Surprised Doctors Share The Successful Times A Patient Diagnosed Themselves Online
It's usually not a good idea to self-diagnose, especially via the Internet, but occasionally people get it right. And although doctors never encourage this, successful patients do impress them from time to time. Also, WebMD is terrifying.
Impulse_you_html asked, Doctors of Reddit, what's the weirdest case of someone self-diagnosing, and it being correct?
Submissions have been edited for clarity, context, and profanity.
I knew I had ulcerative colitis when I first saw a gastroenterologist, but they didn't believe me.
I worked with an interventional radiologist/venous disease specialist and we had a self-referred patient who came to see us. She started off with "well, I've done lots of research on the internet" which is ALMOST ALWAYS A BAD START. However, this lady was a competitive cyclist and complained of unilateral leg weakness during her rides. She was otherwise very healthy. She had cycled miles and miles every day for many years. Suddenly she could barely finish a 5-mile ride. She had found online the diagnosis of external iliac artery endofibrosis which is very very rare, but more common in lifelong cyclists because they are bending over at such an angle for such long periods of times they are compressing their external iliac artery causing scar tissue to build up and limit blood flow. She asked my doctor to order her a CT scan because her other doctors would not (she was basically just complaining of being tired). But since we worked next door to a CT scanner we said SURE! Turns out she was right! She was then referred on to a vascular surgeon and I assume made a wonderful recovery. One of our shorter consults actually since it was so easy to rule in/out and she presented well researched, compelling evidence.
It's a good thing his wife was around, but chronic diarrhea is never normal, folks.
My attending had a patient with diarrhea and although he looked and insisted that he felt fine, his wife was insisting something was very wrong and she pleaded with us to do some blood work. So we did, not thinking we were going to find anything. Turns out the guy was in SEVERE kidney failure due to his dehydration from diarrhea (youngish healthy guy by the way). We would have never run that test and sent the guy to the ER if his wife didn't suspect that something terrible was wrong.
Trust your gut. Literally.
Not sure if this counts... when I was 25-28, my family and I were planning on going on a snow vacation in then still Czechoslovakia (before it split up) and woke up with a "weird" feeling in my stomach, no pain, just something being off. Went to my doctor, he felt around a bit, found nothing, and wanted to send me home. I refused and got a referral to the hospital (this was still all only because of my gut feeling) had bloodwork done, had an echo. All tests came back negative, the surgeon eventually came by, and we had a chat. Based on my words alone (not the results) he scheduled me for a laparoscopy to remove my appendix, stating "it will have to come out at one point, might as well do it early"
I went under, and woke up with a 15cm new scar on my belly, turns out my appendix was heavily inflamed and about to burst when they went in. Because I had no pain from it, I would likely only have found out my appendix burst on top of a snowy mountain, nowhere near any doctors, when my stomach would have gone septic, so good chance of dying.
The surgeon couldn't stop talking about how I probably saved my own life by being so adamant something was wrong.
Sesamoid bones, what an obscure diagnosis.
Medical student here, I was the patient and I diagnosed myself.
I had this gnawing, dull pain on the ball of my foot for almost 6 months but during my surgery rotation, it got progressively worse since I was standing for most of the day. I couldn't even walk barefoot anymore (had to wear padded flip-flops at home or custom orthotics insoles outside). My foot would hurt at the end of my runs (surprisingly, not during my runs), when stretching my foot, and when pushing on the ball of my foot.
I told my primary doctor that I thought I had a sesamoid fracture because of my symptoms, risk factors, and duration of the pain. She didn't think so and told me to do RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevate) even though this had been going on for months. I said okay but also asked for a sports medicine referral just in case I couldn't find time to come back to follow up with her if RICE didn't work.
The sports med Dr. took x-rays of both feet, saw that one of the sesamoid bones had completely fractured into two, now VERY separate pieces. In a walking boot now and they're thinking of surgery if the pain doesn't get better!
I've had this. It's HORRIBLE.
Not a doctor, but a friend showed up to my dorm room and asked to borrow some anti-itch cream for what he said was a spider bite.
