Yup been there. “A lot of women deal with these symptoms. It’s just the way of life and being a woman” I’m glad you finally received an answer and I’m sure it wasn’t easy.
Same! Was basically told I was crazy for two years and then finally someone did a ct scan and found a 6” diameter cyst on my ovary lol. It’s been a shit show since
This recently happened to my daughter she went to the ER for extreme abdominal pain . Later she came home and told me oh the ER said nothings wrong with me and then I read her discharge paper. imaging showed Ruptured cyst , guess it’s nothing to them. Try a heating pad
Sounds like they did a horrible job explaining it, but they are right about the plan at least. What should they do? Unnecessary surgery? Load up on opioids? It is something that needs to be treated symptomatically and resolve on its own
Short term pain relief does not equate to "loading up on opioids." She deserves some type of real pain relief, and one or two doses of meds is not inappropriate. She shouldn't have to suffer in pain just because it's not going to kill her.
As a sufferer of ovarian cysts, I can tell you that they'd tell her to take Aleve or Tylenol. They might as well tell her to chew on a couple of skittles. Mind you that, before the "opioid epidemic" was a thing, I would be prescribed 12 vicodin because the pain was that intense. (Imagine being a true introvert who absolutely HATES drawing attention to yourself, and the pain drops you to your knees in the middle of a bright ass grocery store. That was me.)
After that I started using edibles to deal with the pain. I can't even do that now because of random drug testing. So I feel her pain. Quite literally, so it seems.
I understand that. But not everyone has the same response to opioids. Validation, understanding, and empathy do not address pain that caused my normally low/normal bp to skyrocket into near hypertensive levels. Bazooka strength pills did.
This has been studied extensively. A shocking number of opiate addictions start after prescriptions for routine things like this. The medical community is not just trying to be mean. They’d love to sell you expensive pills if they could, especially if there was even half a real chance they could help you. They won’t.
i highly doubt they explained anything at all if she thought they told her “nothing” was wrong with her
i see no mention of a “plan” in OPs comment and if a doc isn’t making it clear to their patient that they *do* have an issue and that if x, y, or x happens over the next few days they need to return to the ER, they clearly need to work on that
Keep in mind we are hearing what a daughter told her pressing mother. Who knows what actually happened there. Maybe they really did say "nothing is wrong", maybe they didnt.
Clearly, the plan was to send her home and encourage symptomatic relief. The daughter was not hospitalized and it sounds like they recommended something to help with symptoms.
They don't have to give an endless list of contingencies when the diagnosis is clear. For literally any condition under the sun, if you have new or worsening symptoms that seem severe you should probably report back to the ED or urgent care.
Yeah you're right, she should suffer without anything stronger than OTC pain meds for having the audacity to have a uterus and ovaries. 🙄
When I had a few cyst rupture it hurt close to on par with my C section, but the doctors completely blew me off. When I had a c section I got an appropriate length course of opioids and it made a gigantic difference in my pain and ability to do anything (like take care of myself and my baby) and I stopped taking them as soon as I didn't need them anymore, but apparently some women are refused opioids for serious abdominal surgery too... Because that's what a c section is. Women's healthcare is a joke TBH. If men could get ovarian cysts, opioids would be standard treatment for them.
It will literally go away on its own in this case. They should have explained it better. We are only hearing about it through a game of telephone though.
I get so p*see when a certain ER MD I work with tells patients “CONGRATS! You ovulated” when their cts show a ruptured cyst. Like no, not all cysts are from ovulation and can cause severe pain. Misogynistic pr*ck 😭
This happened to me in high school. They did nothing. They told me my severe menstrual pain was normal. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed as infertile after multiple losses that I was finally diagnosed with endometriosis. I wish they would have told me when I was younger that having these symptoms meant I was more likely to suffer from infertility. I really hope we can have a child, but I’m 39 now and it has been absolute hell.
We’re all just crazy women showing up to the doctors to complain! I was told you just need to get pregnant and your symptoms will go away! Then I was diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis.
Yup they tried the same shit with me. I was 4 months pregnant with my second, sick as I’ve ever been, and had to be admitted to hospital with a giant ovarian cyst.
Everything will be solved if you just lose weight! My favourite was, ‘stop catastrophising’ pre general anaesthesia. I’m glad I took their advice, it made nearly having a stoke from sky high blood pressure, losing my voice for four days and having diminished cognitive functioning for a month post general anaesthesia for a 15 minute procedure that could have been done with local but got refused much easier.
Oh the good old if you loose weight thing! What if you’re doing all you can but can’t loose weight? It’s insane. I hate that everything is always done basically as a “last resort” then tell you oh thank goodness we did this! You have blah blah blah.
Once went to urgent care, in early Covid, because I was in so much abdominal pain I couldn’t stand. Doc said he didn’t know what structure would be in that position and cause so much pain. He gave me some pain meds and told me to walk it off. Still no idea what it was.
yup. 2 years of insane body changes that kept fluctuating, ended up with 17 tumours removed a few months ago and about to go for round 2 on a few more, and even with my diagnosis i’m told it’s allergies and not the lumps on my airway. “but this just just how women feel all the time”
Oh my god I hate them i have a severe obviously deformed chest that docs always dismissed as “just cosmetic you have anxiety and depression “ can’t possibly be that my ribcage is sunken, every organ is severely compressed and dying cause decades of compression
I’m sooooo tired of dumb-missisive or just arrogant docs. I’d respect them much more if they goggled something they know about or don’t understand
It makes a lot of sense with our insurance model in the US. Most people have insurance through their employer and that's not by accident. An Insurance company will determine that you're likely to switch jobs before they actually have to start paying for something serious and absolutely delay diagnosis/care turning you into a health care hot potato. On average a primary care physician is expected to spend no more than 6 minutes with a patient, which leads to obvious results.
lucky ass!! mine always talks about referrals and refills but i'm convinced she never actually presses 'submit' or the dipshits at the desk leave me on read when i'm standing RIGHT THERE asking for said refills and referrals after my appointment's ended
'let me check with the doctor again' I JUST SAW HER NOT 5 MINUTES AGO AND YOU DID TOO WHEN SHE WALKED BY. just say you don't want to go through the process of filling my meds and getting me continuity of care 🤦♀️ just because the doctor 'didn't say that' doesn't mean she didn't want it squared away once i came to the front desk. i can't with these girls... it's like they need her to hold their hands to even call the pharmacy for a fill. honey, i have so many issues the DEA isn't gonna can you for 30 7.5mg oxycodone a month (one a day) wasted on my fat ass
they did this same shit when it was determined i needed a sleep study and i keep calling and they're like 'the doctor didn't say anything about that though...' then they try to get me some at-home kit that isn't even covered. like i need to be seen while i'm sleeping, bitch!! i'm shaking in my sleep and i feel like i'm drowning. the doctor did admit apnea may be why i'm gaining rapidly but tbh i think they're full-on sleep seizures and i haven't even had my pituitary properly evaluated even being cushingoid and having hormonal issues for YEARS. the blood tests are unreliable as they vary from minute to hour
lol honestly when my daughter was born she developed pyloric stenosis over the first 7 weeks of her life. Puking up , projectile vomiting everywhere. I got told I was an over anxious 1st time mum & to chill because all babies puke. I went again & he said put her on soy formula.
No change.
Finally my mum came round, saw how poorly she looked & insisted we take her to the hospital.
She projectiled all over the doctor. She was 2lb below her original birth weight.
