Join the Fun!

According to Dr. Carroll, the CEO of Atembis LLC, the information that a patient should prioritize telling their doctor depends on the specific situation.

"What are you concerned about? What is it that got you into the doctor in an urgency? Does your chest pain remind you of when your father had his heart attack? Are you losing weight, but you don’t know why because you haven’t changed anything? Is your period late when you are always on time, no matter what? What has changed, what is different? Then tell us the story," the doctor shared what patients should consider.

Everyone at my company knows the story of the patient who came in for genetic counseling, went through their whole family history with the counselor, and then concluded with "Oh yeah, I was adopted as a baby and don't know who my birth parents are, does that matter?"

ThadisJones , cottonbro Report

Final score:

277points

POST

Jyri Hakola 2 years ago

I would liked to have seen the counselors face right in that moment

137points

milksteaknjellybean , Pavel Danilyuk Report

Intercepted a young woman who was just hit by a car. Her boyfriend was standing with her freaking out. I do a basic physical exam and get a history, and make her comfortable as we wait for the ambulance to arrive.

Once the ambulance arrives they ask for the same information, except this time the boyfriend mentions he was the one who was actually hit by the car and was shielding his girlfriend's body. The entire car's windshield was cracked by the impact of his back. He was just freaking out and worried about her, and was in shock and hadn't begun to feel any pain yet.

Final score:

268points

POST

K Sarfo 2 years ago

They were both hit. Him by the car, her by his body.

100points

"It is easier for us as physicians to not ask a ton of questions, but to just let you tell us the story of what happened. Make it descriptive and rich. Start from the beginning or even before the beginning, and don’t stop until the end when you arrived at the doctor’s office. We can fill in any needed details after you’re done telling your story."

Dr. Carroll noted that the pain experience of an individual is very different between people. "There are many factors that go into it: genetics, upbringing, previous pain experience chronic illness (diabetes, heart disease), neurologic injury, substance abuse and addiction, ethnicity, history of mental, physical, and sexual abuse, current medications," he said that this list isn't exhaustive.

As a patient, but this is too fresh not to share. I'm 32 and at work Friday morning (as in 2 days ago) I started having pain in my lower molars around 10:40am. It eventually got so bad I left work and went to urgent care (noon). I thought it was a gum infection and I'd get some antibiotics and ibuprofen and be told to see a dentist or something. I had to keep apologizing to the intake person because I was stumbling over my words, unfocused because of pain.

When the urgent care Doc came in (1pm) she talked to me for about 30 seconds before peeping in my mouth and saying my gums were fine, then checking my eyes with a flashlight and calling an ambulance. By the time I got to the hospital (2ish?) I was basically nonverbal and my attempts at texting had become disjointed. My spouse met me in the ER after a CT scan and helped me consent to an IV clot buster (TPA) at about 3pm. I'd had a stroke.

For those doing the timeline math at home, YIKES.

Good news: the TPA worked very fast and I'm hopefully getting discharged tonight. I owe that urgent care doc a thank you note.

PagingDrLecter Report

Final score:

267points

POST

Xenia Harley 2 years ago

Yes, a lot of people don't have slurred speech until later! I had a stroke two years ago. I walked horse in that morning, went to the dump and threw out garbage (noticed it was weird to throw), got my dogs (4 big dogs) and went back to the farm and went for a hike with my friend and the dogs. I noticed that I couldn't throw a stick for my dog, and was tripping more. Only some hours later started slurring my speech.

13points

As a patient I had a doctor tell me "I don't think this is important".

My physio had identified a mole on my back that had changed colours. Being fair skinned, and Australian, I was obviously concerned about melanoma so I went to my doctor for a checkup. He looked at it and said "it's nothing don't worry". I insisted that since I'd made the effort to come in he might as well take a biopsy and get it tested. He was reluctant but I insisted and he eventually removed the mole for testing.

A few days later the doctor rang and informed me that I had a very nasty malignant melanoma and needed surgery immediately if not before. Two days later I was in hospital and they removed a lump from my shoulder three inches across and two inches deep. Cancer free now for 8 years but if I had taken the doctor at his word of "it's nothing" I'd most likely be dead now.

Detrius67 Report

Final score:

231points

POST

Your Neighborhood Alien 2 years ago

I hope that doctor at least apologized!!! 🙄😒😔

93points

Had a male in his 50s WALKS into trauma to have his left thigh stitched up. Not an uncommon wound in an agricultural area. Speaking to him while stitching him up he tells me he fell off a ladder while cutting a branch and the machete sliced him on the way down. Told him I was going to write him up for an xray of the entire leg just in case. He kept on saying he was fine, his knee hurt a bit but logically that was from the fall, I agreed, but asked him to go to the xray department just in case.

He reluctantly walk there and back. X-rays showed a helical fracture almost the entire length of his femur! Besides being a dangerous fracture the femur is supposed to be the most painful bone to break and he was walking around.

In the end had to show him the break to get him to sit down on a wheelchair and into the hands of orthopedics. That man's pain tolerance still impresses me.

F0ssil , pratik patel Report

Final score:

226points

POST

Jyri Hakola 2 years ago

"just a flesh wound"

164points

Do-nut touch da donut 2 years ago

"Just a small scratch"

22points

Felix Grace 2 years ago

"tis but a scratch"

12points

Magnifico Giganticus 2 years ago

Have at you!

2points

Will Cancel 2 years ago

Farmers are a different breed.

14points

Disgruntled Pelican 2 years ago

Farmer's injuries are on another level. I know one who nearly died because his arm got caught in machinery and he nearly bled to death, another had the entire windshield of his combine explode on him (that could have been super bad), and my dad was sprayed in the face with Anhydrous.

7points

Mere Cat 2 years ago

Was it impossible to find a picture of a broken femur...

6points

TheAquarius1978 2 years ago

You'l get a picture of a broken tíbia and like it Missy ! ( Just kidding of course lol )

10points

1.21Gigawatts?! 2 years ago

“Tis but a scratch!”

4points

ViFi 2 years ago

he seems like the type that would say rub some dirt in it

2points

idrow1 2 years ago

Some people are lucky not to feel a lot of pain naturally.

2points

EJ Morrow 2 years ago

There is a medical condition in which people cannot feel pain at all and it is very, very bad.

0points

Mike Beck 2 years ago (edited)

I almost walked to the car on a broken hip... And was walking by week 3, although carefully. I don't respond much to pain.

2points

nini 2 years ago

it bugs me that those x-ray pictures don't show a femur, though

1point

Robin Childers 2 years ago

My dad walked around on a broken hip for two months. Took the rear tire of a pick-up running over him to get him to go to the doctor. "Ah, it's just gout." Yeah, right.

1point

Mara Is Non-binary 🇺🇦 2 years ago

‘Tisbut a scratch

1point

Uber Mensch 2 years ago

He was just trying to "walk it off" in approved man fashion.

1point

Richard Pennington 2 months ago

How about this sequence of events (UK, October 2005)... [1] My [sadly now late] wife flew up from Heathrow to Edinburgh to look after her father who had had some adventures of his own [a long story in itself]. [2] I got a phone call from my GP surgery on a Friday to discuss some test results. I booked the appointment for the Monday morning. [3] On the intervening Sunday evening, I (46 at the time) missed a down-step and fell, putting both arms down. I had obviously broken my right wrist, and my left elbow wasn't good either. [4] I got up (interesting...) and got myself home (interesting...) and went to the GP appointment on the Monday morning. The doctor told me I am diabetic. [5] At the end of the appointment, I lifted my right arm, with the hand hanging off, and told him he should take a look at this. He almost fell off his chair, as the textbooks say I should have been rolling on the floor in agony. [continues in reply to this comment].

