In the medical field, many times women are dismissed when they complain about aches and pains , despite them actually experiencing discomfort. Many studies showcase that women are oftentimes overlooked and also told that the things they are seeking medical opinions on are “not a problem” and in the end, it turns out to actually be a problem.
Now, women are coming forward to share their stories.
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One woman who had blood in her stool and her urine.
One Reddit user went to the hospital to look into blood in her stool and tons of pains in her stomach. The ER doctor told her originally it’s “normal” to have blood in that area, as it could be “period blood.”
So, she pushed for more testing, despite him wanting to release her. Turns out, her blood cells were abnormal and there was blood in her colon.
It’s definitely not strep.
Grendelbeans shared she went to urgent care for a swollen throat and pain.
A male doctor immediately dismissed the case as just strep. But, her husband asked for a CT scan of her throat. The CT scan actually showed she had an abscess on her tonsils that was very bad and had to be drained.
Why do they always think it’s period blood?
“I was peeing what looked like pure blood. ER was pretty sure I was mixing period blood into the sample. I was not having a period. Urologist then told me it was probably bladder cancer. It was not. It was a lupus attack, but still took awhile to get the right doctor to figure it out,” said Babblelion.
Another woman went to the ER for pain, too.
ownthesea said that they went to the ER with severe stomach pain and crying in the ER waiting room.
A male doctor said it could “just be acid reflux” and nothing to cry about or be concerned about. But, it ended up being pancreatitis.
One woman was having an allergic reaction to a blood transfusion.
A Reddit user said that while receiving a blood transfusion, she was experiencing severe discomfort and alarming pains, so she asked the male nurse if she could be having an allergic reaction (as she has a disease that can cause this).
He dismissed it saying “that’s just how blood transfusions feel.” But, she was having an allergic reaction.
Women also fear going into the ER.
geeky_chickadee said when she had appendicitis, she didn’t even want to go to the ER because she “knew” they would tell her it was period pains or even bad gas.
So, she waited until the pain was so bad she couldn’t take it anymore. The doctor said any later and she would have ended up in the ICU.
One woman has a cyst that was constantly dismissed.
dinchidomi said she had a “big fat cyst” on her left tube, but her doctor thought it was nothing big, maybe have her appendix checked.
She begged him for an echo, which later showed the cyst was blocking all blood flow and she needed emergency surgery.
One woman fought to get her stomach checked and seen.
“I dealt with the same sh*t (ha) when I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. I had to get into a screaming match with the ER doc to get admitted because he didn’t think it was “enough” blood. That was Sunday. I didn’t walk out until Friday. I had a ruptured ulcer,” said another Reddit user.
A teenager who was turned away for medical care.
Calypsoid said at 15, her strep and mono tests came back negative but she was incredibly sick.
One doctor “lost his patience” with her because her throat was “so sore she couldn’t open her mouth.” But, finally, another doctor looked and saw her tonsils were so swollen they needed to be drained.
A pregnant mother who actually had a tumor.
“This happened to me when I was 36 weeks pregnant. I went to the ER and they did some blood work and checked on the baby. Then they told me I had hemorrhoids, “a gift mothers receive from their children.”
Guess what smug ER [expletive], it was a 9cm tumor in my colon,” said another woman.
Some women die after being dismissed.
cokakatta shared that she has a relative that died of liver cancer.
She had gone to see several doctors to get checked nd make sure everything was okay, but her colon cancer spread, and every time she was seen, she was dismissed.
Some doctors are even condescending.
thatoneone said that she had a flare-up all over her lips and she went to the doctor to have it checked out.
He told her she was “clearly” licking her lips too much and she needed to break the bad habit. Later, she found out from another doctor she was severely allergic to her chap sick.
When you’re pregnant, everything is baby-related.
“I found being pregnant means that any and all physical ailments are pregnancy-related and not really concerning as long as baby is doing ok. It took me 6 doctor visits over a month’s time before a doctor ordered an x-ray for my elbow after I fell in the shower and complained I couldn’t use my arm,” said SesameLoris.
It’s not always just about a baby.
gogomom said a doctor dismissed her when she had a severe kidney stone because she had a positive pregnancy test. They told her it was normal baby pain and to use a hot water bottle on her stomach.
“Days later when I was urinating blood and couldn’t sleep or even sit still my primary doctor got me into to see someone, but it was a LOT of phone calls and complaints and seriously pissed me off,” she said.
Some women almost die.
“I almost died from an infected and dead gallbladder. I was told over and over by male doctors it was ‘anxiety and acid reflux.’
It took 6 trips to the ER and my father to get me admitted to the hospital for testing. I had lost 60 lbs in a month. Finally when the right scan was done I was taken into emergency surgery,” said SecondIntermission.
