Awful Things Doctors ACTUALLY Said To Patients

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Executive Producer: Doctor Mike
Production Director and Editor: Dan Owens
Managing Editor and Producer: Sam Bowers
Editor and Designer: Caroline Weigum
Editor: Juan Carlos Zuniga

* Select photos/videos provided by Getty Images *

** The information in this video is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this video is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/health professional **

[Lord_zeel]

My doctor was listening to my chest with a stethoscope that had some kind of electronic amplifier on it. He had forgotten to turn it on, so he couldn't hear anything at first and said "So, how long have you been dead?" before explaining and switching it on. Was hillarious.

[min-magicks]

I was diagnosed with depression at 12. We moved, and I saw a new doctor. Turns out I actually had kidney failure.

[RyanLOLOLOL]

At a mental health wing in a hospital, Doctors have actually suggested to MY PARENTS in FRONT OF ME, that I might be faking it for "attention", and I have friends who have had that experience more than once.

It's scary how far behind the medical and publics view of mental health is

[leannewelch]

When I had my ectopic pregnancy in 2015, I asked them to double check where it was if that was possible. The gynaecologist sat me down and said “what do you want me to do, take your insides out and search for the cells that way?” To which I asked if she had ever lost a child. She told me no but that she brought back a child once. Then later on she said to me “Im just the gynaecologist, not the mother of a dying child” and then walked out of the room.

She got reported but nothing ever came of it

[Razzledazzle]

I loss my daughter at 6&half mths and the main nurse came in and said that is what happens to unwanted babies. I screamed at her letting her know she was wanted as I threw everything I could put my hands on at her. She avoided me the rest of the time I was in hospital. That was 39 yrs ago and I am still hurt by her words. Some people are just nasty as.

[annie.hi.]

A pediatrician was considering testing my baby for iron deficiency. I had heard that if a pregnant mother is deficient then sometimes the baby might also be. So I told him “I was iron deficient during the pregnancy”. He just looked at me blankly and said “this isn’t about YOU”
Did he really think I was saying that just to talk about myself? 🙄

[CraftyMaelyss]

Here's a fun one:
"It's all in your head."
I was 21 at the time, knee was swollen and red, I couldn't walk and was in a wheelchair and crutches. Every day was intense pain. This kept happening and I had to move to a large city to be diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis. I remember what my nurse told me from my bone density scan: "You should have a few dark spots on your bones and that'll tell us if there's something wrong."

Everything below my neck was basically dalmation mode from the amount of spots that I had. Years later, I'm 31 this year and I have it managed incredibly well but I'm still incredibly livid at that doctor for seeing the state I was in and telling me it was all imagined.

[sharonhirschhorn]

Took my son in to the doctors, I was seen by a new doctor. My son was 13 at the time and had a severe case of acne. He had gotten a lump on his neck and I wanted it checked out.The doctor took a look and said, ”well it’s either a boil or a very aggressive malignant tumor. “ My son looked like he was going to faint, and when I told the doctor, ” What the hell were you thinking?” He replied that he felt strongly that we should be honest with children. Told me too but let’s see first if it’s cancer before we scare the kid. Thank goodness it wasn’t cancer but I had to deal with a terrified child for a week while we waited for the test results.

[meganhardy]

Short story. I had a miscarriage at 19. The dr basically said your levels have dropped and youre probably just having a miscarriage. I cried and was devastated. He walked right out. If it wasnt for the older male nurse who sat by my side explained everything and sweetly called me ladybug, who soften the blow i dont know what id had done. ❤

[patrickj]

I suffered a corneal abrasion while swimming in a pool. The chlorine made it even more painful. I went to the local ED. I couldn't open my eyes without pain and gushing tears. While waiting to see the doctor, one of the staff people got my info. She asked if I had insurance. I said my card was in my wallet. Without opening my eyes, I took out my wallet and pulled out the insurance card. She said, "Wow, you'd make a really good blind person." I burst out laughing. She profusely apologized. I knew what she wanted to say which was "that was impressive without looking."

[sandyandmaxrule]

At the time I was an ER nurse. I had triaged a patient who had vaginal bleeding. I asked her if there was any chance she was pregnant. She said no because she had an IUD in that had only been there about two years. I did a pregnancy test anyway and it comes back positive! Then the doctor went in all excited and told her she was pregnant. She starts bawling saying she wasn't ready, she was still in college, she was trying to be careful. Doctor comes back to the desk so confused why she was upset. The charge nurse tried to explain to him that the patient wasn't ready to have a child but he couldn't see how that would be bad. I still think of her sometimes, walking out of the ER crying and on the phone with her boyfriend. I hope everything turned out okay for her.