0points

Richard Pennington 2 months ago

[6] He had also given me a letter for the hospital staff. [7] I got a church member to give me a lift to the hospital [my wife was still in Scotland]. X-Ray tells me I had broken both forearm bones about an inch [2.5 cm] from my wrist. When I asked them to take a look at the left elbow, they confirmed a hairline fracture there. [8] And so on to A&E. I had picked up a book from home (there is always a few hours' wait in A&E), so I was casually reading the book in A&E while the staff can't believe the photos they just got from X-Ray. By the way, the Monday was Hallowe'en and I was watching who and what else was going through A&E. [9] And then the fun started. I was called to be seen next in A&E, and they ran various tests. They then asked whether I knew I was diabetic [Yes, I was told this morning...] and what was the treatment plan [there wasn't one...]. Anyway, I was admitted [continued in reply to this reply...]

0points

Richard Pennington 2 months ago

My brother (a GP in the UK) told me he once had an elderly lady walk into his surgery ... with a broken hip.

0points

itsyournenbyapollo 1 year ago

tis just a scratch

0points

EJ Morrow 2 years ago

I wonder if he was just seriously tough (as farmers and aggies tend to be), or if he had a condition like nerve damage due to diabetes or something like that.

0points

Rachel McManus 2 years ago

Then again, people/patients need to exercise common sense.

0points

Joshua Moore 2 years ago

Just rub some dirt on it, I'm fine

0points

Jo Kidd 2 years ago

WoW,no feelings at all?

0points

John 2 years ago

I handle pain much better on pain meds.

0points

Isaac Harvey 2 years ago

Was he from Texas or Florida, by chance?

0points

Bouche Clay 2 years ago

I'm a huge baby about pain, unless it's one I'm used to.

0points

Sandor M 2 years ago

Probably tons of work to do in farm, and he didn't want to be out for a small issue

0points

Yeeters 2 years ago

tis but a scratch!

0points

ORSOrama 2 years ago

I don't know why, but this guy give me the creeps

0points

unfilteredCigarette73 2 years ago

Definition of hard-core i envy this man

0points

Regina phalange 2 years ago

Tis just a scratch

0points

whatscookin 2 years ago

Dayum, what a strong man... :O

0points

DennyS (denzoren) 2 years ago

Cuts to me who has almost no pain tolerance. Wow.

0points

Alias Delfs 2 years ago

This but a scratch

0points

MontanaMariner 2 years ago

This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

Real life might not be like an episode of ‘House,’ but a single detail can change how medical professionals approach your treatment. Patients, especially if they’re ill or hurt, aren’t in the best condition to know what information might be vital for doctors to know and what’s useless, so it’s best to be fully open and honest.

In short, the more information you give your doctor, the more they know about your medical history, the more appropriate and effective the treatment they can give you. What’s more, this can help them diagnose any illnesses you might have, whether hereditary or not.

So it’s best to tell the professionals about your medical history, your family, what surgeries you’ve had, what allergies you have, and what medication you use. And if you’ve had an accident or mysteriously fallen ill, details from the actual incident or preceding days and weeks can help turn the tide in your favor.

“Family medical history is a record of health information about a person’s family, usually including three generations of relatives. Families share genetic makeups, environments, and lifestyle—these factors can provide insight into medical conditions that may run in your family. Noticing concerns in a patient’s health as well as having an understanding patterns of diseases or disorders will make a diagnosis more likely, which is particularly important in catching something harmful early,” writes ‘My GP.’

I was an internal medicine resident who had a patient come to my clinic for “persistent flu”.

I had never seen her before, and she was a healthy appearing woman in her 60s. About a month before seeing me, she was seen by her PCP with persistent coughing, and otherwise had no shortness of breath or other infectious symptoms. Just a dry cough. She got tested for flu and was negative, but got tamiflu just incase it was a false negative. She had a chest X-ray which was normal. She came to me a month later because her cough persisted despite completing her therapy.

Everything sounded great. Heart, lungs, everything. To be honest I don’t usually do this, but something in my gut told me to feel for lymph nodes. I felt around and found something above her left clavicle. It was hard, round, and she was completely unaware of it. I told her it was probably a reactive lymph node, but just incase, I wanted to get an ultrasound. This cascaded into her getting a biopsy, which showed squamous cell lung cancer. A CT scan showed stage IV lung cancer, not seen on her chest X-ray. All diagnosed because of a lymph node that almost by chance I was lucky enough to find by being thorough.

I checked her chart about a year ago, and she was doing well. She got therapy and was in remission after a very long road and many obstacles. I’ll never forget her or her case.

STEMI90 Report

Final score:

222points

POST

Caroline Sinclair 2 years ago

If only more doctors were like the OP.

108points

Had a patient come into the ER with some sort of spider/bug bite on her hand that had progressed to a red line running up her arm. She stated she put Benadryl cream on and it was very itchy.

We continued talking and I asked if she had any allergies…”yes, Benadryl.” I thought good lord wtf and I’m sure it was reflected on my face.

We washed the Benadryl cream off her arm and miraculously it stopped itching.

sweetlyserious , NIAID Report

Final score:

199points

POST

TheAquarius1978 2 years ago

I'm alérgic to Shell fish, gonna eat lobster tonight.....

89points

Me "do you have any medical history? Including things like heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure?"

Patient "no, nothing ever"

Me "so why do you take [list of heart meds]"

Patient "oh I've had multiple cardiac arrests"

saltieeee , ANTONI SHKRABA Report

Final score:

196points

POST

JammaCoast2Coast 2 years ago

This list is exasperating to read.

81points

Meanwhile, ‘Web MD’ notes that this information gives your doctor important clues about your health. Many diseases run in families, after all.

“The history also tells your doctor what health issues you may be at risk for in the future. If your doctor learns, for example, that both of your parents have heart disease, they may focus on your heart health when you’re much younger than other patients who don’t have a family history of heart disease.”

Trust can lead to more openness and honesty. According to a study published in 2017, researchers found that the actions that help build trust between doctors and patients included providing reassurance, telling them that it’s fine to ask questions, and showing them their lab results and explaining what they mean.

What’s more, doctors ought to avoid judging their patients through their use of language and their behavior, and should ask the patients what they want in terms of treatment goals and preferences. What patients truly want is to deal with medical staff who are knowledgeable and genuinely care about them.

#10

I had to take out the remainder of this guy's teeth. He was in his 60’s and told us verbally and on his health history that he didn't take any meds. So I took out his last 8 teeth, all easy extractions due to infections and periodontal disease. But I couldn't get him to stop bleeding. I asked him again if he was taking anything. I finally got the clots stabilized, but it took almost an hour and I had to consult our oral surgeon. When he saw the oral surgeon a few months later about placing implants, he told the oral surgeon he was on BP medication and blood thinners. I refused to see him anymore after that.

DrRam121 , Herry Lawford Report

Final score:

193points

POST

DennyS (denzoren) 2 years ago

Wow...like that is a key piece of information. I feel really sorry for the dentist, that must have been very scary.