I told him that it was definitely not a spider bite and he should go to the doctor. He laughed and refused. I told him it might be MRSA and he should get it checked out. he kind of rolled his eyes but agreed to let someone look at it.
It was MRSA.
Sometimes doctors just like being first to the diagnosis. But at least this person showed up!
I told my doctor that I thought that I had a sinus infection. He commented that he didn't approve of people diagnosing themselves and asked me why I thought this.
My answer was "I can feel my teeth when I walk." He then laughed, confirmed the diagnosis through the exam, and prescribed antibiotics.
This is a pretty impressive success story.
Medical student, here.
Had a patient in her 20's who felt a lump in her breast that she was concerned about. She had googled it and figured it was a benign fibroadenoma since it grew cyclically with her menstrual cycle but still wanted to check it out just to be safe.
She turned out to be right but she was wise to get it checked out, just in case she wasn't.
Another amazing catch by someone who really knows their body.
Finally something I can answer! I had, for my entire life since adolescence, a lymph node at the top of my tailbone area that would sometimes become swollen and painful and would have trouble sitting down. It would persist for a two to three days and then go back to normal.
I looked it up when I was a freshman in college and came across the term Pilonidal Dimple, which is a genetic abnormality present at birth, that along with my symptoms of being prone to infection, causes extra hair to grow out of it, which was also a problem I had. I was absolutely convinced.
I talked to my Mom, a nurse, about it, and then my GP who I had been with my entire life, and they didn't think that's what it was, mainly because it's a condition diagnosed at birth.
Fast forward to my sophomore year, the lymph node became swollen and the most painful it had ever been. I couldn't sleep. I went to the ER, because it was 4 in the morning, and told them I think this is the condition I have and the pain it's currently causing.
They take me back, the doctor comes in, confirms it, drains the infection, excises the node.
6 years later, have never had another problem with the lymph node pain. But I do still have a problem with hair growing out of it.
This is similar to when I got drug-resistant E. coli after colon surgery, and the ER initially said it was no big deal. Right.
Recently had surgery. Went for a follow up a week later and the doc says everything is fine. Wife says "that looks infected". Doc blows her off and says it's supposed to look like that. 2 days later I'm lying in a hospital bed with doctors debating to amputate my finger and possibly my hand. My finger was severely infected. 7 days in the hospital, lots of antibiotics later was released.
This surgeon should have known better.
Had arthroscopic knee surgery on a Wednesday morning. Felt great Thursday. Woke up Friday and had a little tightness in my chest but attributed it to having been intubated. Woke up Saturday and felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. Walking 30 feet to my bathroom winded me as if I'd run a mile.
I called the on-call surgeon and explained my symptoms. He brushed me off and said I shouldn't worry given my age and overall health (I was about 37 or 38). I hung up and immediately called my mom to come drive me to the hospital. I knew something was seriously wrong.
They immediately did blood work and a chest CT. Within 20 minutes of getting to the ER they diagnosed me with multiple bilateral pulmonary embolisms. Blood clots in both lungs. I could have died at a moments notice.
Wound up in the hospital for a week on a heparin drip and on Coumadin for 6 months after.
It's worth repeating: trust your gut. It's literally your second brain.
A month ago I was being treated for pneumonia for pain under my ribcage with coughing. After that didn't work they were just going to write it off as muscle pain until I suggested it was my gallbladder. There were no stones in the ultrasound but I fought for a function test and it was only functioning at %14. Got it removed 3 days later.
Gut symptoms, however, are often misleading. And they can have some strange manifestations.
This boggles my mind. My husband had severe chest pain, so bad he thought he was dying, made him vomit, and the only thing that helped was lidocaine in the emergency room. The surgeon who did his scope found he has a large haiatal hernia, and referred him to a gastroenterologist for surgery to "correct" it. When they do surgery for a haiatal hernia, you can't ever burp or vomit again. The gastro surgeon talked with my husband for a little bit, asked him about his symptoms, and told him he thought it was his gallbladder. One ultrasound later, super swollen gallbladder packed with stones. They scheduled his surgery and took that bad boy out. The doc said the stomach area is stupid for nerves, meaning that's why a doctor can't tell what's wrong with where it hurts, there have to be other symptoms or clues. His gall bladder never hurt him, but it caused excruciating pain in his sternum. The doc said he had a female patient whose gallbladder pain manifested on the other side under her ribs, opposite the side the gallbladder is on. Why don't they teach this to general doctors!
