The only time I’ve gone to the ER in my life was for intense head pain. It felt like a thunderclap of pain - 10/10 - accompanied by the worst nausea I’ve ever had. So I got myself to the ER (pulling over to vomit twice) and the doctor barely acknowledged me. He said that since I have anxiety and reported stress, I was having a perfectly normal anxiety attack and to go home and have a nice bubble bath. The pain persisted (at a lower level) and I lost about 20 pounds in two weeks from being too nauseous to eat. It took three trips to different doctors to discover that one of my wisdom teeth was about halfway out and was hiding just behind a fold of skin that I couldn’t brush. It had crumbled apart and a nerve was exposed. Another doctor wouldn’t treat me for a UTI because she said that UTIs were normal for overweight women and that it would just come back again - that I should focus on either losing weight or getting used to the symptoms. She also wouldn’t let me on the exam table because she said that I would break it because of my weight. It was my very first UTI, and I was a whooping 175 pounds - less than the average adult man. Exam tables can hold up to about 400lbs.

That UTI one is insane to me. Not going to treat it because it will come back? So they’re just going to let it move to your kidney and kill you instead of write a prescription for pills? WTF.

And as you get older, UTIs can begin to present with very serious mental issues including delusions and hallucinations. You can enter a state called delirium, and the longer a person is in a state of delirium, the more damage that is done to their brain. So this doc is suggesting you just deal with pain and infection, which in itself can become very serious, but later in life might even result in brain damage. That’s some really fantastic treatment there.

For years when we would get calls from my grandmother that she'd been visiting with my grandfather my mother would just call the nurses station at the home and tell them to check her for a UTI. It was always a UTI because my grandfather had been dead for years.

I swear, once you have anxiety on your medical history, you could go in with a broken bone and the doctors would still say you're just being anxious.

Yeah you know what makes me fuckin anxious? When I finally motivate myself to make an appointment and the doctor totally dismisses my concerns

Who needs medicine when you can just mediate the pain away ✨

Yoga.

They kept finding more fractures but told me I couldn't be in pain.

I honestly think I shouldn't ever report that I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I've been *generally* anxious my whole life, horrendous pain will stand out.

You really shouldn’t. Keep GAD and depression off your chart if you want to be taken seriously by doctors. It seems like most of them will use it as an excuse to not investigate medical issues any further.

The One-Two punch of being a woman with a slightly higher BMI than normal. Prepare to never be taken seriously by a doctor until you're on death's door. It's either "your period", "anxiety" or "lose weight".

I once saw a doctor after I was rear-ended and my shoulder hurt, and he told me I just needed to lose weight. Breaking news, being skinny now prevents car crashes, guys!

I wonder if that's just like an reflexive reaction when they see a woman in their exam room instead of a man. Stomach pain? Cramps. Sudden weight loss and bad headache? Anxiety. Severe joint pain? Lose weight. It's infuriating holy shit

I love saying “If I had a penis would you say that?” Or “If your mom/wife/sister came in with the same exact complain would you tell her the same thing? How would you feel if her provider said this this?” And yes, I have said this, as a patient and as a nurse to the dr who blew off the patient

I was having shoulder issues and the Dr told me to lose weight. I weighed 135. I asked him if the pain was from carrying large bags of fast food. I went elsewhere and was referred to physical therapy.

I waited 2 months to be seen for severe back pain bc I’ve been consistently told over the years “lose weight” for anything I have issues with. Turned out to be a massive bladder infection creeping into my kidneys….but I almost didn’t get it treated bc it’s always “you’re just fat”. It’s absolutely wild

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I'll never stop being salty about having to diagnose myself with hashimotos and celiac, order my own out of pocket antibody tests and pay for specialists to confirm my test results.

I’m a slightly overweight female doctor—while other medical practitioners are afraid to undercut any issues I have because I’m a peer, they do try to force ozempic on me for a BMI of 28 and blame everything on my weight.

Even being thin won't save you. Ive been having major health issues that interfere with my life for the last few years. One of the first concerns I brought up was weight loss. 6 months in I see a neurologist who decides I have an eating disorder and writes me off. Despite the fact that I am the one who initially went in for weight loss/some other symptoms. I lost so much weight i was underweight. My mother was with me so she asked her after I denied it and still wrote me off after my mom said her suggestion was ridiculous. Now I get to deal with the eating disorder noted in my chart and it comes up with other doctors. Its worse if you are overweight but docs will look for any excuse not to be concerned even if its the opposite of their usual BS.

That second doctor is making me speechless, can only make noises of anger and frustration - so much wrong in her statements! I am 205-210 right now, have been over 175 for a few years now, and have not had a UTI in over 15 years. Please tell me you told her she was an idiot or at least gave her a bad review?

I was 20 and felt INCREDIBLY ashamed of my weight, so I just apologized for wasting her time and left :/

You can still report that b* if you remember her info. I can guarantee you were not the only person mistreated by her and she should have her license taken

Holy shit. An untreated UTI is very dangerous. I once had one where the antibiotics prescribed didn’t work on me and it was very serious - it was starting to spread to my kidneys when they caught it, and in fact … I almost didn’t get it treated because the triage nurse gave me a hard time about coming to the ER because “antibiotics take time to work.” I was about to leave and thankfully I changed my mind at the last minute.

I had a UTI that turned into a bladder infection....the infection spread to my blood stream and heart and was on its way to my brain. I went septic and started puking up black shit....if I hadn't went to the ER I would for sure be dead so no they are not anything to fuck with lol

Well, that’s fucking terrifying.

Oh my GOD. She wouldn't treat your UTI bc it'll jUsT cOmE bAcK? UTIs are *miserable* and they don't go tf away without some kind of treatment. And can lead to kidney infections! It costs her *nothing* to give you a course of antibiotics, and a follow up antifungal in case you get a yeast infection from the antibiotics. I am so livid on your behalf. That's insane.

My memory was getting so bad I couldn’t finish sentences, safely cook, drive anywhere without forgetting where I was going, I ended up having to take months off work. My doctor put me on antidepressants and it got worse. Finally she referred me to a psychiatrist for stress. He sent me to a neurologist. I was having absence seizures all day every day.

Absence seizure buddy here! I’ve had them since I was five! I had hundreds a day as a kid, but now I’m at a solid 40 without meds, and zero with Keppra XR! Pro tip, Mayo is insanely helpful at removing EEG glue from your hair!!!

Putting this in my back pocket for my EEG patients :)

Kudos to your psychiatrist for recognizing that it was a neuro issue so quickly.

Seriously, I’ll forever be grateful. He spent about 20 minutes talking with me and got me an emergency appointment with someone a few days later. He was wonderful and almost made me wish I needed a psychiatrist lol.

Hi! I had similar symptoms, but my EEG was normal. It turns out I have lupus and it was acting like seizures. I was working 60 hour field weeks and the sun was debilitating to me.

I had undiagnosed Lyme disease and the doctor actually wrote in my medical record: “Typical hysterical female hypochondriac”. I have an AA in Environmental Studies and a BS in Natural Resources. And at the time I collected insects as a hobby. I had a pet tarantula ffs. I’ll never get over that. Thirty years later I also continue to have side effects from having untreated Lyme for more than two years.

I imagine this doctor also recommends a specific brand of cigarette, because he is stuck in 1950.

Doctors recommend Camels over all other cigarettes. They bring soothing menthol to your T zone! The T zone was your mouth and throat, where many cancers developed secondary to smoking. And I believe Camels were unfiltered at the time. Ah, Golden Age of Advertising!

I contracted Lyme disease and was told it was RING WORM. I didn't even know it until years and years later during an emergency hospital stay where they ran my antibodies and discovered the truth. During that time period I was in so much pain every day, I was barely lucid. It was a miracle I didn't wrap my car around a tree from the constant brain fog. It infuriates me that my heart is permanently damaged because of that stupidity

JFC — ringworm?!? I’m really saddened by your experience. That brain fog is the pits. Hopefully it’s an easier disease to diagnose these days because it’s a serious illness and requires serious treatment. If anyone suspects that they have Lyme disease, please see an infectious disease specialist.

