Reddit user babyhippo01 asked: 'Medical professionals of Reddit, have you ever had a patient so lacking in common sense you wondered how they made it this far. If so, what is your story?'
But there are some things in life that don't require much beyond a high school education, yet so many people are clueless–particularly when it comes to matters of health and safety practices.
Curious to hear from baffled doctors and nurses about dealing with certain types of patients, Redditor babyhippo01 asked:
"Medical professionals of Reddit, have you ever had a patient so lacking in common sense you wondered how they made it this far. If so, what is your story?"
It's not rocket science.
Reading Instructions
"There is a reason the instructions for prescription suppositories say 'unwrap and insert' and not just 'insert.'"
– Artisanal_AF
An Afterthought
"I’m a pharmacist. One evening shift I was working a relief shift (not my usual pharmacy). A man comes in looking distressed."
"Man: I had sexual relations with a woman I do not intend to pursue a long term relationship with. (Yes. He said it just like that)"
"Me: okay. I’m assuming there was an accident or it was unprotected. How long ago did it happen?"
"Man: last night, at 7pm on the couch. (Woah TMI, I just need to know approximate time to know if plan B will work o.o)"
"Me: we have this medication called Plan B, and since the incident happened within 72 hours-"
"Man: oh yes, I got that for her already yesterday right after we finished. We want to know if there is anything we can do to know if she is pregnant now."
"Me: unfortunately not. She’ll have to wait 3 weeks or so to see if she gets her period, and if she doesn’t then she can do a pregnancy test then. Theoretically you could do a blood test for faster results, but that would also not be until a couple of weeks, at least."
"Man: we’re just really anxious because she really doesn’t want to be pregnant. Is there anything that she can take to prevent the pregnancy? Any multivitamin? Minerals? Food?"
"Me: she’s already taken it, which was the plan B. There are some other options but those are prescriptions. And no, there are no over-the-counter products she can take."
"Man: What about me? Is there anything I can take now to prevent the pregnancy? Any multivitamins or minerals?"
"Me:……………………………..No sir. There isn’t anything you can take now."
– V_imaginary
"Improper Specimen"
"73 here, former clinical microbiologist, LONG ago."
"Still, I found myself all over the clinical lab at times, not just infectious disease."
"So, one day, this 20-something guy (wife and mom in tow) walks in with a paper request for semen analysis, pre-computer era."
"Ok, not the most comfortable encounter, but I'm a professional and did this drill many times."
"He had not been briefed by the doc and had no idea how establishing infertility in males was done."
"Well, OK, a challenge, then."
"I took him aside and... using standard medical terminology told him how a diagnosis is made and what he needed to do to provide a specimen."
"He couldn't/wouldn't believe that I was asking him to masturbate into that container. Astonished!"
"Then he played dumb, as if the word was unfamiliar to him."
"We looped through the medical terms and procedure again, and I eventually resorted to every word I knew to describe the 'act.'"
"It was like a George Carlin bit!"
"A half hour later, he emerged from the toilet with two inches of urine in the cup. God Almighty."
"The report went back 'patient provided improper specimen.'"
– BrunoGerace
The following examples are relating to drinking problems.
The Giver Of Life
"Paramedic. Elderly woman complains that her mouth is dry and she felt a bit dizzy climbing the stairs earlier. Go through the whole rigamarole of getting a medical history, vitals, more detail on symptoms. Ask her what she's had to drink today."
"A cup of tea, ten hours ago."
"Any water? No."
"Guess what fixed it within five minutes."
– SpatchcockMcGuffin
Java Junkie
"Physical Therapist - Had a patient with neck pain and spasms, also complained of anxiety and heart palpitations. Asked about caffeine intake and patient revealed drinking and average on 15-20 cups of coffee daily."
– jdotbrone
Oh, you're not ready for these stories.
Man At The Mower
"Had a buddy who was an EMT, he was called out to a location for a gunshot wound."
"Apparently what happened is a father was mowing his lawn when he accidentally touched part of the mower near the engine and burned his hand. He got mad at the lawnmower, pulled out his pistol, and shot it. The bullet ricocheted and hit his son in the leg."
– Kretuhtuh
Immaculate Misconception
"Not me but my mother would pick up shifts as a nurse sometimes in Labour and Delivery and she had met a handful of women who didn’t know the baby was going to be coming out of their vaginas. Like no clue. My mom usually said something like 'how you got it in is how it’s coming out honey'. This was the late 90 early 2000s."