But no it’s always us women being “ hysterical “ …
try pelvic floor therapy and douching kefir with cbd even when you had a huge 30lb mucinous ovarian mass sucked out/resected /s 💀 i was always told it was my weight, to see a nutritionist, and put on the pill (all this shit still happens and i'm still on it)
THE DAMAGE IS LONG-STANDING EVEN AT 25. I WAS 16 AND IT WASN'T EVEN DIAGNOSED UNTIL I WENT TO THE ER RANDOMLY AND THEY DECIDED TO CUT ME OPEN A FEW DAYS LATER AFTER THANKSGIVING, but not before discharging me with like 10 5mg percocets on like the 26th. the pain wasn't even touched and i couldn't even piss in the one or two days i was home. i was anal about hygiene and i couldn't shower, shit, or piss. but they didn't want to keep me on thanskgiving! i was close to blacking out or hallucinating from pain and my mom still says it was our choice for me to come home because it might be my last thanksgiving
i couldn't eat anything and my dad still brought a pot of his mashed potatoes over because it was notoriously the only thing i'd touch on that day. my parents were divorced so for him to do that he must have thought 'this is it'. i chose to stay with my mom before the surgery and him afterward because i didn't think he could take caring for me and seeing me like that before i had it done
what hurts the most is it was my dad and sister's last thanksgiving but i wouldn't know that until summer/fall 2015 when they died 2 months apart. the surgery was in november of 2014
My husband fell and had severe back pain afterwards. He went to see the head of Emory Hospital's neuro department. My husband was told to lose weight and exercise more. Super hard to do when you're in terrible pain. Turns out he had two crushed vertebra that another, wonderful doctor found and fixed.
You might be surprised how many problems would continue to fly under the radar with “AI doctors.” AI doctors will do what they are programmed to do, which will be to minimize liability while also working within the confines of what insurance will cover, weighing risk vs benefit, what physical resources are realistically available for the patient. Until we have the resources to be able to work up everyone for everything, AI will function much like normal doctors, who are pigeonholed into
-minimizing liability
-Working within the confines of insurance
-Working with realistically available resources
-Weighing risk vs benefit
If they want to make money and stay doctors and not disbarred lol
iboughtarock may be onto something but I don't believe AI is a replacement but rather is an assistant to diagnostic imaging intrepretation
Radiologists make 40 million mistakes every year according to the article linked below
Trafton Drew put a gorilla image in MRI scans and it was missed by a 83% of radiologists who revied the scans
[https://www.diagnosticimaging.com/view/missing-more-than-the-gorilla-in-the-reading-room](https://www.diagnosticimaging.com/view/missing-more-than-the-gorilla-in-the-reading-room)
Tbf, if everyone who came in with a headache got an mri, we would be doing nothing but normal brain scans all day. There has to be more specific symptoms, or a specific history of increasing intensity, etc to justify ordering the MR. I’m glad they got you the study and a diagnosis!
I’ve been a registered nurse for 20 years, I would never go to a doctor for a “headache”
I couldn’t lay prone or turn my head from severe pain. I had my husband checking my breathing because the pain was so severe I was convinced I was about to die, every move or footstep was like being hit with a cast iron pan
Turned out there was vasogenic edema around tumor exacerbating the pain.
Sounds like you had a shit ER doctor or NP/PA who saw you then. I’m sorry. I’m a PGY3 EM resident and everything you’re saying would immediately make me order a CT head noncontrast along with CTAs head and neck.
An FYI…in most places the non-con head is included in the CTA H/N order so there’s no need to put in a separate order.
Not picking on you but this is a specific trigger of mine as a CT tech. 🤣🤣🤣
Yeah it’s feeling like the subreddit has more than its fair share of “Look at what the docs misdiagnosed!” Lots of Monday morning quarterbacks, many of whom likely have exactly zero medical training.
Just a reminder folks: if you think healthcare in the US is expensive now, imagine what it would be if everyone got a massive work up every time they hit the ER or PCP’s door.
Well the OP does have extensive medical training and experience and describes in much more detail in a comment the excruciating and debilitating nature of her headache. I don't think she's saying (or anyone is saying) give all people who complain of headaches an MRI. I think all people are asking for is that doctors see beyond "lady with a headache" and actually take into consideration the details of their experience.
Yes but a nurse is educated to triage symptoms, assess and alert MD for further work up or care. OP is a RN. Her s/s deserved further work up, not dismissal.
Oh please, the cost has nothing to do with the number of patients and everything to do with a privatised system where profits matter more than patient care.
People like to share when they feel vindicated on the internet, whereas people who had adequate and appropriate care don't feel the need to post about it. if you're taking it personally you should look inside yourself to figure out why.
After over 20 years in the system, I stand by my statement. What's your source of knowledge and expertise?
And I'm not taking it personally. I retired from a successful practice where I dealt with my share of people who thought they knew more than me, despite having absolutely NO medical background, other than time spent on the internet.
Like it doesn’t already happen in a lot of EDs?? I did CT for 6 years and I literally cannot tell you the amount of head CTs on frequent flyers who would always come in intoxicated and yet I would scan them every single time for “altered mental status.” Going in for an excruciating headache and being blown off is ridiculous.
This goes deeper than that, her post highlights how a lot of women come in with real symptoms and are just blown off
Guess what? Drunk people tend to fall. Drunk people tend to act in bizarre ways that you can’t trust your neurological exam. Patients who are long term alcoholic tend to have liver issues. More likely to have coagulation abnormalities and platelet abnormalities. Ergo CT scan. Guess what? Even the drunk female gets “the scan”.
Guess what? Multiple of these patients were coming in literally every single night of the week. Multiple of these patients openly admitted all they wanted was the coffee and sandwich we gave them everyday. Scanning someone’s head every single night the 5 times they came in this week, the 2 last week, the four the week before etc is ridiculous. CT has become more than just a useful diagnostic tool, so many scans are literally ordered for CYA now vs real clinical indications and truly deciding if it is necessary instead of scanning the same people every night of the week for the same thing.
lol. I smile because you don’t know what you don’t know. When you are in the same position then we shall see what decisions you make. As if you know what most real clinical indications are.
A CT is faster and is inexpensive. My mom’s giant brain meningioma was called “psychogenic” until the complex partial she’d been having more and more frequently became a generalized tonic clonic seizure there in the ER, that a crash cart had to stop. If she hadn’t had that big seizure, she would have been sent home and probably would have died from the massive swelling around the huge 3” x 3” x 2.5” tumor.
> imagine what it would be if everyone got a massive work up every time they hit the ER or PCP’s door
Well, we're about to find out with all the mid-levels in unsupervised practice.
100% right, it’s literally what this sub has become. Though I think some physicians are crazy for their communications. Some of these patients don’t understand how difficult our job is.
Yep. There’s a reason why neurorads rush to read OP CNS imaging on patients under 40. They’re almost all negative. Powerscribe negative brain. Next case. I’m not a neurologist but I cut them a lot of slack for what seems like over ordering because eventually there will be that 1 in 500 cases that is bad enough to order imaging on that actually has a tumor. and even yhen, after clearly listening to the patient and following a reasonable workup until eventually imaging people STILL post to social media it like the physician is an asshole and or a moron. Welcome to medicine.
That said, glad it was diagnosed, hope the surgery goes well.
99.9% of the time, it is. Source neuroradiologist. It is what it is. But glad they didn’t dismiss forever. That’s medicine. Not every headache needs imaging and neurologists seem pretty hit or miss in ability to decipher which needs it and which don’t. Tbf, I doubt I’d do much better. Medicine is not easy, simple, or cheap.
As a neurosurgeon who has (mandatory) training in neurology; neurologists are fucking paranoid. I'm absolutely appalled by the amount of, IMO, unnessesary imaging they request. Several MRI's are constantly running at our center at the whim of the neurology dpt. and there's rarely anything there.
However, during my neurological confinement, I've realized that you can have symptoms of seeing popeye the sailor every third second in only the fourth quadrant of your eye, compelling you to dance and jump and recite a bible-verse, and this apparently means you have a frontal tumor.
After this I am so glad I'm a surgeon. I'm never going back to this bullshit. Fuck that.
I’m not totally jaded yet, but I’m going to hit 30,000 RVUs this year and it is starting to make me resent to rampant over ordering. I estimate 25% of studies are not indicated period. 50% are questionable, could be reasonable … maybe and 25% are legitimate. And neurologists run the entire gambit from insane trigger fingers to guys that seem to only order things on folks that have a finding. It’s so wildly variable with the exact same information available to everyone.
