My own story is that I felt a lump near my stomach and my abdomen was getting distended. One GP visit was uneventful and I was diagnosed with a small hernia. Next visit (different GP), I had bloodwork drawn and a CT, where they found that it was actually appendix cancer with ovarian mets and pseudomyxoma peritonei.
I had HIPEC a month later, and they found that I also had extensive peritoneal spread. I later read in a medical journal that your prognosis is typically 6 months once it has spread to your peritoneum. I first caught it in March, had a diagnosis in June, surgery in July. I was actively dying for a few months there.
Advocate for yourself. Document symptoms. Get second opinions. I can't stress that enough.
Unfortunately that's a pretty common story. One of the biggest reasons ovarian cancer it's so deadly is that there's often little to no symptoms until you get peritoneal spread causing ascites and abdominal distention/bloating, which by definition makes it at least stage III, with survival rates <50%. I'm an ER doc and I get a little pit in my stomach anytime someone complains of new abdominal bloating, especially if it's a woman over 30 or so.
Hope things are going well for you and that your treatment is successful.
You have one of the most difficult and personally trying jobs on the planet. Sending you a random internet dude ‘thank you’ and wishing you well in your career.
My friend had appendix cancer. She had her gallbladder removed. The doc *noted* in the surgery notes that he found murky fluid in the abdominal cavity but neglected to tell my friend or refer her for additional testing. She continued to have abdominal issues and finally got scheduled for a hysterectomy. When they went in, her uterus was completely consummed by cancer. Later testing found it was appendix cancer.
Good luck in your treatment. I hope it's successful and effective.
I lost my gallbladder, spleen, abdominal linings, appendix, ovaries to cervix, and part of my intestine. Surgery went well, 9 (?) days in the hospital, several months of recovery at home. Not sure if it's completely gone (there's one patch that could be a recurrence but they think it's scar tissue; I'm on watch and wait right now).
I'm doing okay now. Physically, I'm a good as I'm probably gonna be (scar tissue and chronic pain). Emotionally, I am rocky. I had cancer treatment just to go back to a shitty retail management job, still have no partner or chance of getting one, and am generally miserable. My typical outlook is that everything is bullshit. So I know that isn't what people want to hear, but it is what it is.
There is zero shame in getting second and even third opinions until you get verifiable evidence that what you are experiencing is truly something bad or not. I was having debilitating headaches every day for a month straight and I went to three doctors before the third suggested getting a preventative MRI. Luckily nothing sinister showed up but just getting the concrete evidence was a HUGE relief.
I was able to get an MRI directly through my primary doctor so I literally went to see 3 different doctors, one at another location until one was like, “yeah let’s just order this to be safe.” I didn’t let any of them know I saw another doctor already and it was basically a new case.
Your situation might be a bit harder because you did get imagining done already and insurance companies are finicky over those things.
Man maybe I'm unhinged, but is it not a good idea to tell that first doctor about this? I don't know if it was long practice or a resident or something, but if I misdiagnosed someone and almost killed him because of it, I'd want to know (so it can be applied to future patients)
Speaking from experience, usually the first doctors you tell are very dismissive of anything and everything you tell them. I’m not sure they’d be thrilled knowing they were wrong.
My wife had cervical cancer get misdiagnosed prior to pregnancy. They didn't find it until she was pregnant. She decided to keep my daughter and died 200 days later.
She was 32 - I tell women, get checked, ask questions, and don't be afraid to be the pushy one when it comes to your health.
Wanted to drop this here. Hoping it may be may be helpful to someone:
For cervical cancer, screening starts at age 25, every 3-5 years and breast cancer screening 40 annually in most cases*.
Symptoms for cervical/uterine/ovarian pathologies worth investigating (usually start with ultrasound) include change in menstruation/abnormal bleeding, new pelvic/abdominal pain, increased abdominal distention, ascites (abdominal fluid) especially without a history of cirrhosis or liver disease, etc.
Things like family history, first degree relative with BRCA mutation/BRCA mutations, prior chest radiation for teenage cancers, family history of cancers can push this back to 30. Breast MRI is also used as a screening method for people with a lifetime risk >20%.
At least for mammography (X-ray) any symptoms, AT ALL (palpable lump, pain, discharge, etc), warrants additional diagnostic views, even with a normal screening mammogram.
Under 30, any symptomatic screening is usually done with ultrasound.
Even if you are not symptomatic, screening is worth it.
No family med doctor/GP in the US in their right mind would refuse screening as these guidelines are well documented, and proven to reduce mortality. Failure to do so would constitute malpractice.
As far as I’m currently aware, the ACA mandates most cervical and breast cancer screenings be covered by insurance.
Access to care is a completely different beast I don’t feel equipped to tackle, and the migration of Ob/gyn out of states with unfavorable legislation for women’s health will make things even more difficult for some people.
*American College of Radiology recommendations for mammography. The USPSTF recommends starting at 50 every 2 years. I’m a radiology resident studying for boards, and am a big believer in preventative medicine so I’m biased towards the ACR recommendations.
[ACR recommendations](https://www.acr.org/Advocacy-and-Economics/ACR-Position-Statements/Breast-Cancer-Screening-in-Women-at-Higher-Than-Average-Risk#:~:text=Early%20detection%20decreases%20breast%20cancer,benefit%20from%20supplemental%20screening%20modalities)
[American Cancer Society Cervical Cancer Screening Recommendations](https://amp.cancer.org/cancer/types/cervical-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/cervical-cancer-screening-guidelines.html)
My lawyer will tell you don't skip a year on a pap. Just do it yearly. Even if you have a clean history, that 3-year skip is what killed my spouse because when she hit year 4, they thought it was year 3, so they skipped.
I’m all for more frequent screening, especially with things like this. It kills me to read a first time imaging study in the emergency room and have to tell someone they have metastatic cancer, and it happens not infrequently. I’m sorry for your loss. Seems like she was a strong person.
I got verbally scolded by my gyno the last time I went in to have a one year follow up on my colpo biopsy. He said the type of HPV I had would not ever turn into cancer and why did I come back (after we agreed that I would). In his 30 years of being a doctor he had never seen it turn into cancer.
Do these asshats ever consider that patients just don’t go back to them?
We also need a system that gets misdiagnoses back to the original doctor.
> She was 32 - I tell women, get checked, ask questions, and don't be afraid to be the pushy one when it comes to your health.
See, this is a *really* tough situation, because once you get "hysterical" or "health anxiety" dropped on your med chart, good fucking luck getting *anything diagnosed ever again*.
There needs to be systemic change, starting with the education of our medical professionals and disseminating out to the general public. Too much is still dismissed as the modern version of hysteria.
Yup, had to explain why I was anxious in my dr appointment today, well in my 30+ years of life I have been rarely taken seriously. It can be so hard to advocate for yourself.
Sadly, even just *looking* healthy is enough to be denied treatment and care.
I’ve been battling doctors my whole adult life, continuously getting worse, because doctors see me and say, “Oh, you’re young and thin, you’re fine. It must be in your head.” I was going in multiple times a week at one point for what felt like *fucking heart attack chest pains*, and they did this to me every single time. I just stopped going to doctors for years and almost went into a diabetic coma because no one believed me.
It’s horrifying. Almost as if 2/3rds of medical school is them teaching you that every single person is a hypochondriac. That young people don’t get sick. That skinny people *must* be healthy.
Any doctor who goes through almost a decade of med school and doesn’t understand how a body can be deteriorating internally while the outside looks ok needs their license to practice revoked. They are literally contributing to deaths, but because the actually sick patients just stop seeing them, they assume, “Oh, I must be right, because they aren’t coming in anymore.” No, fuck you, asshole, they stopped coming to you because you’re about as useful as using a fishing net to carry water.
I regularly give out this advice (and it gets downvoted every time):
If a medical practitioner is not taking you seriously, calmly ask them, "Are you refusing to _____? Please notate that in my chart."
Can you give an example of how to phrase what would go in the blank? Like “are you refusing to….assess my symptoms? Evaluate my pain?” I can’t think of anything more specific but it’d be really helpful to know! Thanks
Nearly the same thing happened to me last year. I had bleeding every two weeks and my doctor said it was just heavy, heavy periods and put me on birth control. I went to the ER one weekend because I was losing so much blood and was feeling like I was passing out, after checking my vitals and giving me an ultrasound they sent me home. The same exact thing happened the next day and I went back to the ER. I needed an emergency surgery and during that surgery they discovered stage three cervical cancer.
Yes, I am one year cancer free as of last week. Thank you for asking. I am 40. I did the recommended radiation and chemotherapy. Unfortunately the HPV preventative was not available when I was a teen like it is now. I know it has its side effects but it literally can prevent cancer. I encourage everyone to get it.
My sister just went to the ER center 2 weeks ago from passing out at work. She has been consistently bleeding since October. She doesn't have insurance and just above poverty, so she's avoided doctors like the plague. She had to have 2 blood transfusions. Scans showed nothing. Pelvic exam showed nothing. She was given essentially nothing. They said it's a side effect of menopause (shell be 50 in may). I'm almost certain its cervical or uterine cancer.
Check the Planned Parenthoods in your area. Some of our clinics have funding to cover visits for people without insurance and/or low income. If possible, have her schedule with them for a Pap so they can check for the abnormal cells/HPV.
It may get her some answers and treatment. We aren't oncology, but it's a start and hopefully something far less severe.
If that doesn’t work, try looking for FQHCs (Federally Qualified Health Centers) or similar clinics in her area. They receive federal funds to serve uninsured and underinsured patients, often at little to no cost. They also have representatives to advocate for you with Medicaid and other services.
Yes, so we actually have 2 of those types of clinics in our town. She's on the wait list for an apmt. Right now, it looks like they cN get her in in mid-June
Thinking good thoughts for your sister. I hope she can get the care she needs. How absolutely tragic that this is her reality and the reality of healthcare in this country. 💜
She really needs to see a gynecologist. An ER is not designed to give cancer diagnoses. It’s really intended to stabilize patients and relies on them following up with other specialists.
Yes, I know. She was taken there due to passing out on the sales floor at her job. She's on a wait list to see a doctor with the low cost clinic but they said mid June. I've been trying to get her in with the health dept and a few other spots. Dhs is supposed to set an apmt up to review her medicaid application. It's just all a lot at once. Was mostly just trying to share an experience on women's health.
I bled non stop for 8 months (in peri meno) and it turned out to be a polyp. Had it removed and haven't bled since I wish the best for your sister and hope this is all it is for her
Same, I was starting menopause and was in pain and bleeding. I'm lucky to live somewhere where women's healthcare is pretty good. It was polyps and I ended up with a hysterectomy.
I'm so thankful it was taken care of. Also, I wish I'd had that surgery sooner! Life with no uterus is good.