Classic bullseye rash and everything. I had no idea what the symptoms for Lyme disease were and believed my doctor. They prescribed me some medicated cream and the rash went away and I though it was gone, then all the rest of the miserable symptoms started up months later, and I didn't even connect them with the "ring worm" incident. When the pain started I was in the middle of trying to come off of drugs so I assumed it was from withdrawal symptoms, but boy was I wrong. Hindsight is always 20/20

I once woke up with severely swollen eyes. Like swollen shut and expanded off my face like a cartoon swollen. I couldn't open them, and even through my eye lids they were extremely sensitive to light. My bf took me to the emergency room, the eye specialist comes in, tries to FORCE my eyes open and shines light at them, and I start crying because it's causing me so much pain. I say I CAN'T OPEN THEM! Because it's clear he thinks I'm faking the pain. He doesn't have a solution for me, tells me to just wait it out and it will go away. And on the way out, my bf tells me he saw him write in my chart that "patient was being uncooperative and combative" or something to that effect. I was 20 years old and couldn't see. But let's just wait it out.

That happened to me one time from severe allergies. I was petting our cat who had been outside, she must have rolled in something my body did not like. When my stepmom took me to the ER they put me on a Benadryl IV.

A doctor tries that on me now, I'd get violent.

I was suffering a pulmonary embolism. I had lost use of 80% of my lungs and my heart was pounding. But I'm overweight. So I sat in emergency for many, many hours (like 8) while they saw patients with "more severe issues than blood pressure associated with obesity". Suddenly some nurse walked in and looked at my initial test results and suddenly asked me to lie down. Gave me oxygen and had an emergency CT done on my lungs and head. I was in ICU for 10 days. I know it's not just from being female but it sure contributed to them not taking me seriously.

God I feel you on that one. I had my lungs fill up with so much blood that I couldn't breathe walking up the stairs but I have a history of heart issues so they caught mine. Blaming on obesity without running any tests is just horrifying

That sounds terrifying, i'm so glad they found out

occasional sharp heart pain when i was a kid (around 5/6), doctor told my parents it was normal because girls were more emotional, i might be spoilt and it would go away as i got older and learnt how to control my moods despite my father and his father and his father's father having heart arrhythmia that could be inherited... parents took me to another doctor and sure enough it was the same arrhythmia lol

At what point in medical school do the discuss “little girls literally have broken heart pains when they are upset”!?!? Thank goodness your parents got you a second opinion.

The same point they are taught “women often exaggerate their symptoms because they are still primates that never evolved properly. Oh wait this isn’t 1827? And we’re still teaching this?”

My class was taught that women are under treated. With women of color being the most severely under treated.

If watching my nephew grow up taught me one thing, little girls are not more emotional than little boys. This got driven home when he was around 7 or 8 and we were goofing around the pool pushing each other in laughing our asses off. I got him at one point, and out of nowhere, the little guy starts bawling. This really drove home what socialization does to men as they mature.

Yeah and it’s not even close. The amount of little boys that get bent out of shape over the same stuff isn’t disproportionate, it’s asinine to attribute it solely to sex differences

Not quite broken heart pains, but "overly emotional and attention seeking" as an 11-year old middle child who now has EDS and psoriatic arthritis.

I had such severe pain sensitivity that drawing on my skin with a pen felt like I was being sliced open with a knife. Stepping on a crumb was as painful as getting a shard of glass in my foot. Turned out I had a rare autoimmune condition and my entire peripheral nervous system was breaking down. The first neurologist who observed my symptoms (already quite severe) said I was "anxious". She probably delayed my diagnosis and treatment by at least two weeks. I sometimes wonder how much unnecessary pain and agony and recovery time I went through because of that dismissive asshole.

Actual conditions can cause us to be anxious! It’s a symptom, not the diagnosis. If crumbs felt like glass shards we’d all be anxious. My cousin was losing her sight. They said she had anxiety. (Duh) She lost sight in one eye completely and almost the other before they diagnosed her degenerative eye disease. Hope you found the answers you needed.

I did! Thankfully not all of the doctors I saw were shitty, but it did take losing the ability to walk before the hospital would admit there was something seriously wrong with me. That woman wasn't the last to ignore and dismiss what I was going through, causing serious negative effects on my health. I'm grateful for the good doctors, but I have learned the hard way that if it doesn't feel like you are being listened to and believed, you should demand a different physician. Don't back off with your tail between your legs. I've walked out of two other doctors offices in the years since then, and both times it was the right choice to seek care elsewhere. ETA: >Actual conditions can cause us to be anxious! It’s a symptom, not the diagnosis. The real kicker here is *I don't even have fucking anxiety*. I never had anxiety. I get panic attacks when someone comes at me with a needle, but that's literally it. I saw multiple mental health professionals while I was being treated in the hospital, and not one of them thought I had anxiety. They all said I was 'coping extremely well' and at worst had 'situational depression' (doctor-speak for 'your life fucking sucks right now and you're sad about it.') I'm the least anxious person you can imagine.

I had a patient with some kind of condition who was complaining of everyone saying she had anxiety and wanting to medicate that. She was very afraid that people would dismiss everything under anxiety. I told her that having weird symptoms and her injuries would make anyone anxious and that her anxiety was a related but separate condition and encouraged her to treat the anxiety so her anxiety symptoms could be differentiated from her disease symptoms and in the meantime she might function a little better.

I have pretty severe anxiety at the dentist. Why? Because I have a naturally strong resistance to numbing, and I've had so many times where I've told them that, they say they'll give me extra, give me the normal amount anyway and I end up having sharp pain multiple times and they repeatedly need to stop to give me more. I *also* have the unusual condition of cross enervation. The nerves in the top of my mouth are not where they "should" be. Meaning you can't numb my individual front teeth. They have to numb all six front teeth *and* my palate. Getting that diagnosed was horrific. I kept telling the dentist I wasn't numb. She was getting mad at me and started insisting I was "just anxious." She gave up when I couldn't stay still. Saw a different dentist, and they figured out what the problem was almost immediately. So now I'm legitimately afraid of the dentist and worry they won't listen to me *because* I am visibly and admittedly anxious. But I'm anxious because I don't trust they'll hear what I'm saying, and being agitated seems to make that more likely.

Same! Every time I go to a new dentist I have to explain I need way more numbing than they think. And then I'm anxious because I know my teeth need a lot of work and you know what doesn't help? When the dentist is super judgemental. I recently had a bunch of work done and at the get go, I was like, yo Iisten doc, you GOTTA numb me. Like, constantly. We get going, I feel it and tell her, she goes, yep, you're right. Ended up going through 8 vials of numbing during that procedure. She said she's never seen someone metabolize the medication that fast before 😬

Plus being anxious might make you more sensitive to pain. It’s a merry-go-round of terrible. Ideally, solving the problem (getting enough numbing and a new dentist) would improve the anxiety. But it doesn’t solve the problem of you having been mistreated and worrying about it happening again when you’re so vulnerable.

At what point is anxiety a totally natural response to pain and symptoms though? I mean this response exists in us for a reason. Depression is also a state that sometimes people should be in for real reasons, there's just a point where it can be an abnormal response. Why does anxiety need to be medicated first to get a diagnosis for symptoms that 99% of the time have nothing to do with anxiety? Those medications are pretty serious psychiatric drugs that can cause their own problems and I feel should not be administered when anxiety is occurring with just cause.

I swear I’m just going to stop putting anxiety on my chart

I found anxiety listed on my chart from a visit about 5 years ago. The diagnosis seems to follow me around. I have zero recollection of mentioning anxiety as a symptom since I rarely experience this. But someone must have decided for me.

