Our vulnerability leads us to accept what they have to tell us.
But what happens when our expectations about doctors are suddenly turned upside down because of something they said.
Strangers shared their off-putting experiences when Redditor MCKlassik asked:
"What’s the most unprofessional thing a doctor has ever said to you?"
As if these patients hadn't suffered enough anxiety, their heart rates increased following these rude interactions.
Bullied
'Heart surgery is an out-patient procedure.'
"My insurance companies board certified doctor on justifying why no intensive care or recovery would be authorized."
"In the end, at least on paper my unconscious self, with multiple chest drain plugs and on oxygen had to be wheeled out onto the curb, then wheeled into ER and readmitted on account of being in critical condition after heart surgery."
"Blue Cross really upped the ante on bullying me into dying instead of going though the bother of trying to live without bankrupting myself."
– Foxbatt
Evil Descriptor
"Had a bad head injury when I was a kid (12 or 13) and saw a bunch doctors trying to figure out what was wrong. Got a little snippy with one of them over something I don’t even remember. Pulled up the medical record years later and she referred to me as a 'child of the devil' in her report. Had to make some phone calls to get that 'diagnosis' removed from my record."
– DuckSkrol
Nurse Wretched
"Not a doctor but a nurse."
"And it just happened recently."
"I was hospitalized with due to a pretty bad car accident. Unfortunately due to the surgery and general trauma while I could feel the urge to urinate I could get the muscles to relax so I could urinare on my own. For the first day they were just doing in an out catheters whenever I said'"hey I got to piss and I can't please help' it was uncomfortable but I managed till I got to the night nurse."
"Told her at 8:30, hey need help with this, she does a bladder scan says 'not enough urine right now,' 10:30 rolls around and I tell her again and she's like I did the bladder scan you're fine, 12:30 'I did the bladder scan at 10 its not enough urine' so now she lies to me."
"I finally get her to do the catheter at 4 in the morning where she proceeds to take out 1.3 liters of urine out of my bladder"
– jayjude
Abandoned
"It wasn't what was said, but I did have an appointment where the doctor just never showed up. I was in the examination room for about 45 minutes when an MA walked in and asked me what I was doing there. When I said I was waiting for the doctor, 'the doctor already left! We're closing.' Instead of calling the doctor back they made me schedule another appointment. I found a new office instead."
– quafflefalafel
Confidentiality Breach
"Not to me, but about me. I went to see the family doctor over a minor thing. I was an adult at the time, and didn't tell my parents because they freak out about anything medical-related. My mother went to see him a few weeks later and he told her I'd been to see him. I was so angry."
– peon47
Pediatrician's Analysis
"Pediatrician looked at our toddler, standing with a swayback (lordosis) posture, then without considering anything else turned to my wife and said, 'she stands like that because you baby her too much.'"
"That was only our first clue that the doctor was a f'king moron."
– rhesusfecespieces
The Neurologist's Recommendation
"I took my mom to see a neurologist as her PCP suspected she had Parkinson’s. After waiting almost an hour, the neuro came into the room, took a look, told us she had Parkinson’s, then told us to watch some YouTube videos describing what Parkinson’s was, then left the room. The whole encounter was under a minute."
"[Edit This seems to have struck a nerve, so I added some info:"
"Yes, I’m in the US. Bad clinicians can be anywhere, so I don’t think this apathy is due to location. He was also private practice."
"We found a much better neurologist who has been treating Mom."
"Yes, they still charged insurance. Mom is on Medicare, so it didn’t become crippling debt."
"I did not report the doctor because I just didn’t have the bandwidth.]"
– sesamesnapsinhalf
Consultation Fail
"During a consultation told me he refused to consider a surgery on the basis that he has the same condition and can exercise just fine."
"He then proceeded to actually tell me I didn't need to pursue physical wellness as I looked okay, 'Especially compared to the average person from your town, you know?' with a wink. Iike bruh you have me leave work to drive an hour to refuse to help me out and then insult my hometown."
"I disputed the $300 consultation bill on the premise that there was no service given and they dropped it."
– RONINY0JIMBO
These women shared their uncomfortable moments in the examination room.