– QuailPuzzled1286
One Small Detail
"Rural ER doc here: 35 year old female walks in with right sided jaw/neck swelling. 'I think it happened because I ate some meat yesterday that my body is reacting to' … 10 minutes later : 'oh yeah, and I accidentally swallowed a bee and it stung me in my mouth right before this happened. Sorry I forgot to mention that.'"
– ThomasToHandle
Parents might be blamed for their kids' intelligence levels.
Some teachers could be responsible for overlooking teaching the basics.
Or maybe it's the rural locale where they were born and raised having something to do with it.
Whatever the circumstances, it's confounding that anyone capable of communicating and thinking for themselves can be so oblivious.
You don't realize you're living in history, until long after the moment is gone.
What can feel like small, mini moments, might add up to something in the long run.
A choice, a decision, an action, all building towards the finality of your life.
Unfortunately, some people's actions might have rubbed others the wrong way, bringing upon themselves mockery and shame.
Why?
For being right, it turns out.
Reddit user AllofaSuddenStory wanted to know who got the last laugh in the long run when they asked:
"Who is someone that was mocked at the moment, but then proven right years later?"
It's hard when the people we once thought of as "heroes" are discovered to kind of suck. Hard.
Live Strong
"Greg lemond. In 2001 he said lance Armstrong was probably doping. He was threatened he took a huge image hit and his business opportunities suffered."
"He never let up on lance despite the media campaigns, threats, damage to his reputation and business, and the recrimination of his peers in the cycling community. Until surprise surprise in 2012 it came out that lance Armstrong was doping. Who could have foreseen that? If only someone had told us."
"Oh wait. Greg Lemond did. A decade ago."
Cheeseyex
A British Gentleman Would Never--Oh Wait, They Did
"John Rae. Very skilled arctic explorer who unlike most of the rest of Europeans at the time wasn’t above learning from the Inuit. He was largely successful because of his willingness to learn from them and use their clothing and diet and techniques."
"Anyway, about ten years after the Franklin Expedition was lost John Rae was out looking for clues what happened because the British Admiralty had a standing reward of £10,000 for anyone who had credible information about the expeditions fate. He found some physical remnants of the expedition and had met with Inuit who’d seen some of the last surviving members of the expedition. They related to him how they’d been taken by disease, lack of food, and how some of them finally succumbed to cannibalism."
"Rae took this information back to England, where society was absolutely outraged how he dared to spin such drivel. Surely no sophisticated gentlemen of the hero’s character that would be in Sir John Franklin’s expedition would act so savagely!"
"John Rae never got the award. Years later someone else did who told of a story that was correct also to some degree, but less than Rae had been."
"In modern times bone fragments have been found with telltale cut marks, thereby proving John Rae and the Inuit right."
rhutanium
Undoing All The Good Work They Did
"Johnny Rotten"
"Banned from the BBC for ousting Jimmy Saville as being a horrendous pedophile."
"Some 500 cases of abuse. Had his own set of keys to a psychiatric hospital where he would frequently abuse vulnerable children."
Danuta_
Some people become so publicized for their mockery, that their situations and scenarios become common knowledge, the butt of jokes, and fuel for feeling bad for being so wrong later.
Don't Joke About It
"Lindy Chamberlain. A dingo really did eat her baby. :("
TinyGreenTurtles
"Even at the time of Azaria's death aboriginal trackers that were brought in said a dingo did it but because they weren't white no one listened and the poor family was put through hell after losing there child."
ipoopcubes
And A String Of Awful Copycats Followed This Legitimate Case
"Stella Liebeck, the lady who got burned with McDonald's hot coffee. The media mocked her and accused her of a frivolous lawsuit but it was an ongoing problem that McDonald's served dangerously hot coffees that had injured many others."
"The coffee was hot enough to cause 3rd degree burns to her pelvic region and she was hospitalized for 8 days while she had to get skin grafts, and continued medical care for 2 years related to the burns. She originally just wanted her medical bills covered but McDonald's tried giving her an insultingly low amount, so then she was forced to open a lawsuit. The courts rightfully sided with her and forced McDonald's to regulate the temperature on their hot beverages."