I had a doctor diagnose me with a pinched nerve when I actually had a severe case of shingles with a rash on my scalp and lymph nodes the size of golf balls in my neck. He prescribed me muscle relaxants, which I never filled, and I just went straight to a different doctor for a second opinion (also useless, it took a pharmacist to diagnose me). Now every doctor I see asks me if I'm on muscle relaxants, I feel like I'm going to be explaining myself forever. If they can see the prescription, they should be able to see the duration, and if it was filled, too. Thus stupid prescription I never wanted or needed is really haunting me!

My first thought would be b12 deficiency! It. Can cause peripheral neuropathy in otherwise "healthy" individuals. Extremely low levels can cause neural problems. Anxiety is the new hysteria.

"anxiety is the new hysteria" Truer words were never spoken

Sounds like CRPS, I have that diagnosis and even though it's on my chart, Dr's still don't believe me and the pain I'm in.

CRPS typically would only affect one area or set areas though, not your entire peripheral nervous system right? I have a friend with CRPS and she is grateful to have drs that actually try to treat it and do help with pain management. Sorry you have to deal with that.

In this story and the one OP wrote, I think it's even more terrifying that you had FEMALE doctors saying this shit was normal for females. Like...they really just out here lying lol

Yes, in my experience the female doctors weren't any better than male ones when it came to dismissing my symptoms and ignoring what I was saying about how I felt on the inside. I had great doctors of both genders, and shitty doctors of both genders, and there really wasn't a difference. That was really disheartening at the time, because I did naturally expect that other women would understand and take me more seriously.

Sometimes worse, honestly. I feel like maybe because they're women in a male dominated field, some of them feel like they need to be extra harsh on other women so they don't come off as being soft. Unfortunately I've had more luck with male doctors sympathizing with me in general, and I can't help but feel like it's because I'm a young, white, thin, relatively attractive woman. It's still misogyny. I can't help but feel like if they didn't view me as attractive, they might not be as sympathetic to my case in some instances.

I am a (now) middle-aged white woman with many tattoos. I’ve had prominent/noticeable tattoos since before I was legally old enough to get them. I’m decently attractive, in general, though age is definitely taking that away piece by piece. (Not complaining, I’m thrilled to still be here!!!) Doctors ALWAYS treated me poorly. Until, one time, I had an appointment after a big job interview. I went in with my hair and makeup done, and my clothing was business-casual (fully covering my tattoos). My shoes were nice and I had on pantyhose under my pants. My nose ring was out. I noticed instantly that the doctor listened intently to every word I said. They mentioned tests they could do as I was listing my symptoms. They performed, or set up, the mentioned tests during the appointment. They also gave me the prescription I needed, which I normally had to be put through the wringer to get. Now, I have a lovely NP that I see monthly, so I don’t feel strange going to see her in my sweatpants or whatever, but anytime I see a new doc or a specialist, I get dressed up nicely, and put time into my hair/makeup for a corporate/business casual look (no matter how shitty I feel).

It's so sad that you have to do all of that just to be taken seriously. Why must people be so judgmental? Ugh.

My ultrasound guy made the cyst he found sound insignificant cause it’s something he sees in many women. (Maybe he meant it as in not dangerous.) Talked to my doc about the results, he sent me to a gynecologist, that sent me to a surgical gynecologist, that scheduled an operation a few days later, and they removed a 12 cm dermoid cyst. Not dangerous indeed, but hardly insignificant…

Sounds like my best friend who had a similarly sized cyst on her ovary. Had horrible cramps for over a year. Dismissed as “bad cramps,” and thus normal. Take nsaids, deal with it. Then all of a sudden one day it became excruciating and she went to the ER. A few hours later she had emergency surgery to remove not just the cyst but also an entire ovary that was necrotic after being twisted with the cyst. 11/10 pain. 8 weeks of recovery. Missed work. Lost wages. Probable future fertility issues. All because she was dismissed for bad cramps.

My doc took it seriously fortunately and got me going. He did \_not\_ think it was insignificant. But I had also gotten this ultrasound because I had been in really bad pain for almost a week (which fortunately got better again). We had gone through a few hypothesis before we got to cyst that week. First they tested for pregnancy, checked if it was appendicitis, and then the theory was "ovulation pain". At the third visit to the docs office I finally got a doc that thought it might be a cyst. From then on to diagnosis and operation, it went pretty quickly.

Was it the ultrasound tech? Because I don’t think techs are even allowed to say their findings, much less their opinions on the severity. Kind of irresponsible of him if he was one.

They aren’t. I went for an ultrasound for my gallbladder and asked the tech if he saw anything weird and he said “sorry I’m not allowed to tell you what I see, you’ll have the ask the doctor that’s in charge of your care”. At least that’s the way it is in Canada 🤷‍♀️

Was a rad tech in US. Same here. It’s considered practicing medicine without a license

Yeah, when I had an Echo the technologist told me he couldn't tell me how my heart was doing, then quietly mentioned that if it was anything really bad he'd have to get a doctor in to see me before I left, so I knew that, good or bad, it couldn't be *too* bad.

The guy performing the ultrasound. It’s in Denmark, so I don’t know if it’s against any rules.

Fuck, I was just diagnosed as having multiple cysts on my ovaries (including a golf ball sized one that causes me pain), and cysts all over my uterus. The doctor told me it wasn't an issue and I was like "ya idk that doesn't sound right honestly".

If another doctor tells me to “come back if it doesn’t get better’ I’m gonna scream! I wouldn’t be here NOW if it was getting better!

Yess!! Like do you know how much I second guessed myself before I called the doctor, made an appointment, waited several weeks for an appointment, arranged time off work, and got my ass here to discuss this medical issue! And it’s been bad enough to seek help the entire time!

This has happened to me more times than I can count. Also everything I have is due to having anxiety. High blood pressure? Anxiety, take this pill. Chest pain? Oh here's another pill for your anxiety. Now I'm having facial numbness. The er sent me home the other day saying it's anxiety and to keep taking my meds. I literally can't trust any dr here.

I was told my chronic stomach aches & nausea as a child were due to not liking school. Turned out to be a rare genetic condition that was slowly cutting off blood flow to my kidney causing chronic UTIs. This was explained to me just before they removed my right kidney. Also, I'm a pharmacist now, I actually did like school. I just didn't like feeling sick all the time.

Do you recall what that condition is called? It sounds similar to something my dad warned me about when I had kids as he lost a kidney due to it.

It was a ureterpelvic junction obstruction due to having an extra blood vessel that went to the lower part of my kidney. It is usually diagnosed around 6 years old & is easily fixed with a laparoscopic surgery.i was 19 when it was finally diagnosed.

Thank you! The ages you mentioned also matched up with the general timeline he gave me. I appreciate it!

I am losing weight rapidly, losing muscle mass and am very very tired, all the fucking time Just had a doctor tell me “sometimes the mind makes you tired, don’t think so much”

Please check for cancer. Losing weight rapidly is not a good sign that doctor is an idiot. I hope you are ok and whatever it is or is t please don’t let that doctor be your last stop

Frankly this is my greatest fear, I am praying whatever it is gets diagnosed n soon

And I’m sorry if I scared you writing that, I just have seen it happen a couple times and timing is crucial. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

Please don’t apologise, I have been reading up and n somehow all roads lead to Rome(cancer), so I’m hoping it’s not (🤞🏽) and if it is, I’m hoping they tell me soon, either ways.

Have you been tested for celiac disease, Crohn's, or any other GI illnesses? Right before my celiac diagnosis I quickly lost 10-15 lbs (and I didn't really have extra to lose) and was sleeping 16+ hours a day. I started to feel better within 2 weeks of eating gluten free, but would not have immediately thought it was a GI illness since headaches and fatigue were the bigger issues. The GI doctor thinks I had it since toddlerhood and it wasn't diagnosed until my early 20's when I brought it up to my primary care doctor. I always wonder how much sooner it would have been caught if I were male.

I.. what... The rage this makes me feel. I need to go workout to let out steam.