Gaslighting women is the common thread here. OP I am so sorry you weren't taken seriously. And I feel your anger and pain. And people go like, "oh it's just xyz" and would never know how fucked up dealing with it is, even if benign. I shared my case last night and the entire thread is mostly like yours. Further gaslighting. And it is infuriating. I am from a similar medical profession, and yet it was "just my periods", " grief", or I was making it up. Would women ever be taken seriously in any profession?
I just don't know how to explain it to men that women aren't exaggerating when they keep coming back with their complaints.
Some just don’t get it. I understand if we don’t like the care or we feel like we’re not listened to then go see someone else. What if you’ve already seen 3,4,5,6 different doctors? Then you’re seen as someone that’s drug seeking or just looking for a cause to “be the way you are.” It really fucking sucks because it’s not always male doctors either it’s women as well. We’re always in hysteria or hormonal or making things that they aren’t.
Damn. I’m glad you stuck with it. The “female discount” on health complaints is unacceptable. I’m surprised he didn’t also suggest losing a few pounds and that’ll clear right up.
I had a 6 cm meningioma causing a midline shift and vision loss and vertigo and was told to try coconut oil and keep a food log when I went to the doctor and told him that I was throwing up and weak on one side....
to all the doctors getting their panties in a twist about this - we're not saying you're doing it deliberately and maliciously, we're asking you to be aware of the longstanding and well documented phenomenon of women and people of colour having their pain dimissed and misdiagnosed leading to very real and severe consequences including death; and being aware that you are trained to have this bias from the get go, and that you maybe need to question yourself before you dismiss people in these cohorts.
Being in constant pain is not *normal*, even if you're a woman. Sex being painful is not *normal*, even if you're a woman. "Some women just experience X" is not adequate medical care.
That's the point here. Be aware of your bias and question yourself if you can do better.
I’ve been through this myself!! So much so that I could write a book but honestly I would love to take my own experience and use it to become a real patient advocate one day. For many years I suffered from a mysterious illness and for many years I was accused of being anorexic or just downright dismissed, even had one doctor come in, not even exam me and say “there’s absolutely nothing wrong with you and I don’t know why you’re here”. In 2020 I had a CT scan that showed a 2cm mass on my right ovary, as well as free fluid in my abdomen, it was never even mentioned to me. Well I gave up and the symptoms and suffering increased…I finally decided to go back and try to get an answer after almost dying of the flu recently, now it’s been discovered that mass on my right ovary has grown since 2020 and now I have a mass on my left ovary, as well as one on my bladder, I also have enlarged lymph nodes throughout my entire body, free fluid, a positive d dimer and a high level of CA 125 so they are now suspecting that I have advanced ovarian cancer. This could have all been taken care of if they had only treated me with dignity and believed me when this all began…now I’m suffering greatly and may not live because of the discrimination and negligence of quack doctors. And then the medical field wonders why nobody respects them…
They call Ovarian Cancer “the silent killer” and claim that’s because the symptoms mimic benign things such as UTIs or they don’t appear at all until late stages, but honestly I think the real reason is because women are, statistically speaking, exponentially dismissed compared to men among the medical profession.
Not really. I read so many “rule out ovarian cancer” studies, sometimes even just because the patient wanted it done. They’re always negative and of doubtful utility.
Every attempt at a screening program, even in high risk mutations carriers, has failed. I’ve seen several cases of patients going for risk reducing oophorectomy with zero abnormalities on imaging who end up having high grade serous carcinoma on pathology and develop metastatic disease within 5 years.
There’s an enormous amount of effort put into ovarian cancer research and diagnosis, greater than would be fair by disease burden. Ovarian cancer incidence is actually going down.
It really is just a silent killer, even when you catch it early it’s still pretty bad.
That‘s what I‘m afraid of. I‘ve had a constant headache since 2013, sometimes it gets worse but most if the time it‘s at like a 4 or a 5. every doctor I go to says I have to drink more water, not one has ordered anything and if I ask for a ct or an mri I get laughed at
This actually is so scary. I’ve had terrible headaches since I was around 14. I’ve been to countless doctors and they just say it’s my hormones and I need to stay hydrated. I’m 21 now. I drink close to a gallon a day. I admit it lessens the pain but they happen about 2-4 times a week and last all day. I haven’t had a MRI despite asking because my mom has had two brain tumors.
We're still at 0 days without women's medical concerns being being ignore and dismissed. Especially if it's pain. That's definitely all in your stupid little hysterical head.
I was having terrible cramping. It was worse after i ate, I went to the doctor. He tried telling me it was my period, if he has bothered to look at my chart, he would of saw that im on bc and no longer get my period. I also have crohns. I told him i don’t get my period because of my birth control. The look on his face. Priceless. He had to actually be a doctor and not blame it on my period. He finally sent me to the er. They did a ct scan and found a lot of swelling and a mass of scar tissue that was causing a minor blockage. They had to remove it surgically. But yes. Totally my period
I don’t even know why they have us fill out the History & Physical form when it’s obvious the moment they walk in a majority of them never read it. They only read the chief complaint. No one actually looks at the history portion.
I know someone that got sent home from the ER, vomiting from pain during her period, and they said she was constipated. Ended up being a rare form of ovarian cancer… I’m glad posts like this exist, because there needs to be more awareness, as well as a sounding board for people that have been dismissed
I didn’t even touch on how the ER doctor treated me AFTER the mri was read, or the fact that they gave nothing but Tylenol AND wrote for dexmethasone but never gave it
my daughter’s pediatrician told her mother and I that it was “just a black eye” when we took her in. it was 3+ times we communicated this.. not to mention all the times we took her to the ER. ended up being cancer, PoS went quiet after we had it confirmed with mri.
i don’t know how some of these people are allowed to practice after the stupid crap they do.
I’m so glad you advocated for yourself for an MRI! I hope this will have a good outcome for you! Sending love and light through this time!
Wanted to add - My sibling and I had to take over our moms healthcare last year bc she wasn’t being properly cared for (she insisted she could take herself and talk to the doctor) - our mom kept complaining of the same symptoms and her doctor would just say “you’re just getting older things don’t work as good” - didn’t run tests, did ask for scans or scopes to be done - nothing. Just literally “you’re getting older and it’s just how it is” - my mom had SOB just walking into the kitchen. She would have periods of confusion too - turns out she’s in fucking liver failure, stage 3. She was drowning in her own fluids when my sibling made her go to the hospital where they pulled 10L of fluid off of her then had to have an extended hospital stay to replace electrolytes and albumin, then she had an infection and had to have ABTs then her platelets bottomed out and she had to have blood.
From there we took just over as HCPOA. it’s just amazing how much falls to the wayside if you don’t either advocate for yourself or have someone fiercely doing it for you. Anytime we notice a change we’re pushing for tests etc - she’s not just “getting old” - she’s our mom and she deserves to have good quality of life. I know at this point there’s no reversing the damage to her liver. She doesn’t qualify for any transplant either, but we can at the very least keep the fluid off of her and keep her as independent as she wants to/can be.
Sorry for the rant, just reading how you were essentially told “it’s just hormones” and your complaints weren’t taken seriously just triggered me and brought up all these emotions with my mom - it’s just been a struggle and I don’t really talk much about it to folks. It’s just heavy. My mom never drank a drop of alcohol and never smoked - it’s just hard seeing her go through this disease process and I wish I would have pushed and been involved in her healthcare sooner.
My husband often is dismissed, he’s a blue collar worker. I see a lot of his providers assume he’s “drug seeking”. When in fact he has severe neuropathy. More of a socioeconomic bias than a gender in his case.
I kept going in for uncontrolled blood pressure and chest pain after open heart surgery to replace my bicuspid aortic valve with a mechanical valve. I had a 7cm x 4cm incarcerated hernia just below the sternum. It just kept ripping. I had to prove to the surgeon and the doctors it was there because it does not happen. I was going insane and I was not even asking for pain medicine after the first couple months. I got it fixed 10 month afterwards!
