Do you remember the worst experience you've ever had in a doctor's office? Well, many people are taking an uncomfortable trip down memory lane in an r/AskReddit thread about the "worst thing a medical professional has said to you."
Reactions quickly piped up with medical horror stories about professional negligence, quirky doctors' personas, and deplorable bedside manner. The comments ranged from funny to devastating, and some shared quotes that were just plain inappropriate.
1. It's going to be just a pinch
"'If I'd known you were going to be such a baby about it, I would have given you something for the pain. It doesn't hurt that much.' ...From a male doctor after he spent 5 minutes scraping my cervix and uterus with a sharp scalpel for biopsies." —u/Lonely_Owl_3
2. You'll be blind by 18
"As a 14-year-old, a doctor coldly and bluntly said, 'You will be blind by 18.' Just out of the blue. Didn’t talk to my parents first to discuss how to break the news to me. Didn’t care how I was going to react. Just… 'you’re going to be blind.' I’m in my forties now. I can still see." —u/Mjost84
3. You just need to lose weight
"I had an ear infection, and the doctor told me I needed to lose weight or it would keep happening." —u/FivebyFive
4. It's just growing pains
"Not to me but to my sister: 'you’re just a teenager, you’re just feeling growing pains.' She had a tumor in her spine. Edit: She survived. She’s almost 40 now, totally healthy and hasn’t had a reoccurrence since she was in her 20s." —u/anotherbutterflyacc
5. As long as you can walk, you're fine
"After being in an accident where a vehicle hit me as a pedestrian, the ER doctor said, 'well, you walked here so you’re fine' and tried to discharge me. The NP turned around after taking my vitals and went 'OP was hit by a car. This is fight or flight syndrome' and then I went unconscious. I apparently made it to the ER before my lung collapsed and then discovered all the other injuries I didn’t know I had thanks to adrenaline." —u/Internal-Advisor-983
6. I don't have time for you
"He said, "I don't have time to talk to you about this" (meaning the issue for which I had scheduled the appointment) - He said this AFTER standing outside of the room for over 15 minutes talking football with another patient." —u/Diasies_inMyHair
7. I don't believe your pain
"For whatever maddening reason, doctors don’t believe that the cervix has nerve endings. They literally teach that you can’t feel pain in your cervix, which is incorrect." —u/mrmoe198
8. Try over-the-counter pain meds
"'Have you tried Tylenol' when I went to the ob-gyn bc something changed with my periods to the point that everything I could legally take didn’t touch it. Also, I’m a nurse. I know how to take pain meds and when to go to the doctor. My husband literally guffawed in the background at the appt when she asked if I had tried Tylenol." —u/Fionaelaine4
9. No compassion
"Went to an OB because they have a really nice birthing center. Had my first ultrasound and sat down to talk to the midwife np. She asked why I chose their clinic and I explained how excited I was for the natural birthing facilities and she bluntly says “well you won’t be using that. There’s no heartbeat.” No change in tone, almost like we were talking about traffic or the weather. Then she told me it was ok to cry but I was in shock at how she’d just delivered horrible news like that." —u/Tazerkatq
10. You're just old
"After I described my severe chronic pain, the specialist looked at my chart, sighed, and said, "Well, you're getting older. This is just what happens." It was the most dismissive and professionally negligent sentence I've ever heard. It took two more years to find a doctor who listened and diagnosed a treatable condition." —u/RoyalTurtleInsider
11. You're fine
"After being in an accident where a vehicle hit me as a pedestrian, the ER doctor said, “well, you walked here so you’re fine” and tried to discharge me. The NP turned around after taking my vitals and went, “OP was hit by a car. This is fight or flight syndrome,” and then I went unconscious. I apparently made it to the ER before my lung collapsed and then discovered all the other injuries I didn’t know I had, thanks to adrenaline." —u/Internal-Advisor-983
12. You're ugly
"'Whoever did your nose should be sued.' And it was the nose I was born with." —uMaster_Meaning_8517
13. You need new boobs
"'Your breasts are uneven. Have you ever considered breast augmentation?' I was 22. The same appointment he told me I was 'moley.'" —u/MissMaryEli
14. You're watching too much TikTok
"Accused me of watching too much TikTok after requesting hormone panels. Switched doctors and was diagnosed with PCOS." —u/mayonnegg
15. Your gag reflex sucks
"Not horrible but funny... regarding my husband's very narrow gag reflex: 'I'm sorry. You'll never make it as a gay man.'" —u/GenXYachtRock
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