r/comics • u/TheNectarineDiaries • Jun 19 '26

OC Why didn't you say so?

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Best medical advice I ever got was to bring a man to your appointments

47.3k Upvotes

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415

u/PetrichorPond1 Jun 19 '26

My female friend had a MRSA infection that ended with her going septic (she’s okay now) that started with severe pain in her jaw and she was labeled as “drug seeking” until her jaw literally started deteriorating and ended up needing facial reconstruction surgery and iv antibiotics. To top it all off, the “drug seeking” is still on her chart so now every time she sees a new dr she has to convince them she’s not. Absolute BS

144

u/North-Pea-4926 Jun 19 '26

“Drug seeking”, I swear. Yeah I want drugs, that’s how medicine works!

60

u/nicoleof1984 Jun 19 '26

This-of course I’m seeking drugs, I’m at the fucking dr office

19

u/North-Pea-4926 Jun 19 '26

I didn’t come here for kind words and chicken soup!

6

u/Aquatic_Rainbow Jun 20 '26

Or to argue with medical professionals who don’t like their job

5

u/smartquacker Jun 19 '26

Not to mention how damn expensive they’ll be after the hospital bill

146

u/1Lc3 Jun 19 '26

Similar happened to me but I'm a man. Went to ER because my face is so swollen from infection  I can barely use my mouth or open my eyes. As soon as I walked to the desk the nurse sitting there said to me in the most hateful tone "we don't give out pain killers here, you'll have to go somewhere else." Had to argue with her for 10 minutes that i wasn't looking for pain killers but wanted treatment and antibiotics for the abcess in my face. Get checked in sent to the exam room and another argument with another nurse because this one was even ruder and flat out called me "another junky looking for pills." From what I seen if you are a woman, a POC or look poor, doctors and nurses treat you like scum

19

u/PraetorKiev Jun 19 '26

Similar situation when my friend told me she has scars from MRSA because the doctors and insurance didn’t want to believe she actually had it. She got the same bullshit treatment. It’s sickening

9

u/TacTurtle Jun 19 '26

Lawsuit for gross malpractice.

6

u/Old-Badger-7367 Jun 19 '26

Geezus christ. This is all so ridiculous.

Imagine needing pain relief and having someone diagnose you as an drug addict.

World is upside down

19

u/smartquacker Jun 19 '26

lol they assume everyone is drug seeking. Thats not something specific to her.

52

u/youy23 Jun 19 '26

Not necessarily everyone. Mostly poor people, black people, women especially women with chronic pain, homeless people, and anyone who they are subconsciously (and sometimes very consciously) prejudiced against.

A clean cut photogenic white guy wearing a suit or nice shirt and blazer can get away with a hell of a lot more and never be labeled a drug seeker.

It’s an unfortunate aspect of healthcare.

7

u/Powerful-Patient-765 Jun 19 '26

I was dealing with chronic pelvic pain and a very rude male urologist told me there was no help for me and that I was drug seeking. I left him a scathing review on Google, along with information about resources and local doctors that did help me. Made me feel better. I called him “Kevin“ in my review.

6

u/youy23 Jun 19 '26

That’s awful that he would outright call you a drug addict and deny you care. It’s a fucked up way to think about patients.

21

u/ZaryaBubbler Jun 19 '26

And that's why I refuse painkillers despite having a chronic pain condition... can't risk it in case the pain gets completely unmanageable

6

u/Fearless-Feature-830 Jun 19 '26

Shit I have no shame and ask for more lol

10

u/ZaryaBubbler Jun 19 '26

It's not about shame, it's about being scared of not being believed when I'm REALLY in agonising pain

1

u/Fearless-Feature-830 Jun 21 '26

I mean I have that fear too but I do it anyway

13

u/Yingletofthecorn Jun 19 '26

That’s actually worse tbh. 

1

u/RainLoveMu Jun 20 '26

Out of curiosity, how did she find out they marked her as drug seeking?

0

u/Ahun_ Jun 19 '26

Which country would that be? Because in general the medical data is yours, and you have the right to have it amended if there is wrong information in there. So I call a tea spoon of BS on the story.

Also a MRSA in the jaw? That would most likely cause clear clinical signs, aside from jawpain.