Women, Medical Gaslighting, and Advocating as a Patient

The medical world treats women as an after thought, and it's a huge problem. Medical gaslighting can lead to women avoiding healthcare, getting misdiagnosed, or not getting treatment at all. While healthcare is a mess in the US, we need medical professionals to listen to women to help progress happen.

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[cyndijoylee]

I repeatedly told my doctor my symptoms and was ignored. I then ended up in emergency where they did blood work that showed truponon and also an ecg that showed a cardiac infarct that they couldn’t determine the timing of it.
They released me saying they didn’t think I was a cardiac patient.
I had a. Heart attack two weeks later and an angiogram showed my LAD was 100% blocked and calcified. The doctor said the only reason I was alive was because my heart had grown collateral vessels . They also said I had to have been experiencing symptoms for about ten years. Yes. The exact timing that I started telling my family doctor my symptoms.
And yet…still I am gaslit when I go to the doctor.
I’m so sick of our healthcare system. Pun not intended but that works out well

[itsmexena]

My cervical cancer was just diagnosed as period pain until one out of the many doctors and specialists took me seriously.

[anson.meadows]

I’m a 36 y.o. former cop and Air Force officer. I’ve been gaslit for years and now I’m terminal with a neuro/connective tissue autoimmune disease. I was very fit and now I can’t speak or walk. The first thing suggested was actually so close to what I actually have (Systemic Sclerosis). I have soup.

[LinguistAmbie]

Just happened to me last night 😭😏 i’m just waiting for the hospital to send me the email to rate my experience so I can give them a piece of my mind about their dismissive ER doc. This must stop 🛑

[alyssabeanz]

Adding to the gallstone horror stories here with my own story—I had a gallstone the size of a golf ball stuck in my gallbladder that was so painful I went to the ER and the doctor tried to dismiss my pain as period cramps! I wasn’t even on my period! The scan my mother demanded I have revealed the gallstones, and I had to have surgery to remove my gallbladder. But the whole pain saga took years for someone to finally not dismiss me.

[HelenIngram-rj]

I wish I could have continued to watch without being slapped in the face with an ad.

[thelisaofmonalisa]

I had a similar experience when as a classic case of gallstones - overweight and just gave birth. The "doctor" didn't even know that if a parent is breastfeeding, they might not get their period back right away. He ended up giving me a Rx for Tylenol 3, a few months later I went back and received a correct diagnosis and had my gallbladder out and relief. Sorry you're dealing with this all.

[GlitterPaws.]

🙌🏽 🙌🏽🙌🏽 the medical gaslighting is real, especially if you have chronic health or autoimmune problems. Thank you for making these videos Kara.

[DavidTaylor-nz]

SIH medical in Carbondale, Illinois is the worst about gaslighting ever.

[autobotdiva]

i had a o.b. dr dismiss my pain that i couldnt lay down in bed. i forgot i was in a hospital robe and was ready for her! lol

[teresasellers]

That doctor was physically dismissive to you.
Keep telling your truth!

[anastasiav]

You can pick and choose your medical conditions? Where is this doctor dude with his big of this? I want to find him to send all of my serious condition for return or at least exchange them to something less sever. I mean I didn't order any of this.

[aaalll]

Sadly, medical gaslighting seems to be the norm, not the exception, if you have anything that doesn't have an immediate obvious answer. Here's just one example of a study of patient experiences (mostly white female cohort) with extremely high percentage of patients experiencing abusive encounters with doctors. (TW some quite upsetting stories from the interviews with straight up malicious doctors). I can't help wondering if the highly competitive structure of medical schools are what attracts and favors these type of personalities, along with the prospect of playing god. I'm all for science but not sure if the typical medial practitioner is.