IdRatherNotNo
Speaking Out To This Day
"Monica Lewinsky. That poor woman was dragged through the mud and seeing everyone reassess what was done to her has been bittersweet."
"ETA: Bittersweet bc more people seem to understand she was a victim (sweet), but she was really young, and decades of her life were spent being a public punching bag (bitter)"
happycos
Some of these stories, when examined with the power of medical hindsight, shows we really don't know anything about medicine.
It's A Wonder All Humans Aren't All Dead
"Joseph Lister"
"First proposed that germs caused post-operative infections, and recommended that surgical instruments be sterilized between operations."
"People thought he was nuts."
Positive-Source8205
"Yep, in addition the this, Joseph’s peers in medical community actively dismissed his suggestions for years due to the fact that they could then be considered culpable in causing harm to patients"
"Ironically, delayed uptake continued to harm patients"
95CJH
How Are We Not All Dead?
"Ignác Semmelweis"
"First doctor to champion hand washing as a means to prevent spreading infection. Everyone made fun of him."
saltyFr3nchFry
"He also noticed out of 2 maternity clinics there was a higher death rate in one because students were doing postmortems and then going straight to the clinic without washing their hands. Who would have thought dead people matter wouldn't go well with pregnant women and new born babies"
OmegaStealthJam
Remove A Handle, Save Lives
"John snow in 1854 tried to tell everyone about cholera, and how it was being caused by the water supply, no one believed him until he took illegal action and saved many lives"
Verticlefornow
"He didn't do anything illegal, he collected evidence and took it to the local government who had the pump handle removed. It was actually late in the outbreak, if not well after the outbreak so how many He saved with that action is questionable, but the methods and the use of spatial epidemiology was groundbreaking."
VectorB
Oh Yeah, Worldwide Pandemic.
"The doctor in China who was arrested for trying to stop the spread of Covid from the start"
youburyitidigitup
"They knew it was coronavirus by 2nd December 2019. They knew it was a cousin virus to SARS and MERS. They did everything it their power to keep it quiet til January..."
"...Also I do understand looking back that we can seem to trace back the data/ rabbit hole to June/ July 2019, some even can go back to March 2019. I'm pointing out that I simply heard/ read the officially "there's a new coronavirus in Wuhan" in digital print on that date. That's when this all started for me personally."
Turfanator
"And his name was Dr. Li Wenliang. May he never be forgotten. salutes"
safer_than_ever
“delirious ravings”
"Alfred Wagner hypothesized plate tectonics in the 1920’s, but this wasn’t an accepted notion until the 50’s. He was a meteorologist, and copped a lot of flak from the geological community at the time."
SaraBunks
"This is the one I was looking for. He was ridiculed and talked down on because of his plate tectonics theory, calling his ideas 'delirious ravings.'”
Daninumblr
Dingo Trauma
"Lindy Chamberlain. A dingo really did eat her baby. :("
TinyGreenTurtles
"People used to say that 'a dingo ate my baby!' Mockingly as a joke when I was in school. I never knew what it was from, then when I found out I was horrified and completely disgusted that people I knew were running around mocking a woman who lost her baby to a wild animal attack for fun."
CannibalCapra
DNA BEFORE
"Barbara McClintock, she postulated the existence of transposons (certain types of genes) in DNA BEFORE anybody even knew what the actual structure of DNA is like, she was widely mocked by the scientific community at the time. Transposons were later confirmed to exist and she was awarded the Nobel."
ThousandSunnySenpai
Floods
"Duff Roblin, the Premier of Manitoba. After the 1950 flood, Roblin's government initiated the Red River Floodway project. The floodway diverts part of the river around the city. At the time he was mocked and a lot of people thought it was a waste of money, because 'a flood like that will never happen again.'"
"It's been estimated that it's saved $40 billion CAD in flood damages since it was completed in 1968. I was there for the '97 flood. The floodway saved my home and my in-laws' home."
deagh
Depletion
"Sherry Rowland. Discovered the effect of CFCs on ozone depletion and received an immense level of blow back from industry. Not only that, but invited talks and collabs were rescinded within the scientific community. Poor guy was ostracized. 20 years later after his (and Molina’s) discovery, he’s finally recognized with a Nobel prize."