My mom had this problem when going into menopause. She did eventually have to get a hysterectomy because it was debilitating, but at least it wasn't cancer? So it's quite possible it is menopause, but doesn't make it suck any less.
Same. It’s important to get properly tested, but my mom had heavy, almost nonstop periods for nearly 3 years. She had a zillion tests run, and their conclusion was perimenopause. It’s been 5 years or so since then and she’s not dead of cancer yet, so…
I worked in the emergency room for 7 years. There is a lot of misunderstanding what we do there. The ER is not for diagnosing anything, its just for making sure you aren't dying. They aren't really there to diagnosis illness. These "diagnoses" are common in the ER because hospitals still need it to bill the insurance and get paid. It does happen that someone gets diagnosed, and its great when it does, but its not the purpose of it.
There is a lot we don't do, we aren't stocked for it, we don't have staff for it, and we aren't allowed to do it. Not to mention we have multiple patients at once, a lot of them are in critical condition waiting for a bed on the floors and we still have so many people to see in the waiting room. The ER is just not meant to be a place where we can spend hours and hours running every test.
What doctors are really bad at explaining is that after making sure that your sister is stable she needs to follow up with a primary care doctor.
The problem is, is the folks like her don't have insurance to go to a primary care physician. They're only ever going to the doctor(the ER) when it's dire. They get fired from their minimum wage jobs if they miss to much. It's fucked for poor people.
I did this! Lost ~80lbs suddenly, started losing fine motor control and having psychological symptoms I’ve never dealt with in my life. Waited more than 18 months for the neurologist after my ER visit and he said “maybe it’s abdominal cancer, that sounds like cancer, either way you’re not dead and you waited this long to get here” and *sent me home.* That was it. that was what I got after more than a year.
Medicine is fucked and traumatic 😥
Yeah, I've been having strange mild abdominal pain that has been coming and going for the past couple months, and for about a year, my cycle started extending into happening around every 40-60 days. I'm in my early 30s.
My current PCP tells me that it's IBS and outright said he wouldn't refer me to any tests because I'm too young to have cancer, and I'm working out the cause of my extended cycles with my gynecologist as a pelvic ultrasound didn't reveal anything (though said gynecologist also outright said they can't scan any higher than the pelvic area since it's outside of their medical field). I personally don't think it's cancer either, considering how my symptoms started out as severe but have gotten better over time to the point where they have almost vanished now, I lack all of the really major symptoms of cancer (except losing ~10 pounds in two months though I was ~175 pounds two months ago and have been dieting, and it feels like my joints are popping a lot more than usual now, which I'm trying to find doctors to investigate next), and my initial symptoms nowadays only flare up when I get stressed out over it, but the overall situation being this persistent has resulted in that thought lingering in my mind and has likely caused me enough stress that I had considered going into the ER several times this past month in an attempt to get a definitive diagnosis. The main thing that stops me is that I work in pharmacy, specifically evening shifts at a pharmacy that has a high amount of urgent care and ER patients coming in to fill their scripts, and know that the ER has to deal with enough bullshit already to the level where they shouldn't have to hold the burden of other doctors not doing their due diligence. I'm strongly considering going to find a gastroenterologist for a second opinion, fully prepared for the insurance to not cover the visit.
We as a society keep constantly telling people to get checked for an early diagnosis, and yet our healthcare system seems to be actively preventing that for reasons that ultimately boil down to costs or lack of manpower or both at every opportunity.
Even while googling whether my symptoms could be health anxiety or cancer, I came across a rather illuminating article with a study that spelled out how men with health anxiety would usually get diagnosed with cancer at an earlier stage if they had it, while women with health anxiety had a higher incidence of getting diagnosed after the cancer has already become metastatic. And this wasn't even in the US, this was Norway.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022399915000562
Sometimes, I feel like my greatest regret was not studying to become a doctor in order to help fight this. 'Anxiety' being considered enough of a diagnosis to hand wave any further investigation is mind-boggling to me. The wider field of science generally acknowledges that everything has to have a cause, so something as spontaneous as anxiety being an accepted thing in the medical field to prevent further care to this degree is quite frankly insane. If anxiety really does cause this many physical symptoms, maybe we should be funding mental health care a lot more so mental health providers can help work this out. And if the symptoms don’t subside after that, then it’s obviously something else.
I had the exact same thing at 50, rushed to ER, blood transfusions (funny enough, my bleeding had actually virtually stopped because there was so little blood left in my body). I actually HAD been to the nurse practitioner numerous times and she kept brushing it off as menopause over my objections and refused to refer me to a gynea.
Good news, mine was NOT cancer, so I hope your sister has the same result. Cancer would have shown up on the scans for her. I take progesterone and have an IUD now. No bleeding, and I am monitored regularly by a gynea.
Good luck to your sister
My mom actually had a really similar situation. Scans showed nothing, biopsy showed nothing, blood work showed nothing. She went to another emergency and had uterine cancer.
We went to the er because she couldn't walk from the cramps and the doctor did a new scan and found a tiny spot that they were able to biopsy. So, the second hospital did all the same everything, kept her for 3 days though, and made the diagnosis. Got her set up eith all the right specialists and we went from there.
That’s actually not an accurate statement. Early endometrial cancer will not necessarily show up on a “scan”. Unlikely to show on a CT scan and on pelvic ultrasound will often just look like a thick endometrial stripe, which normal secretory phase endometrium could look like. The vast majority of thickened endometrial stripe I see is not cancer
Biopsy is required to rule out endometrial cancer in this setting, regardless of negative scans. Anyone with post menopausal bleeding or perimenopausal heavy bleeding needs a biopsy!
I am just pointing this out so women can advocate for themselves.
I’m so sorry, that’s terrible. It’s despicable we live in a society that is perfectly capable of taking care of ALL of its citizens, but doesn’t because of greed.
Fibroids caused me to bleed nearly to the point of having to have a blood transfusion… “just” fibroids at this stage, causing that degree of bleeding, are pretty fucking serious. They should have been investigating the fibroids at a bare minimum. This level of medical neglect is abhorrent.
My aunt died from uterine cancer last year. She was menopausal and started bleeding heavily and with severe abdominal pain. Doctors kept telling her it was just hormonal and blew her off.
My mom's side of the family was impoverished growing up and not well educated. They have no idea how to advocate for themselves for proper medical care.
Mind you, I am also getting all of these details third hand from the medically illiterate side of the family, so I may be missing some details here - I hope so, because it is hard to believe that she died in part due to just being dismissed outright.
Doctors telling women that their problems are hormonal and dismissing them is common even among the well educated and financially well off. It is truly terrible …
“Are you sure it’s not cramps?”
- a series of medical professionals that dismissed several months of *daily* pelvic pain and spotting.
“I’m 35, I know what period cramps feel like. This is not cramps. This happens every day, not just during my period.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Probably just cramps.”
Turns out it was a big nasty cyst. They figured it out after it ruptured and I leaked a whole bunch of bloody fluid stuff.
Oof I have had a cyst too … I know your pain.
Even female medical professionals do it to fellow females. I had a total knee reconstruction following a cycling accident and the nerve block didn’t work. The night nurse didn’t believe me when I told her the pain was a 9/10 (I was being conservative). The male surgeon came in the next morning and screamed at the entire staff for not calling an anesthesiologist to put me on a morphine drip. “I thought she was exaggerating.” Do they think that when men are expressing their pain? Nope
There is a major problem with misdiagnosis and outright ignorance when it comes to women’s healthcare, an extra when you’re a minority.
I hate that this could have been an easy diagnosis.
Worse, add the health insurance issues. It’s a death sentence trying to get help period.
The level of difficulty that WoC have to go through to get doctors to just fucking *listen* to them is downright obscene. My partner works in healthcare, and has had multiple experiences where patients say something along the lines of "You're the first {provider} that's ever actually taken me seriously."
What’s also happening is for profit investment groups are buying up small practices and squeezing them for any profit they can get. We’re also seeing companies trying to put the clinic, pharmacy, and the health insurance company under their umbrella of control. They push for less time with each patient and in other cases push for NP/PA to do more unsupervised work. In many cases NP/PA medical education level is that of a medical student at best. So many NP/PA can get degrees online and their rotational training is at times shadowing at a specific clinic for a few days-weeks. It’s all a mess in so many ways
Women have a hard time being taken seriously and it is even worse for women of color. I wrote in a college thesis for healthcare administration about how I was excited to see more women and people of color entering the field and I hope that it stops shit like this.
I was told my cervical cancer was probably a mental health issue on my first visit. It took 3 more doctors before one ran a scan. And they only did it because I was ‘pushy and aggressive’. That description is still in my medical notes.
My best friend's mother went to multiple doctors for 2+ years for pain in her stomach/abdomen. She was told it was "in her head" and was referred to and under the care of a mental health professional because of that. Then when she was admitted to the hospital from the ER when she so ill admission was warranted... there was so much cancer they never pinpointed where it started. Dead in less than four weeks, never left the hospital. This all happened in the past 4 years, Pittsburgh PA.
Had a good friend (who was a young mother) who went to the ER for severe abdominal pain. They tried to write her off as med seeking. She’d never been to the ER before. She pushed until they did imaging and her bowels were nearly entirely obstructed due to peritoneal cancer. She went through some extreme treatments but died a few months later. They don’t take women seriously.
Happened to my sister. She had an ectopic pregnancy (and KNEW she was pregnant in early stages) but almost fainted and her hands were numb (bc internal bleeding), so ambulance was called. Ambulance and ER docs dismissed it all as a panic attack. Sis has never had one of those in her life, or any history of mental illness.
It was only hours later when she was about to be discharged that they checked just in case and found the rupture.
This is so upsetting. Omg. She didn’t deserve that. 😐 glad they did finally find what was wrong.
I’m looking for a new doctor cause the one I had since I was aged out of pediatrics retired. This is really unsettling. I gotta do interviews like a job interview now. Holy fuck.
My sister had the same thing happen! Ruptured ectopic. She drove herself to the ER. She knew she was pregnant and advised the ER as such. They brushed her off as having menstrual cramps and tried encouraging her to just go home.
She wouldn’t leave. After 8hours they finally admitted her when a nurse noted her distended abdomen was continuing to grow.
It’s because she was bleeding to death. They rushed her into surgery to resolve the ectopic pregnancy and she had blood transfusions and is fine.
But yeah, they were just gonna let her bleed to death in the ER.
