We recentlyaskedwomen of theBuzzFeed Communityabout the times they’ve been dismissed by doctors.
Here are some of their stories:
1.
“I started experiencing extreme pain and numbness that went from my back down to my toe.
It became difficult for me to walk and ibuprofen wasnt helping at all.
I went to an orthopedic doctor who dismissed my concerns, saying that I was just having muscle spasms.
When I asked if it could be a herniated disc, he said it probably wasn’t.
Unfortunately, it got so bad that I could barely walk more than a few feet.
I was also diagnosed with a degenerative disc disease.
It took months of agony only to find out it was exactly what I thought it was.”
25, Florida
2.
He said this without doing any tests.
I insisted on tests and whadayaknow, I had a UTI (definitely not herpes)."
39, Seattle
3.
I ended up going home without a diagnosis and any medication because they refused to prescribe me pain medication.
“You should not be qualified to practice medicine if you think a woman menstruates out of her butt.
Not every ailment and medical issue is related to a woman’s goddamn reproductive system!”
36, UK
4.
I didn’t get the help I needed and I felt worse than when I arrived.
He didn’t acknowledge my mental health at all."
ddx87
5.
“I went off birth control to attempt to get pregnant.
Gained a bunch of weight very quickly, and my periods altogether stopped.
My doctor ran no tests and told me to keep a food log for two weeks.
When I insisted on more testing, she reiterated that I just needed to diet.
I left her practice, saw someone else, and turned out I had Hashimotos and PCOS.”
I wrote a letter to her practice to let them know how horribly she had ‘diagnosed’ me."
jenaer2
6.
The doctor never seemed concerned so I figured it was no big deal.
melgoss
7.
“I lived with severe hip pain all the way through my 20s and 30s and four pregnancies.
My hips hurt so much I could hardly sleep or walk.
He said, ‘I can’t believe you had four babies on this hip!’
I had been made to believe I was overreacting or just being a ‘wimpy pregnant woman.’
It took my hip socket being cut off and three surgeries to fix it!”
49, California
8.
She told me to go home.
She wasnt pleased we insisted and very ungracefully ordered the test.
I was in the Heart Institute for a week and had a stent put in right away.
No apology of course!!"
purpleogre54
9. spookyfun
10.
Still insisting I couldn’t possibly have strep anyway, he sent me on my way.
I have never felt so dismissed in my whole life.
Frustrated and in agony, I sought a second opinion at another urgent care down the road right after.
The compassionate female doctor there conducted the test with care and efficiency, with minimal discomfort.
To my relief, the rapid test came back positive confirming my suspicion of strep all along.
The stark contrast in experiences left me feeling validated and grateful for the compassionate care I finally received."
27, Maryland
11.
I had tears streaming down my face, and I was begging him for more anesthesia.
beckiemuirhead
12. gemface
13.
“Im plus-sized and AFAB.
I was concerned about appendicitis because I had heard of people not having severe pain.
crewgirlat221b
14.
Everything I ate was making me sick or making the pain worse.
I went to several doctors and had multiple tests done with no answers, just more pain.
They dismissed all the pain I was experiencing and told me it was in my head.
I changed doctors after that.
radianttortoise73
15.
“I went to a doctor right out of college.
I said I didnt think that was it, but she insisted.
I was young and insecure so I just believed her and developed an eating disorder.
5 YEARS and another 100 Pounds LATER someone takes me seriously.
I have PCOS and there was so much scar tissue damage I needed surgery.”
33, Kentucky
16.
My D-dimer was elevated which promoted a CT scan and revealed a Pulmonary Embolism which can be deadly.
I was immediately admitted to the hospital and put on blood thinners.
I was in the hospital for 3 days and it took me two months to finally recover.
But yeah, just keep telling me my symptoms aren’t serious.
I’m now on blood thinners for life.”
36, Pennsylvania
17.
“I found a lump in my breast while nursing my third child.
Strangely, it didn’t hurt, so I scheduled an appointment with my ob/gyn.
However, I was told that women of my age (30) didn’t get breast cancer.
The biopsy revealed that I had stage 2 breast cancer.
goldencrocodile31
18.
That led to a much more thorough biopsy, and, guess what?
36, Washington
19.
The gastrologist refused to schedule me for a colonoscopy because he said I was ‘thin.’
Not only was he a jerk, but he was also wrong I had polyps.
41,New York
20.
“I had a breast reduction and about five weeks into recovery started to develop signs of an infection.
I had redness, swelling, drainage, and a fever.
I was on immunosuppressant medication for the treatment of a chronic illness making me more susceptible to infections.
We tried everything, always the same.
The doctor told me I might just have to live with it.
The infections were my bodys way of telling me something was wrong.
The specialist got me into surgery quickly, and now I feel like a whole new person!
I am so grateful to have my life back.
Ladies, advocate for yourselves.
Youre so worth it.”
40, Toronto
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