GadgetGo
Allergies
"Alexander Fleming, the man who discovered Penicillin, spent almost 10 years trying to convince the medical bodies of his time that it was worth investing time and resources to experiment with it, but was basically told to pound sand despite the respect he had prior to the discovery. Lot of good it did me, I was lucky enough to be born allergic. Happy for the rest of you at least."
The-BIG-Plant
Capsized
"Henry Freeman, a lifeboatman in Whitby. He tried to get the other lifeboatmen to wear cork lifejackets, but no-one would but him. During a great storm, the lifeboat was launched several times to help struggling vessels and sailors. On their sixth launch, disaster struck and the lifeboat capsized. Only Henry survived thanks to his cork life jacket. They became compulsory for lifeboatmen shortly afternoon."
alizare
80s Noise
"Richard Stallman. Warned us back in the 80s that if we allow corporations to rule the internet that nobody will have privacy or freedom on the web, among many other things. r/stallmanwasright"
ProtonSlack
Truth
"Courtney Love on Weinstein."
lundy7881
"There's a small bit in the book 'The Game' (highly recommend not reading it). The author makes fun of Courtney the whole way through because she's reading books on fraud and alleging that people have stolen her money. At the end, he adds in a sentence or two about how someone in their house looks at her finances and goes, 'Wow, it's true."
SkinHairNails
Concussion
"Dr Bennet Omalu who found that American football players had chronic traumatic encephalopathy/brain concussions which were slowly affecting their neurological and psychological functions. He was strongly opposed at first but then proved right. His biographic movie is named 'Concussion.'"
It's stuff like this which gives birth to the phrase, "This is why we can't have nice things."
Of course, you could always look past the unfortunate history almost every item possesses.
After all, it's not your fault the shoes you might be wearing were invented by Nazis or the car you're about to get into was developed by Nazis or the dealership you drive by was once run by a Japanese company who associated with the Nazis.
Manufacturing has a long, complex history.
Reddit user, Stoned_Black_Nerd, wanted to know what we use that comes from a dark place when they asked:
"What everyday item has a sick and twisted origin story?"
We don't have to know where something comes from to enjoy it.
After all, time passes, companies change hands, and the people in charge don't share the same beliefs as their predecessors.
Right?
Big Misstep There, Dr. Kellogg
"Sylvester Graham believed unwholesome foods created 'impure' thoughts."
"So he created Graham Crackers to keep women from becoming sluts."- Superlite47
"Kellogg believed we were facing an epidemic of masturbation that could only be curbed with a widespread combination of bland cereal, corn flakes, invented for this purpose, and circumcision."
"Non-religious circumcision in the US basically originated from Kellogg's campaigns."- wildfire393
The Most Kissable Lips
"The CPR doll that we use to practice CPR in most work places in the UK has the face of an unknown French cadaver found dead in the Seine river in the 1800s."
"She is known as The Most Kissed Woman in History. Bleugh!"- Adi3m
Let's Overthrow This Government Then Have A Banana. Good Day.
"Chiquita, banana company, is both directly and indirectly responsible for political violence and human rights abuses in south america"- Cheesydilfdog
"The term 'banana republic' comes from these practices."
"It's synonymous with an economy that almost exclusively produces raw materials, which are then shipped to more 'developed' countries, turned into finished products, and sold back to them."
"Colonial era started it, and it continues to this day."
"It's part of why the homespun cotton thing was such a big deal in India during Ghandi's time'."- WesternTrashPanda
Medical advancements requires years of research, experimentation, and trials done on volunteers, putting their own bodies and health on the line for the greater good of an advanced society.
Most of the time.
When You Need It Absolutely Clean, I Guess
"Lysol was marketed as a feminine hygiene product."- SidAndFinancy
"Listerine was marketed as a floor cleaner and a cure for gonorrhea."- NeedsMoreTuba
Open Wide
"The chainsaw was originally introduced to help during childbirth."- Environmental-Fix-71
"The chainsaws invented to aid in childbirth."- CreatrixAnima
At What Cost Do We Find Medical Breakthroughs?
"The modern speculum was created by a man named J. Marion Sims who performed invasive experimental surgeries on enslaved women without anaesthesia."- beerandbuds
"Most obstetric surgical techniques were originally practiced on enslaved women."
"Because these women were looked upon as disposable, it didn't much matter if they survived the procedure, never mind suffered pain and disability as a result."
