Frustrated with Doctors' Lack of Concern

Hear me out. This genuinely only really happens to afab people. It's rare to hear about it from anyone else

Ugh, yes. I’ve been very fortunate to have found several doctors on my care team that do care a lot—but it’s been a process to get there. I remember going to the ER when I was 20 years old, and 8 weeks pregnant with severe abdominal pain. I waited 7 hours to have my VITALS checked, as soon as they did that, I got a room. I had kidney stones so bad that I was minutes away from becoming septic. They acted like it was my fault for downplaying my symptoms. What?!

I wonder what it would look like in a world where more funding was given to mental health care and it was free / more accessible to everyone and also talked about it more from the time we were kids I think about this so much and I’m glad I’m not alone.

I hate how this is something normal that all chronic/mental ill people face, at least once. it’s become so normalized that when we get taken serious and our concerns are being heard, we’re shocked and not used to it. I’ve had so many times when doctors didn’t listen to me. when they told me to take ibuprofen, put me on birth control, sent me home without doing something, or gave me a lazy excuse without actually asking me questions. I hate how we all have to deal with this

went into my doctor to talk about my concern about having ehlers danlos: completely shut down because “you dont have stretchy skin, so im not concerned”

I went to a vascular specialist yesterday who acknowledged that I had bad varicose veins and then refused to examine them or spend more then 2 minutes in the room because I was “to young” to have any problems so it’s “probably nothing to worry about till I’m older”

Yes! My old Rheumatologist didn't even do an exam, before saying "it's all in your head, you're just making it up because you don't want to grow up and get a job." Because I'm 18 and had rapid onset symptoms. Then we found a different Rheumatologist (who is 5-6 hours South of me, I live in a huge area). When I went with my parents a few months later, I was diagnosed with POTS, Sjogren's Syndrome, and Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (probably progressing to RA or Lupus). I'm thankful I'm on the path to finding a treatment that works, but at the same time I'm pissed at the doctor for shrugging me off when I have 3 severe co-morbidies during the pandemic, and I live in the US, which made it even worse and more terrifying for me.

I've been laughed out of the ER so many times, I just don't go anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if I have a serious event one day- like a heart attack or stroke- and think its just a normal everyday symptom. Shits terrifying.

YES! One of my old docs kept saying my symptoms were normal because I was a “growing, developing girl”. I was 11. He always played off my symptoms as a byproduct of puberty, and would say it was anxiety or something I made up when I would try bringing up my neurological symptoms from a medication I was on. Needless to say I found a female doctor after that and I’m never going back.

My Dad was convinced his collarbone was broken, so he went to the doctor. Because he wasn’t very swollen (he rarely swells when injured)… the doctor didn’t think he needed an x-ray. He had to repeatedly ask for one, until the dr. finally gave in. When the results came back, it was indeed broken.

I had one that actually listened to me and then she moved away. And the worst part was she didn’t tell me. Good ones are out there but they are very hard to find

You know your body more than anyone. Be pushy if your instinct is saying to be. I ignored myself for so long, thinking I’m talking to the expert, they would know better than me. But I look back on wasted years with anger now

I’ve had a really RA bad flare up the past 5 months because my doctor didn’t believe me that I was in pain… I showed him my rashes, kept track of my fever, and my ankle was the size of a balloon but he still wouldn’t give me my immunosuppressant… I’m so behind now because of him and I have months of physical therapy I have to do before my ankle can be strong enough to properly support my weight again… (and he wouldn’t believe me because I have a history of depression!!)

YES doctors are mean for no reason

absolutely

one time i visited my doctor and he talked about my weight gain for 30 minutes despite me saying i was insecure about it and having history of ED.. then sent in my medicine and sent me home.

Yes… 100%.