Doctor stories: What are your experiences with diagnoses?

Honestly, did anyone actually read what I wrote? It feels like they didn't—because apparently, I’ve come across as cold and selfish. That wasn't my intention at all. I never suggested that doctors are gods who demand absolute subservience or constant bowing and scraping from everyone else.
Or, to put it in internet terms... you're reading way too much between the lines. Please don't force me to go back and bold every single positive thing I've ever posted just to prove a point—there isn't a massive surplus of them, as I rarely post anything particularly glowing. But let's be clear: I haven't trashed any other profession, nor have I been placing physicians on a pedestal. You all seem to have perceived my posts as some grand tribute to doctors, and frankly, I'm starting to wonder who's actually losing their grip on reality here.
If you truly interpreted my comments as an attack on other professions or a claim that doctors are the only people who matter in this world, then there's nothing I can do to help you. I will say this, though: if you think you're "reading between the lines," you've managed to misread everything completely wrong.

The core argument of my posts remains the same: there needs to be mutual understanding and respect between patients and doctors. But let’s be realistic—when a terrified parent rushes in with a sick child, you need time to de-escalate the situation (if you can even manage that) and actually explain things. Too often, people expect immediate miracles, demanding their specific case be solved right this second. That's when the friction starts—doctors get labeled as cold, unfeeling robots, while patients are dismissed as difficult or unreasonable. No offense intended—I’m simply describing how people perceive one another in those high-stress moments.
The real issue here is a breakdown in communication and a total lack of tolerance on both sides.
In my view, this is the fundamental problem, and it isn't something that can be fixed easily—certainly not as quickly as everyone seems to want.

Go ahead, tear my argument apart—I know someone will inevitably misinterpret what I've said, regardless of my actual wording. I’m genuinely curious to see how you all react...

I’ve gone through every single post here, including yours... Honestly, I don't have the energy to reread everything again, but we really ought to take a moment and ask ourselves why we were all lined up and taking the heat here in the first place.

Even though you're hinting between the lines that you actually care—that you realize there are issues and that doctors can be a mixed bag—you're still making way too many excuses for them... Look, I get it, people protect their own... but you need to step back and look at the bigger picture for once.

They're underpaid—fine, that's a fact, but we're all
working our tails off day and night—true, but they aren't doing it for free. We all work hard. That's just how life is today; it isn't right, but... plenty of other professions are grinding from sunrise to sunset just to scrape by on minimum wage. That doesn't give anyone the right to take it out on someone else, especially on the very people who sustain their livelihood. Their salaries are significantly higher than the average in the US. I don't think we can even attempt to compare our situation to what's happening overseas.
They have their own private struggles too—we all do, but those are private matters. No matter how hard we try to leave our home lives at the door, sometimes things fall apart. But does that give us the right to lash out at someone?? Or to misdiagnose a patient repeatedly? Or to withhold vital information because we're having a bad day?

..........

I can understand that maybe a generation or two ago—I don't know, 15 or 20 years back—maybe they didn't fully grasp what they were signing up for when they headed to med school. But nowadays, everyone knows exactly what it means to study medicine and then commit your entire life to this profession—especially if you have a family member working within our healthcare system---> e then you seriously cannot tell me they didn't know what they were getting into.

I’m trying to stay optimistic ---> maybe things will actually improve in 15 to 20 years.

I know exactly what I signed up for—trust me, I don't need a lecture on it.
My mom was reading through some of your posts and she was just 😲
She honestly couldn't believe how someone—I can't even recall the names right now—could spew so much vitriol about me (calling me heartless, selfish, etc.) when they don't actually know me. Look, you can't do that; you don't know my life. It says a lot about someone's upbringing when they behave this way. I haven't said anything remotely like that about anyone else.
I defend my own. Like I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I’m speaking up on behalf of those who still maintain a sense of decency and class.
But no, you all insist on painting me as if I'm defending everyone indiscriminately. Don't make me go back and highlight the parts where I explicitly asked you not to lump everyone into one messy pile.
And beyond that, I've already stated that people don't have a free pass to take their frustrations out on others—there's no excuse for it. But you know how it goes... forgiveness? That's easy for you to say. The reality is that no matter how much you want to change certain jerks, even the most powerful force in the world won't do it. So, you might as well just accept it.

It feels like I’ve been singled out here—I could start listing the reasons why—and while you might disagree, I believe I have a point to make. Perhaps it’s just difficult for some to admit, but I have a certain knack for complicating things (you can tell by what’s attached; honestly, I doubt this thread would have lasted more than two pages if I hadn't weighed in). At the end of the day, someone has to stand up for the medical profession, and I am doing so with everything I've got. But somehow, the heat always finds its way to me—likely because nobody else has been quite as contrarian, making me the easiest target to shut down. Though, you have to admit, I'm pretty resilient—and I can be a bit blunt when necessary (which is also evident in the attachments)

But I’d rather not, simply because that isn't my true nature, regardless of how it may have appeared

It’s honestly pathetic when people start screaming at parents who rush their kid to the ER in the middle of the night because they’ve got a 104 fever... But you know what else is pathetic? When parents drag their kid in at 3 AM just because they’re feeling "a little nauseous." The kid hasn't even thrown up once! Or when someone who's been under the weather for four days shows up at 2 in the morning claiming they "just couldn't take it anymore"... or showing up to the urgent care wing because they "don't want to deal with the crowd in the morning." Look, urgent care is meant for emergencies—those critical, immediate situations where things could seriously go south by tomorrow morning. It’s not a convenience service for whenever people feel like it. If people actually understood that, there'd be way less friction in the waiting room...