"This way the doctors could then safely use these techniques on white mothers."- AlarmedAeriel
"Every medical procedure was first done by doctors winging it."
"Often without anesthesia."
"Patients were non consenting."- BatmanAwesomeo
Nazis.
Just, so many things we use come from Nazis.
And cults.
That Thing Your Parent's Are Afraid Of Happening? It Happened.
"The protective seal on OTC medications were a result of a round of murders caused by cyanide-laced Tylenol in the 80s"-throwingplaydoh
Shave And Some Bloodletting. Two Bits.
"Not necessarily 'sick and twisted' but the red and white pole outside of barber shops use to be used to identify barbers who could perform bloodletting during the Middle Ages especially through the course of the Black Death."- OneOddOtter
"Barber shops."
"They used to be doctors offices where they would make incisions on the patient and let the sickness 'bleed out'."
"It did not work."
"Was the method fell out of practice, they switched to hair."- NotaFossilFool
War Brings About Innovation...? Sigh...
"The founders of Adidas and Puma were brothers and were both Nazis"- Super-Noodles
"Volkswagen was literally, factually founded by Hitler."- DemSumBigAssRidges
"Don't forget Ferdinand Porche he designed and built tanks among other weapons."
"Also Mitsubishi Heavy Industries maker of the AM6 i.e. the Zero"- sd1360
"Volkswagen cars have a nazi background."- Greninja_is_Bestpkm
Check Your Silverware, Folks
"Oneida silverware."
"Check out the Wikipedia page for The Oneida Community ."
"It’s a real pearl clutcher."
"It was a religious communal society founded in 1848 in Oneida, New York."
"The community believed that Jesus already came back in AD 70 and they were creating paradise on earth."
"They practiced complex marriage, free love, and male sexual continence , read: don’t finish."
"Sex was mostly for pleasure, making babies was on purpose and the children were raised collectively."
"Older men had sex with young girls/women; older women sexually mentored younger boys."
"A local dad sued to get his daughter out of this scandalous cult, with claims of mental illness and violence surrounding the case."
"The community supported womens’ suffrage and free divorce."
"And eugenics."
"And when the community split apart, some members moved out West to found… Orange County."- Digressionista
Not A Desirable Source Of Fitness
"The treadmill was used for prisoners as a tool for punishment and profit."
"It was a power source to grind grain or pump water."- orosofia
You Can Never Be Too Sure Of What You're Eating...
"All most any candy with shiny coat and some food dyes made from crushed bugs and the fda allows low numbers of insect parts in some foods."- Apprehensive-Fox3187
"Cheetos."
"Made from discarded cow chow."- AutumnAtronach
What Purpose Did It Ultimately Serve?
"The first machine gun, the Maxim Gun, the Gatling Gun doesn't count as it's a Gatling style weapon, was invented by Hiram Maxim."
"His inspirations for it were he was firing a rifle and got knocked over by the recoil."
"He figured that he could use the roil to continuously fire a gun."
"The other inspiration was he was in Europe and an American said to him 'if you want to make a lot of money, come up with something that will help these Europeans cut each other's throats with greater facility'."- shiftyfired1056
Beneficial Side Affects?
"Viagra was originally a drug to treat altitude sickness."
"The bone was only a side effect."- Altruistic-Honey2341
Taking Pleasure In Pain
"Dog toys with squeakers."
"I’ve recently learned that the squeak noise is supposed to represent the the sound of a suffering small animal."- Roody-Poo_Jabroni
Don't feel bad if something you use in your everyday life was on this list. Like we stated earlier, the people who are in charge of the companies and organizations are not the same as those who developed them.
Life is complicated. You shouldn't have to change your shoes.
Working in the medical profession simply builds a whole lot of heartache. Doctors watch, day after day, as some of their patients fall ill, only to never recover.
It's a part of the job to break gentle news both to the patients and to their families that their loved one is most likely not going to make it. Having to tell someone they're dying, and force them to deal with their own mortality, brings up a special kind of hell.
Some people have had to develop coping mechanisms to get through it.
"Doctors of Reddit, how do you tell a patient that they're dying?"
Here were some of those answers.
Compassion Goes The Distance
"My dad’s surgeon discovered what he called 'cement' in his abdomen from cancer that had spread so aggressively that it damaged his colon and required emergency surgery. I asked the doctor while waiting for my dad to wake up if it was terminal."
