“The doctor simply wanted to try another route.
She suggested aromatherapy therapy instead of any pain medicine!”
Weaskedmembers of theBuzzFeed Communityto tell us about the worst advice they’ve ever received from a doctor.
We received so many worrisomestoriesthat we decided to make a part two.
Here’s what people shared:
1.
“I was on the verge of kidney failure.
The family doctor refused to send me to a nephrologist so my insurance could take care of it.
All she did was pat my back for 15 seconds and complain that my generation was formed of snowflakes.
Not only did she insult me, but she prescribed me meds for urinary tract infections.
Had I not got to the ER that day, I wouldn’t have both of my kidneys today.
I would have been on dialysis because I had a massive stone that needed to be removed immediately.”
bxzzzz
2.
“I saw an endocrinologist over Zoom during the pandemic.
I had Bariatric surgery before the pandemic and was working to maintain the weight loss.
That was her medical advice!
Just don’t have fruit.
Did she want me to get scurvy?
lisalu779
3.
“My doctor told me to ‘get over my grief’ because I gained weight.”
akaganator3000
4.
I said no, but my father smoked two or three packs a day for most of my life.
So, I took up smoking.
Over the next 10 years, they became unbearable!”
I never saw that doctor again, though I know his son also went on to become a doctor.
I hope he paid attention to medical school and not his father!"
Anonymous
5.
She asked about my symptoms, then said I had chlamydia and I needed to tell my husband.
I said there was no way.
We were in a committed marriage, and he’d never cheat.
She said he did, and I also needed to ensure he got treated.
She prescribed me meds for chlamydia and not for the bladder infection.
I refused to take them.
Two days later, I got a call from her nurse.
‘Hi, you don’t have chlamydia, so just stop taking the meds.
You have a bladder infection, and we’ve sent your prescription in.’
That woman really could have cost me my marriage if I hadn’t trusted my husband.
I get angry every time I think about it.
Never saw her again."
prodolphin94
6.
I mean, one was sideways on top of the other, and the other was crooked.
Yes, 7 is young to start braces, but every new tooth that came in needed help.
I literally had one come in completely backward.
I can only imagine what the approach to that one would’ve been."
moonrise99
7.
“I went into a clinic because I felt a couple of lumps in my breast.
The nurse took my blood pressure.
With a concerned look, she tells me my blood pressure is quite high, and she’s concerned.
I was 26 at the time.
The nurse relayed this to the doctor, who proceeded to prescribe me high-blood-pressure medication.
I called and explained to the nurse and was told to stop taking them and come right back.
To this, the genius replies, ‘That’s actually a good point.’
Never saw her again.”
After my child was born, I figured that would be fine.
She gave me one checkup and a birth control pill refill.
The next year, she refused to do it again.
She left the room with a chip on her shoulder.
But no one has ever asked me that.
I never went to her again, obviously."
e71
9.
I am a military spouse, so the appointment was at the base clinic with a military PA. She said, ‘It sounds like the military lifestyle is causing this.
Imagine your life like a clock counting down.
It’ll end eventually.’
Horrible advice to someone on the brink of suicide.
Have you thought about how difficult this is for HIM?
Have you thought about how your situation makes him look?
Right now, it’s time to focus on his career and goals.
I’m honestly amazed I survived."
amyallender
10.
“This happened to mybest friendwhen she was having a baby.
When she was giving birth for the first time, she wanted to receive the epidural.
She was talking with the doctor who was going to be delivering her baby.
The doctor simply wanted to try another route.
She suggested aromatherapy therapy instead of any pain medicine!
She was going to get some staff to come in and set up an aromatherapy station.
This was at a regular public hospital!
Just give medicine like you’re supposed to!”
roseroyce
11. uniquetable236
12.
“I had a steady six-month-long migraine that medicine wasn’t helping.
The neurologist wanted me to get an MRI to rule out anything else.
It turned out that I had a tumor on my pituitary gland!
“That was my last appointment with her!
I was right; as soon as I stopped taking it, the migraine stopped.”
caz_kitten
13.
“I went to a specialist for my back.
Long story short: He told me I should get on Weight Watchers.
I only went for two or three appointments, and then I never went back.
I left crying each time.”
ellave
14.
“I had a hormonal IUD put in.
I couldn’t drive or work.
All I could do was sit in a dark room.
The doctor said no, birth control doesnt do that, and he refused to take it out.
He said that should make the headache go away.
Then, they sent me home.”
She took it out and said, ‘Wow, you are really sensitive to hormones.’
Funny, almost like I told you?
The migraine was gone the next day.”
indiagauci
15.
“Not me, but my daughter.
For years, my daughter had horrible stomach pains.
We stopped using it for her meals.
I even locked the pantry and fridge.
Finally, we removed every bit of beef and dairy from the house.
She still had issues.
The doctor told me she must be lying and eating it at a friend’s house.
I even remember not letting her have cake at a birthday party.
She ran tests that were not usually run on younger children.
They rushed her into emergency surgery and removed her gallbladder.
The surgeon said she would not have lasted another day without it bursting.
She had been having gallstone pain for years.”
abourque
16.
By the time they saw me, it was around 9:00 p.m.
They checked me and said I was five centimeters dilated.
This was my second, and I was concerned it would be faster.
They said to go home and come back when I was ready to push.
Being in the car made all the contractions feel worse.
They said I was already too far along and couldn’t get an epidural.
My son was born at 12:05 a.m. on December 25, 2021.
People get excited about me having a ‘Christmas baby,’ but it was the worst experience ever.
No one was available to help, and I didn’t have the opportunity to get an epidural.
sugalemon
17.
I pointed out how absurd that was, and he shrugged."
missymoose
18.
“Superbloom of 2017 in Southern California.
My allergies were so bad that they re-activated my childhood asthma.
I was using an inhaler and breaking out in hives for weeks.
‘Stop using the inhaler, and the hives should go away.’
When I asked what to do about my asthma, they told me to use the inhaler.
My eyes were swollen shut.
I was a single mom, working and in school, and fighting my ex in court.
The doctor said, ‘You have to stop stressing out.’
That bit of medical advice cost me $700.”
smellygoblin62
19.
“A male doctor suggested the pull-out method for birth control.
I didn’t even dignify that with a response.”
pepperopigeon
20.
In 2016, I had been dealing with ongoing gynecological issues for over two years.
Chronic, debilitating pain was the primary issue.
The pelvic exam, which is typically uncomfortable anyway, was EXCRUCIATING.
Despite my best efforts to maintain my composure and be still, I cried and writhed on the table.
I inadvertently yelped a few times and clawed at the protective paper sheet.
I had given birth twice at that point, and childbirth was preferable to this particular exam.
It was sheer agony."
I was slightly taken aback because it was obvious.
I answered anyway, with a meek yes.
That provider was part of a larger web connection.
“My mom was in labor with me and went to the hospital.
I’m the youngest of four, so she knew mostly what to expect.
gennyyjam
22.
I slept 10-12 hours at night and took a nap on my lunch break and a nap after work.
This went on for over two years.
Sometimes, if you say something to yourself, you will start to believe it.'
I was absolutely appalled at her dismissal of my symptoms, as well as the terrible advice.”
It was life-altering stuff."
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