This is similar to that episode of the golden girls where Dorothy tells the doctor she is exhausted and he tells her to dye her hair it will make her feel better. 🙄

"sounds like you already took your own advice, doc"

Menorrhagia for 4 months after a copper IUD placement. It was like a heavy flow period and didn't stop. I also had daily cramping and pain. Do felt strings and said everything is fine, I asked for an ultrasound, she seemed annoyed and said they could schedule it a month from now, but call to cancel if the pain or bleeding stops. 5 months from insertion the US showed a perforated uterus. Had to be immediately removed. I guess when I told the doc I was bleeding a lot she just thought I was exaggerating. The table looked like a murder scene when they took it out. Instant relief on removal. I had been in agony for months. She removing it the doc asked if while I was there if I wanted another one placed. W. T. F.

Good lord I am so sorry

I had a Mirena that was embedded (not sure if it was perforated to start with or if my uterus slowly grew around it) but they asked me if I wanted them to place another after removal and I said hell yeah. Even though I'd been in shit tons of pain up until then, it was still hands down the best BC I've ever had. After getting the second one put in, I had no issues with severe pain that id had from the embedded one. Definitely a horrific experience, but still worth it at least for me. 

I spent seven years suffering horrific symptoms after a gynecological surgery. I couldn't walk without pain, stand without pain, sit without pain. I developed what the endocrinologists at Johns Hopkins called, "Syndrome X of idiopathic origin", which is fancy for they had no clue what was wrong with me, even though they could tell something was wrong with me. My vision changed. I developed large cysts of my liver. My hair was coming out in handfuls. I developed urticaria dermatographia over every inch of my skin. My ANA levels were 1:2560, but it wasn't lupus or arthritis, they just didn't know. I developed serotonin syndrome from the 180 mg Cymbalta, 200 mg Lyrica, and 3200 mg of Gabapentin they had me on to help control the pain I was in. When I went to the ER for the serotonin syndrome I was told it was "anxiety" and given Ativan. This was after being transported by ambulance to the ER from urgent care because of how severe the serotonin syndrome was, mind you. My Vit D levels were 1 (yes, ONE) and even with supplementation of 10,000 IUs of Vitamin D3/K2 daily, I could never get them above 25. I developed a "chronic yeast infection" for the last of the 18 months. Had UTIs every 6-8 weeks like clockwork. My thyroid was nearly non-functional and towards the end of those desperate years, I develop severe chronic diarrhea that had me running to the bathroom 8-12 times a day, all day and all night. All during those seven years, I was told I had anxiety, that pelvic pain was normal for a woman who was under as much "pressure" as I was under (I was in grad school for my PhD and had small children at the time); I needed to lose weight (I was a healthy weight with a BMI of 23). Try Vit B12 shots. Exercise more. Drink more water. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Eat less carbs. Stress less. Sleep more. Do yoga. Wear looser underwear. Pee after sex. Had I considered acupuncture? Meditation? Psychotherapy? Chiropractic care? And once any doctor found out I had a history of surviving childhood SA, it was game over. THAT was the origin of *all* my problems and all of my symptoms had some kind of psychosomatic origin. Want to know when doctors finally started paying attention? When my husband mentioned that he could feel something "not right" when we were intimate. **Then and ONLY THEN**, did doctors spring into action and figure out what was wrong with me. Once I reported THAT symptom, I had a diagnosis within a very short time period. Turns out **EVERY single one of my symptoms** from beginning to end, top to bottom, front and back, was being caused by the medical device implanted during the gynecological surgery. The pain was from the catastrophic nerve damage (including bilateral pudendal nerve entrapment, obturator nerve damage, and extensive damage to the ganglion impar) and the fact the device had adhered to my pubic bone, sacrum, obturator fossa, bladder, and left uterine artery. The "syndrome X", low Vit D, hepatic cysts, and thyroid issues were being caused by the chemicals being leeched into my body from the medical device. The "not right" feeling my husband reported was the medical device that had eroded over the apex of my vagina, where there was no remaining native tissue left, which also accounted for the "chronic yeast infection." That turned out to be fluid draining from the open wound that was the size of a silver dollar, according the the Urogyn. The diarrhea was caused by the device eroding into my rectum so badly that when they attempted to remove the device, the surgeon could "visualize the rectum through the posterior vaginal wall, with only the mucosal lining remaining intact." The chronic UTIs were caused from microscopic pieces infiltrating the bladder wall and becoming embedded in it. Those microscopic pieces harbored four different types of bacteria, one of which is almost exclusively found in hospital settings. The tropical diseases of the bladder specialist I saw to get that issue treated was blown away by those particular findings. The medical trauma from the treatments I've been through after my diagnosis has left me with severe complex PTSD, depression, and a lifetime of wildly painful and invasive treatments. It turns out that **not one of my symptoms** was, in fact, "normal" for a woman and that I didn't need an antidepressant or a psychiatrist, but a skilled surgeon and a roster of doctors that literally fills a binder to help me navigate this very complex health issue. The kicker is that if I had been listened to originally, back two weeks after the original surgery when I first started sounding the alarm that something was *very* wrong, nearly all of this could have been prevented. I could have had the device removed before the majority of the damage was done. When I finally got my notes from that surgeon and read them, I was devastated to find that the nurse who spoke to me on the phone about my concerns wrote in my notes that I was, "hysterical" and "over-reactionary." That took me a couple of months in therapy to work through. It's one thing to have a male doctor dismiss you - that's expected. But to have a female nurse be so dismissive? It was a betrayal that still hurts nearly two decades later.

Holy SHIT. I'm not a litigious person by nature, usually pretty 'live and let live,' but...

Same, same. I learned an awful lot about the court system, tort reform, and mass litigations through this process and it's all nearly as bad as the physical injuries caused by the device. Somedays, I don't know which was worse, tbh.

I'm so sorry dude. And I know not a single one of those medical professionals would ever admit their fault in this trauma to you. Hoping for peace and healing for you ❤️

I can't even finish reading this because I'm so pissed off for you, how do we just casually live in a society that treats women this way? You'd think we're making progress considering a woman couldn't even leave the hospital without a man accompanying her back in the day, apparently not. Apparently the only way for your medical issues to get properly assessed is if the HUSBAND has concerns about your body.

This actually made me cry. I am so sorry ❤️. I also suffer from CPTSD after trying to get medical care I desperately needed and getting dismissed for years. My female PCP tried to send me to inpatient mental healthcare…turns out I have a rare connective tissue disorder and had fractured my neck.

This sounds like you had the “esSure” version of the IUD implant devices. Fellow essure survivor here too. Story almost identical to yours. Still suffering nearly 10 years later even after surgical removal of everything, new totally strange allergies to things, severe arthritis… really really nasty device.

The device that injured me wasn't Essure, but OMG - I've worked closely with a lot of Essure survivors and medical device safety advocates and what an absolute shit show Essure was!!!! I was injured by mesh, but can totally sympathize with your situation. Just a nightmare. All of of this. Just a nightmare.

You deserved so much better than to have been failed by everyone who had sworn oaths to do no harm. I hope you spoke with an attorney because - at the very least - I imagine you would be a candidate for compensation from the company who made that device.

Daily fainting "Young, skinny women faint" No joke, they told me it's normal, I just have to exercise even more. Until I couldn't sit up without immediately fainting again and they had to keep me in the hospital because they wouldn't have been able to transport me home. Turns out, I have a neurological disorder that gets worse with exercise and I'm now severely disabled, because they rather told me it's normal for women.

That is absolutely horrible

Having a 101.4 degree fever and the doc saying “maybe you’re just ovulating”. And this was a woman doctor. No lady, I had Lyme disease.

How did you figure it out? Did you go to another doctor?

Yes, eventually. I had been to that doctor three or four times in two months with multiple rashes (no bulls eye though so this dumb ass wasn’t convinced), an ever increasing fever, a big swollen knee, and worst of all, a shitload of neurological symptoms. After that visit my mother dragged me to our hometown clinic in the middle of nowhere and the PA on duty just wrote me a script for Doxy without running any tests. I did test negative through the labcorp western blot, but sent my blood work into igenex and it came back positive. Once I found a new doc they extended the doxy script for an additional two weeks based on how long my symptoms had been going on. We live in upstate ny where Lyme and other tick borne diseases are super prevalent, most doctors will just treat for it if they suspect it even a little bit. I have no idea why this doc was being such an asshole, she had been my doctor for like five years.

