21 Unprofessional And Inappropriate Things Doctors Have Said To People That Would Leave Anyone Speechless
Recently Reddit user u/MCKlassik asked, "What’s the most unprofessional thing a doctor has ever said to you?"
Fox
I was not ready for some of the things that came out of these doctors' mouths, and I'm sure you'll be just as appalled. Here are the wildest stories:
1."When I was 8 years old, I was at the dentist for a cleaning. He mentioned that I had a frenulum under my tongue, which is a small, unneeded extra piece of tissue that attaches the tongue to the bottom of the mouth. He said that he could remove it. His reasoning being that my future girlfriends would appreciate it if I had a more mobile tongue."
2."My mom 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 mom, who was in her 50s at the time, went absolutely off on them and how God has nothing to do with this. Turned out she was fine. The symptoms were related to something else, and the ambiguous scan results could have been machine or human error."
3."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, and then left the room. The whole encounter was under a minute."
4."After an appendectomy, I had a follow-up. Instead of inspecting the incisions on the table like normal, he grabbed my hips and looked down my pants. He said, 'Everything looks really good..., especially that bottom one,' then winked at me. The bottom one is just above my genitals. Turned out the top two were infected."
5."I came in for an STD screening after a one-night stand. I didn't have one, and after the test, the doctor said, 'If you were this worried about having an STD, I'd stop fucking so many people.' I had sex with one person. One night. I got one STD check, and I got slut shamed."
6."I went into the doctors with a very painful UTI. The doctor said if I wore a skirt as short as I did in these temperatures, there's no wonder my 'lady area is suffering from a cold.' She said I needed to go home, change, and wrap a blanket around myself to warm it up. She reluctantly agreed to do a urine sample, which showed up blood and a lot of protein. She gave me some antibiotics after much debate and gave me the most judgmental look as I walked out."
7."I went to a university gynecologist when I was 19 because I was experiencing everyday breakthrough bleeding for weeks. He asked when the last time I had sexual intercourse was, and when I told him it was a few days before the appointment, he said with disgust, 'Euuhh, your boyfriend doesn’t mind that?'"
8."A doctor once examined me for a genital area irritation. He sent away samples for tests. While waiting a few days for the results to come back, he told me I had herpes. I had been with my wife for 10 years at that point. Imagine the next few days where my wife and I go off on each other for giving the other one herpes. Imagine the strain that puts on marriage with all the implications and accusations. It turned out I had a bladder infection."
9."Pediatrician looked at our toddler, standing with a swayback (lordosis) posture, and then without considering anything else, they 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 fucking moron."
10."My doctor said grown-ups can't be autistic."
11."During a consultation, a doctor told me he refused to consider a surgery on the basis that he has the same condition as me, and he just exercises to deal with the condition. He then proceeded to actually tell me I didn't need to pursue physical wellness as I looked OK, 'Especially compared to the average person from your town, you know?' with a wink. Like, 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."
12."The doctor told me if I wanted to pursue treatment and get a spot on the ward, I'd need to shave all my hair off. It's noting that the treatment had nothing to do with my head. She had no bedside manner at all and was rude to the other medical professionals. I told the nurse I was having doubts about agreeing to stay on the ward, but she convinced me to give it a try. The first thing the doctor greeted me with that first day was, 'Hi, remember me? I'm that doctor you hate.' What the hell kind of way is that to talk to someone sick and mentally distressed?"
13."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 and that 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."
14."I went to see the family doctor over a minor thing. I was already an adult at the time and didn't tell my parents because they freaked 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 fucking angry."
15."I had a doctor comment on how I’d lost weight, 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."
16."I had a bad head injury when I was a kid (12 or 13) and saw a bunch of doctors trying to figure out what was wrong. I got a little snippy with one of them over something I don’t even remember. She pulled up the medical record years later, and she referred to me as a 'child of the devil' in her report. I had to make some phone calls to get that 'diagnosis' removed from my record."
17."My psychologist at a mental health clinic on an Air Force base said, 'I honestly don't know what to do with you,' and proceeded to never schedule a follow-up appointment again. I was 19 and diagnosed with clinical depression. The dude had a PhD in what to do with me. If he couldn't handle me breaking under the stress of college, then I really wonder what the hell he tells veterans."
18."I was weirdly sick for days, so we went to a walk-in clinic. After a couple of tests, the doctor walked in and asked, 'Who manages your diabetes?' I replied, 'Wait, I have diabetes?' She rolled her eyes at me and said, 'Well, you're in your 30s; this is what happens when you get old. Don't worry, the diabetes will take about 30 years to kill you. That's not bad for a man."
19."During a gynecological appointment, my male gynecologist, prepping me for an exam, began dousing my vagina with the lubricant they use and told me, 'We just need to marinate it first.' This seemed a little inappropriate, but I have to be honest, it gave me a good laugh."
20."I went to the doctors' to get my breasts checked (he basically just held and caressed them in a manner where 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 into his 50s, and I was around 18 or 19. I paid like $50 for him to ignore my health issues and make me find another doctor who actually wanted to help people."
21.And lastly, "My mom was working in the garden, and a dog startled her. She nearly cut off one of her fingers. The doctor at the hospital told her, 'Meh, housewives don‘t need five fingers.' The finger was reattached but was stiff for many years. I wonder to this day if that is because of the unprofessional attitude of this man."
Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
