Doctor Reacts To Survivor Medical Emergencies

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Survivor is coming up on its 43rd season this fall (whaaat??), and with all that reality TV goodness in the can already I knew there would be some medical moments to react to. Turns out, I was right, in that there have been a bunch of ailments on the show over the years! These injuries span the entire length of the whole series, so if you're a long time Survivor and Jeff Probst fan, this one is for you!

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-Doctor Mike Varshavski

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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

* 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 **

[reigningrockets]

I will always love Lauren's "damnit" after she comes to from fainting. Its so funny how nonchalant everyone is about it. "Lauren fainted just keep going"

[ariadnaortiznaya]

As someone who suffered a heat stroke, I understand why he said "no" to quitting. You don't think straight when it happens. You can even think you are "fine, just a little tired."

[cassieanthony]

As someone with a fainting disorder, it’s nice that she came to and was able to understand/ comprehend that she fainted. It normally takes me a couple minutes to even comprehend sound, also the fact her first words were dang it is hilarious

[dusk]

I had severe anxiety attacks from age 13-16 because of immense academic pressure and undiagnosed adhd, and people treated me like a dramatic teen having a crying fit. To see them take her seriously is amazing and shows that knowledge is the best treatment against being prejudiced and judgemental

[momoj]

i like that they showed her having a panic attack and they addressed it like any other medical issue. i think it’s good to show to help destigmatize panic attacks and anxiety in general

[beautybard]

I feel for the panic attack girl on a level I didn't expect. "I didn't wanna come on here and be that person." The panic attack is its own monster, but the shame and guilt you feel while having one is a whole other thing. I hate that feeling with every fiber of my being. I couldn't imagine experiencing it on cable TV.

[feraltaco]

Her begging for them to not let her die hit me hard. I have terrible anxiety. I just wanted to hug her and promise that it's a totally normal reaction and I've been there about a billion times. I've almost gone to the ER a couple of times because I was sure that I was having a heart attack.

[RK-dces]

for a time, I was semi-regularly fainting from a combo of low BP and low blood sugar, but I'd react the same as that chick like "Uhp I think I'm about to faint. Yeah I am. Ah god, I'm going down, sorry about this" before collapsing and NO ONE WOULD EVER TAKE IT SERIOUSLY because I was too calm when I announced it. We need a PSA on "just because someone's not screaming when they say they're about to faint doesn't mean they're not about to faint"

[archangel]

For the burnt hands incident, the victim could've accidentally thrown a piece of eucalyptus wood and/or leaves into the fire, without knowing about the very toxic properties of raw eucalyptus, causing them to pass out when they inhaled even a small amount of it in raw smoke form.

There's a reason koalas have no predator, let alone considered a delicacy by exotic diners, because their flesh is literally poisonous to everything else.

[richietoaster]

My dad and I watch survivor and I would love to see a part two of this. The season with the guy who had the heat stroke, 3 people needed medical attention just in that challenge

[ferinzz]

My wife has some pretty crazy anxiety issues. Recently she had a panic attack where her body essentially shut down. She couldn't move her arms or legs for a long time... There is the breathing issue, but also the mind is a powerful thing and will do whatever it takes to protect itself.

[RingpopSmiths]

@DoctorMike FYI: When you were talking about CO poisoning at 3:25, the animation was showing CO2...

People often conflate the two. Since the latter is far less dangerous at low concentrations than the former, and both cause very different reactions in the body, I think maintaining the distinction between the two is important, to prevent confusion and to prevent fear of one from spilling over into the other.

[Holytitmouse]

When he was talking about how the bug in the ear can't really 'go' anywhere, ohhoooo boy. That's technically true! But it fails to show how terrifying and bad that situation actually is. As a child I had gotten a cochroach stuck in my ear and because it was stuck, it started trying to chew its way out. I'm completely deaf in my left ear because of the infection it left behind. So, yeah it can't go into your brain or anything, but it's still dangerous

[olivermadsen]

i like how the host seems to genuinely care about all these people it's refreshing to see the team moving to do what they can fast and efficiently

[itsdylanjenkins]

The older gentleman who was removed due to urinary complications from constipation is actually very real! I have suffered from this my entire life! Our bodies are all made slightly differently and this one hit VERY close to home. About once a year it'll happen and completely ruin a day.

[EmergencyTaco]

"Oh REALLY? THAT'S where the bag is from?"

Exactly the type of reaction I get watching this stuff. More of this! I'd watch 1000 of these.

[aananiii]

As far as the sand in the eye one, I was in a pretty bad car accident. I was always told if I get anything in my eye, immediately rinse don't rub. I had glass going crazy in my eyes and luckily when I crawled out of the car, someone had pulled over and offered a water bottle to rinse my eyes. Granted I didn't know if the water was clean or not since I couldn't see but the ER doc said I did a great job rinsing it all out with no scratches. REMEMBER GUYS, ALWAYS RINSE NEVER RUB

[KallianaCorus]

As someone with a panic disorder I am glad they included that one. I think people fail to realize how bad panic attacks can really be, especially when you aren’t breathing correctly. Plus it becomes a vicious cycle because you panic about having a panic attack.
The “you’re not going to let me die” line is hilarious and very accurate. Part of her knew the answer but that part wasn’t currently in charge so she asked the question to get reassurance. I genuinely wonder if that is something she regularly asks for grounding or if it was situation specific. Because wow that is a good question.
Also, the way she was able to articulate her history with panic attacks to the medic was impressive. I keep a note in my phone to hand people because talking through a panic attack is hard.

[IulianYT]

0:33 - "I'm about to black out" - I had similar experience, after several hours under the sun, back in the colder hotel room, vision started to become thinner and thinner with darkness widening from all sides, even temporarily lost of sight... and I also was telling roommates that I am about to black out, but they didn't seem to believe... well, I didn't faint, but managed to lay down in bed, and slowly recover.

[sarahcards]

I had a nasty lump that was dark and quite painful, and my doctor (I'm in Canada - Ottawa, Ontario specifically) also simply referred to it a "spot" - I went to another doctor who took it more seriously, but yeah not all doctors are alike 😂