Worst and best experiences with doctors/medical professionals

[GirlAfraid23]

I'm very anxious about examinations and recently it's been worse than ever...I can't even pluck up the courage to go to an overdue optician appointment. The worst one is my smear test which is 8 months overdue (I turned 25 last June) anyway, I think part of the reason could be a few bad experiences with the medical profession and I thought we could help each other out by telling some of the worst and best stories...providing members want to share!

I'll go first...
Pretty much number one, was when I went to my usual GP surgery - which has many practising GPs and nurses now...I had what I thought was a breast lump and some pain...the overly friendly american doctor asked me to strip off and I had to have the female receptionist in there as an "oversee" this just made the whole process even more humiliating. He started poking and prodding my breasts, very painfully and not professionally in my opinion. He then told me he could feel a lump (no wonder, he was going so deep with his fingers!) and was going to book me in to the breast clinic. There I was with my extreme health anxiety and I felt absolutely devastated. He then jokingly said "well big breasted women like yourself tend to have lumpier breasts, so you should be fine, my wife is similar to your size" this just made me feel sick and it was completely uncalled for and not professional at all.
Anyway this will then follow up to my best experience, I booked myself into a private charity based breast clinic a few days later as I couldn't wait much longer. The nurse in there examined both breasts - very gently and with zero pain this time...she told me this is how it should be done. She said she could feel no lumps and they felt healthy and fine. I should have reported that doctor but I didn't feel like I had the energy after the ordeal, I was just relieved it was over.

Another bad one...not quite as bad but I went to have my blood taken at the hospital...in the room was the usual nurse and a student...she asked the student to put the needle in (because he was learning) and although my veins are easy to draw blood from (they love me!) he made a real meal out of it and made it last minutes rather than seconds, I felt bruised and tearful afterwards. They managed to get their blood sample but a quick, reletavely painless procedure turned into a painful, drawn out, humiliating few minutes. I know it was only taking blood but that's not the point really!

So you can see why I might be more than a little worried about the smear test and any procedure or test really! The last time I went to have my blood pressure taken it really escalated, the nurse kept repeating "your blood pressure shouldn't be so high at your age, relax, relax" how easy is it to relax when someone is telling you things don't seem right?

Another time, at a family planning clinic when picking up my pill prescription, the nurse kept asking me if I had chlamidyia, I told her no, because all my sexual encounters were with one person and he was a Virgin before we met...this didn't satisfy Her and instead of believing me, basically made me feel like a liar.

Anybody else want to share? Good ones appreciated too!

[johnburns232]

Wow, that doctor sounded like a right odd one, you don't talk like that to a patient!

My worst experience was at a clinic, I told the specialist (not my normal doctor) that I was a very anxious person naturally, and I was only at this clinic because my doctor wanted to reassure me and cover all basis. At this point all my problems had gone as well (months ago) so I went there just as I had an appointment, hoping to get crossed off.

He did the physical, which in it's self isn't comfortable. Did a lot of horrible prodding made some creepy remarks about ''willys''. So I was a bit freaked out then! He said everything was normal but said he wanted to schedule in a Ultrasound and Cystoscopy (tube into the bladder) for 8 weeks time (8 weeks of worry..). He said it was to ''Look for bladder cancer'' as I had a ''real sign''. Seriously, you don't say that to someone with HA. He knew I had that as well. (I'm fine btw)

[.Poppy.]

I haven't had any experiences that were too terrible, thankfully. My regular doctor is pretty great.

They recently did hire a new male nurse in the office, though, and I've been in a couple of times where I've had the flu and generally didn't feel good. He tends to take my pulse, and then proceeds to tell me that my pulse is "alarmingly high" and that he'll mention it to the doctor. So I sit and wait and stress, my doc comes in, I ask about my pulse and he rolls his eyes and tells me that of course my pulse is high, I'm sick, exhausted, and weak and it's just raised from the effort of walking from the lobby into the room and going through some tests. He took it again, it was fine.

I also went to the ER once with a really, really bad migraine, my mother drove me there. They gave me some meds and I eventually fell asleep; while I was sleeping my mother stepped out to make a call. When she wasn't in the room, and I was asleep, the ER doc came in and started telling me about the medication they'd given me, how I was doing better, asking me how I was feeling, seeing if I needed a note, etc. I woke up halfway through his entire speech totally disoriented, he just said, "okay then!" and left. I still have no idea what he was trying to tell me.