I'm a doctor, and I know what it's like to be gaslighted as a patient. Here's what I do to advocate for myself in a medical setting.
For years, Dr. Christina Johnson's painful periods were dismissed as an STI. She really had fibroids, and now treats patients who've felt dismissed.
Doctors dismissed a woman's pain, weight loss, and bloody stool for more than a year. She had colon cancer.
Paula Chamber Raney said one doctor told her "she probably ate something red," hence her bloody stool. Later, doctors found a baseball-sized tumor.
A 29-year-old woman with a lump in her breast said she was refused a mammogram because she was too young. She now has stage 4 cancer.
Philecia La'Bounty first felt a lump when adjusting her sports bra. It grew eight centimeters in eight months. She says she'll be on "chemo for life."
A 26-year-old who suffered a ruptured ectopic pregnancy says a doctor sent her home, leaving her to bleed internally for days
A woman with an ectopic pregnancy said an ER physician sent her home. When she was finally treated, she'd been internally bleeding for five days.
I'm a doctor who's witnessed medical gaslighting. Here's how I try to avoid it, and how patients can advocate for themselves.
Patients are speaking out about feeling dismissed by doctors. Here's why medical gaslighting happens, and what to do about it, according to Dr. Mike.
A 31-year-old mom says doctors dismissed her severe pain as a gallbladder issue. Later, tests showed she had stage 4 cancer.
Casey Ward says she begged doctors to operate, but they wouldn't because she was pregnant. After birth, they discovered tumors in multiple organs.
A mom said her severe pain was dismissed as anxiety for a year. Then, while undergoing a c-section, she learned she had terminal cancer.
Lois Walker said she was in such pain she told doctors she would kill herself, but was brushed off. During her c-section, they found malignant tumors.
A 29-year-old's stroke was misdiagnosed as MS. She's now relearning how to walk after more than a year of misguided treatments.
Jordan Plunkett had vision problems, confusion, and heat sensitivity, which doctors thought was MS. After a year in bed, she learned it was a stroke.
A botched root canal operation left a woman with hallucinations and migraines that she thought would kill her
Kara Edwards told Insider she learned her sudden headaches, joint and abdominal pain, and toothache were caused by a botched root canal 15 years ago.
Doctors told a 29-year-old she had anxiety and that she was 'too young for cancer.' She had stage 4 kidney cancer.
Eight doctors dismissed Katie Coleman's symptoms. After weight loss revealed a mass, she was diagnosed with kidney cancer that spread to her liver.
A new mom who went to the ER with crushing chest pain and vomiting was dismissed as anxiety. It was a heart attack.
Wakisha Stewart, a 31-year-old nursing assistant, knew something was very wrong. But the receptionist said: "Oh honey, you're having a panic attack."
Doctors dismissed student's pain, weight loss, and vomiting as alcohol-related. She had incurable cancer.
Even when 20-year-old law student Georgia Ford coughed up blood, doctors said her symptoms weren't life-threatening. She has stage 4 kidney cancer.
A woman tested positive for colon cancer on an at-home test. Her doctor dismissed the result — then hospital tests confirmed a tumor.
Christine Bronstein took a home colon cancer test after seeing blood in her stool. It was positive, but her doctor texted: "You don't have cancer :)"
A 30-year-old YouTuber's breast cancer was dismissed as a cyst, but she had a 'gut-wrenching feeling something was wrong'
Tess Christine said her doctor told her not to worry about the lump in her breast. Christine pushed for a mammogram — and discovered she had cancer.
Doctors diagnosed a 20-year-old's stroke symptoms as a migraine and sent him home. The next day, he had a seizure and was given a 3% chance to live.
Xavier Ortiz went to the ER with a headache, a drifting eye, and poor coordination. The next day he had a seizure and was in a coma for months.
Doctors dismissed a teacher's worrisome vomiting and stomach pains as anxiety for a year. It turned out to be cancer.
Heidi Richard's pain, weight loss, and vomiting were chalked up to anxiety, mono, and pulled muscles. She demanded a scan, and learned she had cancer.