Unsettling Assessment
'"i went to the doctors' to get my breasts checked (he basically just held and caressed them in a manner he wouldn't have had a chance to feel anything potentially dangerous) and due to them causing me a lot of physical pain i asked him about my options regarding breast reduction surgery. he got visibly angry and told me to never even think about it, and called them 'beautiful and tender.' he was well in his 50s and i was 18-19. i paid like 50 dollars for master roshi to ignore my health issues and make me find another doctor who actually wanted to help people."
– bratsbane
A Little Humor
"Unprofessional, but funny. I had taken my 92 year old mother to a recheck appointment to her PCP."
"An apparently new medical assistant was dutifully getting her history by reading off a checklist. When she asked when Mom's last period was, I looked at Mom a little nervously: she was VERY old school, very dignified and would typically never acknowledge to her sons that she had female parts."
"I saw a rare twinkle in Mom's eyes as she calmly replied, 'well, I can't give you an exact number of months, but I'm pretty sure it was sometime in the late 1960s.' The assistant had the good grace to laugh with us, apologize, then read the next question."
"do you think you might be pregnant?"
– jakobedlam
Some doctors are terrible at trying to make patients feel better.
Doctor Had Questions
"Had a doctor ask me why it took so long to come in for a UTI, I said I just got insurance, haven’t had money, taking care of my kids first. She said rather flippantly 'You some kind of martyr? Did you leave your cross outside?'”
– mmsdiscard
Just Fatigue
"You're not depressed, you don't look sad. You must just be tired!"
"Here, take these sleeping pills, but don't take them all at once!"
– Nicxll
Not Onboard The Fitness Journey
"I had a doctor comment on how I’ve lost weight (fine, I get that), but when I told him I started going to a gym he told me not to try to build muscle because it will just turn to fat someday anyway 😳"
– FkMyWorkLife
Too Much Faith
"I was looking for a surgeon for my gallstone operation and he asked what meds I was on. I mentioned my antidepressants and he started saying I didn't need to take them I just needed to pray. I was pissed and replied 'I guess I'll just pray my gallstones away too then.' Needless to say, I went with a different surgeon."
– maggyta10
Imagined Pain
"When I was 21 I dislocated my shoulder and it continued to hurt for weeks. Went to a specialist, he suggested the pain was all in my head! After an MRI he realized I had a SLAP tear in my shoulder, so I said, looks like it's not all in my head, and he looked at me with such contempt, I never went back to that a**hole."
– feral_philosopher
Lacking Faith
"My mum had some symptoms that resulted in a scan of her brain. It sort of looked like she might have a tumor or water on the brain or something."
"When giving her the results the doctor said, 'Maybe this is God's way of saying it's time.'"
"My Mum, who was in her 50s at the time, went absolutely off on them - God has nothing to do with this etc."
"Turns out she was fine. Symptoms were related to something else, and the ambiguous scan results could have been machine or human error."
– queenirv
Unfounded Claim
"Grown ups can't be autistic."
– LannisterZ94
"What did they think happens when autistic children grow up??"
– imawriterokay
While everyone has varying levels of rapport with a primary care provider, the last thing a patient needs to hear is that they're overreacting when they're genuinely concerned about their health.
A little care in the care profession could go a long way.
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Seriously, read the room.
Curious to hear from those who were put off by ignorance, Redditor LaunchesKayaks asked:
"What's the most out of touch thing you've heard a person say?"
Never assume, is a concept that was lost on these people mentioned, below.
Clueless Employer
"Recently got a new job that paid double what I used to make. When I resigned my former boss told me money isn't everything lol. I was only making minimum wage before"
– HotPotato7915
Seasoned Traveler
"Had a friend in dental school who grew up in the rich suburbs north of Detroit. We were talking about traveling (she was going to Thailand for spring break) and she said 'I’d be surprised if most people hadn’t travelled to at least 20 countries.' I told her I’d be surprised if most people had ever left the US at all."
A Parent's Burden
"When a guy was upset his wife was making him 'babysit' their infant too much, so he and his mom told her there’d be no more going out. He said him going out all the time was different than her going out, and when asked for clarification he said because she’s better at changing diapers and getting the baby to sleep. It truly blows my mind that there are morons out there who think taking care of their own children is babysitting."
– therewillbehints
Bad Priorities
"My old neighbours didn't see the point of taking their kids (3 and 6/7) to the playground nearby, or anywhere for that matter, because he 'found it boring.' The 2 kids spent every day in the house infront of the TV."
"Why would we go to the playground? I find it boring."