"The incredible man told me he was not God and could not declare certainties. He said other patients with similar onset had anywhere from a few months to five years. He told me could not tell the future but suggested we discuss care options with my dad."
"I asked his opinion if we should tell my dad right away or give him time to recover from surgery. I’ll never forget his response: 'In my experience, patients know when their bodies are giving up. He will know before you or I do.'”
"My dad had almost 3 years after that conversation. When his body was finally giving out, he asked my mom to take him to the hospital, and for the only time ever in his adult life, he left the house without shoes. My mom said he must have realized he wouldn’t be walking back into the house."
"That was almost 9 years ago. Cancer sucks. But some of my dad’s doctors were incredible and compassionate, and the ICU nurses were amazing."-OlderAndTired
Simple And Direct
"If you’re an amazing doctor like my dads doctor was, you say, 'I gave it my last shot, buddy. I gotta turn you over to hospice now but know I don’t want to.'”
"And he had a tear in his eye. He’d been my dads doctor for a long time (and a few other relatives, actually. This guy had been our end of life a few times-no fault of his own though!). I’ll always remember his compassion in that moment. It was simple, direct and caring."-MonsoonMermaid
Clarity
"ER Doctor: Sit down with the patient and family. Introduce myself. Explain clearly in layman's terms what has been found on the scan/lab/test etc. and the accompanying poor prognosis."
"I then pause because reactions vary considerably here. Some people cry, some people are frozen with shock, many in between."
"After patient/family has had their reaction I ask what (if any) questions they have for me and reassure them I will be in the ER until whatever hour (end of my shift) to help them or provide clarity."-Fancyphones123
Eloquently Frank
"I heard a neurologist tell a brain cancer patient once: 'Some illness have cures, and others treatment. We have reached the end of all possible treatments with respect to your wishes. What life you have left depends on will and time.'”-CriticalCareTaker
Here's The Plan
"In the US, we have an agreed upon guide at my institutions surrounding end of life care. Here's what we do, if the patient is lucid:"
"Actual conversations and details are tailored to the situation, patient, and culture."–thewaybaseballgo
These unimaginable situations are a daily occurrence for some people.
It's Important To Find The Pain Source
"I'd had scans and tests done for unknown stomach pain. The doctor came in and told me the results were back and the news was not good. Explained that I had a cancerous tumor on my bowel that had ruptured and spread to other organs."
"That it had spread too much and couldn't be cut out and chemo wouldn't make it fully go away. He told me unfortunately it was terminal and he reassured me that they would do all they could to give me more time and make me comfortable. At this point I began bawling my eyes out and crying 'my children, my poor children.'"
"He was compassionate towards me and gave me time to process it. Then came back later to explain things in greater detail once the shock had worn down a bit. There's no easy way to hear your dying in your 30s but he did an ok job."-SquelchingNoises
Undivided Attention
"There are actually pretty structured and formulaic ways to do it, but each person ultimately has their own style. Step one: hand your pager and cell phone off to someone else or silence it."
"Two: walk in, very clear introduction of your name, role, etc. if meeting them. Sit down, and don’t let anyone between you and the door. Ask the name and relation of anyone in the room. Ask if they prefer having someone else in the room (or FaceTime now because of Covid)"
"Three: ask what they know or have heard (I had patients outright say 'I know I am dying.' Or 'Everything is fine right?'). Ask what their understanding of that diagnosis is."
"Three: Warning shot and brief pause. 'Unfortunately, I have bad news.' Or 'I know we were hoping for X, but I’m sorry to have to tell you it isn’t what we were hoping for.' Pause. Let the patient panic, then they start listening again.
"Four: Be very clear, very direct when possible, and absolutely honest. Pause. At this point, I usually want to word vomit or backtrack but you cannot do that. The pause is awkward but they are thinking a million things. They will want to cling to, 'but this is curable right?!!'”
"At this point I ask if they want me to explain, give them a moment, call someone, etc. After I’ve explained, I ask them what their understanding was of what I just told them. Go from there."
"Finish by having clear plan for what happens next (oncology appointment, chaplain, etc.) and how to contact with questions. That’s my mental checklist. It’s a process."-ConEffe10
It's Not Easier For Vets
"Different perspective here, as I treat animals vs people, and thus I'm not explaining it to the patient itself."