Thinking you have glass in your hand after an accident isn't crazy...
I had a patient come into one of my urgent care offices with a lump in her hand. She was in a car accident 7 years ago and said she has glass in her hand that was never removed and that she has lived with it for 7 years. She says she has seen multiple physicians including a dermatologist and they all told her that she was crazy.
I admit I thought she was crazy as well, but I had a student with me and I figure, "Oh well, let's open this lump up and see what we find." Normally I would not do this, but this patient was essentially begging me with tears in her eyes since no one believed her. At worst I figured I'd remove a cyst or lipoma. Sure enough, I make a small incision and squeeze and out pops a 3mm piece of glass. She just stared and me and I stared at her. Closed her up. She wrote a super kind review on our website. We normally get s*** reviews because we don't just hand out antibiotics for every cold that comes through the door.
How many times does pregnancy need to be eliminated as an option, honestly?
Not a doctor but I work in pathology. I started to have pain in my back and I got to the point I couldn't stand straight. One day at work and I was on the floor from the pain. Went to the ER and told them I think it's my gallbladder. They told me nope, pulled muscle. Sent me away. This kept happening and I started a diary on what I was doing prior to each episode. Classic gallbladder stone symptoms. Back pain that radiates up, happens after eating fatty food including meat, etc. I went to the ER and my personal doctor 6 times and each time, I was told I was pregnant even though the test was negative each time. I kept insisting it was my gallbladder. Finally, I was so sick and crying at work after being discharged from the ER again, telling me that I'm pregnant and to get over it. When my pathologist who specializes in gastric pathology saw me, he took me back to the ER and made them give me a CT scan. Bingo, the gallbladder was blocked. A month later, has surgery and had a lot of little gallstones. I still have my gallbladder in a jar on my desk as revenge.
When in doubt, see a specialist. Or demand one in the ER, it works. Autoimmune diseases are nasty things.
I told my internal medicine doctor for years I had Hashimoto's. I had all the symptoms, including the weird ones like hiccups, but nothing registered on blood tests. She basically called me an idiot and diagnosed me as bipolar. This went on for 10 years and bipolar medicine made me suicidal.
Finally got old enough to realize I could tell her to f off and find an endocrinologist. He took an ultrasound of my thyroid and it was almost completely dead. I had to get a biopsy to make sure I didn't have cancer. Years later and I'm still dealing with it since there really isn't a way to treat all the symptoms. Medicine helps, though. Bipolar medicine is out of my system, and that's probably the greatest win. My mental health vastly improved!
Last year my mother ran into my internal medicine doctor and she apologized to my mother. Turns out she didn't believe Hashimoto's was a real autoimmune disease...until she also was diagnosed with it.
Mercury poisoning from canned tuna is a real thing... what an astute catch.
Not a doctor but I work at a vet office. I can't remember the exact symptoms but an older lady had an older cat who was ADR (ain't doin right) and she was concerned it could possibly have Mercury poisoning. Major eyerolls by the docs and staff but we took blood and sent it off. She had been feeding this cat a can of tuna a day for the past ~15 years. We get the results and ding ding ding, slight mercury poisoning. I don't even remember the treatment but we were all stunned! One of the most memorable times Dr. Google was right.
Weird is an understatement. Whoa.
I come late to the party, but this has got to be one of the weirdest cases of self-diagnosis.
Long story short, in 1984 a previously healthy woman heard voices inside her head saying:
"Please don't be afraid. I know it must be shocking for you to hear me speaking to you like this, but this is the easiest way I could think of. My friend and I used to work at the Children's Hospital, Great Ormond Street, and we would like to help you."