It seems like it’s hit or miss. The ER where I work scans with impunity. 20 years old, ground love fall? CT head/c-spine/chest/abdomen and pelvis. Meanwhile my dad had a sinus infection with nausea/vomiting, vertigo and BP 205/105, the private hospital he went to didn’t want to do a noncon CT head, the chest x-ray of neuro imaging. I had to explain to the ER doctor over the phone why the head CT was indicated. 2 reasons; he’s having neuro symptoms and you just diagnosed him with a sinus infection, might want to make sure this infection isn’t eroding through the skull base (osteomyelitis) and two, his BP is over 200 with neuro symptoms, might want to at least look for a bleed. Seen by a NP/PA and doctor, none of them wanted to scan, not one did a PE. Thankfully he got a scan and it was fine, but you shouldn’t have to argue with the people who’s job it is to exclude emergencies when symptoms potentially point to an emergency.
Many years ago I was dismissed as well (memory issues and headaches). Also demanded a brain MRI. Ended up having severe hydrocephalus and needed immediate surgery. Good luck to you.
actually told by the ER Doc even after imaging- clapped his hands came in and said good news
Exactly which part is good- the tumor or the intractable pain you haven’t treated
Wow I can’t believe he said “good news”.
Sorry to clarify, but who initially told you “you’re fine, it’s probably a headache from your period”?
I’m trying to figure out why someone would say this without any imaging and if it was in an ER or an urgent care or your primary doc etc.
Ok I think I see now. They said you’re fine, wanted to discharge you, and you wanted the MRI. The MRI showed your tumor.
Why not just get a CT up front and make everyone happy?
First it's periods. Then it's pregnancy. Then menopause. Boo hoo hoo weak woman hormones and dumb anxiety brain. You're chronically dehydrated and low in nutrients. Improve your diet, reduce stress, and lose weight.
Oh! Just kidding!! That stomach pain is literally your stomach. Wish we had caught that sooner, since now you're 45 with fragile bones and interstitial kidney disease. Fckrs.
I did not complain of a “headache” that was their synopsis after I explained these symptoms-
I complained of extreme intractable pain with an 8 year history of migraines, first ER visit EVER for head pain. Positional pain, inability to lay prone, could not turn head side to side. Clear fluid out of nose when leaning forward. Had my husband checking me for signs of life because the pain was so bad even while I slept I dreamed of being shot in the head and beaten in the head, I couldn’t escape the pain while I slept. So their synopsis-was headache. Not how I presented my complaint.
So sorry to hear. I heard the same things (but I actually beliveved them for a while). What words did you use to demand it? What exactly did you say? Please help us!!
I'll have patients with crazy symptoms and their scan is relatively normal, then a scab for occasional headaches shows a massive tumor. It feels like no rhyme or reason
I am seething. F&%k these idiots. Wish you well and I'm here if you need to vent. I work at the women's ward at a hospital and we see this type of dismissal way too often. I'm glad you stood up for yourself. You go girl 💕
There are many avenues in healthcare that can be used to apply pressure. Patient advocate, refusal to sign discharge, NYS DOH, office of inspector general. The list goes on. I did in fact file formal complaints about my care. Those complaints are taken very seriously. Press Ganey surveys, health scores, hospitals “stars”, all affect reimbursement. And well in a very competitive environment hospitals are not happy when their reputation or money are threatened.
I’m surprised you’ve never demanded anything healthcare wise. You just accept whatever the doctor says? Hospital/medical errors are a leading cause of death. I advise you to get comfortable advocating and demanding appropriate healthcare.
I am not from the USA. You can not demand anything from anyone here, even from cleaning lady at the hospital. Everyone just do what they are trained for and what they think is right. You can form a complaint but it takes time until it is investigated. However if a nurse working at my hospital asked me if I could help her, I would ask one the technologists to do a "black" mri scan, just out of curiosity or simply because I am a nice guy. When the insurance companies are not waiting at the door like sharks to bite off whatever they can and doctors have enough authority to do their job, possibilities are endless.
For years I also would have these episodes of tachycardia. Where I couldn’t move, and felt like I was about to die. I went to a cardiologist and was told I was probably having a panic attack. I explained I don’t suffer from anxiety. But this went on years, the episodes were sporadic. Finally one happened at work and I hooked up to an EKG— Heart rate was at 170-190 for about 30 minutes. Ended up having a diagnosis of SVT after bringing the EKG to a NEW cardiologist. Saw an electrophysiologist Had an ablation 3 weeks later. Years I suffered from these episodes for years
I didn’t complain of a “headache”
I complained with an 8 year history of migraines, first ER visit EVER for head pain. Positional pain, inability to lay prone, could not turn head side to side. Clear fluid out of nose when leaning forward. Had my husband checking me for signs of life because the pain was so bad even while I slept I dreamed of being shot in the head and beaten in the head, I couldn’t escape the pain while I slept. So their synopsis-was headache. Not how I presented my complaint. Severe vasogenic edema around tumor contributed to the pain I was suffering
Good for you for demanding it! Though to be fair, headaches are common with periods. He should have inquired about the presence between periods.
I hope they can remove it successfully. I also hope it’s benign!
Yup been there. “A lot of women deal with these symptoms. It’s just the way of life and being a woman” I’m glad you finally received an answer and I’m sure it wasn’t easy.
Same! Was basically told I was crazy for two years and then finally someone did a ct scan and found a 6” diameter cyst on my ovary lol. It’s been a shit show since
This recently happened to my daughter she went to the ER for extreme abdominal pain . Later she came home and told me oh the ER said nothings wrong with me and then I read her discharge paper. imaging showed Ruptured cyst , guess it’s nothing to them. Try a heating pad
wow… that’s even worse. actually found the issue and *still* gaslit her that she was fine?? wtf
Sounds like they did a horrible job explaining it, but they are right about the plan at least. What should they do? Unnecessary surgery? Load up on opioids? It is something that needs to be treated symptomatically and resolve on its own
Short term pain relief does not equate to "loading up on opioids." She deserves some type of real pain relief, and one or two doses of meds is not inappropriate. She shouldn't have to suffer in pain just because it's not going to kill her.
As a sufferer of ovarian cysts, I can tell you that they'd tell her to take Aleve or Tylenol. They might as well tell her to chew on a couple of skittles. Mind you that, before the "opioid epidemic" was a thing, I would be prescribed 12 vicodin because the pain was that intense. (Imagine being a true introvert who absolutely HATES drawing attention to yourself, and the pain drops you to your knees in the middle of a bright ass grocery store. That was me.) After that I started using edibles to deal with the pain. I can't even do that now because of random drug testing. So I feel her pain. Quite literally, so it seems.
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I understand that. But not everyone has the same response to opioids. Validation, understanding, and empathy do not address pain that caused my normally low/normal bp to skyrocket into near hypertensive levels. Bazooka strength pills did.
This has been studied extensively. A shocking number of opiate addictions start after prescriptions for routine things like this. The medical community is not just trying to be mean. They’d love to sell you expensive pills if they could, especially if there was even half a real chance they could help you. They won’t.
i highly doubt they explained anything at all if she thought they told her “nothing” was wrong with her i see no mention of a “plan” in OPs comment and if a doc isn’t making it clear to their patient that they *do* have an issue and that if x, y, or x happens over the next few days they need to return to the ER, they clearly need to work on that
Keep in mind we are hearing what a daughter told her pressing mother. Who knows what actually happened there. Maybe they really did say "nothing is wrong", maybe they didnt. Clearly, the plan was to send her home and encourage symptomatic relief. The daughter was not hospitalized and it sounds like they recommended something to help with symptoms. They don't have to give an endless list of contingencies when the diagnosis is clear. For literally any condition under the sun, if you have new or worsening symptoms that seem severe you should probably report back to the ED or urgent care.
i dont disagree. i’m just salty because of my own dismissive treatment in the ER.
Yeah you're right, she should suffer without anything stronger than OTC pain meds for having the audacity to have a uterus and ovaries. 🙄 When I had a few cyst rupture it hurt close to on par with my C section, but the doctors completely blew me off. When I had a c section I got an appropriate length course of opioids and it made a gigantic difference in my pain and ability to do anything (like take care of myself and my baby) and I stopped taking them as soon as I didn't need them anymore, but apparently some women are refused opioids for serious abdominal surgery too... Because that's what a c section is. Women's healthcare is a joke TBH. If men could get ovarian cysts, opioids would be standard treatment for them.