94points

sadworldscaredgirl , David Moruzzi Report

#11

Me: "do you have any chronic diseases like Diabetes or high blood pressure?"
Patients: "no :)))))"
Me: "but you do inject Insulin daily?'
Patients: "yeah :)))"
"What's that for then?"
"oh, for my sugar, ya know"

Final score:

181points

POST

Brandi Delph 2 years ago

In some places (in the US) people, especially older generations refer to diabetes as "having the sugar." Depending on patient's age and education level, may have been ignorance of proper term rather than leaving out info.

109points

#12

Had to perform an extraction, took a detailed medical history. Patient said they were a diabetic and a hypertensive. Both a big contraindication in extractions due to uncontrollable bleeding. Unless they're meticulous about their taking their medicines and you stop the blood thinners five days prior to surgery, it's usually a blood bath.

I asked the well educated, 50 year old woman a number of times if she took her diabetes medicines on time and if she does at home rapid tests to check her blood sugar. She said she takes them everyday without fail and hasn't missed a day in over two years. She said she's super disciplined about her health and would tell me if she hadn't taken them.

I sent her in for a Rapid blood sugar test anyway, as a precaution, and lo and behold her values come back as 282mg. Almost twice as much as the normal value so it wasn't even like she was JUST off the mark.
I ask her to explain and she gives a shocked expression and insisted that she took them. I ask her to physically show me her medicines instead of listing them out and she finally says oh I don't have it right now, I make it when I need it. 'make'.

She drinks bitter gourd juice on time everyday instead of her diabetic pills because they are too big.
And she 100% believed bitter gourd juice was the only medication she needs.
She's a high school teacher.

throatanator Report

Final score:

170points

POST

Paul Neff 2 years ago

Was this a religious thing? Or some kind of oil stuff?

41points

#13

5 year old girl, at a pediatrician visit her mother said she was “acting loopy.” A day later a scan confirmed a massive brain tumor in inoperable real estate. Three weeks later I did her autopsy.

jaded_trollop , Philip Dean Report

Final score:

168points

POST

Angarade 2 years ago

This is hearbrakind 😟

100points

abandnedsquirrel , Jonathan Borba Report

#14

Emergency radiologist here.
I see plenty of people presenting with understated symptoms that turn out to be mind blowing advanced disease.
The saddest one was probably the 4 year old boy who presented with a rigid abdomen for a few months. Was told by their pediatrician it was constipation months ago but his parents never followed up when it didn't resolve. When I imaged his abdomen I found his entire liver was replaced with a mass consistent with hepatoblastoma. I asked the parents why they waited so long to work it up. They said they were satisfied with the diagnosis of constipation. That one left a mark on my soul.

Final score:

159points

POST

Angela B 2 years ago

This one breaks my heart. I was diagnosed with retinoblastoma at 6 weeks of age. My Mum noticed my right eye looked " milky" instead of reflective. She showed it to my Grandfather, who told her to take me to a Doctor, NOW. I was seen, flown to another city for a second opinion. My Mum was told I had to have my right eye immediately, or, I would die in two weeks. My right eye was removed. I am now 50 and have so much to be grateful for. If you notice something different, new, unusual, or somthing that does not improve, get it checked. If you are unsure, get it checked. And for the love of bananas, if you are not taken seriously, get a second opinion. Sure, you might think you are a hypochondriac, but, it may also save your life. Stay safe and be well Pandas.

151points

#15

When I was in my final years of med school (English division of a European University in a country where I speak the native language fluently) we were to do patient interviews and physical examinations on our own and then circle back to our supervisor.

I was translating back and forth between the patient (infectious diseases department) and a fellow classmate whom I was doing the interview with. The patient said "so you guys are coming in on a Saturday to do patient work? Good for you for going the extra mile" (it was a Friday, which I initially brushed off as a mistake)

My classmate asked me to ask the patient if he could tell us the date. I was like "are you sure? He's here for an infection not head trauma, he might think it's a bit degrading". I thought it wasn't important but she insisted so I translated the question.

Patient replies "ah well its 2002, of course!" (it was 2018).
After more questioning we realised all of his replies were all as if it were 2002 (eg. "The last trip I went on was to Africa in the 80's, so about 15 years ago")

As it turns out he had neurosyphilis that went unchecked for many many years.

TAmedschoolnobody , Andrew Neel Report

Final score:

154points

POST

Markus Holstein 2 years ago

I always ask my patients if they know the date and where they currently are, even if it is a bit embarrassing with an obviously orientated patient. Better safe than sorry

5points

#16

Me: I know my vision is a bit funny at the moment - I will go and get an eye test soon.

Wife, after 4 weeks of me pulling my glasses to the end of my nose: Enough! I'm booking you a test.

Optician: Yeah, something isn't right - something is pushing in to your eyes from in your brain. You need to go to hospital. I'll call them now.

Phone call from hospital, while I'm in the opticians...

Me: Yeah, I can come in - but I'm taking my car in for a service on Weds - will Thursday be okay?

Them: Err.. okay?

Turns out I had a brain tumour in my Pineal Gland that was blocking the normal exit of brain fluid. Three surgeries and a round of radiotherapy later and it's 90% gone.

My wife, the optician and the brain surgeon saved my life, because I was too casual to save it myself.

Spraggle Report

Final score:

150points

POST

Aunt Riarch 2 years ago

You silly sausage!

63points

#17

Had twins in the NICU with a rare genetic defect that was causing serious pulmonary distress….extraordinarily, one of our long time nurses recognized the last name and realized she had taken care of their mom while she was hospitalized on the pediatric unit some years before….the mom never thought to tell us she had the same rare genetic pulmonary insufficiency. Could have saved us about of week of tests.

Incubus187 , RF._.studio Report

Final score:

144points

POST

Chich 2 years ago

That photo. I've heard of budget cuts but this is ridiculous.

54points

#18

One of my first patients as a medical student, we were asking her about prior medical history bc she was in a waitlist for an intestinal transplant, and we asked her in every possible way if she had any history and she was like "no, I was very healthy before this."

Finally we ask her "do you take any medications at home?" and she goes "oh, just the meds I take for the lupus"

absencefollows Report

Final score:

140points

POST

Angela B 2 years ago

*face.palm.*

46points

#19

I once check in a guy and asked him if he'd had any previous surgery.

"No, never"

When I examined him he had a surgical scar from just above his pubic bone, to just below the sternum.

"What's that then?" I asked.

He stared down at it and said:

"I've never noticed that before"

WTF????

Underwritingking , RazorMax Report

Final score:

140points

POST

Whatshername 2 years ago

Probably had surgery as a baby/toddler

53points

#20

While pregnant with me, my mom was wrapping up an OB appointment. The GYN had already left the room, mom was gathering herself to leave and mentioned to the nurse her contacts were messing with her - she had spots in her vision.

The nurse stopped and asked her to sit down. Brought back in the GYN, who had her stay and deliver me via emergency c section. Without anyone knowing it, she had spontaneously developed pre-eclampsia and her blood pressure was rocketing sky high.

She was dangerously close to having a seizure and that would've been that if she hadn't mentioned the spots in her vision and just left as the appointment was over, or the nurse didn't listen.

AttorneyDense , Jimmy Conover Report

Final score:

140points

POST

Tyler Zenner 2 years ago

There is something wrong here. She never got her BP checked?

67points

cocoakrispiesdonut Report

#21

Did a bunion & hammertoe surgery on a lady with no allergies. New patient packet, primary care note all had “no known allergies”. I always ask about metal allergy anytime I plan on putting in hardware…

Surgery goes great. I’m on call for the practice and receive a phone call for the group 18 hours post op. Her nerve block had worn off and she was in excruciating pain. Give instructions on what to do.