She first went to a psychiatrist, but the voices only stopped for a while. Sometime later, the voices told her to have a brain scan, because she had a tumor in her brain. The woman once again had an appointment with the psychiatrist, and the psychiatrist (in order to reassure her) managed to request a brain scan. The brain scan revealed a meningioma. After consulting with the voices, the woman agreed to undergo surgery to remove the mass.
As soon as the woman regained consciousness after the surgery, the voices told her:
"We are pleased to have helped you. Goodbye."
That was the last time the woman heard the voices.
I knew I wasn't alone! Same!
I correctly self-diagnosed myself with ulcerative colitis when my doctor said it was IBS. Glad to see I am fit to be a pharmacist because that's what I'm studying.
When all else fails, do it yourself.
Not a doctor, but it took me four years to get a sleep disorder diagnosed (Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder).
Started being unable to sleep early and wake on time. Went through a million insomnia diagnoses and every management therapy possible. No improvement. I ask doctors if it could be a sleep disorder. Not possible - "too rare, don't exist, your fault", and so on.
Start checking out different sleep disorders. Based on my management therapies and symptoms list, I start ruling them out one by one. Researching your own murky disorder = stupid idea, I knew. But hey, if not a single doctor has been willing to take your case further, what are you to do?
After all, if you've had DSPD, you'd know that severe untreated DSPD can make it hard or impossible to study, work or have a social life at all. Life is kinda at stake here.
I come to the conclusion that it might be DSPD. Not trying to push anything. I've got a symptom history and a detailed sleep diary of over 24 months by this point.
Doctor 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 in the UK = "You don't know what you're talking about. Go to bed on time."
Doctor 6 begrudgingly allowed me to see a sleep specialist in Oxford.
The sleep specialist takes one look at my sleep history, symptom history, and survey results. Curses the 5 previous doctors for being proud idiots and not allowing me to make an appointment with her earlier. Diagnoses me with DSPD within a single month of testing.
Feeling a blood clot in the brain is bizarre, but it saved this guy's life.
I used to work in a university ER as a medical scribe. One of my physicians would talk about this patient that came in with a headache and stated that felt like he had a clot "right here" and pointed to the side of his head. When the doctor asked why he felt that way, the patient said, "I dunno man, that's just the way I feel." He eventually ordered a rule out head CT for the pt's symptoms, and lo and behold, that mother trucker had a small clot in that region of his brain. He said it was one of the most bizarre things he'd ever seen, and it was a level 1 trauma center too.
There are few things more satisfying than a crisp $20 bill. Well, maybe a crisp $100 bill.
But twenty big ones can get you pretty far nonetheless.
Whether it's tucked firmly in a birthday card, passing from hand to hand after a knee-jerk sports bet, or going toward a useful tool, the old twenty dollar bill has been used for countless purposes.
Breaking Even
<p>"I got a jacket and a pair of jeans at goodwill for about $20. My first time wearing the jacket I found a tiny zipper inside a pocket."</p><p>"There was a secret inner pocket with a twenty in it."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lvu5aq/whats_the_best_20_you_ever_spent/gpdv70q?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">TheBrontosaurus</a></p>Keeps On Giving
<p>"23 Years ago I was in the US for some work and was not prepared for the cold of Chicago. Went to wal-mart and bought myself a cheap, warm jacket."</p><p>"I'm wearing that jacket right now - still looks fine, still keeps me warm."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lvu5aq/whats_the_best_20_you_ever_spent/gpe41xv?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">TastyEnd</a></p>As Good As They Come
<p>"Wool pinstripe double breasted suit from Goodwill, fit perfectly and was brand new. Ended up wearing it to get married the next year." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lvu5aq/whats_the_best_20_you_ever_spent/gpdw6mx?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">verminiusrex</a></p><p style="margin-left: 20px;">"God I love Goodwill!!" -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lvu5aq/whats_the_best_20_you_ever_spent/gpe5aee?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Neverthelilacqueen</a></p>The Socks She Needed