– Tabby_Tibs
A CEO's Problem
"During a break room discussion on how one of my co-workers was having to go on food stamps because the job didn't pay enough, the new CEO who for the first (and last) time decided to have lunch in the break room, dropped this gem:"
"Yeah, I know what you mean. We had to let our second nanny go."
"Really Cheap" Bargain
"My boss told me that the leasing of our company car is ending and I could buy it for really cheap if I want it. 'Really cheap' meant 20.000€ for him. He pays me 750€ a month (im still in training thats why its so little) and I live on my own and have a car, so basically I'd have to work about 2 years for this 'really cheap' car without spending a cent on anything."
– Wursti96
Thanks, But No Thanks, Gwyneth
"We're human beings and the sun is the sun--how can it be bad for you? I don't think anything that's natural can be bad for you." —Gwyneth Paltrow, 2013
"Let's say I get bitten by a rattlesnake. I shouldn't be worried; the venom's natural, isn't it?"
"Just a note: she was saying this because she thought that the sun couldn't possibly be bad for you! 15 minutes of sun a day should be healthy for anyone! Pure, radioactive sunlight! No SPF!"
– emriverawriter
Logic Without Traction
"If you can't afford gas, buy an electric vehicle."
– Gogo726
Some statements are so outrageous, there ought to be consequences.
What In The World?
"'Africa is a country.' In front of an Ethiopian who insisted that Africa is a continent..."
– LumiWang
Racist Grandma
"Grandma/mom called her 2 mixed great grandkids '2 n-words in the wood pile' and she wonders why they and my sis don't visit her."
– fqtsplatter
Speaking From His Experience
"The most unusual thing I heard from my friend is that he seriously thinks that menstruation doesn't exist."
– gaySaipan
Ohio's Mayor Feared This
"That allowing ice fishing shacks would then give rise to prostitution."
– Scottybobby33
Two Toxic Options
"Love it when toxic people tell you that you have to get used to or deal with their toxicity."
– alleekatz
These are the last things people want to hear when in mourning.
A Study Of Contrasts
"My dad just died about a month ago. My company gave me 4 days unpaid off. I was really close to my father so this was hard for me to deal with. My pay cheque was enough to pay bills, but I had to buy my groceries on credit card to get by. My bosses brother in law died the following week. All he talks about is how hard this is on his wife. Between the stress of her brother dying, and the reno on there million dollar cabin he's taking his whole family to Hawaii for 10 days this month to try to deal with there grief. Mean while I'm pricing urns out on Amazon to try to save money, trying to sell my dads tools to help my mom, working full time and taking care of a toddler."
– candy_15
Not Something To Hear In Grief
“'Aren’t you a bit too old to have a grandma?' A neighbor when I told her my grandma just passed away."
– SadNAloneOnChristmas
platitudes
"I'm so sorry for your loss. Hang in there. Also, your boss is a dick."
– SpareToothbrush
Those who are completely self-unaware tend to be so out of touch, it's a wonder how they have assimilated into their respective communities.
Usually, it's not worth the headache to confront these people who can't see beyond anything that is relevant to their world.
Would you put these tone-deaf individuals in their place?
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Redditor promisedjoy wanted to discuss music of the past that has really left us with some problems, so they asked:
"What song lyric didn’t age well?"
Let's begin with our National Anthem.
Oof, there are lyrics people don't know enough about that really need some editing or complete deletion.
That's gonna be a battle.
Numbers Matter
"Age ain’t nothing but a number." ~ Lovingnature412
"Background for those who aren't aware, but 'Age Ain't Nothing but a Number' was written for Aaliyah (the singer) by someone called... R. Kelly. And yes, that's the same R. Kelly that was all over the news a few months back due to his trial for various sexual offences (including those involving minors) a few months back and has now been convicted."
"But did you know that Kelly was not only in a relationship with Aaliyah herself, but illegally married her when she was still just fifteen? (The marriage was later annulled). So yeah. 'Did not age well,' indeed." ~ IllegalTree
Yeah, anything R. Kelly needs a scrap.
Who even thought that was a good idea?
Did nobody really... nevermind.
What a mess.
She & Him...
"In October 2016 the group She & Him released a Christmas album that features a cover of a song called 'Must Be Santa.' In the song they list the names of several US Presidents. Since the album came out before the election they made an assumption that Hillary Clinton would win (like most everyone else) so she was included in the list. Obviously that didn’t pan out." ~ stickingitout_al
Ruuuuunnnn!!!