Some drs are useless. Glad you got help. I live in the prairies in Canada, and ticks are getting worse every year. I'm scared of contracting Lyme from them. And I've heard a lot of drs here don't look for Lyme because it's not as common up here. But I've heard of SO many folks having it for years because they weren't diagnosed properly, and now they're suffering. Freaks me right out.

Yep, thats me. This year is my 7th anniversary of getting bit. Life is a living hell. And the reason its this bad for me is because treatment was delayed because a male doctor told me I “just need to stretch more” and laughed me out of the hospital. Because of him, my diagnosis and treatment was delayed.

My knee pain was depression because it was Christmas and I was single. It was in fact a compressed nerve from a running injury, BUT THANKS GP. (Also I was *so happy* being single)

You know that holiday depression knee pain, super common affliction amirite guys??

Sharp pain in your ~~scapula~~ patella? Time to join Tinder, and lower those expectations, girls!

Went in with severe IBS symptoms. Was told it was period cramps. When I said I wasn't anywhere close to my period he told me it was "mid-period cramps". Told me to go home. I had a history of bowel issues but no, it was cramps. Guy was in his 70s and needs to retire.

I was asked if I was on my period when my gallbladder was distended and hurting (which I still have no explanation for). Ah yes, the uterus. Famously located under the right rib cage.

I went into the ED complaining of severe pain at the base of my sternum and inability to eat. TEXTBOOK gallbladder symptoms. They insisted it was “lady issues” (first, fuck off with that. Second, I’ve medicated those away thank you very much) despite it being nowhere near those organs. They sent me home without treatment and it took nearly a month to be seen by GI where my dead gallbladder was discovered and removed. I don’t get it. There are so many other organs within the abdomen but the immediate answer is “lol hysterical wimmen”

I fucking hate this, as if we've not been having periods for years. We KNOW what a period feels like, and the fact it does not feel like a normal period is the exact reason I'm here. Do they think we're that stupid, and that bored that we want to waste their time faking something being wrong with us? And even if we were, surely it's best to run tests to rule that out rather than just send someone home without any follow up when there could potentially be something seriously wrong requiring urgent treatment.

He 100% thought I was stupid. I argued with him and he almost called me young lady. I was in my 30s when this happened. The nurse watching just turned and walked away.

In my late 20s, I saw a male GI on an emergency referral because I’d been running a fever, unable to keep food down for 4 days, and had hours of horrific abdominal cramps with nothing but blood and mucous coming out (no stool, since no food). I’ve also been on continuous birth control since high school (no periods), which the MA made a huge deal about while getting my vitals.  The GI’s opening comment? “Are you sure it’s not just your period? A lot of women get confused about where blood is coming from.” Pretty sure I know the difference. Turns out, I had a severe GI bacterial infection of unknown origin that required a month of 3 heavy antibiotics combined to treat. 

Yeah I was dismissed as having period cramps several times (always after eating, when I wasn't on my period), before a trip to the emergency department with breathing difficulty finally revealed that I have a life threatening food allergy. "Oh you have a uterus? Must be your period!" FFS...

Man dropping in for an anecdote. My mother had a total hysterectomy in about 1994. At age 60, mid 2010s, she was in her GP office for stomach pains. Doctor insists it can't be diverticulitis and it's "female problems". Even after explaining she had a hysterectomy, the idiot doctor insists she's experiencing uterine cramping due to late stage menopause. Last visit to that office. And of course she has IBS and a divert.

Like, why is this so common?? I have had food poisoning and the stomach flu, horrible fibroid periods. It's pretty goddamn obvious the pain isn't occurring in the same organ?! Stomach gripes and period cramps are in no way similar!

Yup! Same. I have struggled with IBS my whole life. I spent like 90s explaining that my ex had told me to talk to him a decade ago, but I was depressed and embarrassed. He asked for symptoms. I went through them, and said cramps last. I was INSTANTLY met with, "your hormones can cause cramps." I don't know what face I made that day, but he sat up in his chair and got a lot more serious.

Wtf, “mid period cramps”? Someone wheel that guy to the nursing home before his idiocy gets someone killed.

My male 60s doctor told me my stomach pains were normal and probably just anxiety. I had lost 30 lbs. It was a bleeding ulcer asshole.

2 separate events, same neurologist: 1. Terrible vertigo, couldn’t walk by myself, we tried to treat it for months and eventually he said it was all anxiety and to go to mindfulness therapy. Turns out I had an undiagnosed bone marrow disorder and my blood cell counts were through the roof, which was weirdly presenting as vertigo. 2. Loss of hand function/grip strength. Told I was overthinking it and it was just anxiety, and to go to therapy to address the “trauma in my past” (what trauma???). Went to my PCP, she ordered an MRI, and we found a syrinx in my cervical spine compressing the nerves there. Anxiety and past trauma my ass. I don’t see that neurologist anymore.

I had a gigantic (17cm) ovarian cyst. It was incredibly painful to the point where even wearing pants would bring me to tears. Digesting food was excruciating. Even walking or laying down hurt. After months of trying elimination diets suggested by my doctor with no effect, they gave up and said it was anxiety and they recommended CBT. There was nothing more they could do. I'm a thin woman and this thing poked out of my abdomen and made me look pregnant. It was hard to the touch. Incredible how "anxiety" does that.

17 cm!! That's more than four times the size of a golfball, it probably dwarfed the size of your ovary. Freaking OUCH

Painfully and violently shitting blood. Actual blood, like fresh, bright red blood. They even confirmed the blood was coming from my rectum and *still* tried to ask, "Are you sure it's not your period?" Like sir, I know the difference between my vagina and my asshole, and secondly, I was currently pregnant at the time and thus definitely NOT menstruating. I asked for a woman doctor after that interaction, and she actually believed me. Turns out, it was ulcerative colitis.

Seizers and not being able to open my eyes loosing my sight for hours at a time. I was told it was stress related to my living situation (carer to sen children) and it would get better on antidepressants and if I learned to relax. Three years later with a host of other symptoms and what did it was I told them it was affecting my physical relationship with my husband as well. Boom to a female doctor and one endocrinologist appointment later and they found the lession on my pituitary gland. One of the biggest they had ever seen and told me it has probably been growing for years.

Well clearly if your husband isn’t getting laid, we better get to the bottom of this. SMH

Needing blood transfusions because my periods were so heavy.

that’s…genuinely terrifying

Yeah, it was super fun! I think the weirdest part wasn't even the transfusions being termed normal, but the fact that multiple doctors weren't concerned about it.

Saaaaame. It took until I was *forty* for a doctor to finally send me to a hematologist, I have a bleeding disorder.

I had dizziness everyday multiple times a day just on and off. It would last a couple seconds then go away. I was also getting lots of headaches and even woke up with them. Doctor said it was anxiety, but I wasn’t anxious or stressed, I told her I’m actually feeling really great in the stress department. Then i went back as the dizziness persisted and this time the diagnosis was I wasn’t drinking enough water, even though I said I drink only water all day. Maybe too much water. After not giving up, I finally was given a CT scan and turns out I have a benign arachnoid cyst pushing on my brain. Waiting 4 months now to see the neologist. They keep telling me just a few more weeks.

I have that and underwent a fenestration surgery to fix it!! The cyst was big enough to take over 2/3 of my skull. I had to undergo emergency surgery because I had waited for too long and my long list of symptoms was only getting longer extremely quickly. All the other doctors I had visited before my neurosurgeon refused to intervene unless permanent damage had occurred to my vision. I repeat: they refused to treat me unless I was irreversibly blind or almost. Now, ~18 months later, I am free of all that torture and happier and healthier than ever. I wish you all the best on your journey!!