<p>"I work at a thrift shop. A homeless lady came in and asked us where the socks were. We only sell new socks, so I directed her towards the new socks and she was... shocked and disappointed by the price tag, surely."<br></p><p>"I gave her a moment as she looked, and she moved to some kids' socks and picked them up, and I... just couldn't let that happen. I told her that I would help her, and told her to get herself some socks and a jacket."</p><p>"She kind of just... held out the children's socks, so I took them, put them back, and grabbed the extra fluffy socks that were hanging."</p><p>"She grabs a jacket and some pants, and I pay for it. My coworker looks the other way since we're not supposed to purchase anything while on the clock. The lady is in tears as she walks out."</p><p>"I notice that she's still outside a minute later putting them on, and ask her if they fit her or if she needed something else; and she told me they were perfect and proceeded to cry. I cried in return."</p><p>"It was a good day."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lvu5aq/whats_the_best_20_you_ever_spent/gpen3w1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Snowodin</a></p>Not Forgotten
<p>"A guy came into my work when I managed a mom and pop Pizza Place. He said he was stranded with no phone, and no money, but that the people at the Verizon store next door to us said they could get him a cheap phone with some minutes on it for 20 bucks."</p><p>"He offered to do dishes for a few hours to make some money so he could get this phone. I told him not to worry about it and gave him a 20 from my wallet. He thanked me, asked me for my name, and then he left and I never saw him again."</p><p>"Skip forward about 5 months, and when I get into work the owner was there and said she had gotten a letter addressed to me. 'Weird,' I thought."</p><p>"But when I opened it there was a 50 dollar bill and a short note from the guy I gave 20 dollars to thanking me for my kindness and for not turning him away."</p><p>"Turns out he was in a bad way (addicted to hard drugs and homeless) and really was stranded there. He was trying to get a phone so he could contact his parents (who lived in another state) for help."</p><p>"From what it sounded like, he seemed to really turn his life around. He was clean and working a stable job while still living with his parents."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lvu5aq/whats_the_best_20_you_ever_spent/gpem2xc?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Mixmaster-McGuire</a></p>The Best Finale
<p>"It was the day before payday. My wife came to see me at work. My break was in an hour, so I asked for her to wait a bit, so we could enjoy it together. She did."</p><p>"I bought her some lunch, because it was what I could afford. I bought her a ham and cheese sub sandwich and two iced teas. These were her favorite. I bought gas with the rest of the twenty so she could get home. She dropped me back off at work."</p><p>"That night, she passed away. It brings me comfort to know that I bought her favorite sandwich and drink for her that afternoon. It was likely the last thing she ate, since it was near dinner. I'll never forget it. Best $20 I ever spent, because it was for her."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lvu5aq/whats_the_best_20_you_ever_spent/gpe9c6d?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">LollipopDreamscape</a></p>Leaning Into the Nerdery
<p>"It was my ninth or tenth birthday. My grandparents gave me $20. The first $20 bill I ever held in my hand! I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it."</p><p>"A week later, we went into the city and Toys R Us. I went straight to the Transformers aisle. And there he was. My favourite Transformer. The one I always wanted...Soundwave."</p><p>"He's the one who turned into a Walkman and he could eject cassettes that turned into robot animals. The price tag said $19.99. It was meant to be."</p><p>"I took Soundwave to the clerk and gave her my $20 bill. "And here's your change!" she said, as she gave me a single penny."</p><p>"Ah, Soundwave. The best friend a lonely little nerd could have."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lvu5aq/whats_the_best_20_you_ever_spent/gpdzzxe?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">originalchaosinabox</a></p>Different Time
<p>"I went to a Rush concert in 1982. The ticket was $9.50 and the t-shirt was $10." -- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lvu5aq/whats_the_best_20_you_ever_spent/gpdyr0k?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">PaulsRedditUsername</a></p>Motivational Spending