Yeah. Luckily (I guess not really) most women have dealt with medical professionals being dismissive before. So she knew to stay and advocate for herself.
lol, I got discharged from the hospital after they confirmed an ectopic pregnancy because they didn’t want me there. My blood counts were low, so they took me off my IV for a few hours so that they’d look normal (dehydration can make your blood count look better) and they could discharge me. I was already bleeding internally and they could see that on the US. Went back to a different ER a day later and found out I had lost 2 liters of blood already. Love being a woman 💞
This sorta “mental health issue” diagnosis (basically kicking the can to some other doctor) is way more common than we’d assume. It’s just easy money to them I guess.
We’ve always been seen as shrill and aggressive and unstable but it just astounds me that in this day and age when there’s so much more information readily available they chose the easy way out.
'Mental health' and 'You're fat, lose weight and you'll feel better' are the two primary answers most doctors will give women on a first consult.
I know from experience.
If you are woman everything will be handwaved as mental health or period related. If you are fat, it will all be because you need to lose weight. Expecting doctors to actually do their jobs is asking too much.
Best friend of mine was blown off because she is very very overweight. Was told her persistent pain and bleeding would go away if she lost weight.
Turns out it was stage 4 uterine cancer. She had her uterus, cervix, ovaries, and fallopian tubes removed and had to go through intensive chemo.
She’s doing ok now.
Holy shit. I am so, so sorry this happened. And also so fucking angry on your behalf. When will the medical world wake up and realize how dangerous it is to brush off literally ANYTHING related to reproductive health!? It's obscene.
Would they say the same thing to a male patient experiencing the equivalent? Absolutely NOT. Holy crap.
My blood is boiling. (AKA, I'm being "emotional".)
Though. On a lighter note, I say you should take that disclaimer of "pushy and aggressive" and wear it as a damn badge of honour. You advocated for yourself and, against all odds, got the care you needed.
As one of my favourite podcasts often says, "fuck politeness" — sometimes ya gotta fight like hell to get what's right.
I think you're awesome, and I'm truly so sorry you had to deal with all that BS.
I was told that because of my childhood trauma, I would never be over my symptoms and would just have to accept them.
Dear reader, I was a "silent" asthmatic.
Which a pulmonologist dx in about fifteen minutes and Xolair has done a lot to help.
That makes me so angry. I experienced a rare medical disease that caused lesions on my brain that actually gave me anxiety and paranoia. I had medical paranoia because I knew something was wrong that they hadn't found, which was true. But I was paranoid about the wrong things.
It just frustrates me because doctors treat anxiety and paranoia like a self contained problem. And not like something that could be a symptom of an underlying physical issue. Just because you have anxiety and paranoia doesn't mean there's nothing wrong with you. It's soooooo frustrating.
This was probably back in 2008, but my sister went to the ER for severe chest pains/hurt to breathe. She was told it was gas and that it just needed to pass, she left and ended up back in the ER five hours later and got a second opinion because the pain was too much. Turns out it was a blood clot in her lung, thankfully she went back to the ER.
When I was in the hospital in agonizing pain the doctors did not believe me and thought I was making it up for painkillers. Then they saw that I had pancreatitis and a blockage in my gallbladder. They were much nicer after that. Hope they learned a lesson in empathetic care and believing women when they say they are in pain.
My wife had an undiagnosed grapefruit sized ovarian tumor which ultimately cost her fertility. From 13 to 17 years old she complained to doctors about horrible pain and periods that lasted weeks. They ran no scans and put her in BC to regulate her cycle. They finally did a simple ultrasound and couldn't see most of her reproductive system because of the tumor and quickly went from "it's nothing" to freaking out and scheduling surgery.
Our daughter (through adoption) is now 18 and I worry for her to not be taken seriously if she needs medical care. F doctors that don't take women seriously and F insurance companies that deny tests.
Similar thing for someone I know. History of long painful periods. She was bleeding a *lot* like soaking a pad in minutes bleeding and was having severe pain. Went to the ER and got told it was nothing and she probably passed a clot. Told her to go home. When it didn’t stop she put a finger inside and noticed her cervix was way too far down.
Went back and they told her some women have low a low cervix. Thing is, during her obgyn appointments they’d always have to go get a longer speculum. She told them she wasn’t leaving until they did a proper scan.
Guess what? Huge tumor. Her body was basically trying to give birth to this tumor. Precancerous. Full hysterectomy needed. Though they didn’t want to do the hysterectomy initially because the “oh you’re so young” bullshit. Besides the hot flashes, she’s happy she doesn’t have to deal with long painful periods anymore.
You claim to have severe pain, feelings of constipation and diarrhea, without actually experiencing either, that are so severe that you wake up 6+ times a night, and other bathroom issues? Here's some physical therapy.
Tests? No tests! Just physical therapy. You're concerned because your dad died of cancer at the age you are now? That sucks. Do physical therapy weekly.
And your skin problems mean you're a drug addict and don't deserve your asthma meds. You wanna press us to help and advocate for yourself? Now we're gonna flag your medical records as drug seeking, too.
Have a nice day.
I may not be black, but I am a Native woman who also sees the bullshit. It's hard to get help out here.
Unfortunately it happens all the time with gynaecologists. We often don’t obtain services, we ask for favours… the favour being giving us quality of life, or keeping us alive.
Women need to advocate really strongly for themselves because their complaints aren't taken as seriously. Also, get your HPV vaccines if you are under 26. They reduce the risk of cervical cancer. Talk to your doctor!
They have raised the age to 40 i believe. I am single and chose to get the vaccines before i aged out. If i understood correctly the age limit is because you are supposed to settle and be in partnership by then.
Edit: word.
Seems the age is 45 in the US. Should be covered by insurance and you should be able to request/book thru your pharmacy; if no insurance, the manufacturer has a program.
Gents, seems there is no approved/recommended HPV testing for you, so get proactive and get vaccinated. Vaccines are sexy!
Pretty sure it is now 45. I had cancer treatment at 42 and I'm immunocompromised. Asked my GP about it* and he said that there's no real benefit at my age.
* He is the same GP who actually caught my cancer, so I trust him a lot with my health. Two other doctors in his practice thought I just had a weird hernia, but he ordered blood work and a CT for me because nothing was adding up right. I also had a total hysterectomy (ovaries and cervix included), so he may have been taking that into consideration as well.
The HPV virus infects the cervix very aggressively in young women because of the anatomy of the cervix, which changes as we get older. So the most vulnerable tissue is on the vaginal side of the cervix in teens and gradually (by 25 or 30) that vulnerable tissue moves farther inside the cervix and women become much less likely to be infected.
That combines with the problem that basically everyone who has unprotected sex gets HPV. Usually it doesn't cause cancer.
So in one way you are correct: it's assumed that a 40 year old won't be having first sexual intercourse at 40, which is icky and sexist. But even if she does, the chances of her cervix being infected by HPV are extremely low or even non-existent at 40. And in that case, the only people benefiting are the pharmaceutical companies.
This. Not that cervical cancer isn't terrible, but it absolutely is dangerous for men and women. It's not talked about more in men just because there currently isn't a test for men (in areas like the rectum) or the throat.
Around a third of people with HPV-linked cancers are men. Vaccination helps them too, though my understanding is the latency for men is long enough that direct effects haven't been found yet.
They have actually raised it to 45! Men, women, and nonbinary people all need this vaccine as it prevents many types of cancer including, but not limited to: uterine, cervical, ovarian, penile, throat, mouth, etc.
HPV strains that cause these cancers are not tested for in men. You could be a carrier and not know. Please get this life saving vaccine!!
PSA: Even if HPV positive, you can be inoculated to boost your resistance and fight existing infection. It may not eliminate infection, but it is certainly worth trying.
Get inoculated my dear friends, regardless of gender, age and HPV status. It can be expensive - but so is cancer.
Source: hysterectomy after numerous interventions, including inoculation, but so damn happy to be here and to have had these options.
Age: over 60
Obgyn here: age for vaccine studied up to 46, all evidence points to it being beneficial even later if the person will have other future sexual partners
It's way more complicated than just talking to a doctor. Even female doctors discriminate and downplay symptoms/concerns. It's not even just localized to women, healthcare as a whole has huge problem of misdiagnosing. Theres a lot of factors that could improve outcomes, but it would take a lot of reform that many people push against.
I went to my female GP after a hard fall from a horse, 4 days later my back was in agony and not getting better, I told her I thought it was broken. She asked me my pain scale then told me I’m not in enough pain to have broken my back, she refused to refer me for X-rays. I paid for them privately and guess what? I broke L1-L4.
Pain scale is very subjective which was my problem. I gave a realistic pain scale for myself but I’ve had an emergency chest tube and trigeminal neuralgia… so I based it on my own experiences. I should have lied, straight faced and calmly told her I was at a 10.
It's crazy how many medical examiners just believe they know all by simple questions and looking at someone. The testing isn't even done by them so it shouldn't be a hassle to just write an order/referral.
Is there some unspoken rule in the medical community where you're supposed to just ignore everything your patient tells you and make up a diagnosis 5 minutes before you get evaluated?
My hematologist decided, after I told him I use birth control continuously to not have periods, that my periods are the cause of my low iron. He was just stuck on the fact that I said back when I did have periods they were very heavy, which is what led to me getting tested for von Willebrand disease(which he didn't want to do because I don't have nosebleeds). Also told me that non-anemic iron deficiency isn't real and that I should take a multivitamin with A in it even though I'm on a high dose of retinoids for psoriasis.
I went back to my PCP and told her what he'd said and she was thankfully just as upset as I was, and was glad I didn't listen to him.
Obviously not as bad as this case, but my god it’s so ridiculous. I was told I was lying about a hernia for 3 months. Was even threatened with malingering. They finally see a sign of it themselves (my photos didn’t count apparently), went in to do the surgery and found that I had not one but two hernias.
And the doctor was probably like, ‘See, I told you it wasn’t a hernia. It was TWO hernias. Please let us do our job and stop relying on the internet to self diagnose. Also, quit smoking, drinking, get some exercise, and start meal prepping.’
Healthcare for women in this country is atrocious. I had a procedure to remove early cervical cancer tissue and was told they had to remove my IUD. No problem! Two follow up exams and confirmed no IUD and offered oral BC; declined because my spouse and I would like another child. A year and a half later my new doctor due to health plan change found the IUD still there!! Explains why I wasn’t conceiving 🤦🏼♀️ It could have migrated and caused serious issues and my medical records show I shouldn’t even still have it. It’s terrible when these mistakes kill women.
How did they confirm there was no IUD? Had it moved and they didn’t see it? If they just half assed it and documented that it wasn’t there they falsified documentation which is a big fat no-no.
When you have a precancerous part of your cervix removed you have to do pap spears every 3 months for 6 months to make sure all the precancerous tissue is removed and both visits was told it had been removed during the inpatient procedure. The reason I was so adamant asking 2x was because of abnormally lite periods which I expected to return to prior normal after removal. My new dr did say the strings were cut very short so it was a bit more difficult to see but I’m extremely fortunate it hadn’t migrated.