Next morning she is in my office before I even arrive. 10/10 pain, sweating profusely, blood pressure elevated, foot is massive. Clearly not faking it.

Have to send her to hospital for intractable pain. Blood work indicates elevated eosinophils but everything else normal. No blood clot or infection.

Hospitalist convinced its complex regional pain syndrome. I rack my brain and think of WTF could be going on. I am only 5 months out of residency. My butt is puckering so hard.

Since eosinophils elevated, ask if she is allergic to jewelry? 🤔🤔

“Yeah, my tongue swelled up when I had it pierced. I had it removed the next day”

She had a freaking NICKEL allergy. No allergist will see her to confirm so this is all speculation but makes sense with the hardware I used.

Once the hardware is removed and exchanged for titanium, her pain resolved.

There was one case in my residency of hardware allergy (1/3000 cases I was first or second assist on). If I did not scrub into that case, I don’t know if I would have figured this out so quickly.

Crazy case. Now I always ask: “have you ever had any reactions to jewelry?” A lot of patients won’t tell you about problems with jewelry and may not know they have metal allergies!

Final score:

126points

POST

Stoopham McFernybabes 2 years ago

“My butt is puckering so hard” 😂😂😂

54points

#22

Patients not telling HIV status despite knowing they are positive.
When further asked that why didn't they tell us, they say that they thought its not important.
How can HIV not be important, it changes everything.

Dr_critical , Karolina Grabowska Report

Final score:

123points

POST

Jods 2 years ago

Not too long ago if you mentioned you were HIV positive you could kiss goodbye to your long-term job. On some application forms you were asked this question which almost always meant that you wouldn’t be attending an interview. Not only a death sentence in those days but an end of any career and a good life.

53points

#23

As a student in AE asking a patient who came in with head injury after a fight some questions. At the end he mentions that for the last several months he had been having blackout where he would wake on the floor sore all over or having hurt himself. That and he had woke feeling more tired than before. The dude had untreated epilepsy

Bubblycatty , Andrea Piacquadio Report

Final score:

123points

POST

BannedFromABoatShow 2 years ago

My first seizure, grand mal, I was alone with my one month old baby. We were going to meet my husband for lunch and I told him I had a headache so we’d stay home. Baby needed changing, and in the time it took me to walk from the living room, down the hall, and onto the changing table (thank God I got her there) I couldn’t see. Woke up on the floor a few hours later, no idea what had happened. We just figured I was dehydrated. Till it happened again when my husband was home to see it.

57points

#24

I'm a veterinarian. My favorites are foreign bodies (like a dog eating a whole bone, or a sock, or something similar).

I get when you don't realize something was eaten, but I have had so many times where the client swears up and down that the dog did not eat anything, could not have eaten anything, and nothing is missing. Then when we remove a whole towel, the owner is like "oh, the kitchen towel? Yes I did see him chewing on that yesterday, and we haven't been able to find it since."

Tre2 Report

Final score:

121points

POST

RafCo (he/him) 2 years ago

My cat stopped eating, poor guy was super sick. I took him to vet, and they did x-rays, couldn't find what was wrong. Finally, they did an exploratory surgery, and found a raw bean (like black bean), whole and lodged in his intestine. Interestingly, he was not constipated, but he hadn't been eating, so maybe that's why. But his intestines were swollen, and extremely painful. In my defense, I did not notice that we had a missing bean. He's fine now BTW. We make sure to be extra careful with our beans.

9points

#25

My (~4F at the time) mom thought that it was weird how I could describe what I see of one part of the environment and not the other especially because according to her I was a happy child and didn’t report any sight issue.

She brings me to the doctor, afraid that I may have an intellectual disability.

Turns out one of my eyes is totally blind.

Emptydumbass , Caleb Woods Report

Final score:

119points

POST

TheAquarius1978 2 years ago

Well you where luckyer than me then só i have always been diagnosted with myopia, nothing new there, but when i had to go do my " check up " for the mandatory military service One of the soldiers doing me the eye sight test wanted to hit me because i was " f*****g " with him lol, só an officer came Over finished my test and goes, " this man is technically blind from the left eye " ( i have periferal Vision but i only ser blurs from my left eye )

51points

#26

Had a guy in his 50s who had been seeing an acupuncturist for an area of numbness and weakness travelling down his legs. He’d had 2 months of acupuncture for them with no improvement, so very reluctantly booked a routine GP appointment. At that point he’d stared to have issues with his urination too.

As soon I started speaking to him it became obvious that the symptoms he presented with were consistent with spinal cord compression - an absolute medical emergency. We got him straight into hospital and imaging showed cancer, with a tumour pressing onto his spinal column. Although he started treatment and steroids that day, by then it was too late. He lost the ability to walk and died a few months later from the cancer.

It was enormously sad and frustrating as that constellation of symptoms would have raised an immediate reg flag with anyone with medical training. Had he come in months earlier, maybe his prognosis would’ve been quite different.

Bustamove2 Report

Final score:

108points

POST

Ivana Bašić 2 years ago

Hurt my back and my GP would always ask about my bathroom habits. It was a bit annoying, actually, wish he'd explained the relevance of the questions.

62points

#27

Saw a man early 70's who had a knee that was at least 3X its size. He had waited all weekend before going to the ER and went only because his wife insisted. He was kind of pissed. Of course his knee was broken. When they ask what he took for the pain his answer was : *"A couple of Tylenols."*

Apparently wanting to feel young again :) he tried his son's motorcycle and it fell on him. He didn't tell anyone because he was too embarassed.

sonia72quebec , Gustavo Fring Report

Final score:

104points

POST

Aunt Riarch 2 years ago

Aww bless him

28points

Additional_Initial_7 Report

#28

Oops, I was the patient. I went in for severe pain in my right eye and reduced vision. Asked me for my family history and I mention everything I thought was relevant.

“No immune disorders or anything like that?”

“Oh well, my mom has MS but there’s no possible way I have that.”

“…”

“…”

“You’ve got optic neuritis, and probably MS. Sorry.”

Final score:

102points

POST

Madeleine 2 years ago

Why did they think there was no possible way? What inspires someone who apparently has no medical training and who knows, on some level, that they made no effort whatsoever to learn about a particular topic, to think they understand it well? Whatever it is, it’s much more than an oops.

43points

#29

This 20s guy came into the hospital, he had a lot of conditions where he wouldn't make it past 40 and he currently had some infection. We kept giving him antibiotics which helped, but not as much as we would have liked.

After about a week of being in the hospital I walk in and I'm talking to him and he tells me that he got a medically necessary circumcision on his last admission to the hospital. I ask if it's okay if I take a look to make sure it's healing okay. It was black with all kinds of infection.

I'm just not sure how a 20s married man (or his wife) never thought to tell anyone about this for the past week.

Desblade101 Report

Final score:

91points

POST

Aboredpanda 2 years ago

People will hide issues with their genetalia to the last bitter end. When I was a nursing student a patient didn't tell anyone his s*****m was the double size of normal. The only reason I noticed something was wrong, was that he accidentally brushed it and flinched, and I was able to ask him what was going on. Then he resignedly showed me. He was hospitalized for something else, and hadn't thought to mention it since it wasn't related...

55points

Dutch Swimmer Goes Viral For Super Revealing Trunks During 2024 Olympics: “Is This Legal?”

