#1
I had a grapefruit sized uterine tumor.
“The best thing for your joints is for you to lose weight”
I have RA.
Basically if you are a fat lady, be prepared to have any and all symptoms dismissed as a weight problem.
#2
Well now I feel like an idiot so I don’t push and just leave, another week and it’s getting worse. In desperation I call my Oncologist who really wasn’t involved at this point since I was in remission but no one else would listen to me and I knew he would.
I go see him and he immediately has me admitted to ER, the next morning I was diagnosed with blood clots on my jugular vein and my vena cava.
#3
"I'm sorry. You'll never make it as a gay man.".
Medical profession is considered to be one of the most trustworthy in the world, but even healthcare workers face challenges.
“Modern medicine is deeply uncomfortable with uncertainty. When a patient’s symptoms don’t follow a tidy textbook narrative, some doctors respond by shutting the conversation down instead of leaning in,” Dr Sarah Fraser, a general practitioner in Nova Scotia, Canada, tells Bored Panda.
“Add rushed appointments, burnout, and rigid hierarchies, and dismissal becomes a coping mechanism,” she adds.
#4
This definitely isn’t the worst, but it was the first, so most memorable.
I went to the ER because I had a sudden onset of severe nausea and abdominal pain that hadn’t subsided in two weeks. I was 13F curled up in the fetal position with my entire body literally quivering from how much pain I was in.
After waiting hours the ER doctor came in. Looked at me. Didn’t exam me. Called me a “nervous ninny” and said I just had anxiety. Before even asking any questions.
We eventually found out I had an intestinal birth defect that has gone undiagnosed. It had caused multiple partial obstructions. Blood flow to my intestine was also compromised so by the time I had surgery my intestinal lining was sloughing off and I was pooping out fleshy chunks.
So yeah. Clearly I was just being over dramatic.
#5
I instantly realized that something was bad. My doctor of 25 years had left a message to call him before I even made it home.
Shockingly, the cancer was almost all encapsulated, so I had surgery, 4 rounds of chemo and took cytoxin for a year. Im 15 years cancer free.
#6
The term medical gaslighting has become more popular in recent years after people started sharing their stories online about how doctors minimized or ignored their symptoms.
"Medical gaslighting is when a patient’s lived experience is minimised to protect the clinician’s sense of control. The thing is, I think that often, it's not even a conscious process,” says Dr Fraser.
She says it’s common for patients to hear things like “it’s just anxiety,” “your tests are normal,” or “you’re focusing on it too much.”
#7
Its one of the funniest things I've ever heard. She apologized next session, but no apology needed. I loved it.
#8
Turns out it was Legionnaire's disease. I managed to soldier through it on my own sleeping in a recliner so I could breathe, but mom spent a month in the hospital and nearly died. She has permanent lung damage from the incident.
Needless to say we both dumped that doctor after that. Turns out he had a bad reputation for discounting women's complaints because he felt we tend to exaggerate our symptoms.
#9
I came in for pelvic pain, fever, and I was 16 and weighed 105 pounds.
He was going to do a physical exam but stopped because he saw stretch marks and decided weight was my problem.
I was in the ER the next day for infection in my uterus that required a 2 week hospital stay and IV antibiotics.
Medical gaslighting makes you feel like you can’t trust your own body.
“I see this pattern repeatedly in general practice, particularly among patients with chronic, complex, or invisible conditions. Some that come to mind are fibromyalgia, concussions, long COVID or endometriosis,” says Dr Fraser.
#10
Ftr, he is 18 now and he is a cyclist and a hiker. He also skateboards, does a little rock-climbing, has done a via ferrata course, kayaks, and has gone caving. Growing up he did gymnastics, parkour, 5 years of special needs AYSO, cross country, and he passed the swimming unit at school. So f**k you very much, Dr.
#11
#12
She was already extremely body conscious so this caused her to stop eating which, in her condition, was non-optional.
Her doctor booked her a consult with a nutritionist. I guess the nutritionist didn’t look at her patient notes as to why we were there.
We show up. My sister’s in shorts. The nutritionist says “Wow. Those shorts are very short. Brave, at your size.”
If the nutritionist had been a man I would’ve probably knocked him unconscious.
It can really change how you feel about yourself and your body if a doctor dismisses your concerns, and it can also delay diagnosis.
“Many begin to second-guess their pain, apologise for taking up space, or stop seeking care altogether. I’ve had patients tell me the most damaging part wasn’t the illness itself, but being made to feel dramatic, difficult, or delusional for asking for help,” Dr Fraser notes.
She says it makes patients not want to access the healthcare system anymore due to repeated trauma from medical gaslighting.
“This delays care and getting a diagnosis even more, which is so detrimental to patient health.”
#13
Edit: She survived. She’s almost 40 now, totally healthy and hasn’t had a reoccurrence since she was in her 20s.
#14
#15
"You have a condition."
"What is it called?"
"What do you want it to be called?"
Turns out that his exposure to agent orange in Vietnam caused him to develop something akin to MS in his 60s. Before then, no doctor had seen it before, but more and more Vietnam vets are showing it these days.
Studies show that gender, race, and age also affect how patients are treated or how frequently their symptoms are dismissed.
Dr Fraser says women’s symptoms are still more likely to be minimized or framed as psychological rather than physical.
"Medicine has not fully confronted its sexist history, where women were labelled emotional, unreliable, or ‘hysterical,’" she explains.
"These biases compound even further for queer, trans and gender-diverse people, people of colour, and those with disabilities. This isn’t about a few bad doctors — it’s about a healthcare system that was never designed to listen equally," she adds.
#16
#17
#18
I no longer see that doctor.
If your doctor refuses to take you seriously, experts suggest keeping detailed records of your symptoms, reports and medications.
“Patients shouldn’t have to work this hard to be believed, but preparation can help,” says Dr Fraser.
Writing symptoms down, explaining how they affect daily life, and asking clear, direct questions can shift the dynamic, she adds.
“If something doesn’t sit right, trust that instinct. Good medicine is collaborative, and seeking a second opinion isn’t a failure — it’s an act of self-respect. Patients can also bring a support person with them or ask if they can record the conversation,” she advices.
#19
#20