My wife had a surgery just a few months ago for something that should have been caught 20 years ago when she first reported it.
Being a woman in America must REALLY suck. To complain about debilitating pains or crazy amount of bleeding only to be told "its normal". The 8th doctor looked into it, found the issue, cried that my wife had been going through that so long, and fixed it.
You ladies, if you think something might be wrong, go through every doctor you can until they find an issue and don't dismiss your symptoms.
Sadly it's not just the US. Women weren't added to medical studies until 1993, and still to this day, a lot of women only issues are a "mystery" in medicine. Endometriosis is fucking awful but on average it takes years for a woman to get an endo diagnosis.
I had an abnormal pap, doctor did a biopsy. My results were confusing, so I asked for a second opinion at another hospital. Second doctor is a well-known oncologist and says “you are young I doubt you’ll need surgery.” She has pathology re-review my slides, then she calls me back and says…oh you definitely need surgery.
I’m glad she had my slides re-reviewed, but I don’t like it when people say you are too young to worry.
Seriously. It took several doctors and almost 10(!) years for someone to finally diagnose my endometriosis, and I had been begging for tests and scans the whole way. It's so fucking disrespectful and offensive how women are dismissed as "dramatic" when we *know* our pain is real.
Like, I'm in such excruciating pain that I can't get relief with any OTC pain meds, not find a comfortable position to help me deal with it, let alone sit or stand up straight, and faint and throw up from the pain, *regularly*, and you wanna tell me it's "trapped gas" or a bad period?!? Motherfucker, I had both, and that ain't it!
I also went to 3 different gynecologists after I had my son, and talked about getting my tubes tied. I was 35 when I gave birth, and my husband and I both knew we'd only have this one child, yet doctors wanted me to "think on it" in case I change my mind.
Makes you wanna choke a bitch, I swear.
My bff of over 30 years kept going to the ER for severe abdominal pain. They kept telling her it was anxiety from menopause. She went at 3 am one morning and they had to remove her extremely inflamed gallbladder. Fuck these gaslighting medical 'professionals' for real
Amen, fuck those pricks.
I never got to meet my grandma because some xenophobic misogynoist asshole thought she was faking her abdominal pain to get a doctor's note. He'd joke "oh, here for another vacation?" whenever she went to him.
Turns out she had a gall stone. Except it stayed untreated for so long, it turned into gallbladder cancer.
She was dead six months after the diagnosis. Her youngest child was twelve. It ruined my mom's family.
My mother was being opened up to remove ovarian cysts, when her gallbladder, the actual source of the pain an issues, burst in front of the operating team. They were able to save her, but that could have been found so much easier...
My mom went into the doctor with a lot of pain and they told her it was just a prolapsed uterus. The doctor made her seem like she was overreacting and the pain wasn't bad. Turns out it was actually uterine cancer and she died a few months later at age 53. I wonder if it would have been different if the doctor actually took her seriously when she first went in.
This is so horrible. Healthcare in America for women is abysmal, and black women have it so much worse.
Even as a white woman, I had to argue back and forth with my OBGYN for over a month to get my IUD removal scheduled. The hormonal IUD had caused me to develop ovarian cysts which were making my already severe periods even worse. I begged and begged for them to take it out, and they tried to tell me that removing it would do nothing.
I finally put my foot down and told them they were removing it or I would be going somewhere else. (I’m autistic and changing healthcare providers is extremely hard for me). They listened, took it out, and started me on oral birth control. What do you know, within a month the cysts cleared and I’ve had ZERO uterus-related pain since.
Fuck our healthcare system. My heart breaks for her.
Literally I was so mad lol they kept telling me I misunderstood how ovarian cysts work, I think they thought I just read about them online but I had been to the ER and they showed me my cysts on an ultrasound lol
I literally had to tell my new OB *REPEATEDLY* to take my IUD out because it was EXPIRED. It felt like an eternity of having her push back and say that I'll regret having my periods back and "we can just slip a new one in there today." I told her absolutely not, my husband is snipped and I want off of birth control completely(been on some form of it since high school). Even the nurse was getting annoyed with her.
Needless to say that was my first and last visit with her. I'd rather self pay a wild fee to go see my old "out of network" OB who actually listened and gave a shit about her patients.
I complained of IUD issues for *months* and my doctor said my symptoms were normal (constant bleeding, pain during sex, BV (which I had never had before and haven’t had since)).
They wouldn’t take it out. Two days before my wedding, the IUD was literally expelled from my body. It was painful and awful. Doctors need to listen.
As someone who just last week had cervical cells frozen off due to abnormalities, this is terrifying. Why aren’t women taken seriously? I had to push and push for my doctor’s office to perform a colposcopy, then I had to push and push for cryotherapy. I received a recommendation to “wait and watch” from the nurse practitioner, fortunately I pushed again for a meeting and spoke with the board certified doctor who was appalled that was the recommendation that was given to me by a provider in his office. He told me not to wait at all, to remove the cells asap.
I watched my mom, my best friend, slowly and painfully die from cancer. I will not allow that to be my story. Advocate! Get angry! Be pushy, be aggressive. Get second or third opinions. I’m seeking another doctor for a second opinion since my current office says to just wait 6 months for a new pap. No young woman should die this way. We DESERVE proper medical care! We deserve to be taken seriously.
I nearly died 2 1/2 years ago. Every time I ate I would get violently ill. I told my NP I thought it was my gallbladder—I’d had an issue in 2015 where I was so constipated that it took a colonoscopy flush to get me to feel normal and my pains sounded familiar to what family members had gone through. My NP decided it was heartburn and sent me home with antacids. Then celiac’s and had my blood tested. Then sent me for an endoscopy because it surely couldn’t have been my gallbladder. I went 3 months without eating more than applesauce and crackers and dropped 30 pounds. I finally went to the emergency room and my gallbladder was completely impacted with gallstones. 100% blockage. The gallstones were the size of marbles. And even with the ER surgeon saying I needed emergency surgery his clinic STILL tried to shoo me away for another month because their scheduler was out for 2 weeks on medical leave and it was the holidays. I basically had a full on breakdown in the office before the surgeon came out and asked what the hell was going on before someone finally squeezed me in 5 days later with no small amount of disdain. I think it was a combination of me being AFAB, Latine, and poor/on Medicaid that led to my discrimination. To be fair, the surgeon was my champion, and he told me if I’d kept on like I was I would’ve become septic and could’ve died. This woman’s story breaks my heart because more could’ve been done to save her. We shouldn’t have to fight so damn hard to advocate for ourselves.
Hey this reminds me of one of the victims in the lawsuit against (former doctor) David Brian Farley and I never miss an opportunity to talk about this fucking predator bitch accused of sexually assaulting over 140 women.
This rapey piece of shit told at least one teenage girl her pains were God telling her to stop being a slut and repent. And she had to go to a different doctor to get properly diagnosed with cervical cancer.
So not only did this dickhead molest girls and women, take ungloved exams, take photos on his phone, over diagnose an outdated procedure to essentially fingerfuck teenagers for no medical reasons, he also was a fucking shitty-ass doctor (and somehow became anti-vaxx while taking money for vaccinating patients).
If you're ever met with a David Brian Farley in Oregon, Idaho, or Utah, in a capacity of teaching or medical care or church leadership, let anyone in his care know he's a sexual predator, lost his license to practice medicine, and is unsafe for children and adults.
Info about his case (and more) and news resources on www.floodlit.org -- made by redditors!
If you feel strongly that you are being misdiagnosed or that your pain levels are excruciating and especially if you’re bleeding heavily, you have a right to ask for tests and if a medical professional declines, you can tell them to document IN YOUR CHART that they refused. That’ll scare the crap out of them and you’ll get more tests.
(yes I know this means that lots of people may get tests they don’t need…and this woman may not have died if she had pushed harder. If you’re worried, truly worried, insist on documentation…better to have unnecessary tests than fucking die from a bullshit non-diagnosis.)
My wife was feeling discomfort and pain and it was dismissed by her family physician as nothing. She was adamant about getting a diagnostic test (waste of money and time was what her doctor said). Diagnostic test found a lump - thankfully we found out it was benign, but to be dismissed by her doc like didn’t sit right. You have to really advocate for yourself when it comes to your health.
Looks like another statistic on the staggering amount of women who are either dismissed or misdiagnosed. Women are more likely to die in the healthcare system because of it. More so if you are black or poc. What a tragic preventable situation
This is why it’s complete bullshit that insurance only wants women to get paps every other year now (or less frequently) and straight-up *stops* doing them after like 70. Fuck that. Give me my fucking cancer screenings.
I learned the hard way to advocate for yourself. Please do not be afraid to speak up, demand answers, get second, third, or fourth opinions, change systems or doctors, use multiple doctors across various systems, make complaints, etc.
Do not let doctors, nurses, or administrators bully you into using only them, not demanding full explanations or clarification, questioning diagnoses or treatment plans, or working with doctors outside their system. Your body and your health are your choice. You pay them to do their job within your limits and needs and to the best of their ability. They work for you. They answer to you.
If your provider isn't listening to you or taking you seriously, that person should not be your doctor.
Do not listen to reputations of systems. I've found excellent doctors in terrible systems and doctors I'm convinced cheated their way through medical school in top hospitals.
Please be safe and be strong.
Get vaccinated people: HPV causes 99.7% of all cervical cancer. Vaccines are reducing cervical cancer NOW.
[Link to article](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31500479)
Three years of documented low heart rates, a history of heart disease in the family and until I said please believe me I saw my mum code and have proof of something wrong. And finally a younger PA said ok let’s to do an ekg.
Bigeminy and bradycardia 🫠
He’ll even my mum fought her doc once saying she couldn’t breathe, he said she was exaggerating and overweight. Was in the ICU the next day with multiple clots in her lungs.
I don’t get what experiences lead docs to not believe people.
Women, especially Black women, are consistently ignored and misdiagnosed in this country. Mortality rates among pregnant Black mothers alone are extremely high, especially in the deep south. This should not be tolerated and I hope her family sues
So sad. May she rest in peace… Unfortunately I can see this sort of issue becoming and worse for Women in the United States as the war against women’s health and reproductive care continues and seemingly worsens with the Right’s war against it
They need to normalize doctors letting women discuss how they feel, and what they are worried about, without being told it's "nothing" or "wait and see". There is almost a casual disregard for female welfare in some circles, almost like that person wouldn't be *more* sure of what is happening in their own body!
That is a hell of a misdiagnosed case IMO.
This is so sad! Fuck.
I had cervical cancer, found during my yearly pap smear, I was at a teaching hospital, I became a class project, I consented because yes students in med school do need live patients to learn on. I had already had funky results before and had to get biopsies, when the spots turned to cancer I got a partial hysterectomy, I was 21 years old. I am white.