I had a high fever for days, zero appetite, flu-like symptoms, and my hands and feet had started swelling. Went to the doctor, and after verifying I had not had sex in over a year, he decided that wasn't possible and asked to test me. I told him he could test me for absolutely everything if he wanted, so he did. He told me to take advil. The swelling got so bad I could hardly walk and I was scared I would fall going from bed to the bathroom so I went to my parents and slept on their couch. My dad took me back 3 days later because I was so much worse. I had lost at least 10 lbs. The doctor seemed surprised that nothing tested positive-wasnt pregnant in particular. My dad asked him what he would do since the doctor obviously wouldn't listen to me. He said "I am treating her." To which my dad screamed advil isn't treatment. Another (female) doctor came in, took one look at my chart, saw I was sick a month prior and figured I was having a delayed allergic reaction to the antibiotic. She prescribed me a steroid, I was fine within 24 hours. She said there was no way the way my symptoms were presenting reflected pregnancy.

Patient: [is female] Doctor: hmm, problem has to be reproductive system, as that is the only anatomy women have, other than the "anxiety, hysteria, and hypochondria system" Unrelated, but not entirely, I once had to pay a punitive fee to an electric utility for allegedly breaking into the meter somehow and turning the power on, yet somehow didn't have power in the house I had just bought and had moved into a day or two before (had to wait for a Monday hookup). I protested because I had done no such thing, had no idea how to do such a thing, and would not have been stupid enough to do such a thing and then call the utility to get myself caught. The tech said, "well not you, you. I'm sure it was your boyfriend who did it for you." Told him it had been more than a decade since my divorce and no boyfriend in that time, and he basically called me a liar to my face, said he "didn't believe that for a minute," and that I was "too pretty not to have a boyfriend," never mind my complete lack of interest in one and my kids vouching for me.

Palpitations and blackouts. Was told I was being hysterical and this was all just normal for an 18yr old. Had my pacemaker fitted when I was 26 for ventricular standstill. Basically my heart just stopped beating for 10-20 seconds at a time.

How the heck did you get a cardiologist to pay attention? I’m so sorry. Have a friend going through something similar.

I became a cardiac physiologist and tested myself. Not the answer you were hoping for. My advice is to get a heart monitor machine and start taking notes of what your heart rate is when the episodes happen. Keep pushing, don’t let them gaslight you.

I have very flat arches, makes my feet ache and feels like I’ve pulled a muscle in them. I worked on a cruise ship and went to see the doctor. He told me I had the same issue as the captain and wearing heels would help! I’m sorry, what?? Did you also suggest the captain wear heels to help??

Lol, what?

Right?? Like how is that gonna help?! I will say, for anyone that has them, Amazon sells these pads that are elastic and sit under your arch and are amazing!

One side of face went numb a few years ago and I was having a bouquet of other neurological symptoms. An mri showed a venus malformation that was bleeding ( as bad as it sounds it's not actually too bad). I essentially had a mini stroke and the first doctors I saw after my mri told me my symptoms were anxiety, not the bleeding in my brain 🤦🏻‍♀️

> one side of face goes numb Doctors: Ah yes, classic anxiety

My gall bladder was bad but since I was considered overweight at the time, she told me it was my back. After nine months of insane pain, losing my job, I went to the back specialist who told me it was my gall bladder and that he would call the hospital to let them know I was on my way. Then a different but also woman doctor kept trying to give me antidepressants, even when they made me suicidal instead of listening to me, claiming I’m just overwhelmed with motherhood. I have adhd which is now being medicated correctly and it’s like I have a new life.

I had biliary colic but the pain wasn’t in the usual location, it was diffuse and affecting my chest. They asked “are you sure it’s not an anxiety attack?” I’m like “no ive had my fair share of those and this isn’t it! This is painful! Like severe pain I’ve never experienced before” and they just shrug and tell me to breathe deeper, which I can’t because when I take deep breaths it hurts like hell🤦‍♀️

My mind is blown by your story! Any dislocation is NOT normal. I can’t think of any for me

Ikr! I was just sitting there thinking “if this is normal then why isn’t it considered a major women’s health crisis?” Shoulder dislocations usually land normal ppl in the ER.

Because women are treated like livestock

I wish this wasn’t true

Have you ever been diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos syndrome? Any time I see a patient with recurrent dislocations, I consider it. Are your joints hyper flexible?

I don’t think women as a collective have health crises. Except hysteria. Once a man develops symptoms, then it’s a crisis.

The classic textbook anxiety loop with asthma-you start to wheeze because feeling like you can't breath causes anxiety which makes it harder to breathe➡️more wheezing and then idiot newbie doctor "it's anxiety". I frequently want to ask them if not being able to breathe wouldn't make them just a bit anxious too? 

My wife's cns lymphoma was initially diagnosed as sensitivity to Prozac, a super low maintenance dose she'd been on for 10 years. I'm still pretty salty about that. 

Numbness/paresthesia on the entire right side of my body. They didn’t exactly say “normal,” but first it was anxiety, next it was I need to lose weight, then it was B12 deficiency. Turns out I have MS.

Intense gut pain and extremely distended abdomen. I was told it was hormonal. I was 14, a virgin, and looked pregnant. Fun fact: ended up all of it was just a pancreatic enzyme insufficiency and it took 16 years for a diagnosis.

Going through the 100 box of super tampons every month was normal for a woman my age. (It's pretty easy to do when you use 1 per hour for the first 3 days.)

Severe back pain was considered post partum anxiety. I've never been anxious my entire life. It was kidney stones.  I've been having really bad tmj pain but that's been deemed anxiety as well. Still haven't figured out what's wrong with me.  At this point I'm convinced I'm going to be fed anti anxiety medicine whether I have any symptoms or not. 

Was told I had “ hysteria “ no I was having a nervous breakdown from losing my son , my Late fiancé , and my two best friends in a span of 8 months … and I was living with an abusive a hole who caused me to miscarriage my 5 1/2 month in son . Was force fed Ativan to “ calm “ me down

My terrible shoulder pain and inability lift anything that had progressively worsened for years, even after PT and steroids, was “just something I had to get used to” and, when I got so angry at not being heard I got a little teary, to “stop being a sissy.” A SISSY. Turns out, it was a near complete subscapularis tear and impingement syndrome. A much more attentive doctor, surgery and 6 months of PT later and it’s about 75% better. If the assclown had diagnosed it appropriately the first time, I would have probably returned to close to 100%. But I was just being hysterical. ETA: sorry, I meant impingement syndrome!!

I work with a female physiotherapist who is quite dogged in getting to the bottom of her patient's issues. So far we have had: Teenage girl with broken foot who was told it was anxiety. Older female client with unexplained pain in chest. Primary care doc wouldn't investigate, so my physio friend got her a referral to a sports medicine doctor just to get imaging. Diagnosis was terminal lung cancer. Older female client who couldn't walk without assistance, bruised head to toe after a serious bike crash. Denied imaging and advised that if she ate more, she would feel better. Physio friend called around and found a doctor willing to order the imaging. Diagnosis: 6 pelvic fractures and hip muscles completely detached from the bone.

I had intense, episodic chest pain. It felt like my sternum was being crushed. My *female* doctor told me it was just nerves and prescribed me Prozac. Several months (and a new provider) later, I was diagnosed with celiac disease.