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#30

When I was a recent grad while working with the army, a soldier came to er, he had just returned from vacation and complained about severe headache, he had been hit with a beer bottle the previous day, I didn't think much at first because he was conscious and there wasn't anything more in anamnesis, that was until medical examination where I found that he had high blood pressure and bradycardia.

Sent him to a larger hospital and surprise, surprise, he had quite the subdural hematoma. I still wonder how that man was walking as if nothing was wrong with him.

g4bkun Report

Final score:

75points

POST

JayCee 2 years ago

So, he disclosed, but the doctor ignored the disclosure until after running tests.

16points

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#31

Couple of years ago, while i was a student - during an exam i had to examine a patient. Talked to him about his medical history:
‘Have you ever had surgery?’
‘No’
‘So you were never hospitalized?’
‘No’
I finish with the history and tell him to remove his shirt to do a physical, first thing i see, a big scar in the middle of the chest..
‘Sir, how did you aquire this scar?’
‘Oh, that! Thats from my open heart surgery a few years ago’
…..

dedly_pox Report

Final score:

44points

POST

Alias Delfs 2 years ago

…

6points

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#32

I was working in the ER as a paramedic intern. An older man came in with his hand bandaged stating he couldn't get his thumb to stop bleeding.

As the nurse unwound the bandage there was a gaping wound oozing blood from where his thumb USED TO BE.

The nurse asked him where his thumb was and the old guy asked what day it was. The nurse said Thursday or whatever day it was. The guy said well, I guess the thumb went out with the trash this morning. He'd lost his thumb to his lawn mower three days ago and only now was coming in.

blscratch Report

Final score:

41points

POST

Aunt Riarch 2 years ago

Old school....

12points

#33

Me: Any prior surgeries?

Patient: No

Me (examining them): Did you know that you only have one testicle down here?

Patient: Oh yeah. I had one cut out.



I always asked specifically about gallbladder, appendix, and testicles because patients forget about having A F*****G ORGAN CUT OUT.

BAT123456789 Report

Final score:

39points

POST

Tabitha Frost 2 years ago

How do you forget about something like that?!

9points

50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

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#34

I'm in vet school, i hope this counts?

Sometimes we have classmates bringing in their own pets for us to train different techniques (for example, how to handle a pet that is aggressive, a pet that for some reason has to be handled a certain way, or that has x condition so we get to see in class what it's like, etc).

This girl brought in her two elderly dogs. One of them actually had several health conditions and was blind, the other one was brought along just because they hate being away from each other. Of course we were focused on the dog that had health conditions, but at some moment the "healthy" one made a weird noise with her throat and the girl went "oh, she does that sometimes, i think it's just allergies or something, don't worry". The teacher thought it would be a good idea to train auscultation on the "healthy" dog as well anyways.

It was an ugly tracheal collapse, the student hadn't known the signs up until that point, and would never know if our teacher hadn't decided to check anyways out of curiosity.

SultanaShalhoub Report

Final score:

38points

POST

Stoopham McFernybabes 2 years ago

What happens to a dog with tracheal collapse? Was it treatable?

15points

Woman Moves Out Of Parents' Home After They Asked Her To Give Her Space To Brother, They Freak Out

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#35

I had a headache, and a few hours later noticed that my irises were different sizes. I went reluctantly to the emergency room. Minutes after presenting myself I had neurologists looking at me and I was rushed to get scanned. The artery about an inch and a half below my brain had torn. The Drs were basically just waiting for me to have a stroke.
I didn’t. Somehow.

kungfusyme Report

Final score:

37points

POST

Alias Delfs 2 years ago

Somehow!?

9points

Woman Refuses To Chip In For Babysitting Because She Doesn’t Even Have Kids, Asks If She’s A Jerk

#36

As a patient, I went to the doctor because I had some kind of infection in my mouth. The doctor had a look at me and was like ‘how have you been otherwise?’ A bit tired, but my new sport had lots of 4am starts, so that made sense. That was also why I assumed I’d been losing weight.

We talked through a few more things and the doctor said ‘this might be diabetes. Let’s take some blood and meet back up next week.’

A few hours later, the doctor called me at home telling me to go to the ER *right then* because my blood sugar was sitting over 40 mmol and he didn’t think I’d make it through the night without going comatose.

The surreal thing was that I felt fine (at least, I felt how I’d been for months) and I was walking around looking healthy enough. When any of the staff asked me what I was in for, the blood drained from their face and they freaked out.

Anyway, I have type 1 diabetes now.

Captain_Quoll Report

Final score:

37points

POST

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#37

Was called to the ER to do a psych consult on a patient that was complaining of GI symptoms but his story was sorta strange and he had no overt abdominal signs or symptoms. He was complaining that he suffered from "Barrett's stomach" (not esophagus) and had been diagnosed by a world famous gastroenterologist.

He stated that if he could lose weight that his GI issues would resolve. I spent some time talking with him and, other than this strange fixation on his "Barrett's stomach," he seemed okay.

Until...he mentioned that his most recent weight loss method was to shoot himself in the thigh so that the leg would become gangrenous and eventually need to be amputated. This would allow him to quickly lose the 20 or so pounds needed to cure his stomach ailment.
The man actually had a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the thigh from several days before.

I didn't actually assess the would because I was there for a psych consult but did immediately alert the ER staff. I was all calm and nonchalant like ohh sir, excuse me for a sec - I'm gonna pop out and let another staff member know about this so they can take a look at it for ya!

The ER was located in a county that employed a staff of mental health social workers to place psych patients so I had to call one of them out while he was getting (thoroughly physically) assessed. I have no idea what happened to him but I hope he's doing okay.

_perl_ Report

Final score:

35points

POST

(Anti)Social Penguin 2 years ago

To be fair, if you lose a leg, you lose some kilos too. But I doubt that the weight he had to lose, in order to solve his stomach problems, was about kilos.

12points

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#38

I was a Dentist in the Texas Jail System. I had a guy walk in whose lower 4 mandibular incisors were loose. He said they hurt a little. X ray showed there
was a perfect semicircle of bone containing those 4
Teeth that was completely fractured. No root canals in jail. Or dentures. I laid a flap and removed one whole piece of bone with all teeth in it. I was certain he’d been in a fight but he said he walked into a pole. There are serious penalties for fighting in the jail. He was really unhappy to lose those teeth.
So, a couple days later another guy walked in with his upper centrals broken off at the gums.
I figured he walked into the other side of the same pole.

jaildoc Report

Final score:

33points

POST

#39

Had a lady that fell once at work. I knew by the way she went down, that her hip had to be broke. My colleagues were just so sure it wasn’t broke and I even went AGAINST the doctor and ordered her X-rays.. all because she wasn’t crying, or saying it hurt.. That pelvis was broke in 3 different places, plus the femur head was also broke. That lady never once complained of pain. Even walked on it.. She had dementia.. I’ve often wondered if some forms of Dementia just cannot feel pain?

Puzzled_Touch_7904 Report

Final score:

32points

POST

Madeleine 2 years ago

I don’t know about dementia but there are people with a condition called CIP (Congenital Insensitivity to Pain), and it can be dangerous for them because they don’t have a way of knowing when something is very wrong with their body.

17points

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#40

I remember when I was 8 I had crashed on a mini bike. My dad didn't have parental rights after the divorce and the ER felt since I was only missing some teeth and had a split lip but was not reporting pain or anything there was no emergency and they needed to get a hold of my mom. A couple hours later mom comes and they take me back for X-rays. The X-ray tech looked at the prints and kind of hurried out to get the doctor who got on the phone and started calling for a clear room for surgery and a doctor to be called back. It turned out I had crushed my skull had a tooth in my eye socket fractures in my forehead making a disk of bone that had fallen in and swelling on my brain.