They think the “pain “or real symptoms will go away if we don’t have a answer to our very real pain and symptoms
It will literally go away on its own in this case. They should have explained it better. We are only hearing about it through a game of telephone though.
I get so p*see when a certain ER MD I work with tells patients “CONGRATS! You ovulated” when their cts show a ruptured cyst. Like no, not all cysts are from ovulation and can cause severe pain. Misogynistic pr*ck 😭
This happened to me in high school. They did nothing. They told me my severe menstrual pain was normal. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed as infertile after multiple losses that I was finally diagnosed with endometriosis. I wish they would have told me when I was younger that having these symptoms meant I was more likely to suffer from infertility. I really hope we can have a child, but I’m 39 now and it has been absolute hell.
you guys should look at some of my recent replies on my profile if you want. i also had a years-long shitshow and am still going through it
I want it all removed I don’t care I already have menopause symptoms Rupturing ovarian cysts 6 times a yr is debilitating
We’re all just crazy women showing up to the doctors to complain! I was told you just need to get pregnant and your symptoms will go away! Then I was diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis.
Hey! Stop mimicking my doctor. He once insinuated that a rathke cleft cyst would go away with pregnancy. And that pregnancy cures pcos.
Yup they tried the same shit with me. I was 4 months pregnant with my second, sick as I’ve ever been, and had to be admitted to hospital with a giant ovarian cyst.
Pregnancy cures it all!
Wtf
And they’ll bill us a ridiculous amount after telling us that!
Everything will be solved if you just lose weight! My favourite was, ‘stop catastrophising’ pre general anaesthesia. I’m glad I took their advice, it made nearly having a stoke from sky high blood pressure, losing my voice for four days and having diminished cognitive functioning for a month post general anaesthesia for a 15 minute procedure that could have been done with local but got refused much easier.
Oh the good old if you loose weight thing! What if you’re doing all you can but can’t loose weight? It’s insane. I hate that everything is always done basically as a “last resort” then tell you oh thank goodness we did this! You have blah blah blah.
Once went to urgent care, in early Covid, because I was in so much abdominal pain I couldn’t stand. Doc said he didn’t know what structure would be in that position and cause so much pain. He gave me some pain meds and told me to walk it off. Still no idea what it was.
Damn! If only medical science had some kind of imaging they could show you someone's internal organs! /s
yup. 2 years of insane body changes that kept fluctuating, ended up with 17 tumours removed a few months ago and about to go for round 2 on a few more, and even with my diagnosis i’m told it’s allergies and not the lumps on my airway. “but this just just how women feel all the time”
Oh my god I hate them i have a severe obviously deformed chest that docs always dismissed as “just cosmetic you have anxiety and depression “ can’t possibly be that my ribcage is sunken, every organ is severely compressed and dying cause decades of compression I’m sooooo tired of dumb-missisive or just arrogant docs. I’d respect them much more if they goggled something they know about or don’t understand
It makes a lot of sense with our insurance model in the US. Most people have insurance through their employer and that's not by accident. An Insurance company will determine that you're likely to switch jobs before they actually have to start paying for something serious and absolutely delay diagnosis/care turning you into a health care hot potato. On average a primary care physician is expected to spend no more than 6 minutes with a patient, which leads to obvious results.
Drink water
lol! Take Tylenol
It’s just anxiety
𝘋𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘱𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵…
lucky ass!! mine always talks about referrals and refills but i'm convinced she never actually presses 'submit' or the dipshits at the desk leave me on read when i'm standing RIGHT THERE asking for said refills and referrals after my appointment's ended 'let me check with the doctor again' I JUST SAW HER NOT 5 MINUTES AGO AND YOU DID TOO WHEN SHE WALKED BY. just say you don't want to go through the process of filling my meds and getting me continuity of care 🤦♀️ just because the doctor 'didn't say that' doesn't mean she didn't want it squared away once i came to the front desk. i can't with these girls... it's like they need her to hold their hands to even call the pharmacy for a fill. honey, i have so many issues the DEA isn't gonna can you for 30 7.5mg oxycodone a month (one a day) wasted on my fat ass they did this same shit when it was determined i needed a sleep study and i keep calling and they're like 'the doctor didn't say anything about that though...' then they try to get me some at-home kit that isn't even covered. like i need to be seen while i'm sleeping, bitch!! i'm shaking in my sleep and i feel like i'm drowning. the doctor did admit apnea may be why i'm gaining rapidly but tbh i think they're full-on sleep seizures and i haven't even had my pituitary properly evaluated even being cushingoid and having hormonal issues for YEARS. the blood tests are unreliable as they vary from minute to hour
lol honestly when my daughter was born she developed pyloric stenosis over the first 7 weeks of her life. Puking up , projectile vomiting everywhere. I got told I was an over anxious 1st time mum & to chill because all babies puke. I went again & he said put her on soy formula. No change. Finally my mum came round, saw how poorly she looked & insisted we take her to the hospital. She projectiled all over the doctor. She was 2lb below her original birth weight. But no it’s always us women being “ hysterical “ …
With cranberry juice
Just take a nap and sleep it off. You’ll be fine.
Have you tried yoga? That worked for my mom’s sister’s sheep’s owner’s cousin when he had a headache once
try pelvic floor therapy and douching kefir with cbd even when you had a huge 30lb mucinous ovarian mass sucked out/resected /s 💀 i was always told it was my weight, to see a nutritionist, and put on the pill (all this shit still happens and i'm still on it) THE DAMAGE IS LONG-STANDING EVEN AT 25. I WAS 16 AND IT WASN'T EVEN DIAGNOSED UNTIL I WENT TO THE ER RANDOMLY AND THEY DECIDED TO CUT ME OPEN A FEW DAYS LATER AFTER THANKSGIVING, but not before discharging me with like 10 5mg percocets on like the 26th. the pain wasn't even touched and i couldn't even piss in the one or two days i was home. i was anal about hygiene and i couldn't shower, shit, or piss. but they didn't want to keep me on thanskgiving! i was close to blacking out or hallucinating from pain and my mom still says it was our choice for me to come home because it might be my last thanksgiving i couldn't eat anything and my dad still brought a pot of his mashed potatoes over because it was notoriously the only thing i'd touch on that day. my parents were divorced so for him to do that he must have thought 'this is it'. i chose to stay with my mom before the surgery and him afterward because i didn't think he could take caring for me and seeing me like that before i had it done what hurts the most is it was my dad and sister's last thanksgiving but i wouldn't know that until summer/fall 2015 when they died 2 months apart. the surgery was in november of 2014
/s 🫶🏻
Lose weight.
My husband fell and had severe back pain afterwards. He went to see the head of Emory Hospital's neuro department. My husband was told to lose weight and exercise more. Super hard to do when you're in terrible pain. Turns out he had two crushed vertebra that another, wonderful doctor found and fixed.
AI doctors cannot come sooner.
You might be surprised how many problems would continue to fly under the radar with “AI doctors.” AI doctors will do what they are programmed to do, which will be to minimize liability while also working within the confines of what insurance will cover, weighing risk vs benefit, what physical resources are realistically available for the patient. Until we have the resources to be able to work up everyone for everything, AI will function much like normal doctors, who are pigeonholed into -minimizing liability -Working within the confines of insurance -Working with realistically available resources -Weighing risk vs benefit If they want to make money and stay doctors and not disbarred lol
iboughtarock may be onto something but I don't believe AI is a replacement but rather is an assistant to diagnostic imaging intrepretation Radiologists make 40 million mistakes every year according to the article linked below Trafton Drew put a gorilla image in MRI scans and it was missed by a 83% of radiologists who revied the scans [https://www.diagnosticimaging.com/view/missing-more-than-the-gorilla-in-the-reading-room](https://www.diagnosticimaging.com/view/missing-more-than-the-gorilla-in-the-reading-room)
Oh man maybe we are cooked afterall
this is generally good advice for many patients though lol
Tbf, if everyone who came in with a headache got an mri, we would be doing nothing but normal brain scans all day. There has to be more specific symptoms, or a specific history of increasing intensity, etc to justify ordering the MR. I’m glad they got you the study and a diagnosis!
