Patients say the darndest things. Often doctors may believe they're hearing is off. But, sometimes it can all seem very run of the mill. Everyday in the ER is not an episode of "Grey's Anatomy" so medical professionals feel like normal is the.... normal, until it's not.
Redditor u/poppyoxymoron wanted to hear from the doctors of the world to discuss a few things by asking.... Doctors of reddit, what was the most shocking case of "oh I thought that was normal" you've seen in a patient?
WTH?!
GiphyFormer nursing student here. I grew up watching bugs bunny cartoons, and whenever I saw a closeup of the inside of the mouth there was always a large and dangling uvula (the thing hanging down at the back of one's throat) - just like mine. So naturally I assumed EVERYBODY had one like that. Fast forward to nursing school and I began looking inside people's mouths and seeing nub after pathetic nub of excuses for an uvula. I'm like "what the hell is that?" I suddenly realized I had a stalactite of a uvula in the back of my throat. mishymc
The Stroke.
My best friend is a doctor and he had a patient who couldn't move her arm but didn't even bother to mention it or seem concerned.
He checked blood pressure and various routine tests, then asked her to lift her arms to start doing some kind of neurological test.
"Oh sorry I can't move my left arm at all"
"This is a disability you have had for some time right?"
"Oh no just since this morning"
Turned out she'd had a stroke. Alsoamdsufferer
Brush Away.
Not a doctor and it not completely related but. I was in the dentist's chair and I heard an exchange from the next room over.
Aid: So why'd you come in today?
Patient: hey, yeah my teeth have been hurting and flaking off.
Aid: Well let's take a look.
(A minute of silence)
Aid: yes it looks like you have a very large amount of plaque built up on your teeth.
Patient: Oh is that what keep flaking off when I brush, cause I was worried it was my teeth falling apart.
Brush your teeth daily people. DarkestTimelineEvals
I'm on the opposite end of this. I used to think it was normal when I would go #2 in the bathroom my heart would race and I would break out into a sweat with my face turning bright red. My mom thought I was straining too hard. Saw a doctor and my blood pressure was through the roof, he suggested I had the symptoms of a rare condition. He was right, I had a tumor on one of my adrenal glands called pheochromocytoma. It got removed, I now poop normal. Kings_Daughter
Check Ups.
GiphyDuring my short time as an acting physician at a hospital a middle-aged man walked in. I took my check-up tests and and he had testosterone levels at least 65% lower than average. When I asked him about it, he said that he thought all men felt like he him (low energy, infertility, sleep apnea, etc.) CardioInquisition
A Little Extra....
(Medical student) While chatting with a few friends who are fully fledged doctors and dentists I heard about this one:
Dude had, not one, not two but FOUR extra teeth in his mouth. Now this isn't exactly super rare or shocking on its own, but when asked about it, he said "Doesn't everyone have those...?"
The guy was also a medical student that we knew. Granted he was studying to be an optometrist (sorry opthalmologist**, english isn't my first language :D) so it's out of his field of study but still. AskingMartini
Be Fitbit.
Well, a doctor listened to my heart and lungs the other day and asked if I was nervous. I said no and showed him my Fitbit data of a daytime resting heartbeat between 90-120 and uh, yeah turns out I'm gonna need to get that checked out. agnathastone
Rescue Me.
I thought my tears stinging like hot acid when crying was normal, and that feeling a pain in your nose when crying was normal. Apparently it's not?
Conversation went something like this: watching sad dog rescue video with sibling Me: "Ah no I'm about to cry, I can feel the pain in my nose." Sibling: "????????????" Me: "y'know the pain in your nose when crying?" Sibling: "eeeeh that's not normal." Me: "pffft. And I guess tears feeling like acid isn't normal either? Silly. That's why you end up crying!" Sibling: "...." ViolentPuppy
Diagnosis.
I diagnose diabetes all the time. Many of my patients come in super sick. All have a history of drinking a lot and peeing a lot, but don't actually think it's a big deal until I ask and explain why people with diabetes pee so much. mvenus929
Unique.
GiphyNot a doctor, but I was a combat medic. A dude came in describing puss leaking from between his legs. So I took a look, and under his penis and balls his taint wasn't fused together. So essentially he had a vagina, and it was infected. I let him know about his uniqueness, and he said "I thought everyone had that."No-collusion-suck-it
The Low.
Not a doctor, but a nurse. I was taking vitals during a routine physical of an older woman, her pulse was fast and very thready, and her blood pressure was shockingly low. Normal bp is about 120/80, hers was a mere 80/40. I asked her how she was feeling, she said fine. It turned out she had always had atrial fibrillation and knew about it but never thought to mention it to us, she was having an attack that day. luna8913
Vomit Machine.