Ok_Dog_4059 , Vidal Balielo Jr. Report

Final score:

29points

POST

Seedy Vine 2 years ago

Dang! Glad you recovered.

3points

housewife_detective Report

#41

My mother had an epidural for neck/back pain a couple of days before an appointment with her cardiologist. Her cardiologist sent her for a standard chest x-ray (follow up for the quadruple bypass she'd had 9 months prior), then sent us home. A couple of hours later his office called instructing us to go to the ER for a CT scan because something looked off on her chest xray, maybe nothing, better safe than sorry. It turned out her colon had ruptured and was leaking fecal matter into her chest cavity. She didn't feel any pain because of the epidural and had no clue. She'd have been dead within 24 hours if not for that cardiology appointment.

Edited to clarify that fecal matter was leaking into her abdominal cavity, not her chest cavity. It was visible at the bottom of the chest x-ray. If memory serves me correctly it looked like a cloudiness where it should have been clear. My apologies.

Final score:

28points

POST

Bored Birgit 2 years ago

Wow. They had a good close look at this x-ray. So lucky.

4points

milksteaknjellybean Report

#42

While I was a psychiatry resident, I did a graded 30 minute interview on front of my attending on a new patient without knowing any previous chart history.

I spent 29 minutes collecting high yield medical and psychiatric history, and since I had an extra minute to spare, decided to ask him more about his childhood.

"Well, it was pretty shitty after I watched my dad murder my mom and then kill himself."

Needless to say, I did not have enough time to unpack that and failed my exam lol.

Final score:

26points

POST

Aboredpanda 2 years ago (edited)

This is why it's always good to have a look in the patients journal before talking to them. 😅

11points

#43

I’m a midwife. Had a patient who was 4 days postpartum. (She’s the kind of person who never complains about anything - when she was in labour she didn’t want to go to the hospital yet because it “wasn’t bad enough” - she almost gave birth in the elevator!) Anyway, her husband called me and said she had a fever of 39C for 2 days and he was worried. I had to beg her to come into hospital. She ended up needed 3 days of IV antibiotics for endometritis. Even the doctor I called to consult didn’t believe it at first since she didn’t seem to be in pain!

baby_catcher168 Report

Final score:

26points

POST

Aunt Riarch 2 years ago

That would NOT be me

5points

#44

Did an FME (full mouth extraction) on a guy .
Half way through he’s bleeding constantly excessively . I was only a dental assistant for about 3 months at the time so I didn’t know much about the health part . Doctor was freaking out and we couldn’t get the guy to stop bleeding . Finally he tells us after 2 hours that he’s on blood thinners . He came back the next day with his son and he was still heavily bleeding everywhere . Had to call ambulance to go to er .

I am now ocd and over excessive/cautious about medical history before any procedure because of this .

Basic-Bee5389 Report

Final score:

26points

POST

My O My 2 years ago

Why are FMEs a thing?

5points

Longjumping_Owl5740 Report

#45

One of my uncles (married to my aunt) has a genetic circulatory disorder he inherited from his mother. Except his mother refuses to acknowledge that she has the disorder herself despite pretty typical symptoms, never had him tested for it, and never mentioned the possibility of him having it until he started having symptoms as an adult and was diagnosed. Such a bad case of denial.

Final score:

26points

POST

Chloe SWatson 2 years ago

I have an uncle who suddenly became paralysed one day after getting a slight pull in his back. Nobody understood what had happened, doctors struggled with a diagnosis etc. 15 years later and he has some movement and can walk aided for a short while, he finally gets diagnosed with AS. Numerous family members 'Oh yeah, I've got that.', Wow, and they wonder why I don't see that side often!

10points

#46

This is sort of the reverse of the question, but I had a follow-up phone call after an in-person appointment with a pelvic pain specialist. At what was supposed to be the end of the call I asked if she had any ideas as to why I’d been in so much pain for three years at that point. She said it was probably fibromyalgia, which no one including her had ever mentioned before to me. She was literally wrapping up the phone call when I asked, and I had some follow up comments and questions which confirmed I have fibromyalgia. The worst part is if I hadn’t asked her I wouldn’t have known and she wouldn’t have told me.

AwkwardThePotato Report

Final score:

25points

POST

Fenchurch 2 years ago

I've had ME for nearly 30 years for every day of that time I've lived with muscle pain. This year I go to the doctor's as the pain in my hands is so much worse, she looks at my notes and says could it be a worsening of the fibromyalgia? I am on the floor! Like how have they not told me what is causing this pain for so many years, f*****g barstards. She upped a medicine I was already on for another issue that helps Fibro and my hands improved. F*****g Fibro all this time.

18points

#47

Just a reminder that a worsening unexplainable back pain should be taken very seriously. If you are having worsening back pain for more then like 2 weeks and you don't recall doing anything that could of cause it. Get it assessed. Tumours, cancer, infection can happen and quickly ruin your life if untreated. Remember, report unexplainable pains to your GP and be very honest about how bad the pain is. Saved a young 30yr old from being paralyzed just the other week.

johnnyfindyourmum Report

Final score:

25points

POST

Tabitha Frost 2 years ago

Wow, thanks for the reminder!

6points

#48

While I was interning in my general surgery rotation we received a patient for an emergent exploratory laparotomy (emergent open surgery) from the ER with severe abdominal pain. ER had done an x-ray and saw that he had bowel perforation (you can see a bubble of air that collects underneath the diaphragm on a standing x-ray).

The patient history we got from ER was that the patient had felt pain onset 3 days BEFORE checking into the hospital but decided it was nothing and attempted to self medicate with vodka for the pain until it was too unbearable.

Here's the kicker - the bowel perforation was caused by acute pancreatitis (too long to explain the how and why) which was likely due to his prior alcohol abuse. So his "self medication" only worsened the state he was in.

TAmedschoolnobody Report

Final score:

23points

POST

Tabitha Frost 2 years ago

That's actually sad.

7points

Daily_Scrolls_516 , happyveganfit Report

#49

Quite common in Malaysia since some health products escape notice from the government. ‘ I don’t think this is important, but have you been taking supplements for weight loss or do you have an exam coming up?’

Young women coming in with severe palpitations and crazy arrhythmias. Usually healthy, no prior health issues and or usually at the age where they’re in college or university. Initially most people would be thinking thyroid issues and a fair few have been treated this way.

Then I realized they’ve been taking caffeine supplements to help with weight loss/ increase concentration. Specifically some brands off label only put it in between the fine print of the product ingredients. Usually in near lethal quantities lol.

Final score:

22points

POST

K Sarfo 2 years ago

Lol?

15points

#50

Not exactly an answer, just my experience as a nurse. I had a patient who was on strict input/ output, meaning we had to measure everything going in and …um… coming out. I went to measure his urine output from his urinal and it was dark brown and contained something that looked fibrous. Turns out he’d been using his urinal as a spittoon. Needless to say, I explained what it was really for after a horrified moment.

Fleecelined , 2427999 Report

Final score:

21points

POST

Minath 2 years ago

I hate it when I'm on fluid and output charts, because I currently have all my marbles the doctors ask me to fill in the forms myself. I literally have to wee into a cardboard bedpan then use my phone light to see the tiny markers going up the side to work out the volume. The other output is easier as I know how many MLs my stoma bag holds!

