Let's be honest: While many doctors are amazing at their jobs and truly deserve a humanitarian award, there are others who...disappoint.
Out of curiosity, Reddit user u/Thewavesofthesea_2 asked the internet, "What's the most unprofessional thing a doctor has ever said to you?" Here are a few of the top-voted replies that are more than unsettling:
1. "A doctor told my husband, 'I can’t make chicken soup out of chicken shit' regarding a finger injury he had. The doctor wanted to cut the whole tip off. We convinced him to just put a couple of stitches in it. It’s actually quite amazing how well it healed."
2. "I make nerdy accessories for myself. I had on a pendant I made of a certain character when I went to a doctor's appointment. Before examining me, a doctor noticed my pendant and told me about how an actress tied to the franchise caused his sexual awakening."
3. "My friend had just gone through a miscarriage after trying to conceive for a while. Since she was quite young, the doctor asked, 'Well, you didn't really want the baby, right?'"
4. "I have Raynaud's phenomenon, which is basically an overreaction to the cold where the blood vessels in my extremities constrict too much. I brought it up during a routine checkup when I was 17, saying that my hands go deathly white and numb in the cold. The doctor told me it’s all in my head."
5. "Me: 'How do I prevent these back spasms from ever happening again?' Doc: 'You're old and fat. You can't be younger, so be less fat.'"
6. "One time, I went in for a general checkup, and my doctor said, 'Well, everything is fine with you except for that haircut.'"
7. "I got circumcised when I was 16. The next time I saw my doctor for a physical, he examined my penis and kept making comments about how hot it looked after the surgery. Needless to say, I got my father to file a complaint and never went back to see him again. Still makes me feel super gross thinking about it."
8. "I took my 9-year-old daughter to see what was supposed to be a highly respected neurologist at the children's hospital for a consultation about her ADD. First he asked her if she'd ever kissed a boy, and what she would do if a boy tried to kiss her. Then, when I mentioned that I was concerned about her thumb-sucking, he said, 'The boys will like that when she gets older.' We did not continue seeing that doctor."
9. "When I told her I had been suffering badly for 10 months and it had severely impacted every aspect of my life, she said, 'That's not that long; others go 20 years without any relief.'"
10. "I received a head injury at work 11 years ago. The doctor that my employer sent me to said, 'Don't worry, I'm sure your headaches will stop once you get your payout.' I was shocked and still have headaches pretty much every single day."
11. "I had a very traumatic birth with my last baby. Long story short, she was too big, coming out too fast, and she took some parts out with her that she wasn’t supposed to. I had to have emergency surgery to stop the bleeding. The surgery ruined my uterus, and the doctor told me not to conceive again. So I went to make an appointment to get my tubes tied or removed. The new doctor refused to sign off on it because, her words, I was only 22. What if my husband and I divorced, and I found a different man in my thirties?"
12. "'You're not depressed; it's your personality.'"
13. "My husband has an inverted cross tattooed on his back. When seeing a doctor for chronic back pain, he was told the pain he felt was probably his punishment for the tattoo."
14. "While pregnant with my second baby, I started bleeding, so I went to the ER. The doctor examined me, I got an ultrasound, and then we had to wait. Nearly three hours later, he came back and said, 'Good news! It was a positive pregnancy! But there is no heartbeat.'"
15. "'Your breast tissue is extremely dense, which I'm sure your husband enjoys, but it's making it difficult to get a good view.' This was said during an MRI for breast cancer."
16. "When I was 20 years old and suicidal, my mom took me to the doctor to try to get me some help. She asked him what to do when I was really low and struggling. He told her, 'When she has a tantrum, just leave the room for 10 or so minutes and let her calm down.' I'm still livid years later. (But thankfully in a much better place!)"
17. "I went to urgent care after I moved for a job. I needed to get a 30-day refill for an antidepressant because I was having difficulty getting a local doctor quickly. The doctor was friendly enough, asked how long I had been on the meds, asked where I moved from, and what job brought me out here. I explained my situation, told him I had an appointment with a psychiatrist scheduled and just needed something to hold me over. Everything seemed fine. Then he laughed and said, 'Well, I mean, it's not much of a difference if you had to go off the meds. That's just how women are! Crazy! Hahaha! Anyway, here's your script. Enjoy your job!'"
What the most unprofessional thing a doctor has ever said to you? If you're comfortable sharing, let us know in the comments.
Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.