I'm not a doctor, but I thought it was normal to immediately vomit food that you didn't like when you tried to eat it. Somehow, no one around me found it alarming that I immediately vomited every time I would try to eat a vegetable until my best friend pointed out that that's not a normal thing. I got a test as an adult, and yep, it turns out I have a rare and severe allergy to vegetables. SecretlyFBI
The Flesh.
GiphyI've learned that skin pain isn't normal. Like, when someone touches my skin, it feels like they're rubbing sandpaper on me. I thought everyone had that. I'm getting tested to figure out what it is. chickadee35
Poop Storm.
Not a doctor, a patient that thought periods were supposed to immobilize you and that you basically pooped what looked like hair pulled out the shower drain out your vagina. Apparently I have blood clots and endometriosis. Had it since I was 11. Reddit
All the Toes.
Patient here! Didn't know it wasn't normal for toenails to just hurt. You know, all the time? Ingrown toenails are a pain if you ignore them!! My Mother noticed my obviously infected big toes, both of them. Holy crap, doctor, DON'T LET INGROWN TOENAILS GET SO BAD THEY'RE GOING THROUGH YOUR TOE!!!
Also learned that day that the way my toes grow (all 10 of those appendages) are shaped in such a way that I can't have toenails without ingrown toenails. Ever. At all. Someday in the next few years I have to get the rest of my toenails removed! Might dig out the picture of the removed big toenails if there's interest. Foodcity
Get it on Tape.
I heard this from my elementary teacher. There was a kid in her class years ago. He kept moving in class, and even keep dropping books and pencils around his table. Other kids couldn't concentrate, so she called his parents and told about him. The parents didn't believe her, saying she was framing their son. So, she filmed what's happening in the class. However, the parents insisted that the teacher edited files, sending only bad moments.
So, she told them to come, and see what's happening in her class. The mother saw, and cried after class, saying she didn't know her son. Then, the parents brought their son to a children's psychiatrist, and the psychiatrist surprised, asking how the parents could endure him. It was about a decade before the notion of ADHD became popular, and that time, saying others to bring their kid to a psychiatrist was the same as saying f-letters to others in my country. Ampluvia
The Migraine.
Patient, not a doctor. I started getting these headaches in 7th grade. Massive stabbing pain, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, pain with cold and weather change. I tried taking ibuprofen but it didn't work so I stopped. 7th grade me was worried about getting addicted. The headaches came every single day, and would usually get worse throughout the day. I didn't think it was abnormal because everyone gets headaches, right?
I finally figured out it might not be normal and talked to my GP my sophomore year of college. Saw a neurologist, turns out I have chronic migraine. After some trial, and painful, error, I have some awesome medication that works a majority of the time. walks_into_things
One Drop.
GiphyApparently it's not normal to have a drop of blood pressures and almost pass out whenever you stand up. I mentioned it to my doctor and he said it was normal but i looked it up and it apparently isn't. Weird. Havox04
The Internists.
Oh, it's my time to shine. I'm not a doctor, just a patient who hangs out with their doctors A Lot.
I got diagnosed with ehlers-danlos a couple years ago. Horrified a couple internists with how easily and casually I could partially dislocate bits of my body, while thinking it was regular flexibility from my dance background as a kid. I have one foot that can curl inward, like a fetus in the womb (courtesy of no ATF ligament, thank you,). Also have a shoulder that will not stay in joint - most of the time it hands out, visibly misplaced. There's a couple fun things I can do with my tendons that shouldn't be technically physically impossible and that my doctors can't figure out without further, very expensive imaging. creampunk
Screwy Genetics.
Not a doctor, but when I was 13 or 14 I went to the doctor for a physical. They were doing the pushing on the stomach routine when it hurt and listened to my stomach. The doctor asked me when my last BM was and I said it was about 2 to 3 weeks ago. They had a horrified expression and asked if they was normal. I said yeah sometimes I don't have a BM but once a month. That's when they prescribed me 3 doses of miralax a day and 50 grams of fiber daily.
Who knew you should poop everyday???
PS . When this happened in my household it became a running joke, until my father said, "well yeah if you poop once a day it means you are eating too much." We then realized it was a genetic issue. butteryourmuffin69
The people who love you the most can break your heart because of their betrayal of trust.
Cheating is cowardly and inexcusable, but depending on the situation and the couple, it is possible for them to find a path to healing emotional wounds.
But there are some ways in which infidelity is totally unforgivable.
That's the kind of scenario Redditor WCh3L3 was curious to hear about when they asked:
"What’s the wildest cheating story you’ve witnessed or happened to you?"
It must be exhausting leading double lives.
Hospital News
"A friend of a friend found out that her husband was cheating when she got to the hospital to see her husband who had just moments before been brought in by ambulance after a serious car accident only to be denied entry to his room because 'his wife was already in the room with him.'"
