What is the most bonehead thing a doc has ever told you? Something that at the time might have been insensitive, hurtful or downright clueless, but now it's funny....

Another thread got me thinking about this, and I remembered what the cardiologist told my husband, asked him if he'd considered just cutting out sweets, since WLS was pretty extreme...

When I had a collapsed lung, the Pulmo said the diagnosis was that I was fat. At the time, I was as furious as I could manage, but now it's terribly funny.

-Thinjen- I don't blame you for saying the name, in fact I'd like to know the names of all the doctors mentioned here so I don't go to them.

My little story - I had been having some pain in my wrist so I saw my primary doctor, and he asked me what I thought was causing the pain, I told him that I work in an office and that it hurts when I have to push down on a hole punch or a stapler. His solution: stop stapling and using the hold punch!

When I was about 22 I had to go off the pill, blood clots & weight gain (I had gained about 20#, up to a sz. 18 from a 16, still in a "normal" weight range). My PCP referred me to the women's care clinic for a consultation on other options. They weighed me, did my height, etc. My husband (he wasn't my husband then, but we were living together) came with me. The OBGYN came in and introduced herself, then started reading my chart & history. She says, "Ooh, I notice you've gained weight lately, you looked a little poochy but most of the women here are pregnant." About 5 mins later se says, "Well, at least you're lucky that you found a good looking man who loves you for your personality."

When I had my daughter i developed a couples of blood clots in my lungs just 3 days after. I was rushed into the ER with shortnessof breath and dizziness. I get in and the triage nurse says "why can't you breathe? did you try running up a flight of stairs?" I tried yelling at her for it, but had to take a breath between each word, so by the time i got through with my tirade i just seemed like a babbling idiot.

Then I hadto go in for an angiogram to officially diagnose the clots. they insert a catheter into the artery in the groin, and before doing that they shave and clean that area. Well I had just had a baby, and before the labor I shaved myself. Completely. thenurses and the doctors were all men, except for the prep nurse. She was awesome, and she casually explains to me that she has to shave me again to get me prepped. The doctor looks up and says "again? do you stay shaved often?" what a question!! Then I say ,"no, i am shaved because I just has a baby a few days ago." He replies "oh good, so there is a reason you are this fat. what are your plans to get back into shape?" I was already scared and lightheaded from the whole situation. i just started to cry. which didn't help the breathing situation. the doctor ordered to have me sedated for uncontrolled emotions. I woke up in ICU to spend the next 2 weeks in bed.

There seems to be a lot of doctors that are just down right rude to fat folks. They should be thanking God for us fat folks. Just how many diseases are caused from obesity? If all of us were perfect, the only docs getting any business would be the plastic surgeons... and only then to keep us perfect.

A back doctor told my friend she had slipped disc in her back because "you can't fit a TON in a HALF-TON truck!" Nice bedside manner huh?

I was in the middle of having one of my lungs collapse and could not get enough air in to get a breath. There was a new doc in the ER and she wanted me to tell her what my symptoms were.

Mind you, my mouth was moving, but I couldn't force any air through my vocal cords! She tried to discarge me for being non-compliant since I wouldn't tell her anything and was just making fun of her. Luckily my DH was able to grab a nurse with a clue. I was admitted shortly after that for a 10 day stay...

Oh, Ijust remembered another. I was about 17 and this was at a military hospital ('nuff said). I was going to Central America for a month and needed a physical and immunizations. And older doctor, I'd guess at least 60, staunch military man, came in, introduced himself, and told me to "strip". Lots of other inappropriateness around some things he did during the exam, but as I was leaving he asked me where I was going that I needed malaria & typoid fever immuns. I told him where I was headed, and he said, "Oh Christ, you're going to hate it there. Everyone's so damn rude. You know why they're rude? They started inbreeding with the damn <insert "n word" here>."

I went to the ER once for stomach pains when I was 22. They actually laughed at me. I heard the nurses and doctor saying "She is in because her tummy hurts..boo-hoo".

They released me and I went to my GP who finally found out I had an ulcer.

Jerks.

Oh Bubs has a tummy ache, oh poor bups baby! Yeah, they laughed at my back ache but got the deer in the headlights look when I brought in the kidney stone....

You went back with the stone?!

LOL!!!

RIGHT ON SISTER!

After my neices surgery for her appendix, the doctor came in the room while she was recovering and said to my sister, "Do you know where this piece goes?" He had a rubbery red piece (it was fake) and he thought he was funny. Which I actually thought it was, but my sister was PISSED. I still laugh about that, which actually pisses my sister off more, which in turn makes me laugh even harder.

On another note, I went to a doctor for Bronchitis. He used a regular Duracell flashlight to look in my mouth to my throat. Then he used a plastic spork to hold down my tongue. I thought he was kidding. Then he had me cough and spit onto a paper plate to which he actually smeared it around with the same spork he had used to hold my tongue down. I walked out. Didn't even say a word. Just walked out.