"Young girl, get out of my mind. My love for you is way out of line. Better ruuuuun girl, you're much too young girl!" ~ chicagowago
"Back in the 60's, pop songwriters were aiming flatly and squarely at the teen market and were writing songs that would appeal to them. In hindsight they got some of them badly wrong, but at the time nobody thought anything about it at all." ~ Scallywagstv2
Sad
"'To everyone to sell me drugs, don't mix it with that bullcrap I hopin' not to join the twenty seven club' Mac Miller. Painful to listen to." ~ SmackMymelons
GiphyDisgusting!
"I' don't care if you're just 13, you look too good to be true. I just know that you're probably clean. There's one lil thing I've got to do to you."
"Followed later by: Wait a minute officer, don't put the cuffs on me. Put them on her, and I'll share her with you.'" ~ BraveLittleToaster77
“'Jailbait' byTed Nugent." ~ BraveLittleToaster77
Not so Fresh
"I believe 'dark skin aunt Viv love' is referring to the original actress for Aunt Viv, in Fresh Prince of Bel-air. To continue the reference, Cole says 'that Jada and that Will love' referring to Jada Pinkett and Will Smith being (at the time) happily married with 3 kids."
"The aging like milk part of it is that Jada cheated on Will, and I don't believe they're together anymore. I also heard that Will also cheated, but I barely heard that compared to the admittance of guilt from Jada. This is also where the image of Will crying in the chair is from, the interview where they both talked about it all." ~ TeddyR3X
'Storming through'
"I was at a college party a few years ago and live in California. A girl asked me how I was doing: 'I'm storming through this party like my name is El Niño.' She said 'thats not funny, we're in a drought' and walked away." ~ MikeyTMNTGOAT
"Took me a long time to remember that El Nino and La Nina have the opposite effects in the US than they do here. El Nino basically means no rain in Australia, so 'Storming through' would be appropriate for La Nina, not El Nino." ~ BadBoyJH
Nirvana
"'And I swear that I don't have a gun.' Kurt Cobain, Nirvana." ~ ggapsfface
"That was the thing about grunge - all these artists writing songs about suicide and drug abuse because… they were suicidal and abusing drugs. So sad that almost all the grunge icons are all dead." ~ Vegetable-Double
GiphyKurt.
Thank you for the art.
Sometimes it's all too much.
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Bad. Bad. Bad.
best of week kid GIF by CheezburgerGiphyHearing about their kids behaving badly.
My niece is freaking hellish. When things don't go her way, or we ask her a simple question, she flips out and throws a tantrum, and when I told my brother (her father) he also flipped out saying "sHeS jUsT StrOngEd wIlLed." He did this as he bounced on his toes from frustration and claiming I 'can't offend him.'
On the Flip Side.
I'm in the US south and I ma'am and sir pretty much every stranger I come across in the wild. It's just what I've grown up with and is meant as being respectful.
We get a lot of tourists and occasionally I'll ma'am a woman and she'll flip thinking I'm calling her old and if I sir some guy they'll think it's like a sarcastic challenge.
On the flip side, any locals who you don't ma'am and sir will get offended, so I'm in a pickle every tourist season. Living in constant fear of ma'ams and sirs.
Judge and Jury
My roommate always has to tell us the same freaking story any time me and my wife are playing Animal Crossing together. "I used to play that as a kid on the GameCube. Now I just don't get the point."
We get it, you're and adult and are passive aggressively judging us for enjoying things you don't have an interest in. Now go away and let me sell my turnips.
"I don't look that old!"
Excuse Me Judging You GIFGiphyI had a similar problem with a German woman. I was serving drinks in the backstage area of a music festival. I refer to the young woman VIP I'm serving (one of the performers) as "Sie" (2nd person, formal pronoun), because, as far as I am concerned, she is clearly higher status than me in this transaction despite us being about the same age. And she goes off on me because "I don't look that old!" Of course not, but what level of familiarity are you expecting from volunteer bar staff as one of the stars? I'm surprised to be in the same room with half these people, let alone talking to them as equals!
Don't Listen
Seeing people flip out on someone else having a private conversation in another language always confused me. Why are you eavesdropping in the first place?