<p>"My then six year old niece had a loose tooth she loved to show off and had resisted pulling out for two weeks. We were all at my parents and I was getting ready to leave, I pulled out a $20 and said 'I'll give you this right now if you pull out your tooth.' "</p><p>"She was already crying because her little sister had did something so when she ran into the bathroom none of us had no idea in what she was about to do."</p><p>"So she comes out crying still, but a little bit of blood I'm her mouth because of course, she pulled out her tooth. But the now removed tooth fell down the drain to the sink and she was crying because she lost her proof!"</p><p>"After she calmed down she was happy as a clam with a brand new $20 and everyone was quite proud of her. My sister told me she spent it on candy and shared with her little sister."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lvu5aq/whats_the_best_20_you_ever_spent/gpdxi4k?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">themasimumdorkus</a></p>For the Story
<p>"It was actually to a scammer in Rome. There was this guy right outside of Colosseum who started tying strings around my wrist and told me to make a wish. I knew it was going to cost but I thought what the hell, last day in Rome so might as well go with it. </p><p>"My wish was to find love."</p><p>"I spent rest of the day getting lost in the city and stumbled across two weddings and one baptism ceremony. So I did find love, just not for myself."</p><p>-- <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lvu5aq/whats_the_best_20_you_ever_spent/gpe7b2w?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">FatalFinn</a></p>I realize that school safety has been severely compromised and has been under dire scrutiny over the past decade and of course, it should be. And when I was a student, my safety was one of my greatest priorities but, some implemented rules under the guise of "safety" were and are... just plain ludicrous. Like who thinks up some of these ideas?
Redditor u/Animeking1108 wanted to discuss how the education system has ideas that sometimes are just more a pain in the butt than a daily enhancement... What was the dumbest rule your school enforced?Don't Peek
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcxNDc4OS9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNDE0Mzc2OH0.Y1Lzy1MTqxyVqOCe9xjeHTRZsKnbyVjYzdb4-Heldyo/img.gif?width=980" id="78b19" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e14a90be026b734830e7661f776ba4a8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="475" data-height="475" />schitts creek wtf GIF by CBCGiphy<p>Took all the doors off the men's room bathroom stalls because of vandalism for 2 months.</p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lwjlif/what_was_the_dumbest_rule_your_school_enforced/gphrfce?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank"> Endless_Vanity</a><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Endless_Vanity/" target="_blank"></a></p>Scanned
<p>School added thumb print scanners at gates of school which counted as registration - needless to say I would just walk to school scan my thumb and walk back home with them none the wiser. Was a great few months until they noticed. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lwjlif/what_was_the_dumbest_rule_your_school_enforced/gpidnou?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">richpianofan5</a></p>Age of Empires...
<p>Conservative Christian College. A group of us played Age of Empires one weekend. They didn't like it and called a meeting. Everyone involved got misdemeanors on their records. There was nothing in the handbook about it being against the rules. The only person that didn't get any punishment was the son of the president even though he was just as involved as the rest of us. <span></span></p>"Genius"
<p>In my freshman year of high school we had a terrible vandalism problem, the bathrooms would be broken in various ways almost constantly. In a stroke of pure genius, the staff decided that any bathroom that was vandalized would be closed for the week on first offense, the quarter for second, and permanently on the third offense.</p><p>They took back the rule after closing every bathroom on day one. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lwjlif/what_was_the_dumbest_rule_your_school_enforced/gpi77co?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank"> Samus388</a><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Samus388/" target="_blank"></a></p>Is this Footloose?
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcxNDc5Ny9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMzg0MjU2M30.PeBUt-YWZeeRStaD_RZlGPQzo29E9t733yqZbIiJlYs/img.gif?width=980" id="3a5bd" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="102730e3b1b90ba9cb393561c702c9af" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="500" data-height="500" />kevin bacon dancing GIF by STARZGiphy<p>Prom was a mandatory lockdown for the night in order to avoid students going to parties after prom.</p><p>Prom was held at various house parties across town instead. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lwjlif/what_was_the_dumbest_rule_your_school_enforced/gpi37x7?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Coffee-spree</a></p>HOLDEN FOREVER!!!