"I usually tell people that we've reached the limit of what is possible and fair as far as curative treatment goes, and outline what they can expect as far as progression of disease and palliative care options."
"And, as I'm treating in a realm where this is a legal option, I also discuss what euthanasia entails and discuss at what point it will be warranted."-Moctor_Drignall
The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most
"We knew my mum was dying and that she didn’t have long. It was one of her nurses on the ward, clocking off her shift just before 2 days off. She knew she wouldn’t see her again."
"She hugged me, and hugged my mum, and told her that it had been a pleasure to care for her. We stepped outside and cried together and it was in that moment I knew. She passed the next morning, about 12 hours later."-juneradar
Being Straightforward
"Hospice and Palliative care doc here Do it every day I work. I do it with straightforwardness and honestly and compassion. I tell them most of my patients say they aren't afraid to die but are afraid of suffering along the way. Most agree this is how they feel. And I get to assure them me and my teams entire career is committed to making sure that they do not suffer emotionally, spiritually or physically."-Idontsuckcompletely
These Conspiracy Theories Are Easy to Debunk | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
There are some bizarre conspiracy theories out there. Like Australia isn't actually real... seriously? Any conspiracy theory that requires many people to kee...
And it never gets easier, despite its frequency.
It Becomes The Process
"Not a doctor but a nurse. My last job I was the one you didn't want to come talk to you and I got oddly good at it."
"You tell them straight and make sure they understand exactly what you are saying because denial can be a hell of a thing. You don't joke. You be human and be upset too as that gives them permission to break down too."
"You listen and stay as long as they need but not so long that you annoy them. Answer any questions as best you can but don't give false hope. More than anything, be straightforward and be honest. That goes a long way."-rhett342
What An Awful Moment In Time
"They wouldn't tell my Dad. He took me and his sister in to see a CT scan and it looked like he swallowed golf balls the cancer (pancreatic) was everywhere."
"Dad asked about surgery and chemo and the Doctor just said it wasn't really an option. I spent the last two weeks watching Dad get worse and worse. He couldn't sleep, couldn't eat and couldn't get comfortable."
"We managed to get him into hospice the last few days where his girlfriend wouldn't stay in the room with him so I would only leave to grab food from the vending machine."
"I had to tell her he passed. She thought he was getting better. Wouldn't wish pancreatic cancer on anyone."-Auferstehen78
How To Take Care
"It's never easy. You have to be sincere, make sure you don't give false hope but you have the have the people skill. Trying and say something like 'we have exhausted all resources' or 'we have tried all angles,' because it should be true and coming from the heart."
"Be polite and sensitive, not all the way, but to them and the family. Say you're sorry and that you'll try the best to make their time worth. Allow visits as much as you can, send them home, if allowed."
"Make sure you talk to their families and let them know they fought to the end, even if it's not true. Treat the family as you would like to be treated, as the family. It sucks but it's the least to do."-eat_the_canvas
No Lying
"‘I’m not going to lie to you, I don’t lie to my patients. And although this is the first time we are meeting, you are my patient today. You are dying. We will do everything we can to assist you and keep you comfortable. Do you have any questions for me?’ My friend shook his head no. ‘Ok, then, the nurse will be in shortly to….’"
"Doctor left the room and I followed him out as I had questions. My friend was in the last stages of lung cancer that had spread. He passed within three hours. I had so much respect for that doctor. He gave it to us straight, but his voice was full of compassion." – friendofjay
An Observer Weighs In
"Not a DR but saw this on 24 hours in A&E and the person seemed to take it really well…"
“I’m afraid that you are really ill, in fact you are the illest person in Wales right now. We have tried XYZ but unfortunately they haven’t worked, we are going to keep trying whatever we can but there’s a high chance that you may die, so we are going to try and help you with being as comfortable as possible. We have your family here who are going to be by your side, I think it would be a good idea to say your goodbyes. I’m really sorry there isn’t more I can do”
"It was beautiful and the DR was calm, cool but also very moved and clearly very sad."-Hour-Cow-4348
Putting It Bluntly
"i took my mom to the ER in september cause she couldn’t move the right side of her body. they immediately took her into a CT scan and a white coat doctor walked in 30 minutes later, leaned on the counter in front of my moms bed and said 'we found 3 tumors and we think you have cancer”' i don’t remember much after that cause i was in shock and crying, but he basically outlined everything that would be happening from then on and then left the room. she did have cancer and she died a month later"–straightupgong
Being in a profession dealing with people's lives is an upsetting occurrence, and you have difficult things and situations to navigate almost on the daily.