5points

#51

Saw an old lady as a med student with a broken foot. We were chatting a bit and she mentioned a discolouring on her hand she was only mildly worried about. My supervisor wasn't quite sure what it was so we asked a dermatologist. Ended up being melanoma.

Vatih_ Report

Final score:

18points

POST

Tabitha Frost 2 years ago

Oof

4points

#52

Saw a dude in my ER once for a sore throat. He was coughing a bit when I went in. Looked in his throat and his uvula (hanging thingy in the middle) was just a tiny bit swollen but everything else looks ok. I asked about medication and he mentioned that he just started a BP medicine that had a nasty side effect of face and airway swelling. Long story short, we put a scope down his throat and saw swelling around his vocal cords and put in a breathing tube to keep his airway open.

snap802 Report

Final score:

15points

POST

Izzy Curer 2 years ago (edited)

Side effects of taking Bored Panda medicine may include irritation, giggling fits, sleeplessness, loss of self control, unusual or abnormal nerdiness, rabit hole spirals, and addiction. If you or your loved one experiences any of these side effects, please talk to your doctor.

44points

Apprehensive-Ad-4364 Report

#53

I was having [what I assumed was] severe PMDD for the week of and during my period. I was a danger to myself. I have a long history of ADHD meds, Vyvanse specifically, and I'd been off it for a few years. So I recently started Concerta and when the symptoms started, I thought it was some side effect. Went to the doctor/OBGYN and she just gave me progesterone which made my period start WAY early (for some reason)

Anyway, a week later I'm talking to my friend Sarah who's telling me about her unfortunate history with EDs. She mentions offhand that she did some research on it and if you lose enough weight, your cycle starts shutting down. I'm like, WHAT. I go weigh myself immediately and sure enough I'm like 100lbs! ADHD meds all have strong weight loss side effects, and I'd been on them for most of my developmental years. I'm dangerously underweight. I stop the progesterone and work on getting my weight up a little and would ya look at that! Symptoms magically disappear.

The kicker is that Sarah is trans! She's never had a period and she just figured out what my cis OBGYN (who knew my weight was a concern) never could!.

EDIT for accuracy: it's been pointed out to me that this wasn't PMDD! I've edited this post to reflect that :)

Final score:

15points

POST

Mikey Kliss 2 years ago

I'm very shocked the doctor didnt comment about the weight

4points

#54

A patient of mine (anaesthetics) neglected to tell us that he had a difficult airway, fortunately we picked up a faded cric scar before induction.

anon Report

Final score:

10points

POST

Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

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I'm a visual editor here at Bored Panda and I enjoy a good laugh. My work ranges from serious topics related to toxic work environments and relationship difficulties to humorous articles about online shopping fails and introvert memes. When I'm not at my work desk, checking if every single pixel is in the right place, I usually spend my free time playing board games, taking pictures, and watching documentaries

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What do you think ?

POST

Arthur Waite 2 years ago

My Wife had high blood pressure, but she could never remember the names of the meds she was taking, so I put a list on my computer, and printed out a little form with name&address, doctor's name&number, and the meds, and contact numbers. Kept it up for years, and she always had a copy in her wallet to show to dentists, etc. Now she's passed on, and I have my own 'ICE' list in my wallet. Seems like a good idea.

15points

Joshua Moore 2 years ago

I have the same in my wallet and under ICE on my phone, for the same reason. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

2points

Black Pearl 2 years ago (edited)

I'm not a doctor but a few years ago my dad had this really bad stomach pain and he just assumed he pulled a muscle or something, but it kept getting worse. It got so bad he had to take off work one day, and that day my mom forced him to go to the doctor. I remember seeing him walk out of the doctor after like 10 minutes with the most panicked face I've ever seen on him and when he got in the car he told my mom his appendix was about to burst and he needed to go to the hospital now. Driving him to the hospital was awful because he was crying the whole time and talking about how he was going to die. I've never seen him that scared and I hated it so much. We got him to the hospital and my mom called some family friends to come pick my sister and I up. The surgery went fine and he's perfectly fine now, thank goodness. If it wasn't for my mom being super worried, though, he might not have been.

14points

Miss Kat O 2 years ago

I had a bladder infection a couple of years back and I ignored for 5 weeks because 'it wasn't really that bad and it'll go away on its own if I drink cranberry juice' then one day I got an awful fever which 'it's obviously just the flu coming on' eventually my dad came over and forced me to go to the doctors.. who then blue lighted me all the way to the hospital.. even in the A&E, the doctor asked me when the bladder infection started and I said 'oh about 5 weeks' the shock and horror on his face said it all... , my infection makers were through the roof and I was on IV antibiotics for 4 days, and hooked up to a water drip pumping water into my stupid dehydrated self 3 litre bag after 3 litre bag... Needless to say I didn't ignore the second bladder infection I had

11points

JayCee 2 years ago

Typically, it's the opposite issue. You give your health history and they ignore it. The number of times I've been misdiagnosed with things because my symptoms and history were dismissed is astounding. "It must be because you're overweight" is a standard chant for incompetent doctors.

6points

Lauren Christie 2 years ago

I had that for 5 YEARS - but the worst part? It turned out my symptoms weren't caused by being overweight, being overweight was yet another symptom. And all together, it was a textbook case of problem X, an extremely common and well known complication caused by a medical conditoin the doctors blimmin' well knew I had! 5 years to get diagnosed, because they didn't spend two seconds considering that my weight was another symptom, even though my known medical history meant that if they had, the solution would be pratically neon-lit. Oh, and of all the symptoms of problem X, being fat is the most common one.

0points

Patti Vance 2 years ago

i have a degenerative disease that causes all kinds of havoc with my body in regards to pain and fatigue. sometimes when it flares i get a kind of hot flashes as well. i had a procedure for removal of kidneys stones on a monday afternoon. my son, who lives next door, called to check on me tuesday morning. after hanging up the phone he comes over immediately and tells me he's calling an ambulance. i started to argue with him-or so i thought-when he stopped me and said do you realize you are talking gibberish? ambulance it was to the e.r. all i remember after that was seeing them take my blood pressure and then realizing i was in a hospital room. turned out i had developed an infection and it had turned to sepsis. dr told me if i had waited any longer i would have probably been in a coma and died. it taught me that 1. i am no longer a spring chicken; 2. i need to pay attention a little more to when things are 'off'; and 3. thankful that i have a son who pays attention.

6points

Chich 2 years ago

Was IC on a wildfire. This was back when we still used "street hires'. First day in camp I notice one guy walking around like he is in a mine field. Go up and ask him what is going on. Tells me he has to be careful as he is allergic to bee stings. note that wildflowers are out and bees are everywhere. So we have the following conversation: "How allergic?" "Oh if I get stung I have to use my epipen and be in emerg within 15 minutes" "OK, where is your epipen?" " I forgot to bring it " "You do realise that even if you get stung in the helicopter with the engine running we are a half hour flight to the nearest hospital. " Anyway, still light enough to get him sent back to town. Also asked him why he hadn't mentioned this to anyone. Said it never crossed his mind.

5points

Annabelle 2 years ago (edited)

As an intern during my anesthesiology rotation I was screening patients. There was a woman who needed sedation for a fertility treatment. She was really afraid so it was impossible otherwise. My first question was if she used any medication. She said no. As an intern I wanted to be really sure so I asked casually “ also no vitamins?”. She said “no just a birth control pill.” In the Netherlands it is called anti-inception pill so a bit less obvious and some woman take them for skin or menstrual problems, but still… She never thought she needed to stop taking them and was surprised she couldn’t get pregnant.