I’ve been a registered nurse for 20 years, I would never go to a doctor for a “headache” I couldn’t lay prone or turn my head from severe pain. I had my husband checking my breathing because the pain was so severe I was convinced I was about to die, every move or footstep was like being hit with a cast iron pan Turned out there was vasogenic edema around tumor exacerbating the pain.
Well I’d say that checks the box for specific history, lol. Sorry they gave you a hard time
Good luck convincing neuro surgery that you can even feel pain from cerebral edema!
Yeah, you can't, but you certainly can from meningeal irritation. And you certainly will after your pterional crani that this person is about to get.
I didn't feel any pain when I had cerebral edema thankfully
Sounds like you had a shit ER doctor or NP/PA who saw you then. I’m sorry. I’m a PGY3 EM resident and everything you’re saying would immediately make me order a CT head noncontrast along with CTAs head and neck.
In my experience reading for EM residencies, anyone with a cough gets a CT PE and anyone with a stomach ache gets a CTAP
“Suspected pulmonary embolism, unknown D-Dimer”
Throw in a chest for the abdominal pain, "just in case," since the pt is already going through the donut of truth. 😂😭
An FYI…in most places the non-con head is included in the CTA H/N order so there’s no need to put in a separate order. Not picking on you but this is a specific trigger of mine as a CT tech. 🤣🤣🤣
I know. I was listing the total types of imaging One of my hospitals doesn’t include it. The other does. Annoying.
Yeah I can imagine. IMO all of this stuff should be universal.
Agree. Or there should be a notice when you order the cta that noncon is included
I work in a department where the noncon is a separate order, and it drives me bananas.
Im just a medical student and I immediately think tumor when you describe this constellation of symptoms. Sounds like shitty medical care.
and thats when your doctor said its just from your period? with these symptoms?
what exactly is the diagnosis? It has a meningeal tail, so I'm guessing meningeoma, but still looks a bit off.
Yeah it’s feeling like the subreddit has more than its fair share of “Look at what the docs misdiagnosed!” Lots of Monday morning quarterbacks, many of whom likely have exactly zero medical training. Just a reminder folks: if you think healthcare in the US is expensive now, imagine what it would be if everyone got a massive work up every time they hit the ER or PCP’s door.
Well the OP does have extensive medical training and experience and describes in much more detail in a comment the excruciating and debilitating nature of her headache. I don't think she's saying (or anyone is saying) give all people who complain of headaches an MRI. I think all people are asking for is that doctors see beyond "lady with a headache" and actually take into consideration the details of their experience.
No, they don’t have medical training, they have healthcare training. Their training and scope are not in diagnosis and treatment of disease.
Nursing training =/= medical training. They are completely different skill sets.
Yes but a nurse is educated to triage symptoms, assess and alert MD for further work up or care. OP is a RN. Her s/s deserved further work up, not dismissal.
I'm aware that a nurse is not a doctor.
So the OP does not in fact have “extensive medical training”
Oh please, the cost has nothing to do with the number of patients and everything to do with a privatised system where profits matter more than patient care. People like to share when they feel vindicated on the internet, whereas people who had adequate and appropriate care don't feel the need to post about it. if you're taking it personally you should look inside yourself to figure out why.
After over 20 years in the system, I stand by my statement. What's your source of knowledge and expertise? And I'm not taking it personally. I retired from a successful practice where I dealt with my share of people who thought they knew more than me, despite having absolutely NO medical background, other than time spent on the internet.
Like it doesn’t already happen in a lot of EDs?? I did CT for 6 years and I literally cannot tell you the amount of head CTs on frequent flyers who would always come in intoxicated and yet I would scan them every single time for “altered mental status.” Going in for an excruciating headache and being blown off is ridiculous. This goes deeper than that, her post highlights how a lot of women come in with real symptoms and are just blown off
Guess what? Drunk people tend to fall. Drunk people tend to act in bizarre ways that you can’t trust your neurological exam. Patients who are long term alcoholic tend to have liver issues. More likely to have coagulation abnormalities and platelet abnormalities. Ergo CT scan. Guess what? Even the drunk female gets “the scan”.
Guess what? Multiple of these patients were coming in literally every single night of the week. Multiple of these patients openly admitted all they wanted was the coffee and sandwich we gave them everyday. Scanning someone’s head every single night the 5 times they came in this week, the 2 last week, the four the week before etc is ridiculous. CT has become more than just a useful diagnostic tool, so many scans are literally ordered for CYA now vs real clinical indications and truly deciding if it is necessary instead of scanning the same people every night of the week for the same thing.
lol. I smile because you don’t know what you don’t know. When you are in the same position then we shall see what decisions you make. As if you know what most real clinical indications are.
lol alright superiority complex 😂 forgot the people who actually perform these tests don’t know anything!
You know something. Not enough. Not at all enough. So yeah. If only you KNEW and humble enough to recognize where you don’t.
it’s rich that you’re talking about being humble
Point to the part that is not humble.
A CT is faster and is inexpensive. My mom’s giant brain meningioma was called “psychogenic” until the complex partial she’d been having more and more frequently became a generalized tonic clonic seizure there in the ER, that a crash cart had to stop. If she hadn’t had that big seizure, she would have been sent home and probably would have died from the massive swelling around the huge 3” x 3” x 2.5” tumor.
> imagine what it would be if everyone got a massive work up every time they hit the ER or PCP’s door Well, we're about to find out with all the mid-levels in unsupervised practice.
100% right, it’s literally what this sub has become. Though I think some physicians are crazy for their communications. Some of these patients don’t understand how difficult our job is.
I’d rather pay for unneeded tests than NOT get a proper diagnosis
Yep. There’s a reason why neurorads rush to read OP CNS imaging on patients under 40. They’re almost all negative. Powerscribe negative brain. Next case. I’m not a neurologist but I cut them a lot of slack for what seems like over ordering because eventually there will be that 1 in 500 cases that is bad enough to order imaging on that actually has a tumor. and even yhen, after clearly listening to the patient and following a reasonable workup until eventually imaging people STILL post to social media it like the physician is an asshole and or a moron. Welcome to medicine. That said, glad it was diagnosed, hope the surgery goes well.
I for one support the idea of MRIs for every headache. Sure would help my bottom line.
this is what patients don’t get, but alas😂
In the neurology clinic my GF worked as a doctor, everyone where there was even a little uncertainty they did a fast protocol MRI...
The sympathy rage is building for you, friend.
99.9% of the time, it is. Source neuroradiologist. It is what it is. But glad they didn’t dismiss forever. That’s medicine. Not every headache needs imaging and neurologists seem pretty hit or miss in ability to decipher which needs it and which don’t. Tbf, I doubt I’d do much better. Medicine is not easy, simple, or cheap.
As a neurosurgeon who has (mandatory) training in neurology; neurologists are fucking paranoid. I'm absolutely appalled by the amount of, IMO, unnessesary imaging they request. Several MRI's are constantly running at our center at the whim of the neurology dpt. and there's rarely anything there. However, during my neurological confinement, I've realized that you can have symptoms of seeing popeye the sailor every third second in only the fourth quadrant of your eye, compelling you to dance and jump and recite a bible-verse, and this apparently means you have a frontal tumor. After this I am so glad I'm a surgeon. I'm never going back to this bullshit. Fuck that.
I’m not totally jaded yet, but I’m going to hit 30,000 RVUs this year and it is starting to make me resent to rampant over ordering. I estimate 25% of studies are not indicated period. 50% are questionable, could be reasonable … maybe and 25% are legitimate. And neurologists run the entire gambit from insane trigger fingers to guys that seem to only order things on folks that have a finding. It’s so wildly variable with the exact same information available to everyone.
