# Dismissive Doctors **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 23, 2024, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismissive-doctors/997996 "2024-02-23T19:14:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismissive-doctors/997996/21 "2024-02-24T04:41:54Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > The trick to getting a doctor to take you seriously is that you must show you’ve done your homework. Use the clinical-sounding terms, like peristalsis, fissure, traction, etc. rather than just “hurt, crack, bump,” casual language. > [@Broomstick](#): > > I’ve gotten push back for sounding “too educated” once or twice, really, with some people you just can’t win. I’m in disability circles on social networks, and the general agreement is that if you are too knowledgeable about your condition, they’ll label you as a hypochondriac or similar. My experience was complaining about being tired, and the doctor told me it was depression. It ended up being myasthenia gravis. The axiom “if you hear hoofbeats, don’t look for zebras” pisses me to no end. Yes, some diseases are rare. But don’t assume that you will never encounter them. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismissive-doctors/997996/22 "2024-02-24T12:31:32Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > The axiom “if you hear hoofbeats, don’t look for zebras” pisses me to no end. Yes, some diseases are rare. But don’t assume that you will never encounter them. Yes. Occasionally you _do_ meet a zebra. Once got a line about how rare multiple food allergies are in adults from a doc who didn’t know me. I said yeah, I knew it was rare, but I guess I had a winning lottery ticket in that department. I did find that handing over an 8.5 x 11 sheet with my allergies and the symptoms produced by each (because they’re not all the same) went some way towards reducing that sort of thing, as well as saving time (for me and the doc, not for the person who now has to type everything into the e-records) When I was in the hospital for surgery last August they really did have a red allergy alert bracelet on me ending with “see next bracelet” and a _second_ one to finish the list. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismissive-doctors/997996/23 "2024-02-24T13:06:38Z")
Our current provider is a PA-C and she’s amazing!! She listens and doesn’t assume. On two occasions, she sent one or another of us to the ER and that was exactly the right thing to do. She also adds personal notes to our files so when we see her 6 months later, she’ll not only discuss our medical issues, but ask about the grandkids or a vacation we’d planned. BUT before we found her, there was the guy who, I swear, was afraid to get close to me. He literally held his stethoscope at arm’s length as he “examined” me. I’d gone to see him for back pain that I think I might have caused by lifting or turning wrong. He never had me stand up or move or reach or do anything to demonstrate range of motion or what exactly hurt - he just wrote a prescription for pain meds. Thanks, doc. The 'scrip went into the trash as soon as I got to my car, and I never went back to that practice again. Jerk. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismissive-doctors/997996/24 "2024-02-24T13:31:20Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > It ended up being myasthenia gravis. Ugh. Congrats on getting diagnosed. My mom had myasthenia gravis. ---
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismissive-doctors/997996/25 "2024-02-24T15:23:29Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Our current provider is a PA-C and she’s amazing!! Hey, hey, this thread is for complaining. Folks will get the idea that some professionals are competent if you say stuff like that. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismissive-doctors/997996/26 "2024-02-24T15:27:04Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > The axiom “if you hear hoofbeats, don’t look for zebras” pisses me to no end. Yes, some diseases are rare. But don’t assume that you will never encounter them. It’s also the reason I’m seeing a god-damned doctor. If all I need is someone who can look up the most common cause of my symptoms on Google and read off the recommended treatment I can do that myself, hell a suitably trained monkey can do that. I’m seeing an experienced medical professional because it might be “zebras” not “horses” ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismissive-doctors/997996/27 "2024-02-24T22:34:43Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Has this happened to you? Way too often as a female patient. The doc I have now actually listens to me and I’m hanging on to her despite our disagreements about various medications. I was once told to take Vitamin D for chest pain issues. Seriously. Amongst other brush-offs. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismissive-doctors/997996/28 "2024-02-25T00:50:09Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > a suitably trained monkey Hey, I also have a Master’s degree in Science. 👨‍🔧 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismissive-doctors/997996.md?page=1)