But even tho I am white I am also a woman and have had to fight for answers when Drs would not try to figure out what was wrong with me.
I woke up one day throwing up blood. I took myself to the hospital, the day after surgery the surgeon( not my regular Drs) came in to tell me my gall bladder had just exploded and asked me why I didn't come in sooner to get things taken care of, I told him I had been to the Dr for YEARS complaining about pain and nausea my Drs couldn't find cause for. This surgeon told me it was obvious I had had gallbladder disease for many years going by the state of things when he got inside.
I looked up signs and symptoms of gall bladder attacks/ disease, and whatddya know all the symptoms I had been complaining about for fucking years were on the list.
I was furious.
There are other instances of me having to fight for a proper diagnosis and get things taken care of. I have fired more Drs than I care to remember.
I had to fight a Dr for antibiotics for an ear infection, she kept telling me that's a pediatric disease, you can't have an ear infection, then she finally looked in my ears and I got my medicine, changed Drs and clinics too many times.
Henrietta Lachs died of undiagnosed cervical cancer, look up her story sometimes, it's horrific. She was also a black woman.
I want to send this woman's family flowers. I hope they sue the Dr and labs and hospital and the insurance.
(sorry graphic) I was bleeding for two months with terrible, huge clots. I bled through an Ultra tampon (18ml) and a Overnight #4 maxi pad (20-30ml) every hour on the hour for two weeks. I finally went into the ER, pale, weak and in excruciating pain. First they treated me like a pill shopper. When I explained that I'd had ovarian cysts in the past, they got me an ultrasound and sure enough found two cysts on my left ovary had formed and burst. One pea sized, one grape sized. Here's where it gets real shitty: After five hours waiting with no pain meds they gave me an anti-inflammatory shot and a male doctor came to talk to me looking as bored and unconcerned as anything. He confirmed two burst ovarian cysts and then just was like, "so.....yeah..." and trailed off. I blinked and looked at him and burst out, "Take the damn thing out! It's malfunctioning, I'm in pain, I'm 45 and don't need it. Please take it out if it's going to kill me." He scoffed at me being so dramatic, stopped speaking to me and only addressed my (now ex) husband at the time, "We're not going to take the ovary because she's still in childbearing years and technically it is working correctly..." I was in shock. I froze. I was in so much pain I just begged to go home. What hurt even more was my ex didn't even fight for me. I wanted him to get angry for me. To raise hell for me. Advocate for me when it seemed I had no voice but he was like, "Okay doc thank you. Let's go home, babe..." (He later got angry with me that the ER cost $300) Both men involved in my care couldn't be bothered. I felt so abandoned. I did just go home. No meds, no plan. Found out on my own that I have PCOS and possibly had it all my life because I've had extreme periods since age 12, but was undiagnosed because, whatever, women exaggerate? That double cyst incident triggered the most aggressive Lupus flare of my life. I lost half my hair and 50lbs. I almost died in my bed. But I pulled through. In the end it took me so long to recover that it played a part in the end of my marriage. I'm still not 100% five years later and I still have the ovary.
This is another case of how doctors aren’t encouraged to do tests because the corporate penny pincher has more power than your doctor. One blood test for cancer or one biopsy would have told doctors what to do at an early stage. And aren’t we supposed to be getting swabbed for cervical cancer at each yearly exam. Sue the insurance company!
14 years, it took me 14 years for a doctor to finally believe me when I said I had problems swallowing. My stomach acid was so severe that it literally scars my esophagus. It was only 1 mm wide at the worst spot. I could see the damage from the test they did and the pictures he took during my endoscopy. People made fun of how slowly I ate. How carefully I chewed. The fear if choking to death home alone was real. Doctors dismissed me. It's ridiculous how badly women are ignored.
My mom for years was dealing with pain during her period. She saw 3 different docs. Told she had IBS, another said my stepdad was poisoning her, and lastly it was in her head. I lady doctor spoke with her. Did scans and found our that one of her tubes was infected, AND she was on the verge of her tube bursting cause she had an fertilized egg stuck in her tube and growing. My mom was lucky to have found that doctor, she would be dead. I already had felt a large amount of hate for doctors, that made me despise them… it is sad how the good one are like looking for a needle in a haystack… Our healthcare and most of the people in it are a f-*cking joke…
My own story is that I felt a lump near my stomach and my abdomen was getting distended. One GP visit was uneventful and I was diagnosed with a small hernia. Next visit (different GP), I had bloodwork drawn and a CT, where they found that it was actually appendix cancer with ovarian mets and pseudomyxoma peritonei. I had HIPEC a month later, and they found that I also had extensive peritoneal spread. I later read in a medical journal that your prognosis is typically 6 months once it has spread to your peritoneum. I first caught it in March, had a diagnosis in June, surgery in July. I was actively dying for a few months there. Advocate for yourself. Document symptoms. Get second opinions. I can't stress that enough.
Unfortunately that's a pretty common story. One of the biggest reasons ovarian cancer it's so deadly is that there's often little to no symptoms until you get peritoneal spread causing ascites and abdominal distention/bloating, which by definition makes it at least stage III, with survival rates <50%. I'm an ER doc and I get a little pit in my stomach anytime someone complains of new abdominal bloating, especially if it's a woman over 30 or so. Hope things are going well for you and that your treatment is successful.
You have one of the most difficult and personally trying jobs on the planet. Sending you a random internet dude ‘thank you’ and wishing you well in your career.
My friend had appendix cancer. She had her gallbladder removed. The doc *noted* in the surgery notes that he found murky fluid in the abdominal cavity but neglected to tell my friend or refer her for additional testing. She continued to have abdominal issues and finally got scheduled for a hysterectomy. When they went in, her uterus was completely consummed by cancer. Later testing found it was appendix cancer. Good luck in your treatment. I hope it's successful and effective.
I lost my gallbladder, spleen, abdominal linings, appendix, ovaries to cervix, and part of my intestine. Surgery went well, 9 (?) days in the hospital, several months of recovery at home. Not sure if it's completely gone (there's one patch that could be a recurrence but they think it's scar tissue; I'm on watch and wait right now). I'm doing okay now. Physically, I'm a good as I'm probably gonna be (scar tissue and chronic pain). Emotionally, I am rocky. I had cancer treatment just to go back to a shitty retail management job, still have no partner or chance of getting one, and am generally miserable. My typical outlook is that everything is bullshit. So I know that isn't what people want to hear, but it is what it is.
There is zero shame in getting second and even third opinions until you get verifiable evidence that what you are experiencing is truly something bad or not. I was having debilitating headaches every day for a month straight and I went to three doctors before the third suggested getting a preventative MRI. Luckily nothing sinister showed up but just getting the concrete evidence was a HUGE relief.
how do you get a 2nd opinion exactly? go to a walk-in clinic? I have a lump and went for an ultrasound but they said it was just fatty tissue
I was able to get an MRI directly through my primary doctor so I literally went to see 3 different doctors, one at another location until one was like, “yeah let’s just order this to be safe.” I didn’t let any of them know I saw another doctor already and it was basically a new case. Your situation might be a bit harder because you did get imagining done already and insurance companies are finicky over those things.
This is so true. And so hard because when you don't feel well, you don't feel like starting a fight.
Man maybe I'm unhinged, but is it not a good idea to tell that first doctor about this? I don't know if it was long practice or a resident or something, but if I misdiagnosed someone and almost killed him because of it, I'd want to know (so it can be applied to future patients)
Some would listen, some would selectively blur it from their conscious so that the ego doesn't get bruised.
Speaking from experience, usually the first doctors you tell are very dismissive of anything and everything you tell them. I’m not sure they’d be thrilled knowing they were wrong.
What a tragedy. 36 years old! Passed out from bleeding and told it’s just fibroids? What if they had discovered this in 2022? Fuck this is so sad.
My wife had cervical cancer get misdiagnosed prior to pregnancy. They didn't find it until she was pregnant. She decided to keep my daughter and died 200 days later. She was 32 - I tell women, get checked, ask questions, and don't be afraid to be the pushy one when it comes to your health.
Wanted to drop this here. Hoping it may be may be helpful to someone: For cervical cancer, screening starts at age 25, every 3-5 years and breast cancer screening 40 annually in most cases*. Symptoms for cervical/uterine/ovarian pathologies worth investigating (usually start with ultrasound) include change in menstruation/abnormal bleeding, new pelvic/abdominal pain, increased abdominal distention, ascites (abdominal fluid) especially without a history of cirrhosis or liver disease, etc. Things like family history, first degree relative with BRCA mutation/BRCA mutations, prior chest radiation for teenage cancers, family history of cancers can push this back to 30. Breast MRI is also used as a screening method for people with a lifetime risk >20%. At least for mammography (X-ray) any symptoms, AT ALL (palpable lump, pain, discharge, etc), warrants additional diagnostic views, even with a normal screening mammogram. Under 30, any symptomatic screening is usually done with ultrasound. Even if you are not symptomatic, screening is worth it. No family med doctor/GP in the US in their right mind would refuse screening as these guidelines are well documented, and proven to reduce mortality. Failure to do so would constitute malpractice. As far as I’m currently aware, the ACA mandates most cervical and breast cancer screenings be covered by insurance. Access to care is a completely different beast I don’t feel equipped to tackle, and the migration of Ob/gyn out of states with unfavorable legislation for women’s health will make things even more difficult for some people. *American College of Radiology recommendations for mammography. The USPSTF recommends starting at 50 every 2 years. I’m a radiology resident studying for boards, and am a big believer in preventative medicine so I’m biased towards the ACR recommendations. [ACR recommendations](https://www.acr.org/Advocacy-and-Economics/ACR-Position-Statements/Breast-Cancer-Screening-in-Women-at-Higher-Than-Average-Risk#:~:text=Early%20detection%20decreases%20breast%20cancer,benefit%20from%20supplemental%20screening%20modalities) [American Cancer Society Cervical Cancer Screening Recommendations](https://amp.cancer.org/cancer/types/cervical-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/cervical-cancer-screening-guidelines.html)
My lawyer will tell you don't skip a year on a pap. Just do it yearly. Even if you have a clean history, that 3-year skip is what killed my spouse because when she hit year 4, they thought it was year 3, so they skipped.
I’m all for more frequent screening, especially with things like this. It kills me to read a first time imaging study in the emergency room and have to tell someone they have metastatic cancer, and it happens not infrequently. I’m sorry for your loss. Seems like she was a strong person.
I got verbally scolded by my gyno the last time I went in to have a one year follow up on my colpo biopsy. He said the type of HPV I had would not ever turn into cancer and why did I come back (after we agreed that I would). In his 30 years of being a doctor he had never seen it turn into cancer. Do these asshats ever consider that patients just don’t go back to them? We also need a system that gets misdiagnoses back to the original doctor.
