of medications among other thing by both her cancer doctor and the ER we took her to directly led to her sudden "brain death" (was not brain cancer or stroke and the cancer was shrinking and or not spreading) while were were out of the room. She didn't have a stroke and they effectively said they didn't know what happened and wouldn't give us anymore than that.

She never regained consciousness and died at home where she wanted to.

Needless to say we refuse to use that "Clinic" anymore.

Ganonderf

21. Srsly Guys? Srsly?

Well, between the neurologist who decided I reminded him of his ex-wife, and tried to do an untrained psych eval (which a psych professor of mine with a Ph.D. said was way off), and the time I went to the ER by ambulance with abdominal pains only to be dropped in the waiting room for three hours, pacing to the bathroom to throw up (later finding out my appendix had burst), I've had a few really bad experiences. Nurses who put the contact info on the side dry erase board rather than the one in front of the bed when I was coming out of neck surgery...that was fun. I mean, who offers a patient a dry turkey sandwich when they were intubated for about 9-10 hours in surgery? Seriously?

Fourberry

20. Just A Dang List

Ohh my god

1. "do you want to see a dietitian". now on it's own that's not too bad but this was said to me by a neural-opthamologist, while I was going blind and he would only focus on my weight.
2. "have you tried seeing harder"
3. The nurse who straight up refused to speak to me after finding out i'm autistic.
4. "Just wait it out" the nurse who was doing intake for an ob-gyn clinic after i was on my 25th day of a period so violent I was going through maternity pads hourly. I thought I was going to die.
5. "oh so you're a lesbian" i'm not, i'm bi. my partner at the time was non-binary
6. "so he has a penis though" after spending 20 minutes trying to explain that although i did have a bf there was no way in hell I was pregnant because I a) wasn't sexually active or b) he was trans and DIDN'T HAVE THOSE PARTS

and so many more.

oddballAstronomer

19. That's Not How Thermometers Work

Not me, but my adolescent sister, she was feeling like a cold or flu. The doctor puts the thermometer in armpit, and she starts talking to our mother. After quite a few minutes (she likes gossip, this is a little town, they are acquaintances), she goes back to my sister, takes the thermometer and looks at it. My mother asks:

"So? Does she have a fever?"

"Nah... 38.2C"

"Well... that's slightly high, isn't it?"

"No, we left the thermometer a lot of time!"

Last visit to that doctor.

hjg1

18. Malpractice, Anybody?

When I was a teen I had an appointment with my family doctor and saw one of their new residents. I can't remember what the appointment was for but he commented on my anti-depressants. He told me that I'd been on them for a year so I shouldn't need them anymore and could come off them. I had been struggling so having a doctor tell me I was fine now was such a blow. My mom was so angry that she called and filed a complaint.

I was also struggling with my depression when I was completing my undergraduate degree. The doctor wouldn't refer me to a psychiatrist because he attributed my worsening symptoms to a recent break up. While he may have been partially right about 6 months later I spiraled and attempted to take my life. It took me getting to that point to get the real help I needed.

I really hope the medical field is changing and there is less stigma and more support for mental illness. Always advocate for yourself! You deserve help whether you have mild depression or severe depression.

Hippyhumanitarian

17. Mom Didn't Commit Murder? Success

I was about ten or eleven and at the dentist. I was getting braces on soon and therefore had to get my last four baby teeth pulled.

They gave me laughing gas, and as it turns out, laughing gas honestly just induced panic and fear in me. I was crying my eyes out, and when asked by my mother and my great-aunt (the latter actually worked at the dentist office) why I was crying, I honestly didn't know.

On the other hand, my dentist stopped in the middle of pulling my teeth to tell me that I needed to stop crying, because I was scaring the children in the waiting room, and if I didn't, he would stop right now and send me home and I'd have to come back and get the rest done another day.

My mother and aunt were infuriated. They eventually stopped the laughing gas and I stopped crying too. The dentist finished the procedure and my teeth were fine, but my mom was FURIOUS.

She found a new dentist closer to home and started taking my siblings and me there immediately. I've referenced the story a few times with her and every time she is immediately angry.

Our new dentist was a chill, funny guy, and everyone who works there is great. They don't do any pullings/surgery in-house, but when I had two of my wisdom teeth out, the place they sent us to was great as well.

So yeah, a dentist threatened and yelled at me for having an irrational panic reaction to laughing gas as a child. Very professional. He's lucky my mom didn't kill him.

Rigel-tones

16. Atta Girl

Doctor couldn't get the speculum in. After a lot of pushing it finally, painfully slams inside me. The doctor was excited by his achievement and goes "Atta girl! That's my champ!" The nurse looked at him in horror. I busted out laughing. He realizes almost immediately that was very weird and turns completely red and goes "I'm so sorry! I coach little league!"

vanitysaddiction

15. Monkeys On The Bed

In second grade (age 7) I fell off the monkey bars at school and landed on my wrist. I could feel that something was seriously wrong, but the school nurse shrugged it off and sent me to class. I was forced to use the wrist (my writing hand) for the rest of the day. When my mom came to pick me up, the nurse told her I had been "hamming it up" all afternoon. Fortunately my parents have half a brain and saw that it was obviously broken. I had a cast for three months, and that nurse didn't look me in the eye for the rest of my elementary school career.