[morgenmorgen]

I had an STI as a teenager and my parents were part of a cult for awhile that didn't permit medical care so i became septic.

There were no beds in the kids ward so they put me in the adults and I had a friend come visit me during my stay outside normal hours because my hours were different being a minor

The nurse reprimanded me and I said "I thought I had different hours because I'm a child"

And she said: "From what I hear about you, you're no child"

I was being sexually abused.

[fightinamrah]

I'm paramedic myself and during my formation I had to assist at a surgery preparation, a woman had a dead baby in her belly and couldn't deliver it naturally. The doctor was very rude to the patient who was mumbeling the whole time. I recognized the patient was just praying in Arabic and spoke the prayer with her. The doctor just yelled at us both to calm down. I was near to quit my job!

[bramsrockhopper]

After I’d had my first child, I’d torn pretty badly. They sent for the doctor to sew me up. He was one of the most horrible medical individuals I’ve ever encountered. It was excruciatingly painful even after injections, and I screamed a few times and cried non stop. He stopped part way through and sighed heavily at me and said “just stop crying. I’m not going to give you any more anaesthetic.” It took an hour. At one point my husband had to leave the room as he was so upset and couldn’t handle seeing me like that.

It had been a horrendous birth (I was induced, much of it was shock I think), but the hour that monster spent hurting me was the worst part of it. He didn’t even do a half-decent job and I had ongoing pain and problems for 18 months afterwards because of his butchery.

By the time he’d finished, I was exhausted and emotionally numb, and my newborn had fallen asleep without being fed or me having more than a few seconds with her. They put me in an otherwise empty ward and kicked my husband out, telling him he could come back in the morning.

I just half-lay there in this strange room in silence, my newborn swaddled asleep next to me, crying alone. I’ll never forget his callousness.

That’s the thing these kind of doctors forget - to them, we’re just another annoying patient they have to deal with and they probably make 50 snarky comments a day without thinking of it. For us as the patient, we NEVER forget that cruel comment. It stays with us. It affects us.

Imho

[wilenglish]

the worst thing a doctor said to me was:
"your child has cancer, but don't worry its a good cancer" then a few months later "your child isn't getting any better like wee had hoped your child will need a bone marrow transplant but were not sure she will make it through the don't cry, its a good thing" whilst my child was sat next to me

[risketch]

Mine was -- as a kid i had "anger issues" due to a disruptive home life and parents not understanding how to parent an introverted almost-teenager. I had a social worker who said that my "anger issues" were caused by a hormonal imbalance and that I should be put on birth control. My doctor then agreed with no tests, after I filled out a depression quiz thing that clearly pointed towards me being a depressed person, that I should go on birth control to help with my "anger issues caused by hormonal imbalance" -- needless to say, it took until my 20s to actually get proper therapy and a doctor that had the time to listen to get properly diagnosed with ADHD, proper medications, and so on.

[Molly-yuwk]

When I was 16, I was having recurrent fevers and unexplained symptoms and was consequently being seen by an infectious disease doctor. The doctor took one look at me and said, “if your fevers were higher, maybe we’d care about them. Stop looking for answers for your symptoms and see a counselor to learn how to cope with them.” Two years and many doctors later I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.

[melissashupak]

Went to a GYN when my periods suddenly stopped at 34, along with horrible hot flashes and night sweats, severe fatigue, and more. I told him it all felt like my hormones were way out of whack and I was worried it was premature ovarian failure. His response was “you’re too young for that, ” “you’re just overweight and that can mess with things, ” “you’re not in your 20s anymore, you aren’t going to feel the same, ” and my favorite “this is normal aging.” He refused to even test for anything.

Ten months later, many useless appointments later, another doctor finally diagnosed me with, shock, premature ovarian failure as part of a larger polyendocrine autoimmune disorder, also affecting my pancreas, my adrenals, and my thyroid. Yeah, there was a lot of hormonal things out of whack.

I hate going to doctors, and go in anxious about being believed every time. Because I’ll be damned if I’m going to be blown off as a fat woman hysterical about aging ever again.

[anneharpelle]

I have CRPS in my whole right arm. The pain is so excruciating that one day I went to emerg in hopes of them giving me something, anything to help with the pain. I explained to the ER doctor why I was there and I told him that I have severe hypersensitivity to any kind of touch to my right arm. He looked at me and said “well, I have to anyway “and proceeded to grab me by the wrist. My arm is also in a sling. The pain was so severe that I grabbed the doctor’s arm with my good arm. I was crying and apologizing and was shaking and confused. I am terrified of hospitals ever since. Full on PTSD now.

[aspiringwayfarer]

10:42 “you can’t tell someone what their mood is”
*THANK YOU* !! I have had people around me try to tell me what I’m feeling and it’s so annoying/frustrating.