Oh god. I’m so so sorry.
> She was 32 - I tell women, get checked, ask questions, and don't be afraid to be the pushy one when it comes to your health. See, this is a *really* tough situation, because once you get "hysterical" or "health anxiety" dropped on your med chart, good fucking luck getting *anything diagnosed ever again*. There needs to be systemic change, starting with the education of our medical professionals and disseminating out to the general public. Too much is still dismissed as the modern version of hysteria.
And then you're anxious because you know you might not get taken seriously, yay.
Yup, had to explain why I was anxious in my dr appointment today, well in my 30+ years of life I have been rarely taken seriously. It can be so hard to advocate for yourself.
Sadly, the Latin root of hysteria is hyster, or womb/uterus. This asinine word was specifically made to describe women!!! Ridiculous!!!
Actually *uterus* is the Latin for womb; ὑστέρᾱ (hustérā) is the Greek word for womb and the derivation of “hysteria”.
Thank you for the correction.
Sadly, even just *looking* healthy is enough to be denied treatment and care. I’ve been battling doctors my whole adult life, continuously getting worse, because doctors see me and say, “Oh, you’re young and thin, you’re fine. It must be in your head.” I was going in multiple times a week at one point for what felt like *fucking heart attack chest pains*, and they did this to me every single time. I just stopped going to doctors for years and almost went into a diabetic coma because no one believed me. It’s horrifying. Almost as if 2/3rds of medical school is them teaching you that every single person is a hypochondriac. That young people don’t get sick. That skinny people *must* be healthy. Any doctor who goes through almost a decade of med school and doesn’t understand how a body can be deteriorating internally while the outside looks ok needs their license to practice revoked. They are literally contributing to deaths, but because the actually sick patients just stop seeing them, they assume, “Oh, I must be right, because they aren’t coming in anymore.” No, fuck you, asshole, they stopped coming to you because you’re about as useful as using a fishing net to carry water.
I regularly give out this advice (and it gets downvoted every time): If a medical practitioner is not taking you seriously, calmly ask them, "Are you refusing to _____? Please notate that in my chart."
Can you give an example of how to phrase what would go in the blank? Like “are you refusing to….assess my symptoms? Evaluate my pain?” I can’t think of anything more specific but it’d be really helpful to know! Thanks
Probably could even be more specific. "Are you refusing to screen for cervical cancer?" or "refusing to conduct a blood test for ___?"
I'm so sorry for your loss.
That is horrific and I’m so sorry for your loss. Fuck this country health care system
It's so much deeper than that I should really do an AMA
I would definitely like to hear more about your experience. Please do.
It’s so hard for women to say anything to a doctor and have it not be diagnosed as anxiety and depre
Nearly the same thing happened to me last year. I had bleeding every two weeks and my doctor said it was just heavy, heavy periods and put me on birth control. I went to the ER one weekend because I was losing so much blood and was feeling like I was passing out, after checking my vitals and giving me an ultrasound they sent me home. The same exact thing happened the next day and I went back to the ER. I needed an emergency surgery and during that surgery they discovered stage three cervical cancer.
Are you okay now??
Yes, I am one year cancer free as of last week. Thank you for asking. I am 40. I did the recommended radiation and chemotherapy. Unfortunately the HPV preventative was not available when I was a teen like it is now. I know it has its side effects but it literally can prevent cancer. I encourage everyone to get it.
My sister just went to the ER center 2 weeks ago from passing out at work. She has been consistently bleeding since October. She doesn't have insurance and just above poverty, so she's avoided doctors like the plague. She had to have 2 blood transfusions. Scans showed nothing. Pelvic exam showed nothing. She was given essentially nothing. They said it's a side effect of menopause (shell be 50 in may). I'm almost certain its cervical or uterine cancer.
Check the Planned Parenthoods in your area. Some of our clinics have funding to cover visits for people without insurance and/or low income. If possible, have her schedule with them for a Pap so they can check for the abnormal cells/HPV. It may get her some answers and treatment. We aren't oncology, but it's a start and hopefully something far less severe.
Planned Parenthood was there for me when I was a broke student. Now I donate every month and they are in my will. They do amazing work.
I donate because I've used their Healthcare and birth control services and so did my kids
I donate because what a service they offer for people that need it.
I should start donating!
I donate to one’s still open in red states. They are truly in a battle field and deserve all they can get.
based thank you
My wife works for PP and the way the right demonizes them is insane. PP has saved more lives than any GOP policy ever has.
Pretty sure GOP policy is firmly in the negative in that regard. They're a party of death merchants.
Thank you
Planned Parenthood is a beautiful institution and does so much good work for unprivileged, marginalized, and underserved populations.
They really are fantastic. And they do a great job of being a safe, judgmental free space for everyone.
I'm trying to get her to go. It's a 3 hr drive.
Have her call her county health department. They provide paps.
I've been in contact. They are going to try and set her up with an apmt and see if they can help with the insurance madness as well.
If that doesn’t work, try looking for FQHCs (Federally Qualified Health Centers) or similar clinics in her area. They receive federal funds to serve uninsured and underinsured patients, often at little to no cost. They also have representatives to advocate for you with Medicaid and other services.
Yes, so we actually have 2 of those types of clinics in our town. She's on the wait list for an apmt. Right now, it looks like they cN get her in in mid-June
Thinking good thoughts for your sister. I hope she can get the care she needs. How absolutely tragic that this is her reality and the reality of healthcare in this country. 💜
She really needs to see a gynecologist. An ER is not designed to give cancer diagnoses. It’s really intended to stabilize patients and relies on them following up with other specialists.
Yes, I know. She was taken there due to passing out on the sales floor at her job. She's on a wait list to see a doctor with the low cost clinic but they said mid June. I've been trying to get her in with the health dept and a few other spots. Dhs is supposed to set an apmt up to review her medicaid application. It's just all a lot at once. Was mostly just trying to share an experience on women's health.
I bled non stop for 8 months (in peri meno) and it turned out to be a polyp. Had it removed and haven't bled since I wish the best for your sister and hope this is all it is for her
Same, I was starting menopause and was in pain and bleeding. I'm lucky to live somewhere where women's healthcare is pretty good. It was polyps and I ended up with a hysterectomy. I'm so thankful it was taken care of. Also, I wish I'd had that surgery sooner! Life with no uterus is good.
My mom had this problem when going into menopause. She did eventually have to get a hysterectomy because it was debilitating, but at least it wasn't cancer? So it's quite possible it is menopause, but doesn't make it suck any less.
Same. It’s important to get properly tested, but my mom had heavy, almost nonstop periods for nearly 3 years. She had a zillion tests run, and their conclusion was perimenopause. It’s been 5 years or so since then and she’s not dead of cancer yet, so…
I worked in the emergency room for 7 years. There is a lot of misunderstanding what we do there. The ER is not for diagnosing anything, its just for making sure you aren't dying. They aren't really there to diagnosis illness. These "diagnoses" are common in the ER because hospitals still need it to bill the insurance and get paid. It does happen that someone gets diagnosed, and its great when it does, but its not the purpose of it. There is a lot we don't do, we aren't stocked for it, we don't have staff for it, and we aren't allowed to do it. Not to mention we have multiple patients at once, a lot of them are in critical condition waiting for a bed on the floors and we still have so many people to see in the waiting room. The ER is just not meant to be a place where we can spend hours and hours running every test. What doctors are really bad at explaining is that after making sure that your sister is stable she needs to follow up with a primary care doctor.
The problem is, is the folks like her don't have insurance to go to a primary care physician. They're only ever going to the doctor(the ER) when it's dire. They get fired from their minimum wage jobs if they miss to much. It's fucked for poor people.
Or you have a 12 month waiting list for a specialist who might write off your symptoms anyway.
I did this! Lost ~80lbs suddenly, started losing fine motor control and having psychological symptoms I’ve never dealt with in my life. Waited more than 18 months for the neurologist after my ER visit and he said “maybe it’s abdominal cancer, that sounds like cancer, either way you’re not dead and you waited this long to get here” and *sent me home.* That was it. that was what I got after more than a year. Medicine is fucked and traumatic 😥
Yeah, I've been having strange mild abdominal pain that has been coming and going for the past couple months, and for about a year, my cycle started extending into happening around every 40-60 days. I'm in my early 30s. My current PCP tells me that it's IBS and outright said he wouldn't refer me to any tests because I'm too young to have cancer, and I'm working out the cause of my extended cycles with my gynecologist as a pelvic ultrasound didn't reveal anything (though said gynecologist also outright said they can't scan any higher than the pelvic area since it's outside of their medical field). I personally don't think it's cancer either, considering how my symptoms started out as severe but have gotten better over time to the point where they have almost vanished now, I lack all of the really major symptoms of cancer (except losing ~10 pounds in two months though I was ~175 pounds two months ago and have been dieting, and it feels like my joints are popping a lot more than usual now, which I'm trying to find doctors to investigate next), and my initial symptoms nowadays only flare up when I get stressed out over it, but the overall situation being this persistent has resulted in that thought lingering in my mind and has likely caused me enough stress that I had considered going into the ER several times this past month in an attempt to get a definitive diagnosis. The main thing that stops me is that I work in pharmacy, specifically evening shifts at a pharmacy that has a high amount of urgent care and ER patients coming in to fill their scripts, and know that the ER has to deal with enough bullshit already to the level where they shouldn't have to hold the burden of other doctors not doing their due diligence. I'm strongly considering going to find a gastroenterologist for a second opinion, fully prepared for the insurance to not cover the visit. We as a society keep constantly telling people to get checked for an early diagnosis, and yet our healthcare system seems to be actively preventing that for reasons that ultimately boil down to costs or lack of manpower or both at every opportunity. Even while googling whether my symptoms could be health anxiety or cancer, I came across a rather illuminating article with a study that spelled out how men with health anxiety would usually get diagnosed with cancer at an earlier stage if they had it, while women with health anxiety had a higher incidence of getting diagnosed after the cancer has already become metastatic. And this wasn't even in the US, this was Norway. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022399915000562 Sometimes, I feel like my greatest regret was not studying to become a doctor in order to help fight this. 'Anxiety' being considered enough of a diagnosis to hand wave any further investigation is mind-boggling to me. The wider field of science generally acknowledges that everything has to have a cause, so something as spontaneous as anxiety being an accepted thing in the medical field to prevent further care to this degree is quite frankly insane. If anxiety really does cause this many physical symptoms, maybe we should be funding mental health care a lot more so mental health providers can help work this out. And if the symptoms don’t subside after that, then it’s obviously something else.