Benjamin Murphy2 said:ER shifts are meant for urgent, life-threatening situations where things could take a turn for the worse by morning. It’s not about people just showing up whenever they feel like it. I think once folks actually grasp that, we'll see a lot fewer arguments.

I suppose I agree with you there, but you have to consider the human element. When someone isn't feeling well—especially if they start panicking—it’s easy to spiral. And heaven forbid they start Googling their symptoms; they usually end up convinced they have some rare type of cancer. In those moments, it’s really tough for them to judge whether their situation is actually an emergency or not...

Benjamin Murphy2 said:It’s honestly pathetic when someone snaps at parents who rush their kid to the ER in the middle of the night with a 104 fever. But, I don't know, isn't it also kind of shameful when parents drag their kid in at 3 AM just because they're feeling a little nauseous? Like, the kid didn't even throw up! Or when someone who's been sick for four days shows up at 2 AM just because they "couldn't take it anymore"!? Or showing up to urgent care just "because it'll be too crowded in the morning"!? Urgent care is meant for emergencies—stuff that actually can't wait and might get way worse by tomorrow, not just whenever it's convenient for someone. Once people finally get that, maybe there won't be so much friction.

So, look, I actually saw this happen once where an ER doctor literally lost it on an 80-year-old man just because he showed up at 2 in the morning struggling to breathe...

And you know why he was there?

Because the doctor he saw two days before totally failed to tell him he had a cracked rib and that it would hurt to breathe for like a month... so he was having a hard time catching his breath...
Pretty interesting, right?

Or... there's this woman who collapses—probably from high blood pressure or heart palpitations, maybe—and she's got this sharp pain near her heart... so they rush her to the emergency department at Mount Sinai... she waits two and a half hours only to be told the "only" issue is elevated blood pressure... then they just send her home saying nothing is 🙄
Then, later at a regular checkup, it turns out she actually has an arrhythmia (like, a weird axis shift in her heart). You can live with it normally, but when it starts racing, it gets pretty scary if you don't realize it's not life-threatening...

Honestly, after everything, I just don't get it—how many more stories do we have to tell before you guys (the doctors and future doctors) admit that there are some total slackers in your ranks and that patients aren't always the ones at fault?

brisknomad6 said:How many more examples do we have to provide before you all (doctors and future doctors) admit there are parasites among your ranks and that patients aren't always the ones at fault?

There are plenty of examples—honestly, I could probably come up with a million more, and I know enough firsthand to be genuinely horrified
and besides, nobody ever claimed there weren't any parasites among the doctors...
just more generalizing and exaggerating, I guess🙄

I suppose I could ask you the same thing—how many examples do we need to give bitter patients so they realize there are bad actors in the field and it isn't just the doctors' fault???

It doesn't really make much sense, though—these kinds of topics just end up going in circles. When someone is wrong, they usually won't admit it and will just keep digging their heels in. Personally, I feel really bad whenever anyone has a bad experience in a hospital or anything like that, even if I'm not involved... unfortunately, bad experiences happen, and that's just a fact... they're going to exist in any system with doctors... in America, people are actually terrified of going to the hospital because what happens there can be truly scary...

There are terrible doctors and terrible patients, but it's still not right to label all our doctors as idiots who can't help you—or suggest people should just treat themselves online. One is advice, and the other is actual medical care...
(I mean, sure, you might get more info here, since a doctor's job is to treat you rather than teach you, and they give you as much time as they can... unfortunately, that's just how it is...) If they spent as much time with every patient as some people demand, wait times wouldn't be a month or so, they'd be seven or eight months long... again, the system is the problem here, and neither the doctor nor the patient can really do anything about it... we'd probably need three times the staff and equipment as we have now...
But then again, I guess doctors can't really blame the system when they chose this career path themselves... and it feels a little off to compare medicine to just any other profession... I'm not trying to put medicine on a pedestal, but let's face it—it requires the longest education and involves such huge sacrifices, whereas a treatment plan isn't really comparable to, say, building a house...

Look, there are some idiots in this thread—nimblestag31, Benjamin Murphy2, and I have already pointed that out, if not five times each—but if you actually took the time to read the post properly, you’d see we said it. So please, don't claim we didn't say anything or that it's unknown.
Just open your eyes and read the post; stop skipping lines or cherry-picking quotes from between them.

This is exactly what happens when people refuse to look at anything but one side of the coin. If I’m not willing to admit there are flaws in my own logic, then nobody else is going to step up either. But sure, let's just pretend everything is perfect... obviously.

I'm done with this pointless back-and-forth. People can spit on me all they want if it makes them feel better, go ahead. It's all just noise at this point...