Oh, and apparently the break was barely a centimeter from the growth plate. I came within a centimeter of having a seven-year-old's hand for the rest of my life. Would have been a fun bar story, at least. (Edit: this probably would not have happened, but as a worst-case scenario, maybe.)

prechewed_yes

14. Thighs

I went for a dentist appointment and sat in the reclining chair. Dentist mentioned I have big size teeth. Female dental assistant quietly said 'she also has big thighs' ...dentist shhh her. I was a timid teenager so I didn't say anything.

tan101

13. I Can, Actually

In college I had to go to the ER because I kept throwing up a lot. A nurse came in and asked me some questions: when did it start, etc. Then she asks if my back hurt and I said it did a bit.

She grunted "ah ha!" like she knew exactly what was wrong. I was like "what is it?" She explained I was pregnant. I told her that actually wasn't the case.

She said, "you can't really KNOW that."

Um, yes, I can. Because I actually know how babies are made.

(I eventually demanded they run a pregnancy test. Yeah, I wasn't pregnant.)

redredgreen17

12. You Need To Go Back To School

My first pelvic exam for a yeast infection. Doctor refuses to do the pelvic because I had told her I was not and had never been sexually active. FINALLY convince her and she takes a look, comes up yelling about how I lied to her. My hymen was torn, ergo, I'd had sex.

And that's the story of how I told a medical professional that hymens can tear thanks to many non-sexual situations.

shiguywhy

11. Pinky Probs

About 4 years ago I fell with a bottle in my hand and cut through all the tendens and nerves from my pinky to the middle finger. The cut was about 6cm long. Anyway I went to the doctor the next day, and after waiting for 2 hours in the lobby I went in to see him. He took 3 minutes to examine my hand before telling me to go home and rinse with water an antiseptic. I remember feeling elated by his calm demeanour and I thought the wound wasn't too serious. I went home and did as he said.

A couple of days later I travelled back home to Switzerland (plane trip was very painful). I took the bandage off when I got home and showed my mum. She went completely ballistic since the wound had gone septic and my fingers were turning blue. I also had no movement or feeling in my pinky and its neighbour. She rushed me to the ER immediately where I received 23 stitches in my hand. The severed nerves had to be extended and tied together. The doctor told me I was extremely close to requiring an amputation of all three fingers.

I later complained to the hospital in Denmark about the doctor but I probably should have sued. He failed to tell me the severity of my wound (cut tendens and nerves) so I think that qualifies as being extremely unprofessional. To this day when I clench my fist, my pinky just points straight.

buis_kid21

10. The Worst Kind Of People

In high school my mom set me up with a therapist because she thought all teenagers should have someone to talk to about teenage angsty shit. In the first meeting he asked about me and why I was there, and I said I was pretty normal. He scoffed and said "No you're not, normal people don't get sent to therapy."

I never went back.

RaeADropOfGoldenSun

9. Purposeful Misdiagnosis

I had a 'Dr' order the nurses to give me Elavil after I had specifically refused it. She was convinced that my symptoms were caused by 'depression' and 'wanting to get it off work' - yes, she actually said that to me. She prescribed Elavil saying that it helps with pain and "also it will help with your depression and you'll see, everything will look brighter." I refused, saying I wasn't depressed, other than my frustration getting a diagnosis. I tried again to convince her that my pain and inability to hold anything down was not a mental/emotional issue.

About a week later I collapsed, ended up in the hospital and she told the nurses to give me Elavil via IV and not tell me. I almost immediately started having extreme tremors and what they called psuedo-parkinsonism. One of the nurses slipped up (or actually stepped up) and told me it was caused by the Elavil. I was furious as I had said I did not want to take it.

Later on after going home and several more weeks of constant vomiting, I ended up hypokalemic and completely paralyzed.

I was taken by ambulance to another hospital (not in my HMO) and it took them less than a week to find that I had a grapefruit sized tumor 80% infiltrated from my uterus into my abdominal wall. They sampled it and my lymph nodes and found I cancer with lymph involvement on both sides.

I underwent a hysterectomy/ oopherectomy (and my pain magically disappeared!) as well as radiation treatment.

To this day though, I have the twitching and tremors as a souvenir.

As a bonus she told me she had been convinced it wasn't cancer because "cancer doesn't hurt." When I saw her again after the surgery I said something along the line of 'Well I guess cancer does hurt after all!' Her response was "Well it's not the cancer that hurts, it's the nerves it was compressing."

I told her "In that case, step over here by the door and I'll slam your hand in it. The door slamming won't hurt, just the nerves the door compresses will!"

Sorry for the rant, it still makes me mad!

anoem

8. Ew Squared

Two weeks ago, my IUD displaced, resulting in a trip to the ER. The attending nurse asked who the guy was with me (who had left to scope out the vending machine for some snacks) , and I replied that he was my boyfriend of nearly six years. Her response was 'you're 31, not married, and don't have any kids? Who gave you an IUD?' and rolled her eyes.