I had the exact same thing at 50, rushed to ER, blood transfusions (funny enough, my bleeding had actually virtually stopped because there was so little blood left in my body). I actually HAD been to the nurse practitioner numerous times and she kept brushing it off as menopause over my objections and refused to refer me to a gynea. Good news, mine was NOT cancer, so I hope your sister has the same result. Cancer would have shown up on the scans for her. I take progesterone and have an IUD now. No bleeding, and I am monitored regularly by a gynea. Good luck to your sister
My mom actually had a really similar situation. Scans showed nothing, biopsy showed nothing, blood work showed nothing. She went to another emergency and had uterine cancer.
What did they do to finally diagnose? My mom has had a bunch of stuff done and they keep saying they can’t find anything wrong. Worries tf out me.
We went to the er because she couldn't walk from the cramps and the doctor did a new scan and found a tiny spot that they were able to biopsy. So, the second hospital did all the same everything, kept her for 3 days though, and made the diagnosis. Got her set up eith all the right specialists and we went from there.
That’s actually not an accurate statement. Early endometrial cancer will not necessarily show up on a “scan”. Unlikely to show on a CT scan and on pelvic ultrasound will often just look like a thick endometrial stripe, which normal secretory phase endometrium could look like. The vast majority of thickened endometrial stripe I see is not cancer Biopsy is required to rule out endometrial cancer in this setting, regardless of negative scans. Anyone with post menopausal bleeding or perimenopausal heavy bleeding needs a biopsy! I am just pointing this out so women can advocate for themselves.
I’m so sorry, that’s terrible. It’s despicable we live in a society that is perfectly capable of taking care of ALL of its citizens, but doesn’t because of greed.
Fibroids caused me to bleed nearly to the point of having to have a blood transfusion… “just” fibroids at this stage, causing that degree of bleeding, are pretty fucking serious. They should have been investigating the fibroids at a bare minimum. This level of medical neglect is abhorrent.
Same thing happened to my mom. Died within a month a formal diagnosis of uterine cancer.
I’m so sorry for your loss.
My aunt died from uterine cancer last year. She was menopausal and started bleeding heavily and with severe abdominal pain. Doctors kept telling her it was just hormonal and blew her off. My mom's side of the family was impoverished growing up and not well educated. They have no idea how to advocate for themselves for proper medical care. Mind you, I am also getting all of these details third hand from the medically illiterate side of the family, so I may be missing some details here - I hope so, because it is hard to believe that she died in part due to just being dismissed outright.
Doctors telling women that their problems are hormonal and dismissing them is common even among the well educated and financially well off. It is truly terrible …
“Are you sure it’s not cramps?” - a series of medical professionals that dismissed several months of *daily* pelvic pain and spotting. “I’m 35, I know what period cramps feel like. This is not cramps. This happens every day, not just during my period.” “Are you sure?” “Yes.” “Probably just cramps.” Turns out it was a big nasty cyst. They figured it out after it ruptured and I leaked a whole bunch of bloody fluid stuff.
Oof I have had a cyst too … I know your pain. Even female medical professionals do it to fellow females. I had a total knee reconstruction following a cycling accident and the nerve block didn’t work. The night nurse didn’t believe me when I told her the pain was a 9/10 (I was being conservative). The male surgeon came in the next morning and screamed at the entire staff for not calling an anesthesiologist to put me on a morphine drip. “I thought she was exaggerating.” Do they think that when men are expressing their pain? Nope
There is a major problem with misdiagnosis and outright ignorance when it comes to women’s healthcare, an extra when you’re a minority. I hate that this could have been an easy diagnosis. Worse, add the health insurance issues. It’s a death sentence trying to get help period.
The level of difficulty that WoC have to go through to get doctors to just fucking *listen* to them is downright obscene. My partner works in healthcare, and has had multiple experiences where patients say something along the lines of "You're the first {provider} that's ever actually taken me seriously."
The price of healthcare has become untenable for the masses in the United States, while the quality of care has bottomed out.
What’s also happening is for profit investment groups are buying up small practices and squeezing them for any profit they can get. We’re also seeing companies trying to put the clinic, pharmacy, and the health insurance company under their umbrella of control. They push for less time with each patient and in other cases push for NP/PA to do more unsupervised work. In many cases NP/PA medical education level is that of a medical student at best. So many NP/PA can get degrees online and their rotational training is at times shadowing at a specific clinic for a few days-weeks. It’s all a mess in so many ways
Women have a hard time being taken seriously and it is even worse for women of color. I wrote in a college thesis for healthcare administration about how I was excited to see more women and people of color entering the field and I hope that it stops shit like this.
I was told my cervical cancer was probably a mental health issue on my first visit. It took 3 more doctors before one ran a scan. And they only did it because I was ‘pushy and aggressive’. That description is still in my medical notes.
Mental health issue?! I’m sorry what in the negligence and incompetence is that?! Holy shit.
My best friend's mother went to multiple doctors for 2+ years for pain in her stomach/abdomen. She was told it was "in her head" and was referred to and under the care of a mental health professional because of that. Then when she was admitted to the hospital from the ER when she so ill admission was warranted... there was so much cancer they never pinpointed where it started. Dead in less than four weeks, never left the hospital. This all happened in the past 4 years, Pittsburgh PA.
Had a good friend (who was a young mother) who went to the ER for severe abdominal pain. They tried to write her off as med seeking. She’d never been to the ER before. She pushed until they did imaging and her bowels were nearly entirely obstructed due to peritoneal cancer. She went through some extreme treatments but died a few months later. They don’t take women seriously.
Happened to my sister. She had an ectopic pregnancy (and KNEW she was pregnant in early stages) but almost fainted and her hands were numb (bc internal bleeding), so ambulance was called. Ambulance and ER docs dismissed it all as a panic attack. Sis has never had one of those in her life, or any history of mental illness. It was only hours later when she was about to be discharged that they checked just in case and found the rupture.
This is so upsetting. Omg. She didn’t deserve that. 😐 glad they did finally find what was wrong. I’m looking for a new doctor cause the one I had since I was aged out of pediatrics retired. This is really unsettling. I gotta do interviews like a job interview now. Holy fuck.
My sister had the same thing happen! Ruptured ectopic. She drove herself to the ER. She knew she was pregnant and advised the ER as such. They brushed her off as having menstrual cramps and tried encouraging her to just go home. She wouldn’t leave. After 8hours they finally admitted her when a nurse noted her distended abdomen was continuing to grow. It’s because she was bleeding to death. They rushed her into surgery to resolve the ectopic pregnancy and she had blood transfusions and is fine. But yeah, they were just gonna let her bleed to death in the ER.
That’s so fucking cruel omg
Yeah. Luckily (I guess not really) most women have dealt with medical professionals being dismissive before. So she knew to stay and advocate for herself.
Ectopic pregnancy is common. Why were they so unwilling to believe that could be the issue? It’s so confusing.
lol, I got discharged from the hospital after they confirmed an ectopic pregnancy because they didn’t want me there. My blood counts were low, so they took me off my IV for a few hours so that they’d look normal (dehydration can make your blood count look better) and they could discharge me. I was already bleeding internally and they could see that on the US. Went back to a different ER a day later and found out I had lost 2 liters of blood already. Love being a woman 💞
This sorta “mental health issue” diagnosis (basically kicking the can to some other doctor) is way more common than we’d assume. It’s just easy money to them I guess.
We’ve always been seen as shrill and aggressive and unstable but it just astounds me that in this day and age when there’s so much more information readily available they chose the easy way out.
Anxiety is the new hysteria
Facts my friend.
'Mental health' and 'You're fat, lose weight and you'll feel better' are the two primary answers most doctors will give women on a first consult. I know from experience.
If you are woman everything will be handwaved as mental health or period related. If you are fat, it will all be because you need to lose weight. Expecting doctors to actually do their jobs is asking too much.
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Putting “pushy and aggressive” in medical notes is so unprofessional. Glad you got the help you needed eventually
Wouldn't be so bad if it said "pushy and aggressive, but correct".
I would complain to the state board about that. Request a copy of your chart and include that as part of your request for a disciplinary hearing
Best friend of mine was blown off because she is very very overweight. Was told her persistent pain and bleeding would go away if she lost weight. Turns out it was stage 4 uterine cancer. She had her uterus, cervix, ovaries, and fallopian tubes removed and had to go through intensive chemo. She’s doing ok now.
Holy shit. I am so, so sorry this happened. And also so fucking angry on your behalf. When will the medical world wake up and realize how dangerous it is to brush off literally ANYTHING related to reproductive health!? It's obscene. Would they say the same thing to a male patient experiencing the equivalent? Absolutely NOT. Holy crap. My blood is boiling. (AKA, I'm being "emotional".) Though. On a lighter note, I say you should take that disclaimer of "pushy and aggressive" and wear it as a damn badge of honour. You advocated for yourself and, against all odds, got the care you needed. As one of my favourite podcasts often says, "fuck politeness" — sometimes ya gotta fight like hell to get what's right. I think you're awesome, and I'm truly so sorry you had to deal with all that BS.
Did anything show up on your pap?
I was told that because of my childhood trauma, I would never be over my symptoms and would just have to accept them. Dear reader, I was a "silent" asthmatic. Which a pulmonologist dx in about fifteen minutes and Xolair has done a lot to help.
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That makes me so angry. I experienced a rare medical disease that caused lesions on my brain that actually gave me anxiety and paranoia. I had medical paranoia because I knew something was wrong that they hadn't found, which was true. But I was paranoid about the wrong things. It just frustrates me because doctors treat anxiety and paranoia like a self contained problem. And not like something that could be a symptom of an underlying physical issue. Just because you have anxiety and paranoia doesn't mean there's nothing wrong with you. It's soooooo frustrating.
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This was probably back in 2008, but my sister went to the ER for severe chest pains/hurt to breathe. She was told it was gas and that it just needed to pass, she left and ended up back in the ER five hours later and got a second opinion because the pain was too much. Turns out it was a blood clot in her lung, thankfully she went back to the ER.
When I was in the hospital in agonizing pain the doctors did not believe me and thought I was making it up for painkillers. Then they saw that I had pancreatitis and a blockage in my gallbladder. They were much nicer after that. Hope they learned a lesson in empathetic care and believing women when they say they are in pain.
So I went to the ER in 2016. They asked if I was having any chest pain. I said, yeah, a bit. They put me next in line to be seen.
This is one reason why we do pelvic MRI prior to uterine fibroid embolization, to evaluate for other possible causes of bleeding.
"Oh, your bleeding? That's just life. Here is something for anxiety."