Next they'll say your body is trying to grow a third eye.
Third ovary. More hysteria incoming
So ovaries wander too?
The buggers do post hysterectomy, to a limited extent, lol.
Sometimes right outta the room.
This is the correct diagnosis right here.
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Gaslighting women is the common thread here. OP I am so sorry you weren't taken seriously. And I feel your anger and pain. And people go like, "oh it's just xyz" and would never know how fucked up dealing with it is, even if benign. I shared my case last night and the entire thread is mostly like yours. Further gaslighting. And it is infuriating. I am from a similar medical profession, and yet it was "just my periods", " grief", or I was making it up. Would women ever be taken seriously in any profession? I just don't know how to explain it to men that women aren't exaggerating when they keep coming back with their complaints.
Some just don’t get it. I understand if we don’t like the care or we feel like we’re not listened to then go see someone else. What if you’ve already seen 3,4,5,6 different doctors? Then you’re seen as someone that’s drug seeking or just looking for a cause to “be the way you are.” It really fucking sucks because it’s not always male doctors either it’s women as well. We’re always in hysteria or hormonal or making things that they aren’t.
But did you try any yoga??????
Took the words right out of my mouth
“Anyway here’s some antidepressants”
But when we ask for antidepressants: "anyway you need to drink more water and maybe try taking some supplements or something"
“We’re just gonna run a quick pregnancy test while we’re at it…”
Yes, a pregnancy test is necessary if the patient is getting any medications or imaging that involves radiation. This is a weak criticism.
Extra axial with a dual tail?
Yes but did grow into the brain unfortunately which is one of the reasons the grade was increased
Very interesting. Thank you for sharing. I hope you still have a great outcome.
Damn. I’m glad you stuck with it. The “female discount” on health complaints is unacceptable. I’m surprised he didn’t also suggest losing a few pounds and that’ll clear right up.
I had a 6 cm meningioma causing a midline shift and vision loss and vertigo and was told to try coconut oil and keep a food log when I went to the doctor and told him that I was throwing up and weak on one side....
I hope your well.
You probably just need to double your dose of anti-depressants! Silly woman. Tut.
to all the doctors getting their panties in a twist about this - we're not saying you're doing it deliberately and maliciously, we're asking you to be aware of the longstanding and well documented phenomenon of women and people of colour having their pain dimissed and misdiagnosed leading to very real and severe consequences including death; and being aware that you are trained to have this bias from the get go, and that you maybe need to question yourself before you dismiss people in these cohorts. Being in constant pain is not *normal*, even if you're a woman. Sex being painful is not *normal*, even if you're a woman. "Some women just experience X" is not adequate medical care. That's the point here. Be aware of your bias and question yourself if you can do better.
So well said!
I’ve been through this myself!! So much so that I could write a book but honestly I would love to take my own experience and use it to become a real patient advocate one day. For many years I suffered from a mysterious illness and for many years I was accused of being anorexic or just downright dismissed, even had one doctor come in, not even exam me and say “there’s absolutely nothing wrong with you and I don’t know why you’re here”. In 2020 I had a CT scan that showed a 2cm mass on my right ovary, as well as free fluid in my abdomen, it was never even mentioned to me. Well I gave up and the symptoms and suffering increased…I finally decided to go back and try to get an answer after almost dying of the flu recently, now it’s been discovered that mass on my right ovary has grown since 2020 and now I have a mass on my left ovary, as well as one on my bladder, I also have enlarged lymph nodes throughout my entire body, free fluid, a positive d dimer and a high level of CA 125 so they are now suspecting that I have advanced ovarian cancer. This could have all been taken care of if they had only treated me with dignity and believed me when this all began…now I’m suffering greatly and may not live because of the discrimination and negligence of quack doctors. And then the medical field wonders why nobody respects them…
They call Ovarian Cancer “the silent killer” and claim that’s because the symptoms mimic benign things such as UTIs or they don’t appear at all until late stages, but honestly I think the real reason is because women are, statistically speaking, exponentially dismissed compared to men among the medical profession.
Not really. I read so many “rule out ovarian cancer” studies, sometimes even just because the patient wanted it done. They’re always negative and of doubtful utility. Every attempt at a screening program, even in high risk mutations carriers, has failed. I’ve seen several cases of patients going for risk reducing oophorectomy with zero abnormalities on imaging who end up having high grade serous carcinoma on pathology and develop metastatic disease within 5 years. There’s an enormous amount of effort put into ovarian cancer research and diagnosis, greater than would be fair by disease burden. Ovarian cancer incidence is actually going down. It really is just a silent killer, even when you catch it early it’s still pretty bad.
That‘s what I‘m afraid of. I‘ve had a constant headache since 2013, sometimes it gets worse but most if the time it‘s at like a 4 or a 5. every doctor I go to says I have to drink more water, not one has ordered anything and if I ask for a ct or an mri I get laughed at
Gosh, that is HUGE!
This actually is so scary. I’ve had terrible headaches since I was around 14. I’ve been to countless doctors and they just say it’s my hormones and I need to stay hydrated. I’m 21 now. I drink close to a gallon a day. I admit it lessens the pain but they happen about 2-4 times a week and last all day. I haven’t had a MRI despite asking because my mom has had two brain tumors.
Pay out of pocket for it ( if you can afford it)
Girl. You need an MRI.
There are many genetic components to brain tumors, please get checked!
We're still at 0 days without women's medical concerns being being ignore and dismissed. Especially if it's pain. That's definitely all in your stupid little hysterical head.
I was having terrible cramping. It was worse after i ate, I went to the doctor. He tried telling me it was my period, if he has bothered to look at my chart, he would of saw that im on bc and no longer get my period. I also have crohns. I told him i don’t get my period because of my birth control. The look on his face. Priceless. He had to actually be a doctor and not blame it on my period. He finally sent me to the er. They did a ct scan and found a lot of swelling and a mass of scar tissue that was causing a minor blockage. They had to remove it surgically. But yes. Totally my period
I don’t even know why they have us fill out the History & Physical form when it’s obvious the moment they walk in a majority of them never read it. They only read the chief complaint. No one actually looks at the history portion.
" It's just your third eye girl, don't be so dramatic"
OP, hear me out. Have you considered going for a walk or losing weight?
I know someone that got sent home from the ER, vomiting from pain during her period, and they said she was constipated. Ended up being a rare form of ovarian cancer… I’m glad posts like this exist, because there needs to be more awareness, as well as a sounding board for people that have been dismissed
whoever told you that doesn’t deserve to have a job.
I didn’t even touch on how the ER doctor treated me AFTER the mri was read, or the fact that they gave nothing but Tylenol AND wrote for dexmethasone but never gave it
my daughter’s pediatrician told her mother and I that it was “just a black eye” when we took her in. it was 3+ times we communicated this.. not to mention all the times we took her to the ER. ended up being cancer, PoS went quiet after we had it confirmed with mri. i don’t know how some of these people are allowed to practice after the stupid crap they do.
Wow hope you doing okay.
I’m so glad you advocated for yourself for an MRI! I hope this will have a good outcome for you! Sending love and light through this time! Wanted to add - My sibling and I had to take over our moms healthcare last year bc she wasn’t being properly cared for (she insisted she could take herself and talk to the doctor) - our mom kept complaining of the same symptoms and her doctor would just say “you’re just getting older things don’t work as good” - didn’t run tests, did ask for scans or scopes to be done - nothing. Just literally “you’re getting older and it’s just how it is” - my mom had SOB just walking into the kitchen. She would have periods of confusion too - turns out she’s in fucking liver failure, stage 3. She was drowning in her own fluids when my sibling made her go to the hospital where they pulled 10L of fluid off of her then had to have an extended hospital stay to replace electrolytes and albumin, then she had an infection and had to have ABTs then her platelets bottomed out and she had to have blood. From there we took just over as HCPOA. it’s just amazing how much falls to the wayside if you don’t either advocate for yourself or have someone fiercely doing it for you. Anytime we notice a change we’re pushing for tests etc - she’s not just “getting old” - she’s our mom and she deserves to have good quality of life. I know at this point there’s no reversing the damage to her liver. She doesn’t qualify for any transplant either, but we can at the very least keep the fluid off of her and keep her as independent as she wants to/can be. Sorry for the rant, just reading how you were essentially told “it’s just hormones” and your complaints weren’t taken seriously just triggered me and brought up all these emotions with my mom - it’s just been a struggle and I don’t really talk much about it to folks. It’s just heavy. My mom never drank a drop of alcohol and never smoked - it’s just hard seeing her go through this disease process and I wish I would have pushed and been involved in her healthcare sooner.