This was at a well-respected hospital in PA. The nurse was younger than I was.

tashalovescake

7. Bearer Of Bad News

Not to me, but someone I know went to an oncologist because they thought she might have cancer.

"I have good news, your test results are back and you do not have cancer. Congratulations."

A week later she gets a call to schedule her first round of chemo. She says there must be some mistake, the doctor said I was cancer free. Lady on the phone gets real uncomfortable and says I have an order here from that doctor that you are to begin chemotherapy, so you better call his office to straighten this out. And perhaps contact a lawyer. She does and it turns out that all her charts showed she had cancer. The doctor knew it but simply lied about it because he didn't like to deliver bad news. After investigating they discover several other patients who went through exactly the same ordeal. Her chemo and lawsuit are both pending.

squatch42

6. Do I Or Dont I?

I had a diagnostic surgery last year after almost a decade of unbearable menstrual pain, which my doctors and I suspected was endometriosis. All of my symptoms matched. I had an ultrasound and a 5-6 cm ovarian cyst was found so the surgery was also to remove that. Once my obgyn/surgeon knew I had a cyst she wrote off the possibility of endometriosis, even though my symptoms started when I was 13 (I was 24 at the time).

After surgery I was told I didn't have endometriosis and a cyst was removed from my left ovary. I was exhausted, out of it, and devastated to think my pain was something even harder to diagnose, but I thought the cyst was supposed to have been on the right ovary. I didn't get a chance to speak to my surgeon until a month later because she was on vacation.

When my follow up finally happened, she confirmed no endometriosis right off the bat. Alright, but I thought my cyst was on the right ovary, not the left. She started explaining that it's sometimes hard to tell which ovary is which while she goes through notes. "OH the cyst on the ultrasound was MUCH larger than the one we removed, the other one must have burst... also you do have endometriosis." Then she told me that was the end of the appointment and left the room.

She retired shortly after and I have a much better doctor now, thank god.

maljem

5. That's Not Even The Correct Eating Disorder

Changed doctors after 4 months of bring sick, nauseous every time I ate, stomach cramps, fullness... whole bunch of symptoms. Lost 15kg in the first 6 weeks, was now down at 45kg.

She looks at me and instantly goes off about how I cannot feel good if I am that thin.

I try to explain that that is my problem, I dont want to be thin, I have terrible pain and nausea when I eat!

But she us having none of it, ignores all I say and goes "I have seen a lot if anorexic girls I know what it looks like, stop putting your finger in your throat!" She got up and as I wanted to leave, then gives me a slap in the butt saying "just start to eat again!"

2 years later - today -, I have been diagnosed with 4 compression syndromes, MALS being among them and will have surgery for them in 5 days.

Kiss my boney *ss b*tch.

Silaries

4. Overbite Me

When I was 12 my dentist told my parents—within earshot of me—that I had the worst overbite he'd ever seen. My father was in graduate school and couldn't afford to get me braces. Over 20 years later, I've never forgotten it, and it's the reason I rarely smile in photos.

suissesse

3. Heartless

My first councillor that I went to see for my depression/anxiety when I was 12/13 was super cold and unsympathetic. She made me talk about things like my sexual orientation and suicidal thoughts in front of my parents even though I specifically requested that I wouldn't have to. She she was very disbelieving of everything I said, pulled the "other people have it worse card" and was just generally very unhelpful.

I left her office in tears after every session. Obviously it wasn't the most terrible thing that could have happened, but it really f*cked me up and when my parents tried to get me to go to a different therapist I had a panic attack so bad I landed myself in the ER. I was only 12 at the time, and that was my first experience with any mental health "professional". I have no idea how she became a counselor, she was super cold and unkind.

morehairdyethansoul

2. TW: Addiction

When I was first trying to get off heroin, I went to go see a doctor. I told him that I was a heroin addict and that I had just quit, he asked me how long I had been clean and I told him two weeks. *sshole literally laughed in my face, smirked, and said "Well, good luck". I've been clean 15 years now, so the joke's on him.

FearlessLingonberry

1. Tis The Worst

I hated my orthodontist. When I wouldn't wear head gear because it was so painful I couldn't fall asleep at night he pulled my father into the office to explain I would have to have a tooth pulled to help with overcrowding since head gear didn't "fit into my lifestyle." Which my parents found an odd phrase in regard to a 13 year old girl, but he was recommended doctor.

The thing I never told them until years after my experience in his office for 2years, was that for all my monthly check ins he never, NEVER, wore gloves when he put his hands in my mouth. I was 12-14 and found it odd, but did not have the confidence to question a doctor. When I finally told my parents 4-5 years after the fact they were horrified.

I also specifically remember he kept an episode of Oprah on television when I was 12 that had women discussing pubic hair grooming. I learned what a Brazilian wax was in my orthodontist office while his gloveless hands were in my mouth. Because he was an orthodontist his room was almost exclusively middle school - early high school aged kids, why Oprah was even on I don't know. My dentist in comparison usually played simply top 40 music, Disney movies or Nickelodeon when children where in the chair.

bloomability