<p>My high school mascot was Daniel Boone holding a musket. A kid wore a Guns 'n Roses shirt to school and was told he had to change shirts because of the pistols on the shirt. He pointed out the hypocrisy of the school mascot and they changed EVERYTHING. The mascot was switched to holding a flag pole instead. <span></span></p>No Dots
<p>You couldn't wear ANY kind of head items that were "gang colours" (red or blue) - this No included hair bands, scrunchies, beads in your hair, ribbons - ANYTHING. I got in trouble for wearing a blue hair band with white polka dots. </p><p><span></span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lwjlif/what_was_the_dumbest_rule_your_school_enforced/gphzpyf?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Pleasant-Flamingo344</a></p>Clothes Check
<p>We had to wear belts. Someone snitched that people weren't wearing belts under their sweaters, and they actually checked and a bunch of people got detentions. Stupid. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lwjlif/what_was_the_dumbest_rule_your_school_enforced/gphz3y6?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">ooo-ooo-oooyea</a></p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lwjlif/what_was_the_dumbest_rule_your_school_enforced/gphz3y6?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"></a>We had belt raids at my school where the dean would burst into classes, completely interrupting any education, to check that everyone was wearing a belt. </p><p><span></span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lwjlif/what_was_the_dumbest_rule_your_school_enforced/gpia8pp?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">GuinnessMicrodose</a></p>Chase the Flat
<p>We weren't allowed to play tag football at lunch, only frisbee. When I asked the principal what the difference was, he responded with a sarcastic tone, "A football is round and a frisbee is a flat disk."</p><p>He left the school later that year, went to another school, and a few years later was brought up on charges for failing to report the abuse of a student by a teacher. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lwjlif/what_was_the_dumbest_rule_your_school_enforced/gpi6lh3?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">uninc4life2010</a></p>Poke-Thief
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcxNDgwMy9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0ODg5MzY2Nn0.5LMPk1suou6U2SvAURKP-sHEuK7Izpkbxm0PWqvx95E/img.gif?width=980" id="b6e9f" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="92383d30e34aa92fd74cf6c1374ec294" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="480" data-height="480" />hotline bling pokemon GIFGiphy<p>Pokemon cards got banned in middle school because someone stole the vice principal's kid's cards. Yep. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lwjlif/what_was_the_dumbest_rule_your_school_enforced/gpiapym?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank"> Skadoosh_it</a><a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/Skadoosh_it/" target="_blank"></a></p>In the Face...
<p>If you were involved in a fight, you got suspended. While it sounds reasonable, context didn't matter.</p><p>I got suspended once not for throwing a single punch, kick, whatever. I got suspended because someone knocked the books out of my hand and when I reached down to grab them they punched me in the face.</p><p>I got suspended for walking down the hallway and unprovoked getting punched in the face.</p><p>Forget Brandon Valley Middle School. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lwjlif/what_was_the_dumbest_rule_your_school_enforced/gpicbyx?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">CLG_MianBao</a></p>One of the golden rules of life? Doctors are merely human. They don't know everything and they make mistakes. That is why you always want to get another opinion. Things are constantly missed. That doesn't mean docs don't know what they're doing, they just aren't infallible. So make sure to ask questions, lots of them.