"He had two simultaneous lives with two women, neither of which was aware of the other."
– JeBronlLames
The Ruse
"My ex-wife pretended to be admitted to a mental health ward for long term treatment while actually staying with her new man and cheating on me."
– Impossible-Visit-199
"This one is just next level."
– most-royal-chemist
"That’s some Batman villain level of intrigue and machination. His wife missed her calling and wasted her abilities on sleeping around."
– filifijonka
A Separate Life
"My friend's mom was in a relationship with a guy for years and they ended up getting engaged and due to marry."
"The guy was a senior director of a company for which he travelled every week abroad for business."
"Eventually, the guy had a heart attack and when my friends mom turned up at the hospital, his wife and 2 kids were there also."
"Turned out he was already married with children and living a double life the whole time. When he went 'abroad' for business, he was simply going back to his actual family."
– wallbagz
Here's The Story
"My dad did this. He worked nights and would juggle both families that way."
"He came clean after he got admitted to hospital for heart trouble and realised that if things went badly he’d end up in this exact situation."
"I was 16 when he came clean that I have an older brother and sister. They found out about me then too - as did his wife."
"ETA: I’d actually already figured it out before he told me though. Nobody else had."
"EATA: I saw a preview of a text on my dad’s phone from my sister. I didn’t know she was my sister obviously, but it said ‘hi dad, mum says…’"
"At first I was in denial and I thought his friend must have borrowed his phone or something. I started to watch him more closely."
"He had a ringtone (lol the 00’s) that would say the name of the caller. I noticed whenever a certain name rang he’d leave the room. Some tactical eavesdropping later and 15 year old me had it figured out that I had a brother and sister."
"I didn’t clock I had a stepmother though, or that I was family no2 and they were his primary family. But I still think I did pretty well!"
"My whole family on my mum’s side knew - mum respected that it was my dad’s secret to tell and she gave him time to tell it. (Although they did have a few arguments about it as I was growing up, I never knew what they were about at the time.)"
– notemily-
Life is never the same once the truth comes out.
Shameless
"A family friend's husband was having an affair for 20+ years and that woman knew the entire time about his family. He was at her ranch one time and was bucked off a horse and broke his back. The affair partner called his wife to tell her and acted like everything about this situation was normal and the wife had no reason to act all upset at the affair. Some people really just have no shame."
"Guy lived and made a complete recovery, left his mistress and they stayed together since they were working on their relationship. He died a few years ago and the wife finds out he never actually left his mistress just lied."
– SailoLee92
Unilateral Decision
"In a small town the husband kept telling people he had an open marriage; finally someone asked his wife about it, she was unaware of this new arrangement."
– Long_Strange_Trip_GD
Rehab Romance
"Was in rehab, two people were there for sex addiction one a minister the other a Jewish housewife. They left rehab together early. Woman divorced her husband who sent her to rehab for sex addiction and married the guy she met in rehab. They are still married 10 years later and seem very happy."
– Life-Evidence-6672
On The Case
"I knew a guy years ago that was a private investigator. Many times he was approached by a spouse who suspected their partner was cheating."
"He had a slam-dunk strategy. He would suggest his client sign up for a course, whether a hobby thing, or educational. The key was that the class would happen for a period of weeks, all on the same day of the week, and all at the same time of day."
"Then, while his client was in class, he would follow the spouse."
"Caught them every time."
– PJMurphy
If you have a hunch about an unfaithful significant other, it's there for a reason.
Going For A Run
"Had a coworker who cheated on her live-in boyfriend. She would tell him she was going for a run, put on her shorts without underwear and would f'k her side piece in the apartment parking lot. So then she would come back inside sweaty 30 mins later and needed to shower and it all made sense to her boyfriend, he never questioned it. She was an awful human."
– rashawah
It Made Scents
"A friend caught her husband cheating because he kept coming home smelling like ferrets."
"Hard to play off 'long day at work' and explain that."
"When she found out at a holiday party that one of the young female coworkers owned ferrets, it all made sense."
– benloe7
Special Delivery
"I used to go to a comic shop. And the comic shop owner knew all of the gossip in the area. Nice dude. Remembers all of his regulars and asks about you if he hasn’t seen you in awhile to check in on people. Lot of people in the area grew up with his shop. So he’s got stories."
"Anyways he told us about this story from some years back about this regular. Who disappeared for a few months. Comes back one day. And the shop owner asks him, 'hey, man. Haven’t seen you in awhile?' Kind of like where have you been. The regular was like oh I’ve been getting divorced. I had to move it was a whole thing."
"So naturally the shop owner asks. 'Why are you divorcing your wife?' The regular caught his wife cheating."
