Recently, u/sydthakidd asked the good people of Ask Reddit: "What was your worst experience at a doctor's office?" Here are some of the most hair-raising responses...
1. "I was laid on my side with my back to the door for a prostate exam. I heard people walk by talking while a finger was in my butt, and realized the door was open."
2. "I was getting a bone density scan, and the doc came in a while later and told me I had osteoporosis. This was not why I was there in the first place, so I was completely surprised. I asked him if I could see the chart, and it was for a 70 year old woman.
I was a 30-something man and he had the wrong chart! Turns out I did not have any issues at all – well, at least nothing bone density related."
3. "A doctor once told me that I didn't need anti-depressants, I just needed to find Jesus and I would be fine."
4. "I thought I had a broken nose. The doc was showing me on a heavy glass X-ray plate that my nose was not broken, but as I was looking up, he dropped the plate on my nose and broke it."
5. "Doc forgot to remove the speculum. I had to call him back as he was leaving the room to get him to remove it. He acted as though I was wasting his time."
6. "The ENT doctor removed a skin cancer from my nose, leaving an ugly scar. Turns out he excised the wrong area and I went to a different doctor to actually remove the cancer."
7. "I went to the doctor because I had pinched my sciatic nerve pushing carts at work. He accused me of having very kinky sex while my gf was in the room. I told him it happened at work, and he assured me he would not judge me if it was from sex. He then gave me OxyContin and told me whenever I needed a refill, I should call him and he'd make sure I had plenty. Very weird."
"The other thing is super mild, but he kept farting. Like, the whole time we were there, he'd fart every few minutes."
8. "Once, while waiting for the dermatologist, I was taken back to an examination room and got really thirsty. I went to the front to ask for water, and on my way back, I walked into the wrong room and saw the doctor and another patient. He was holding the guy's dick."
"I said 'I am SO SORRY', and the guy mumbled 'it's okay' as I raced off. I still feel awful. I mentioned to my bf that I didn’t realize dermatologists inspect dicks, and he was like, 'contrary to popular belief, scientists have found that dicks are in fact covered in skin.'"
9. "Months after a breast lump removal, my breast was still numb. I had the surgeon re-check it in hopes of discovering the reason why. He said he didn't cut any nerves, flicked my nipple, and said 'you're fine.'"
10. "I went to go get blood drawn before surgery and got the needle inserted 13 times in my hands, wrist, and elbow. They still couldn't draw a drop. My mom, who came with me because this was two hours out of the way said, 'can I try?' She got it on the first try."
"For context, my mom used to be a phlebotomist."
11. "I was having a pap smear from a DO that was at least 450lbs, and as he did my exam, he told his nurse that once a bigger lady was having one and the table somehow failed and she fell crotch first right into his face."
"I was overweight at the time and I couldn't believe he'd bring up something so nonchalantly like that. The nurse looked horrified."
12. "I went to the Dr. for 9am appointment. 11am rolls around and I'm still waiting. Then these pharmacy reps come in with pizza. It turns noon and I go up to tell them I have to leave. The receptionist tells me the doctor was very busy this morning and wants to charge me $25. I said, 'not too busy to have pizza with pharmacy reps.'"
"Everyone else waiting collectively gasped. I did not get billed and I never went back!"
13. "I woke up in the ER tied to a bed screaming my husband's name. I had no memory of how I got there or why, but it turns out I had a kidney infection that went septic."
"I didn't even know I had a kidney infection."
14. "In the early '80s, at about 12-13 years old, I was having a tooth repaired that had broken and the guy smoked cigarettes WHILE operating. When they finally took the protective cover off the tooth, it smelled like I had been smoking myself."
15. "When I was 17, I had an infected ingrown toe nail. My paediatrician tried cutting and digging it out with what looked like pliers and bracing his leg against the table. After mucking around for a bit he realized he wasn't going to get it. No numbing gel or anything. Hurt like a mofo."
"Scheduled an appointment with a podiatrist – he numbed it, had it removed in about two minutes, and told me to never see that doctor again."
16. "A psychiatrist once told (teenage) me my problem was boys and I should become a lesbian. Jokes on her, I AM a lesbian but still just as mentally ill."
17. "I was mistaken for a dead kid... I was right across the hall from the kid that passed away, and somehow the staff got our paperwork mixed up and went to inform my parents that I had died!"
"One of the many fuck-ups that hospital made; shit got so bad they had to replace board members, staff, and even changed the name of the hospital."
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.