4points

LolaBrio 2 years ago

She has no business reproducing.

1point

Blarrg 2 years ago

My wife was a nurse at a walk-in clinic and would often complain about people listing their sex as how they identify rather than how they are plumbed. Folks, identify however you like, but please be clear with medical professionals what your biological sex is. It often makes a huge difference in diagnostics.

4points

Mika N 2 years ago

I should stop reading these and scaring myself. I've had a pain in my lower right abdomen off and on for about 5 years now. Started with being present just every few weeks or so but now it's daily. Ovaries look fine on ultrasound so doctors just say "huh well I dunno." I have a female nurse practitioner I'm seeing now who said the same thing, "maybe it's just one of those weird things." A year later I called her again to say I'd had a couple instances were it hurt quite badly and I had to lie down. She seemed surprised I still had the pain (I had told her I'd had it for 4 years though) and started trying to get me a CT scan but my insurance won't approve it because I'm not also vomiting, or have a fever, etc. Had another US, nothing. Had another US of upper abdominal in case the pain is "referring" down low or something. It's been 2 weeks and they haven't given me results yet but I really don't know if they'll find anything anyway or what to do next 😞

4points

Benita Valdez 2 years ago

My dad had persistent wet cough. He was a stubborn man and waited about 2 months before admitting he felt worse than he should and breathing was a little difficult. Stubborn as he was, he still insisted that it would pass. Well college semester was about to start and I had the tuition check he wrote so I threatened to rip it up, drop out of school and quit my job if he didn't go to a dámn hospital because he looked so sickly at that point; just flat out told him it would be his fault i ruined my life. Knowing his lovely daughter is very much his child, he relents and goes to the hospital that day because he took my threat seriously. Well Dr said had he waited one more day he would've died because he had the flu, pneumonia and tuberculosis; never could do anything simple. But yeah that stubborn jerk nearly died and ended up spending over a month in the hospital.

4points

Benita Valdez 2 years ago

They pumped so much fluid out of his lungs it was disturbing; never knew the human lungs could hold liters of fluid

4points

Nikki Sevven 2 years ago

I keep a note on my phone with my medical history, including surgeries, diagnosed conditions, current medications, allergies, and the like. It's 2022; why don't we all have a card in our wallet with a chip that contains our medical history?

4points

Powerful Katrinka 2 years ago

About a month after having back surgery, I told my orthopedic surgeon I had severe pain in my back again. He ordered an x-ray, which he claimed showed nothing wrong. I kept persisting, and he accused me of drug seeking. After about 4 months of this, I could barely walk, so I went to a spine specialist. He took one brief look at the ORIGINAL x-ray, the same one the first doctor dismissed, and ordered an immediate CT scan. I was admitted to the hospital the same afternoon with a massive staph infection at the site of the first surgery. My infectious disease doctor told me that he wasn't sure how I was still alive.

3points

Roddfergg 2 years ago

I had had intestinal surgery. After being home about 4 days, I am telling my wife that I just cannot eat, I'm exhausted, and I don't think I've gone to the bathroom in 48 hours. I called the surgeon's office for 2 days, they don't call back. So I went to the surgeon's office, that was actually in the hospital. The nurse at the front said I had a follow appointment in 3 days just come back then, the doctor was too busy to see me. On the way home, I was driving by another hospital, and I was about to pass out. I went into the emergency room, and was immediately admitted with large blood clots shutting down my stomach, liver, and kidneys.

2points

LolaBrio 2 years ago

But had you read your discharge paperwork, you’d have seen that you should have gone to ER in the first place with those symptoms.

0points

Rachel Reynolds 2 years ago

My husband is a doctor and my father came visit one day. Hubby noticed that dad's leg was twice the normal size, bright red, hot, and badly swollen. I forcibly drove my dad to the ER and learned he had a blood clot in his femoral artery extending from his ankle to his groin. My father was just going to take some Advil and wait for the swelling to go down. For the record he's fine and we check up on him much more often

1point

Freddy M. (He/Him) 2 years ago

I learned recently in the most painful way possible that apparently a kidney stone feels like lower back pain that just keeps getting worse and isn't reduced by changing what position you're in. The worst part of that experience was not being able to do anything about the pain, being completely helpless to reduce it. The couple hours I thought I might have appendicitis were pretty bad too though

1point

Roddfergg 2 years ago

They are even fun getting rid of them.

1point

Celtic Pirate Queen 2 years ago

Going to the ER with chest pain. Had to sit in the lobby for about 3 hours, while the pain was increasing. Doctors (especially MALE doctors) never think "heart attack" in women because we present differently than men, and I was only 45. Men will generally have shooting pains in the left arm, while women usually have what feels more like indigestion & rarely have left arm pain. I was finally seen & HE basically told me I was having a panic attack. I demanded an EKG, which showed I was in the first stages of a heart attack.

0points

Alexej Dvorak 2 years ago

This is the kind of content where I wish the posts were "dumbed down" a little for people without proper knowlede of all the medical terms and abbrevations. I never had to google so many terms just for understanding a boredpanda article.

0points

Bex 2 years ago

I went numb from my waist down to my feet for mo ths at a time. My GP sent me to a chiropractor, pit me on muscle relaxers, thought it was a pinched nerve, etc. I even saw a back specialist who told me to loat 50 pounds and it would get resolved (FYI Dr A*****e, I lost 110 pounds and it didn't help). I kept telling everyone I had MS. But because I had worked at the National MS Society, everyone assumed I was being a hypochondriac. Feeling returns to my legs and I don't give it another thought. Then a year later I take an overnight flight to Vegas. Wake up when we land and I'm blind in my left eye and I have a burning rash all over my arms. Turns out I had shingles and Optic Neuritis. Went to the Dr when I got home, they did some tests, and lo and behold, I have MS. Dumbasses.

0points

Amanda Jayne 2 years ago (edited)

I had a hospital doctor a few years ago, who was convinced I was in alcohol withdrawal, despite me not having an alcohol dependency. My legs had gone tingly and numb, I couldn't walk. After almost two weeks in hospital, I asked for a different doctor. New Doc ran a blood test, that showed I was B12 deficient and just needed injections. Sounds minor but B12 deficiency is ultimately fatal and I am left with lasting nerve damage

0points

Huddo's sister 2 years ago

I had an intake nurse berate me because on my form I said I didn't have reflux or anything, but when she asked what medications I was on I said one was for gastritis. The form had been filled out more than two weeks prior and at that time I was not on those meds because my gastritis was not a problem, but in that time it had started again. There was a reason she had to go through things with me, and she hadn't asked if anything had changed from the time I filled the form out. How was I to know having reflux while under anaesthetic could be a problem?

0points

Lauren Christie 2 years ago

If you have reflux bad enough to need meds, you can guarantee that when you are lying down asleep, the top of the stomach relaxes and opens up. Most people with reflux just don't realise unless it's bad enough to make it into their upper throat and mouth during the night. I'll presume you didn't know the above info, because if you DID know that, but still didn't understand why stomach acids pouring up your throat and into your mouth when you are INTUBATED is a PROBLEM, you're too stupid to live. Also, the nurse probably didn't ask you if anything had changed, because she presumed you had a brain - most people are smart enough to realise they're asking about your medications and medical history for a REASON, so if the information you give them is no longer accurate when you go into hospital, YOU NEED TO TELL THEM.

0points