Redditor u/Gorgon_the_Dragon wanted to hear from doctors about why it is imperative we always get second and maybe third opinions by asking... Doctors of Reddit, what was the worse thing you've seen for a patient that another Doctor overlooked?Grandma Wins
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcxNDcxOC9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0OTQxNTgzOX0.n9IaFGgHwnULMlI2kg7RUftxDg6lyWvdM9CnhvptCRY/img.gif?width=980" id="a0857" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="9762f97a23c27ccf6b75974caa854361" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="480" data-height="270" />Old Lady Wine GIF by MattielGiphy<p>Not a doctor, but my grandmother saved my father's eyesight because she didn't listen to their doctor. </p>The Mummy Appendage
<p>When I was a resident, an 80yo female was admitted from the nursing home for confusion. Workup showed some mild UTI and we were giving her antibiotics. The nurse mentioned that her toe looked dark and asked me to look at it. The toe wasn't just dark, it was mummified. It looked like dry beef jerky. I touched it and pieces flaked off. So the patient from a nursing home, had a mummified toe, probably for months, that no one knew about. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lw2g2z/doctors_of_reddit_what_was_the_worse_thing_youve/gpg00qn?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">Dr2ray</a></p>The CT Save
<p>Here's my story:</p><p>A guy came in to our ICU and was very septic but still talking. He had visited his primary care MD with complaints of a sore throat for a couple of days. Dismissed without any intervention since he didn't appear to have strep throat or the flu. At this point he was having pretty severe abdominal discomfort, so we sent him for a CT scan. As the scan was finishing, he coded and had to be intubated, multi-organ failure, etc. </p>Patches
<p>When I was an ER nurse we got an elderly lady in for altered mental status from a nursing home, when we undressed her to put her in a gown and hook her up to the monitor, I noticed no less than 5 fentanyl patches on her, guess I discovered the cause of the AMS. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lw2g2z/doctors_of_reddit_what_was_the_worse_thing_youve/gpg1lml?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">ChewbaccaSlim426</a></p>Use your Words
<img lazy-loadable="true" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNTcxNDcyMi9vcmlnaW4uZ2lmIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1MDA1NjI0MH0.WtyCdxL1vRZwD2-jpKZXMOEakwhiBaJIkp1YPnOzlvo/img.gif?width=980" id="e45ca" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="f5b98e6a4605a587dbd97579468a51d8" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" data-width="498" data-height="367" />Communication GIF by memecandyGiphy<p>Neurologist sent patient to our ED without informing her that imaging showed a glioblastoma assuring her impending death. He didn't overlook the disease, he overlooked the communication. </p><p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/lw2g2z/doctors_of_reddit_what_was_the_worse_thing_youve/gpfl5t5?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3" target="_blank">AzureSkye27</a></p>Mad Cow Realty
<p>During my residency we had this lady in her 60s who was getting progressively more forgetful, just overall declining and getting less and less able to take care of herself. She had been seeing her pcp who diagnosed her with dementia. And she saw a neurologist who agreed. She was not really able to provide an accurate history. <span></span></p>After Birth...
<p>I used to work in maternal-fetal medicine, and every single week, we would have women referred to us "because the doctor couldn't see something clearly with the baby and wanted to double check." Nope, they just didn't want to have to be the ones to tell you that your baby had a complex cardiac defect or multiple anomalies indicative of a genetic syndrome or any other of a large number of horrible things that can happen during fetal development. Still pisses me off when I think about how many women waited weeks for more information because their doctors were cowards who couldn't tell them, "There's something seriously wrong here." <span></span></p>bad doctors
<p>I'm not a doctor, but a RN. This happened to me, but isn't nearly as bad as most of the stories on here.</p><p>When I was in college, I got to where I couldn't swallow. It started with difficulty swallowing, progressed to me having to swallow bites of food multiple times/regurgitating it, and then got to where all I could swallow was broths and mashed potatoes with no chunks. I went to the doctor multiple times, and was told every time it was acid reflux and part of my anxiety disorder. <span></span></p>The Valve...
<p>He put the pacemaker lead in the subclavian artery (and across the aortic valve into the left ventricle). The proper approach is: subclavian vein to right ventricle). And then he didn't notice it for over a year. I saw the patient (a 25 yo woman who didn't need the pacemaker in the first place) when she was in congestive heart failure. <span></span><br></p>Bitten
<p>Rattlesnake bite. On a 2 year old. Patient and dad out in the fields near a small town that is several hours away from the nearest big city, where I work.</p>When we think about learning history, our first thought is usually sitting in our high school history class (or AP World History class if you're a nerd like me) being bored out of our minds. Unless again, you're a huge freaking nerd like me. But I think we all have the memory of the moment where we realized learning about history was kinda cool. And they usually start from one weird fact.
Here are a few examples of turning points in learning about history, straight from the keyboards of the people at AskReddit.
U/Tynoa2 asked: What's your favourite historical fact?