Developing a system might spare you some of the more acute pain of doing the unthinkable.
The world has changed significantly in the last twenty years. Back in the day, you could just step out of the house and be gone all day and no one could contact you unless they were back home or used a payphone.
Nowadays, people expect us to be connected all the time, which is super frustrating in its own way. But it's hard to imagine the world as it was before, right? And it's pretty wild that we just accepted it for so long, that is until technology advanced enough!
Society has changed... for better or worse. People shared their observations after Redditor Silkhide asked the online community,
"What was the most f**ked up thing that was generally accepted twenty years ago?"
"I was knocked out cold..."
"No care or concern for concussions in sports. I was knocked out cold for two minutes on the football field, nobody told me, and when I came to we just resumed the game like nothing had happened."
"I didn’t even know I was out for those two minutes until a year later when people were telling football stories. I thought I had just gotten knocked down and got back up right away. I thought it was weird everyone was making such a big deal about it."
"My first ever depressive episode started almost immediately after that game."
ElbowStrike
Thankfully, knowledge about chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is much more widespread.
"That Oxycontin..."
"That Oxycontin wasn’t habit forming and it was a miracle drug."
jm6398
Required reading: Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, in case you want to feel even more enraged about the ongoing opioid crisis.
"My high school..."
"My high school had an area that we were allowed to smoke. A designated smoking area for kids under 18."
Blitz-99
Ha! That would absolutely be met with shock and horror these days.
"Being at home..."
"Being at home at your TV at a certain time to catch a show, and expecting everyone to leave you alone so you could watch it with no interruptions."
"You could be out with friends and you'd look and say, "Oh, it's 7:30 I got to get home to catch my show!" And nobody looked at you like a strange social outcast."
prelegalalien
Ah, those were the days. The way we had to plan for all of these things, actually plan! Remember TVGuide?
"People dying..."
"People dying of Chronic Myloid Leukemia. 20 years ago it was 100% fatal in less than five years. Now it's treated with a once a day pill with no side effects for most people... miracle science right there."
Mandorrisem
Modern medicine is indeed amazing–and changes lives!
"Female celebrities..."
"Female celebrities and actresses with eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. It's less prevalent now, but dang was it brutal back then."
spicedshrub
These Actors Were Perfectly Cast In Their Roles | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Sometimes an actor comes along that is able to reach the audience on a deeper level. The actor that immediately comes to mind is Robin Williams. Although it ...
Karen Carpenter, anyone?
Talk about an emotionally devastating story.
"There's still a lot of trouble..."
"25 years ago, I had a gym teacher who did not think asthma was a thing and wouldn't let me have my inhaler at hand in class. I walked every mile because I didn't want to die."
"There's still a lot of trouble for the undiagnosed, but tons of physical and mental health issues that were downplayed or outright ignored at least have some kind of support system or protocol now. It's not perfect, but at least we know they're real and are starting to do something."
Pookajuice
A teacher who would have the nerve to mock a student for their disability or health problems today is in for a real wake-up call.
"Nobody said anything..."
"In middle school a student dressed up like an SS Nazi for halloween. Nobody said anything until my choir teacher told him that some people may find it offensive. Teacher was Jewish."
ExplicitTech
Yeah... that sounds like something that would warrant an immediate expulsion.
"I worked in restaurants back then..."
"Sexual harassment in the workplace. It was just starting to become a topic of conversation around the early 2000s but very little progress had been made."
"I worked in restaurants back then and the amount of harassment I and my other female coworkers endured was unreal by today’s standards. We all just learned to laugh it off because no one took it seriously."
dsw1219
Grateful to see the culture change for the better where this is concerned, though there is still so much work to be done.
"People would go to carnivals..."
"People would go in carnivals and shove their face in the same water barrel to grab an apple with their mouth. Completely bonkers in 2021."
iaml3roux
If COVID-19 had a Facebook, it would love, love, LOVE this.
For any of you reading... 2001 was 20 years ago. Take some pills for your back. It might hurt.
Have some observations of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!