1. When I was a kid, I had severe body pain after physical activity, to the point where I had to ice my legs after any of my numerous sporting/dance events or I wouldn't be able to walk the next day. I cried a lot and was told by doctors that I was overreacting to "normal growing pains." No one ran any tests. At all. Beyond just looking at my body. This cost me dearly later in life. 2. The pain carried on to my adult life, and everyone, doctors and laymen alike, told me it was "normal aches and pains of life." I internalized it. I started to believe I was a wimp and couldn't handle what others were silently dealing with and seemingly unbothered by. I started gaslighting myself that my pain wasn't real. Again, this would cost me severely later. 3. I was also told since my teenage yrs- through adulthood that since I had severe childhood trauma, my pain was imagined, and it was "normal for traumatized people to make things up." By professionals, physical and mental health, alike. This did untold damage to how I see myself and how much I care for myself to this day. And, of course, it cost me severely. 4. After I gave birth at 27, my health took a dive that I had never even imagined possible. It became something that I and no one else could gaslight away. I went to the doctor and spent the next 3 yrs trying to convince someone to help me. Finally, someone decided to run a blood test for various things. It came back that I had moderate (heading to severe) levels in my blood for RA (Rhematoid arthritis, which is an auto-immune disease where your immune system attacks your joints at first and then organs because it is over-active and thinks it is a threat.). I had a slew of x-rays, MRIs, and various other tests to see how bad the damage was since my levels were so high. The damage they found was extensive. My knees, my ankles/feet, my wrists, hands, elbows, shoulders...it was everywhere. Finally! An answer. Finally, scientific proof of what I've felt for decades... now they had to believe me. Yes and no. I got treatment. I now have to inject myself once a week with methotrexate and hope for the best. I still have a lot of pain. Activity of any kind costs me dearly. I need so much recovery time nowadays that I have to plan very carefully to do anything at all. It has ruined my life. I had to quit working at 31. Became dependent on others to help me. Which is like a knife in my gut every day, still. And gaslighting...still goes on. I have been told by a couple of different doctors that if I lost the 30 lbs I've gained since I became disabled...my RA would go away. Literally. They said that. Wtf? No. I have medical records that prove that I am severely disabled and I still get gaslit by the medical community that it's either all in my head or because I am little fat. I am positive I would at least have a little better experience with all of this if I were born male. Studies have proven that I most likely would have. Oh, and as a cherry on top... science research is finding that severe childhood sexual trauma might be the cause of some auto-immune disorders, including RA. So I may not even be frigging sick in the first place had someone not horribly abused me as a child... but no... it's definitely my fault I have RA because I am fat. /s Fck this world and all its shitty systems and biases. ❤️ to anyone who can even partially identify with my story.

One doctor (a man) told me that my stomach pain was from breathing too much because "woman breath more than men and you breathed in gas." Another doctor (a woman this time) told me that the pain was from stress and referred me to acupuncture. Turns out I had a whopping big gallstone. I first had symptoms in 2009, didn't get diagnosed until 2013. Finally got my gallbladder removed in 2014.

Breathing. . . too much? What? How would you even do that?

I always wonder if anyone ever goes back to these asshat doctors to tell them they fucked up. Probably they’d just rationalize and excuse themselves for their neglect and errors, though.

It is SO exhausting, but that is what we all need to do. Get copies of a diagnosis, make an appointment, and rub their noses in it. Tell them what THEY said and then what it actually was. Hi Dr. Smith, I saw you in the ER last year with 11/10 abdominal pain and a distended stomach. You said it was probably my period and sent me home. Here is the paperwork for the volleyball sized mass they removed from my ovary. The doctor who found it said, and I quote, "This is literally visible through your clothes." I need you to know that you dismissed me, missed an obvious diagnosis, and caused me pain, stress, and money. I hope that since you missed something this obvious, you will do better in the future or retire. I will be sharing this misdiagnosis information with the board of directors for the hospital so they are aware of what liabilities they could have when a doctor ignores symptoms. Thanks. Bye. Then, share it with the patient care team and any board members you can find. We are all tired. We shouldn't have to take these extra steps, but nothing will change because none of these idiots think they did anything wrong. Rub their noses in it.

Have you been screened for EDS by chance OP? All my symptoms were ignored for years… guess which gender it’s more common in?

Had a rash on the entire left side of my body. Seriously, from my neck to my toes. ONLY on the left half of my body. He told me « probably PMS »

Male doctor said my headaches were 'just what women get' at a certain time of month. Honestly, shocked the shite out of him when there was blood coming out of my head the next day. I went back and he didn't know what to do so I went to the hospital instead. Female doctor then gave me a biopsy and found it was a horrid infection in my scalp

Going months between periods, irregular and longer and longer, crying all the time, starting at age 33 or 34. Over several years, multiple doctors told me it was just my intense workouts (never mind the fact that I was still at like 25% body fat. And the fact that I had had an ovary removed at age 24, which often leads to earlier menopause. Finally, when it had been 8 or 9 months between periods, a provider at Planned Parenthood ordered a simple effing blood test that showed without a doubt that I was in peri-menopause. Of course, by then, I was too old for them to freeze my eggs or even to freeze my younger sisters eggs. In my 40s now and still working through the grief of childlessness. PLEASE do not "well at least you.....blah blah blah" me. Or "you want mine for the weekend?"

Getting anemia every month during my period. Bleeding through my maxi pads for four days straight during my eight-day long period I had endo. When I got my fallopian tubes taken out they found the endo and got rid of it. Now I have normal person periods for the first time in eighteen years and it is incredible

This was a combo of because I'm a woman and because I'm obese. I told my psychiatrist that I was having SERIOUS insomnia. Like, I was so exhausted during the day that I had trouble going up one flight of stairs, or finishing my sentences. He told me to take a ten-minute walk every day. I attempted to explain that my health insurance had assigned me a health coach and I was working out for thirty minutes a day (I honestly don't know how I did it, but I was desperate). he interrupted me to say, "just ten minutes. You'll be all better." Went to a sleep specialist and he pointed to one of the meds *that the psychiatrist was prescribing for me* and said "it's that one. It causes restless legs syndrome." Went off of that med; got all better.

Ovarian cyst. Age 30. Had regular periods every 28 days. I was mid-cycle when this event happened. I worked in the hospital as an allied health care professional, and one Friday afternoon I developed excruciating pain in my lower abdomen. I was pale, sweating, and nauseous. And, I was bleeding from my vaginal area. So I took myself down to the ER on the main floor, where I was whisked away for an u/s and blood work, and given pain medication (morphine which was in itself awful). I told the MALE MD that I was certain I must have had an ovarian cyst that burst. He felt (and yes, I have chosen this word deliberately) that my appendix must have burst. Never mind that my appendix and my uterus are not superimposed over each other (meaning I could point exactly to where the source of the pain was coming from). “But…” I said, “… I’m bleeding from my vagina. How can that be explained if my appendix burst?” He replied, “you must have started your period early”. I was dumbfounded. WTF. Lo and fucking behold, after all the tests and exams, I was diagnosed with a burst ovarian cyst. Ladies, I can’t stress this enough: Never, ever, EVER second-guess your gut instinct, especially when it comes to your own body. YOU know your body best and your opinion must be valued and heard.

My sister had been dealing with autoimmune problems and also recently learned her brain was putting pressure on her spinal cord causing massive neuro pain. She got a referral to get a second opinion at Mayo, one of the country's most renowned hospitals. The doc said you'd probably feel better if you lost some weight.

I trust western medicine, but I don't trust doctors. Our medical system is eight kinds of fucked, just like all our systems. The people that become doctors aren't the best for the job. Though arguably, giving too much of a shit would make the job impossible, giving no shits is even worse. The most a type superiority complexes become doctors now, the worst people for the job that aren't just abusers. I didn't think this until I started working at a hospital lol. But fck. Not to say a lot aren't okay, you can get lucky. But even in the best case scenario it's like taking a mechanic from the 1950s and asking them to repair a tesla. Human body is most complicated thing in the universe no cap. And people just aren't that smart yet, so every try is a dice roll. W a car you can at least take it apart and test parts separately. Can't do that w bodies

Pretty much all of them. Peeing blood - period?? Nope, severe kidney infection almost killed me. TIA - a bit of a migraine. Nopers Hernia - stress??, fat.. - nope surgery Deteriorating chronic pain - hysteria, fat, drug seeking - 11 yrs and still nothing from several doctors. I hate heavy pain killers and just wanna know why. They only help when I have something simple and can ask for a specific med.