"He had picked up a 2nd part time job as pizza delivery man because he was trying to fund to take his wife on her dream vacation. All of the money he earned from that job was supposed to go into that vacation. He had been working this job for like 6 months. It was a whole secret. She didn’t know he was doing that for her. Because he was trying to surprise her."
"He was the pizza delivery man at the motel. She was cheating at him with. The dude she was cheating on him with answered the door with her right next to him."
"He apparently didn’t even go back to the pizza place. He quit on the spot. Went home. Packed his sh*t and left town."
– TheMysticalPlatypus
Those who are unfaithful in their relationships may think they're good enough for more than one person, but they're usually not.
And while you may not believe in it, there's something called karma, and watching it enact justice can be extremely gratifying.
If you were the one being cheated on, know that the person with whom you've fallen in love is not the kind of person you want to spend the rest of your life with and there will always be a better human who will respect you and love you.
And if you were the cheater, watch your back. Because whether you believe in it or not, karma's coming for ya.
Food trends are not so very different from fashion trends, constantly evolving and quickly becoming outdated or passé.
Can you think of the last time you were served ambrosia at a dinner party?
Or have you noticed how anything featuring kale is now met with an eye roll rather than excitement?
Of course, some food trends tend to last longer than others.
Even if many people wish that they would also become extinct... the sooner the better!
Redditor Prestigious-Humor872 was eager to hear all the food trends people wished would die out, and fast, leading them to ask:
"What modern food trend can you not wait to die?"
Less Isn't Always More...
"2 ingredient desserts (with 7 'optional' ingredients that appear once you read the actual recipe)."- strawberry-emma
You Pay For The Experience
"Food trucks that charge the same price as a premium restaurant but serve half the size on a floppy plate that I have to stand up to eat."- thorn_10
"Food trucks."
"Weren’t they supposed to serve cheaper food because of lower overhead?"
"No brick and mortar?"
"We have a lobster roll truck-pulled by a Range Rover- that shows up for lunch and charges $22 for one entree."
"Ridiculous."- tizzymyers·
GiphyChoice Of Words...
"Calling a slight alteration to a recipe a 'hack'."
"Adding parmesan cheese to your grilled cheese sandwich is not a 'hack'."
"It's a minor recipe change."- No_Pear_2326
Jumping The Gun A Bit...
"If I'm on a website I'm only there to look at your menu."
"I'm not interested in starting an order before I've looked at the menu."
"No, I don't want to give you my zip code."
"Just give me your menu and some food pictures."- DueRest
Staying Humble?
"Fancy restaurants that say they serve 'street tacos' and proceed to charge $18 for three."- Chipwich75
T-Bell Yes GIF by Taco BellGiphyThere's A Reason We're Told Not To Play With Our Food...
"The stupid food wasting trends on YouTube and TikTok etc."- fluffernuttersndwch
Presentation Is Key...
"For some reason putting food in wine glasses."- Ralphroberts603
"Restaurants serving food on cutting boards, shovels, paper, shells, or anything that is not an actual plate."- Funny_Disaster1002
meat grill GIF by Gifs LabGiphyRemember The Golden Arches And The Red Roofs?
"Making all fast food buildings look like cookie-cutter beige/grey boxes."
"They all used to have their own distinct personalities."- mattnotis
There's Economizing, And Then There's Jusy Poor Hygeine...
"The videos of people making food in sinks."
"Gross."- h20rabbit
Is It Even Still A Secret After 100 Thousand Views?
"Any TikTok/IG trend that makes life more difficult for fast-food workers with overly complex orders or ordering stuff not on the menu or trying to 'one up' each others orders etc."- HiThisIsMichael
bored fast food GIF by Zaxby'sGiphyMaybe It Gives Them Incentive?
"Tipping as an option BEFORE receiving good service."- mytimeis2044
Sweet Tooth? Or Cavity Express?
"Sweets on top of sweets."
"A milkshake with a donut, lollipop, and cupcake attached."- Marleygem
Technology Slowly Taking Our Jobs...
"I just went to a restaurant, not a fast food place, a sit-down restaurant where you have to scan the QR code for the menu, then a screen pops up where you have to place your own order."
"No one comes to the table to answer questions, nothing."
"You place your order, a person comes by and throws your drinks at you. "
"Then they swing by a while later and throw your food at you."
"That’s all you see of them."
"You pay your bill on your phone, and are still expected to tip."- Megmuffin102
Saint Urbain Website GIF by Front of HouseGiphyBe it in presentation, cooking style, or flavor profile, people will likely always try to make food "cool" in truly bizarre ways.
Sometimes ignoring that the only thing that should truly matter is whether or not it tastes good.
At least people have finally realized that kale doesn't need to be added to everything!
For now, at least...