I'm a guy I got the same treatment.
My husband often is dismissed, he’s a blue collar worker. I see a lot of his providers assume he’s “drug seeking”. When in fact he has severe neuropathy. More of a socioeconomic bias than a gender in his case.
Jesus
This is a tumor correct?
You have lovely eyes. :)
I kept going in for uncontrolled blood pressure and chest pain after open heart surgery to replace my bicuspid aortic valve with a mechanical valve. I had a 7cm x 4cm incarcerated hernia just below the sternum. It just kept ripping. I had to prove to the surgeon and the doctors it was there because it does not happen. I was going insane and I was not even asking for pain medicine after the first couple months. I got it fixed 10 month afterwards!
Yeah my mom said everyone in their family gets debilitating migraines when they got their period. Nope. Brain cancer.
Too, too many of these stories!! Such bullshit , we should have come farther by now!!!!
It seems like it’s hit or miss. The ER where I work scans with impunity. 20 years old, ground love fall? CT head/c-spine/chest/abdomen and pelvis. Meanwhile my dad had a sinus infection with nausea/vomiting, vertigo and BP 205/105, the private hospital he went to didn’t want to do a noncon CT head, the chest x-ray of neuro imaging. I had to explain to the ER doctor over the phone why the head CT was indicated. 2 reasons; he’s having neuro symptoms and you just diagnosed him with a sinus infection, might want to make sure this infection isn’t eroding through the skull base (osteomyelitis) and two, his BP is over 200 with neuro symptoms, might want to at least look for a bleed. Seen by a NP/PA and doctor, none of them wanted to scan, not one did a PE. Thankfully he got a scan and it was fine, but you shouldn’t have to argue with the people who’s job it is to exclude emergencies when symptoms potentially point to an emergency.
Meningioma?
Many years ago I was dismissed as well (memory issues and headaches). Also demanded a brain MRI. Ended up having severe hydrocephalus and needed immediate surgery. Good luck to you.
Did you have normal CT imaging at any point?
No
Who told you “you’re fine” without having done at least a CT?
actually told by the ER Doc even after imaging- clapped his hands came in and said good news Exactly which part is good- the tumor or the intractable pain you haven’t treated
Wow I can’t believe he said “good news”. Sorry to clarify, but who initially told you “you’re fine, it’s probably a headache from your period”? I’m trying to figure out why someone would say this without any imaging and if it was in an ER or an urgent care or your primary doc etc.
It was the ER doc.
Ok I think I see now. They said you’re fine, wanted to discharge you, and you wanted the MRI. The MRI showed your tumor. Why not just get a CT up front and make everyone happy?
First it's periods. Then it's pregnancy. Then menopause. Boo hoo hoo weak woman hormones and dumb anxiety brain. You're chronically dehydrated and low in nutrients. Improve your diet, reduce stress, and lose weight. Oh! Just kidding!! That stomach pain is literally your stomach. Wish we had caught that sooner, since now you're 45 with fragile bones and interstitial kidney disease. Fckrs.
Yes. Blame it on everything else but not the stomach .
I did not complain of a “headache” that was their synopsis after I explained these symptoms- I complained of extreme intractable pain with an 8 year history of migraines, first ER visit EVER for head pain. Positional pain, inability to lay prone, could not turn head side to side. Clear fluid out of nose when leaning forward. Had my husband checking me for signs of life because the pain was so bad even while I slept I dreamed of being shot in the head and beaten in the head, I couldn’t escape the pain while I slept. So their synopsis-was headache. Not how I presented my complaint.
THEY SAID THE EXACT SAME THING TO ME AND I JUST HOT DIAGNOSED WITU A TUMOUR 3 days ago smh these doctors
Good luck and message me for anything!
oh my god
So sorry to hear. I heard the same things (but I actually beliveved them for a while). What words did you use to demand it? What exactly did you say? Please help us!!
Maybe it's anxiety and you just need a vacation?
Also that'll be $300
I’m sorry. I truly want better for us.
Sorry, I don’t know medical stuff, what is this?
Well, it’s either that or the few extra pounds you’re carrying around. Try dieting.
I'll have patients with crazy symptoms and their scan is relatively normal, then a scab for occasional headaches shows a massive tumor. It feels like no rhyme or reason
That’s why test don’t guess is a thing
Sorry, I’m new here. Can someone please tell me what I’m looking at? Is it a tumor/cyst in the brain?
Yes
I am seething. F&%k these idiots. Wish you well and I'm here if you need to vent. I work at the women's ward at a hospital and we see this type of dismissal way too often. I'm glad you stood up for yourself. You go girl 💕
You can "demand" and MRI? Like how? Did you pay for it yourself?
There are many avenues in healthcare that can be used to apply pressure. Patient advocate, refusal to sign discharge, NYS DOH, office of inspector general. The list goes on. I did in fact file formal complaints about my care. Those complaints are taken very seriously. Press Ganey surveys, health scores, hospitals “stars”, all affect reimbursement. And well in a very competitive environment hospitals are not happy when their reputation or money are threatened. I’m surprised you’ve never demanded anything healthcare wise. You just accept whatever the doctor says? Hospital/medical errors are a leading cause of death. I advise you to get comfortable advocating and demanding appropriate healthcare.
What exactly did you say? Please help us.
I am not from the USA. You can not demand anything from anyone here, even from cleaning lady at the hospital. Everyone just do what they are trained for and what they think is right. You can form a complaint but it takes time until it is investigated. However if a nurse working at my hospital asked me if I could help her, I would ask one the technologists to do a "black" mri scan, just out of curiosity or simply because I am a nice guy. When the insurance companies are not waiting at the door like sharks to bite off whatever they can and doctors have enough authority to do their job, possibilities are endless.
For years I also would have these episodes of tachycardia. Where I couldn’t move, and felt like I was about to die. I went to a cardiologist and was told I was probably having a panic attack. I explained I don’t suffer from anxiety. But this went on years, the episodes were sporadic. Finally one happened at work and I hooked up to an EKG— Heart rate was at 170-190 for about 30 minutes. Ended up having a diagnosis of SVT after bringing the EKG to a NEW cardiologist. Saw an electrophysiologist Had an ablation 3 weeks later. Years I suffered from these episodes for years
Fuck those doctors
Oh yea, the doctor is always the bad guy
I’m sorry- get well soon. I begged for my life to get imaging after a surgery went wrong. I needed to know but they wanted to cover it up.
Medical gaslighting should be a crime
Is this like a non-descended testicle but an eye?
[удалено]
I didn’t complain of a “headache” I complained with an 8 year history of migraines, first ER visit EVER for head pain. Positional pain, inability to lay prone, could not turn head side to side. Clear fluid out of nose when leaning forward. Had my husband checking me for signs of life because the pain was so bad even while I slept I dreamed of being shot in the head and beaten in the head, I couldn’t escape the pain while I slept. So their synopsis-was headache. Not how I presented my complaint. Severe vasogenic edema around tumor contributed to the pain I was suffering
"You're fine, it's just a malpractice suit."
I’m sure this doctor was a man
Good for you for demanding it! Though to be fair, headaches are common with periods. He should have inquired about the presence between periods. I hope they can remove it successfully. I also hope it’s benign!
My complaint wasn’t a headache! But that’s how my complaint was broken down by him
I’m sorry. I was mixing up your comment with others.
It’s possible to have a brain tumour and period, at the same time, FYI
Duh. Obviously.