I've found that the French get huffy if you don't try to speak French, but if you do they'll immediately switch to English and tell you it'll be much easier this way.
thank you....
People who get pissy if you say, "no problem" when they thank you. Some dude, who I imagine must have a very fulfilling life, wrote a whole article about how rude it is to say "no problem" instead of "you're welcome."
Narrow minded....
big brother pop GIF by Big Brother After DarkGiphyWhen you don't like a certain food, movie, TV show or basically have a different opinion.
Bless You
Religious choices or lack thereof. I don't care what religion someone chooses to follow. I am not religious but I live around some devout Christians. I have a neighbor that would always talk to me but since he found out that I am not religious, he has started to ignore me. I don't get why we still can't remain friends. I'm not running around killing, stealing or lying.
be nice
shocked whitney houston GIFGiphyIf you give someone a complement out of the ordinary. Most people don't expect kindness and think you are being sarcastic.
Sad to see that being nice is not expected by people.
Like seriously lady?
I was approached by a customer a long time ago while working retail, and I said, "What's up, how can I help you?" And she went off on some loud, non sensical tirade of my butchery of the english language, and when she concluded her rant, she casually mentions she's an English teacher in HS. Internally I'm sarcastically congratulating her, and just repeat if she needs help with anything. She huffs and complains to my manager, who just politely shines her on.
Like seriously lady? Her rant just made me continue to use my lazy english butchery.
Say Yes.
Not Safe For Work No GIFGiphyWhen you say no to what they asked from you.
Its like when your parents used to ask you to do chores but it isn't like you have the option to say no.
Stand Up.
Standing up for yourself within reason.
People will forever get offended for no longer being able to take advantage of you, and they act like that's the weird part.
People will always be upset when you prevent yourself from being used or abused by them. People who aren't looking to cross your boundaries have no problem with them.
expired since 1971....
Someone just doing their job.
"No, you can't use that coupon that's been expired since 1971"
"I can't believe how rude that cashier was"
Worked in a clothing store that would send $10 off $25 coupons occasionally. For obvious reasons, you can only use them once, so we were told to rip them up and throw them away after scanning them. The anger that would fill the old ladies' faces when I ripped that coupon in half and threw it in the garbage after scanning it was scary. Once, a customer angrily demanded that I give her the coupon back so she could use it again, so I scribbled on it with a black sharpie and gave it to her with a "have a nice day." I really shouldn't be in customer service.
Likes and Dislikes.
james hetfield metal GIFGiphyOthers' tastes and interests.
(Music, video games, movies, etc.)
As a metalhead I get this a lot, but you ain't seen nothing until you get metal elitists talking about other metal!
Sail on By....
Passing them in traffic.
I recently got a car with cruise control and I was able to test a theory I always had. Do people actually go faster when I pass them or do I unconsciously slow down. Now if I think someone is speeding up I put on CC and keep the speed constant and watch people sail past me like their family's honor is on the line.
Age Range.
Asking people what they think then getting upset when people tell them what they think.
I've watched too many dating shows where someone asks "how old do you think I am?" and then gets offended by the response.
You don't have any taste!
I have a friend, and his wife, who pretty much have the attitude of "you have to like (and also not like) the same TV shows, music, movies, hobbies as we do, or else we're going to give you the third degree". They're both super into the comic book movies, I'm not. Not saying they're bad, just not my thing. "What!?!? How can you not like them? They're so good!! You have to watch them!! You don't have any taste!"
Payback.
money how do i do this GIF by OriginalsGiphyAsking to be paid back. I lend you money then suddenly I'm the butthole when I ask for it back.
Then they say "ok, I'll send $100 a month" and then never do it. and still have the gusto to interact with you on social media as if nothing ever happened. istg.
good boy, hey buddy!
safe for work puppy GIFGiphyWhen you get someone's dog's gender wrong. Everyone keeps calling my black lab mix a boy "good boy, hey buddy!" I don't care, but when I got a little fluffy white dog named Tinkles wrong at the park a lady bit my head off. Tinkles is a boy, alright chill.
Subreddits
Food subreddits can be some of the salties subs on this site.
People get so worked up over images of food, especially if that food item slightly deviates from their purist interoperation.
Don't believe me? Make an English breakfast, but instead of normal toast use Texas toast. Also leave out the tomatoes. I guarantee you the comment section will be buttery drama.