#1

If there is a lab or test result I need to base my care around the result, I rely on that result to give me the information to safely care for that person. If the result returned is the opposite of what a person is telling me, I know there is a deep shame, medical-based stigma, or defense mechanism in place for the person receiving care. Medical settings are not safe spaces for everyone. Let people lie. They’re going to do it anyway to protect themselves. It often tells you what you need to know and there is never a reason to shame anyone seeking care.
#2

I told him I was a musician as well. He got all excited and started to talk more about the others in his band. They were none other than The Beatles. He spoke of all of them in present tense, too.
It was a sobering moment. I never would have known he was Schizophrenic if I hadn’t asked him about his hobbies. Not up until that point, anyway. ❤️.
These stories are by no means outside the norm. In 2018, two nationwide surveys of 4,510 US adults were conducted, and eight in ten respondents admitted they have not been forthcoming with their doctors about information that could be relevant to their health.
The people who were more likely to conceal the truth from their doctors were women, younger patients, and those who rated their own health as poor.
#3

#4

#5

Sir, your toes are falling off and your a1c is 14.
Current-day numbers are likely even worse, as the public trust in physicians and hospitals fell from 71.5% in April 2020 to just 40.1% in January 2024, according to another nationwide survey from the United States.
Some doctors reportedly "fire" patients after the first lie they notice. But if we as a society don't address the underlying causes, the cycle of secrecy and poor communication is likely to continue.
#6

Sir your blood alcohol level would k**l a normal man and I can smell you from across the department.
Also you fell over twice trying to stand up.
#7

One day, a Labor and Delivery patient drops in and decides to have her baby. She had no prenatal care. The nurse draws her blood and sends it to the lab. I do a type and screen (Blood type and Rh). We do this on all patients because lab people are paranoid. Patient tests as A Positive; in the computer her history shows B Positive. I send the Phlebotomist to draw her blood because lab people are paranoid. Still A Positive. I dive into the history and, yep, two years previously, I was the one who typed her as B Positive.
This time, I draw her blood (because lab people are paranoid) and let the nurses know there is a blood bank discrepancy, call the physician. We can't give her type specific blood if she needs it, we will have to give her O Negative and start an investigation. (Blood types don't change except for very rare circumstances.)
As I am retyping her for the third time, (still A Positive), the nurse calls me, laughing. Our mama to be was admitted under her sister's name. She had stolen her sister's Medicaid card instead of getting one of her own. She didn't want her folks to know she was pregnant.
#8

#9

I would think in 2025 this would be a thing of the past. You can literally order butt plugs online and have them shipped directly to you with no one knowing. There's no reason to keep sticking household items up there when we have so many things specifically designed to go in a butt.
#10

If a doctor asks to call your loved ones because they're worried about how sick you are, believe them!
#11

The Dr laughed about it and said he assumed they were lying and drunk because they were so sloppy… and it was not said in a funny way, but a demeaning way.
All I could think about was how much I hated that if I were that patient I would hope the Dr would believe me when I said I didn’t drink but that my seeming drunkenness was worrying symptom. It scared me a bit.
#12

#13

"Well, we do have this *potpourri* that is pot scented..."
Listen, for one: no one wants a pot scented air freshener. Two: I don't give a s**t, I just need you to tell me what it was so we can treat your pet. Three: maybe ease back on the w**d so you stop leaving it where your dog (and probably children) have access to it.
#14

#15

Jokes aside, there is nothing wrong with gay or bi, ***and***!!!! nothing wrong with being a straight man who likes toys in the a*s. Please, just use something meant for a**l. Cucumbers are not meant to be put in any hole other than your mouth.
#16

#17

Patient: No
Me: But you're left handed, yeh?
Patient: How did you know that?
Me: You have tar stains on the fingers of your left hand.
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