“Unfortunately, many women have experienced being dismissed or not taken seriously by medical professionals. A recent thread on Reddit, started by u/VelvetDreamers, asked women to share their worst experiences with medical professionals who disregarded their concerns simply because they were women. The thread received thousands of comments, each detailing heartbreaking stories. Here are some of the responses:
1. “When I was 12, my appendix ruptured. The primary care physician sent me to the ER for appendicitis. However, the nurse in the ER refused to treat me unless I told her how I got pregnant. I kept insisting that I wasn’t pregnant, but she wouldn’t let anyone else examine me. It took 12 hours until shift change, and the new staff immediately rushed me into surgery.” – Janie Airey
2. “This story is about my late mom. She had breast cancer and had a mastectomy. However, she was never given chemotherapy because the doctors believed they had removed all the cancer. Seven years later, she started experiencing bone pain. Instead of investigating further, she was referred to a psychiatrist for ’empty nest syndrome.’ She never saw the psychiatrist and didn’t go back to the doctor for a year because her pain was dismissed as not real. It turned out the breast cancer had metastasized to her bones. It’s been 43 years, and I’m still not over it.” – u/justgettingby
3. “I found a lump in my breast after giving birth at 33. I went to the doctor, who assured me it was just a milk duct blockage. But the lump didn’t go away, it grew. When I asked for a mammogram, I was denied because the doctor believed I was too young to have breast cancer. I sought a second opinion from a female doctor in the private sector, who immediately arranged an urgent mammography. The results showed cancer, which was later classified as an aggressive triple-negative breast cancer. I’m glad I persisted and got it checked. I’ve been in remission for 11 years.” – u/Yinara
4. “For five years, I had blood in my urine and experienced urgency to urinate. Multiple doctors dismissed my symptoms, attributing them to me being a woman. They assumed it was a UTI because I was sexually active. However, even when no bacteria was found, they still blamed my period. It wasn’t until I had an ultrasound that it was discovered I had been passing kidney stones all along.” – u/Velocirachael
These are just a few examples from the thread, highlighting the dismissive and harmful experiences many women have faced when seeking medical help. It is crucial for medical professionals to listen to their patients, regardless of their gender, and take their concerns seriously. Failure to do so can have severe consequences, as seen in these stories. It’s essential to address this issue and strive for equal and respectful treatment for all patients.”