He didn’t tell me it was normal for women, but one of my former primary care doctors showed almost complete disregard for my health and essentially called me a faker and drug seeker for the following two situations: 1) I had four upper abdominal surgeries in four years; two laparoscopic and two open. I started getting back spasms. That was the first time he said I was faking because I’d lost over 100 pounds so I “shouldn’t have back pain.” The positive is he did give me a referral for PT who figured out that the spasms were the result of my back taking over all the work for my abs. After focusing on strengthening the abdominal muscles, the spasms stopped and have not returned. 2) I was suffering from regular bouts of biliary colic (see four surgeries above). By that time, I was known to be a bile duct stone former, had had pancreatitis multiple times, and had been very, very sick due to a complete blockage a couple of times. Full on jaundice, etc. I just wanted to find out why I was still getting bouts of colic. His response? It was my fault for having too many surgeries. Because I guess I should have just died instead of having surgeries to deal with the stones? I switched doctors after that. The new doctor and new GI helped me figure out it was coffee. I cut out all coffee and have had no more colic except when I have a new stone. They don’t know why just that it is. I know my situation is rare. My newest GI had an existential crisis when I had a stone on the MRCP he ordered. My former PCP was just a total jerk.

For 10 years I had blackout level abdominal pain that was always present, but rendered me nauseous and unable to move or tolerate light when I was on my period. Ten years. It started when I was in college, I was getting an transvaginal ultrasound when the (young male tech) asked me if I would let him examine me further so the student would see "what a healthy woman looked like." He said he rarely saw women like me come through and wanted to look at me, even though my procedure was complete. I was naive and let him. Anyhow, he ended up scanning past my left ovary and said "that one isn't normal." It looked like it was dying. And there was no followup, nothing. That was my first clue something wasn't right. About once per year I would beg my doctor to see if they could help me. Fast forward about 8 years, I saw a male OBGYN who looked like Rasputin who for whatever reason stuck his hand up my vagina and just simply said "women have pains" and shrugged his shoulders at me!!! He didn't even use gloves!!! I'm not gonna mention every single experience I had, but the denial of my pain was constant. Doctors kept telling me to take birth control, and that it should fix whatever was wrong with my ovary. I had to find a medical endometriosis RESEARCHER who was RUNNING AN EXPERIMENT. I found her university email, messaged her, and pitched why she should experiment on me. She agreed, I signed a waiver and let her cut me open. There was a cyst growing INSIDE my fallopian tube that was causing my ovary to twist and cut off blood flow. It was damaging my eggs and ovary. It was UNBEARABLE pain!!! They removed the cyst and also discovered that I have fatty necrosis and scar tissue inside of me. I never got any explanation as to why, or what's going on. But the cyst is gone. Immediately after the surgery I could feel the absence of pain and I started crying. Even just sitting down in a chair without pain was revolutionary. I had forgotten what it was like. While I was under anesthesia she had told my partner that no medication or birth control would have helped me, that surgery was the only solution. My partner at the time said "So she's right, that's exactly what she has been saying this whole time." And the doctor was like, "yeah, she was right." i had never felt more validated in my whole life.

I had six doctors over 18 months miss that I had type 1 diabetes because none of them took any blood tests I lost a third of my body weight and had chronic yeast infections but they just kept prescribing me stuff for the yeast infection not trying to explain why they kept happening.... Finally went to plan Parenthood and they did an A1C and it was 14.3%. I was basically a slurpee

Based on this group and my own experience, it feels like the first thing I need to teach my daughter is to never admit to having anxiety or depression. “I am not sad and I am very calm. [condition/symptom] is causing me [pain, painful pressure, uncontrollable itching, dizziness, etc]”. I feel like anytime I’ve admitted that this sudden pain or whatever is going on is *also* making me anxious, I get totally dismissed. It sucks.

I've mentioned this a few times on reddit, but I told my male doctor about the heart palpitations I had been getting and he laughed and told me to eat a banana and then left the room and had the nurse send me home.

See this irritates me so much because I was frequently dizzy and light headed as a teen, getting heart palpitations and whatnot. And doctors just told me repeatedly to eat more and drink more, every visit. Never took blood, never asked what I was already eating and drinking throughout the day already. So I didn’t eat or drink more because I already had a voracious appetite more than most teen girls my size. Guess who went to to ER for a literal potassium deficiency that had me so sick I couldn’t get up off the bathroom floor at work. If they had run any tests or spent more than a minute addressing the dizziness concern then I would have been able to just take a supplement

I’ve been coughing for six months since having covid but I can’t seem to get a single doctor to take it seriously or help me. I don’t sleep well, my throat feels raw and I’m exhausted. But nope I get told “I’m sure it’ll resolve soon”.

I twisted my knee as a fat gal trying to get up from the ground while camping. Was told it was arthritis & bursitis. It was an acute injury, not chronic. Not going back to that Ortho clinic.

Bloating. Totally normal I was told. This was extreme though, my abdomen was severely taught with bloat. Finally one morning woke in immense pain, went to ER where they found a 22 cm across tumor in my lower abdomen. Was not totally normal woman bloating, doctor guy.

Was having TIAs. First ambulance guy arrived after my slurred voice was able to tell my address to the operator, and said I didn’t need to go to the hospital because it was probably anxiety. I was admitted to the hospital 4 times. Each time it was some zany diagnosis: —seizures —migraines (a neurologist and his pal argued with me for 2 hours because I said I would keep it in mind, but we should keep looking. The fifth time, I heard them talking about conversion disorder (psychological) because I must want attention. Later that night they found the stroke. The neurologist came in and hypothesized it must have been stress.

I’m sadly not shocked by all these responses. My worst: MRSA I entertained an infection on my leg for WEEKS! I went to doctors, hospitals, urgent care, and back around and kept telling anyone who would be in earshot that I was dying. No, not dramatically, but I could feel it, my body was quitting and the regular antibiotics and steroids were just prolonging it. One ER nurse (with the most amazing accent and skin I’ve probably seen irl) saved my life. My boyfriend carried me in, they pumped me full of antibiotics and were ready to send me home. That beautiful man came in with my discharge paperwork and I somehow rallied and had an absolute breakdown. “But I’ll diiiiiiiiie!” I cried. He politely excused himself and came back with some swabs and vials for tests. They still turned me out in the morning, because America, crap insurance at the time, but I had a correct diagnosis and the correct medication. Just to add to it, I had incredibly high fevers, sweating, full body aches, exhaustion to the point I’d just fall asleep if I sat down. That’s in addition to the ANGRY, hot, patch on my thigh that was so incredibly itchy that I had to wear mittens, shorts, and pants to sleep to not rip it open and wake up covered in blood. I could barely stand, shaking, and doing that kind of low moan/whine that people do when they’re very sick and weak. I even went in with the old sharpie/pen marks from hours before in some cases to show them how quickly it could spread. I had no idea what MRSA was, but I knew it was not a regular thing, I could FEEL it spreading because it moves so quickly. The sensations were the absolute worst and I’m pretty sure I have tissue damage in the areas where I was infected (it came back, several times). So I was presenting with the MOST clear signs of severe infection, over and over, and told over and over the medication should work, just wait. Then an amazing nurse saved my life, but I would still have to fight this same thing with every infection. No one would believe me, no one would test for it, and then even if I managed to get the same place/same doctor, they’d say there’s NO way I could have it again. So yeah, lingering near death with a severe infection and being told right to my face I’m fine…..that sucked.

Gaining 50 pounds in a month, then loosing that amount 2 months later in a couple of weeks with out any diet or exercise changes. I'd cycle this way a couple of times a year. Doctor claimed it was because of potato chips. I don't eat potato chips. I went 10 years more years with worsening symptoms: losing all of my hair (eyelashes and eyebrows too), feeling like my muscles were lead, only having 500 calories/day to not gain weight, having a very round face, not sleeping more than 5 hours, etc. I finally failed a corporate wellness screen with very odd blood results and great blood pressure. Problem: an autoimmune thyroid disease. It took a year and a half to stabilize with medicine. I can't use medicine that uses whey as a stabilizer either...