Absolutely... I wish everyone the best of luck moving forward—hopefully things take a turn for the better, both on your end and ours.

Good grief, the sheer amount of nonsense, amateurish logic, and straight-up ignorance packed into this single thread is staggering... It's pathetic. Honestly, just go outside, kids—go kick a soccer ball around, play some tag, and grab an ice cream. Leave discussions like this to people who actually have a mature thought in their heads (there are a few of us left here, but we've mostly stopped bothering to write 🙂)

Best,

given that Benjamin Murphy2 is basically a child...

nice one
😁
I’m hoping one of the moderators locks this thread soon—it’s honestly becoming a complete waste of time

Maybe they aren't a kid—but based on those posts, you wouldn't know the difference...

Isn't it just pathetic when parents drag their kid to the ER in the middle of the night just because they claim the kid "feels sick"? The child didn't even throw up!...

Excuse me, sir, but since when is caring about your own child considered a problem? It’s an absolute disgrace that people are acting like concern is some kind of flaw. A total disgrace. If I ever acted like that... I wouldn't be able to show my face in public again... 🙂))
If emergency services actually did their jobs properly, they probably wouldn't be showing up at your place and ruining your evening coffee—or whatever else you happen to be doing...

Benjamin Murphy2 said:1) Isn't it just embarrassing when parents drag their kid into the ER in the middle of the night because they "feel sick"? The kid hasn't even thrown up once!
2) ER shifts are meant for urgent, critical situations where things could seriously escalate overnight, not for people showing up whenever it fits their schedule. Once people actually grasp that, there’ll be a lot fewer arguments at the front desk.

1) Not really. Especially if the parents aren't medical professionals; they come in because they honestly HAVE NO CLUE what's happening and they're worried about their child (unless, of course, they should feel ashamed for being concerned).

2) Fine. Let's all just go to med school, diagnose ourselves, and then perform our own triage to decide what actually qualifies as an emergency and what doesn't.

Angela Bailey30 said:2) Fine, let's all just go get medical degrees so we can diagnose ourselves and decide who actually deserves an ER visit and who can just wait their turn.

Hell no!!! Please, by all means, come on in. But maybe don't start threatening the Department of Health or calling the local news when a doctor tells you that your issue isn't an emergency... and suggests you just hang tight until tomorrow...

Benjamin Murphy2 said:This is exactly what happens when someone refuses to see the whole picture. If I haven't even admitted to myself that there are things that aren't working right, then obviously nobody else is going to. But yeah, of course, that part doesn't show up on screen.

I'm honestly just stepping out of this pointless argument, so people can go ahead and talk trash about me if they want, I guess. It’s just totally senseless.

sorry for being misunderstood

what I was actually trying to get at is that there really are people who end up in the ER because they have no clue what's wrong with them, and in that split second when they decide to roll out of bed at 3 in the morning, they truly believe something is terribly wrong—even if, to you as the patient before you even arrive, it might seem kind of minor...

Benjamin Murphy2 said:It’s honestly disgraceful when people lash out at parents who rush their child to the ER in the middle of the night because they have a 104-degree fever. But you know what’s actually shameful? Parents dragging a kid in at 2 AM just because they’re "feeling nauseous." The kid hasn't even thrown up! Or those people who show up after being sick for four days claiming they "just couldn't take it anymore" overnight. Or worse, showing up at the urgent care clinic just because they want to avoid the morning rush! Urgent care is meant for emergencies—situations that are critical and can seriously deteriorate if you wait until tomorrow. It isn't a convenience store for people to visit whenever it suits them. Once people finally grasp that, maybe we'll see fewer arguments in waiting rooms.

Look, I’m sorry, but I’m not a medical professional here. If my kid wakes me up in the dead of night because they feel sick to their stomach—which implies something is genuinely wrong—I am not going to sit there and get angry at someone for driving them to the doctor. What do I know? I'm not a doctor. If the nausea won't stop, I don't want things to escalate into something much worse. And if, God forbid, something happens because I was too hesitant to seek help, then what? What then?
Unfortunately, we tend to be most negligent when it comes to ourselves—it’s a common pattern in society. We push through fevers and other symptoms for days on end just because of work. I'm not about to sprint to the ER every single time I have a sore throat or a mild fever. If it lingers for a few days, sure, I'll call my primary care physician instead of hitting the emergency room, but if the pain becomes intense or unbearable, I'm heading straight to the ER.

She’d probably put it this way—it isn’t strictly related to our current topic, but there is something even my father keeps on hand (despite having a family doctor)—it’s called the "Family Physician's Handbook"
It covers everything from basic first aid instructions to 18 different categories spanning various bodily systems, treatment methods, and even natural remedies.
I guarantee you'd find answers to most of the questions being asked here. It could actually help people distinguish between what’s an immediate emergency and what can wait for a clinic visit. I really think if more people took the time to educate themselves using resources like that, life would be easier for everyone—not that you need a massive pharmacy in your kitchen, but this kind of knowledge is genuinely useful.

Just a thought—the more you know, the less panic sets in, and you’ll likely find yourself making fewer unnecessary trips to the ER.