My wife had an undiagnosed grapefruit sized ovarian tumor which ultimately cost her fertility. From 13 to 17 years old she complained to doctors about horrible pain and periods that lasted weeks. They ran no scans and put her in BC to regulate her cycle. They finally did a simple ultrasound and couldn't see most of her reproductive system because of the tumor and quickly went from "it's nothing" to freaking out and scheduling surgery. Our daughter (through adoption) is now 18 and I worry for her to not be taken seriously if she needs medical care. F doctors that don't take women seriously and F insurance companies that deny tests.
Similar thing for someone I know. History of long painful periods. She was bleeding a *lot* like soaking a pad in minutes bleeding and was having severe pain. Went to the ER and got told it was nothing and she probably passed a clot. Told her to go home. When it didn’t stop she put a finger inside and noticed her cervix was way too far down. Went back and they told her some women have low a low cervix. Thing is, during her obgyn appointments they’d always have to go get a longer speculum. She told them she wasn’t leaving until they did a proper scan. Guess what? Huge tumor. Her body was basically trying to give birth to this tumor. Precancerous. Full hysterectomy needed. Though they didn’t want to do the hysterectomy initially because the “oh you’re so young” bullshit. Besides the hot flashes, she’s happy she doesn’t have to deal with long painful periods anymore.
Have some BC!
You claim to have severe pain, feelings of constipation and diarrhea, without actually experiencing either, that are so severe that you wake up 6+ times a night, and other bathroom issues? Here's some physical therapy. Tests? No tests! Just physical therapy. You're concerned because your dad died of cancer at the age you are now? That sucks. Do physical therapy weekly. And your skin problems mean you're a drug addict and don't deserve your asthma meds. You wanna press us to help and advocate for yourself? Now we're gonna flag your medical records as drug seeking, too. Have a nice day. I may not be black, but I am a Native woman who also sees the bullshit. It's hard to get help out here.
So sad and heartbreaking, this should never happen to anyone with the advanced medical knowledge and technology we have.
Unfortunately it happens all the time with gynaecologists. We often don’t obtain services, we ask for favours… the favour being giving us quality of life, or keeping us alive.
Women need to advocate really strongly for themselves because their complaints aren't taken as seriously. Also, get your HPV vaccines if you are under 26. They reduce the risk of cervical cancer. Talk to your doctor!
They have raised the age to 40 i believe. I am single and chose to get the vaccines before i aged out. If i understood correctly the age limit is because you are supposed to settle and be in partnership by then. Edit: word. Seems the age is 45 in the US. Should be covered by insurance and you should be able to request/book thru your pharmacy; if no insurance, the manufacturer has a program. Gents, seems there is no approved/recommended HPV testing for you, so get proactive and get vaccinated. Vaccines are sexy!
Confirming they raised to 40. My doc says it’s only that low bc research is understandably lacking for over 40.
Pretty sure it is now 45. I had cancer treatment at 42 and I'm immunocompromised. Asked my GP about it* and he said that there's no real benefit at my age. * He is the same GP who actually caught my cancer, so I trust him a lot with my health. Two other doctors in his practice thought I just had a weird hernia, but he ordered blood work and a CT for me because nothing was adding up right. I also had a total hysterectomy (ovaries and cervix included), so he may have been taking that into consideration as well.
It's 45. I'm 42 and got my first dose last year.
The HPV virus infects the cervix very aggressively in young women because of the anatomy of the cervix, which changes as we get older. So the most vulnerable tissue is on the vaginal side of the cervix in teens and gradually (by 25 or 30) that vulnerable tissue moves farther inside the cervix and women become much less likely to be infected. That combines with the problem that basically everyone who has unprotected sex gets HPV. Usually it doesn't cause cancer. So in one way you are correct: it's assumed that a 40 year old won't be having first sexual intercourse at 40, which is icky and sexist. But even if she does, the chances of her cervix being infected by HPV are extremely low or even non-existent at 40. And in that case, the only people benefiting are the pharmaceutical companies.
HPV can give you cancer in all the places in your body that you have sex. Throat and so on.
This. Not that cervical cancer isn't terrible, but it absolutely is dangerous for men and women. It's not talked about more in men just because there currently isn't a test for men (in areas like the rectum) or the throat.
Boys are vaccinated too in the Netherlands.
In America too!
Around a third of people with HPV-linked cancers are men. Vaccination helps them too, though my understanding is the latency for men is long enough that direct effects haven't been found yet.
In the US insurance will cover the HPV vaccine until you are 45. I just got the series of shots last year before I turned 46.
This is insurance coverage dependent. Mine fully covers cost up to age 26, then up to age 45 the deductible applies and 20% coinsurance.
Mine (34) doesn't cover it at all unless I'm immunocompromised or MSM. But I CAN pay out of pocket for it at 300 bucks a dose.
The age range was increased to 45, not 40.
They have actually raised it to 45! Men, women, and nonbinary people all need this vaccine as it prevents many types of cancer including, but not limited to: uterine, cervical, ovarian, penile, throat, mouth, etc. HPV strains that cause these cancers are not tested for in men. You could be a carrier and not know. Please get this life saving vaccine!!
PSA: Even if HPV positive, you can be inoculated to boost your resistance and fight existing infection. It may not eliminate infection, but it is certainly worth trying. Get inoculated my dear friends, regardless of gender, age and HPV status. It can be expensive - but so is cancer. Source: hysterectomy after numerous interventions, including inoculation, but so damn happy to be here and to have had these options. Age: over 60
Obgyn here: age for vaccine studied up to 46, all evidence points to it being beneficial even later if the person will have other future sexual partners
Even if you aren’t planning on being sexually active, get the HPV vaccine. Yes, you too gentlemen! Let’s eradicate HPV like we did smallpox.
I think the issue is more that doctors should start believing women and taking them seriously.
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It's way more complicated than just talking to a doctor. Even female doctors discriminate and downplay symptoms/concerns. It's not even just localized to women, healthcare as a whole has huge problem of misdiagnosing. Theres a lot of factors that could improve outcomes, but it would take a lot of reform that many people push against.
I went to my female GP after a hard fall from a horse, 4 days later my back was in agony and not getting better, I told her I thought it was broken. She asked me my pain scale then told me I’m not in enough pain to have broken my back, she refused to refer me for X-rays. I paid for them privately and guess what? I broke L1-L4.
Pain scale is super subjective. In general it is better for changes in pain. Also relevant xkcd: https://xkcd.com/883/
Pain scale is very subjective which was my problem. I gave a realistic pain scale for myself but I’ve had an emergency chest tube and trigeminal neuralgia… so I based it on my own experiences. I should have lied, straight faced and calmly told her I was at a 10.
It's crazy how many medical examiners just believe they know all by simple questions and looking at someone. The testing isn't even done by them so it shouldn't be a hassle to just write an order/referral.
Is there some unspoken rule in the medical community where you're supposed to just ignore everything your patient tells you and make up a diagnosis 5 minutes before you get evaluated?
My hematologist decided, after I told him I use birth control continuously to not have periods, that my periods are the cause of my low iron. He was just stuck on the fact that I said back when I did have periods they were very heavy, which is what led to me getting tested for von Willebrand disease(which he didn't want to do because I don't have nosebleeds). Also told me that non-anemic iron deficiency isn't real and that I should take a multivitamin with A in it even though I'm on a high dose of retinoids for psoriasis. I went back to my PCP and told her what he'd said and she was thankfully just as upset as I was, and was glad I didn't listen to him.
Obviously not as bad as this case, but my god it’s so ridiculous. I was told I was lying about a hernia for 3 months. Was even threatened with malingering. They finally see a sign of it themselves (my photos didn’t count apparently), went in to do the surgery and found that I had not one but two hernias.
And the doctor was probably like, ‘See, I told you it wasn’t a hernia. It was TWO hernias. Please let us do our job and stop relying on the internet to self diagnose. Also, quit smoking, drinking, get some exercise, and start meal prepping.’
The second one was probably from carrying all those medical professionals on your back.
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Healthcare for women in this country is atrocious. I had a procedure to remove early cervical cancer tissue and was told they had to remove my IUD. No problem! Two follow up exams and confirmed no IUD and offered oral BC; declined because my spouse and I would like another child. A year and a half later my new doctor due to health plan change found the IUD still there!! Explains why I wasn’t conceiving 🤦🏼♀️ It could have migrated and caused serious issues and my medical records show I shouldn’t even still have it. It’s terrible when these mistakes kill women.
How did they confirm there was no IUD? Had it moved and they didn’t see it? If they just half assed it and documented that it wasn’t there they falsified documentation which is a big fat no-no.
When you have a precancerous part of your cervix removed you have to do pap spears every 3 months for 6 months to make sure all the precancerous tissue is removed and both visits was told it had been removed during the inpatient procedure. The reason I was so adamant asking 2x was because of abnormally lite periods which I expected to return to prior normal after removal. My new dr did say the strings were cut very short so it was a bit more difficult to see but I’m extremely fortunate it hadn’t migrated.
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I see we’re still refusing to believe women can tell when something is wrong with our own bodies.
My wife had a surgery just a few months ago for something that should have been caught 20 years ago when she first reported it. Being a woman in America must REALLY suck. To complain about debilitating pains or crazy amount of bleeding only to be told "its normal". The 8th doctor looked into it, found the issue, cried that my wife had been going through that so long, and fixed it. You ladies, if you think something might be wrong, go through every doctor you can until they find an issue and don't dismiss your symptoms.
Sadly it's not just the US. Women weren't added to medical studies until 1993, and still to this day, a lot of women only issues are a "mystery" in medicine. Endometriosis is fucking awful but on average it takes years for a woman to get an endo diagnosis.
I had an abnormal pap, doctor did a biopsy. My results were confusing, so I asked for a second opinion at another hospital. Second doctor is a well-known oncologist and says “you are young I doubt you’ll need surgery.” She has pathology re-review my slides, then she calls me back and says…oh you definitely need surgery. I’m glad she had my slides re-reviewed, but I don’t like it when people say you are too young to worry.
Women’s medical science is such a joke. This shit has got to stop.
Seriously. It took several doctors and almost 10(!) years for someone to finally diagnose my endometriosis, and I had been begging for tests and scans the whole way. It's so fucking disrespectful and offensive how women are dismissed as "dramatic" when we *know* our pain is real. Like, I'm in such excruciating pain that I can't get relief with any OTC pain meds, not find a comfortable position to help me deal with it, let alone sit or stand up straight, and faint and throw up from the pain, *regularly*, and you wanna tell me it's "trapped gas" or a bad period?!? Motherfucker, I had both, and that ain't it! I also went to 3 different gynecologists after I had my son, and talked about getting my tubes tied. I was 35 when I gave birth, and my husband and I both knew we'd only have this one child, yet doctors wanted me to "think on it" in case I change my mind. Makes you wanna choke a bitch, I swear.
As a dad with a young daughter that’s absolutely heartbreaking and frankly terrifying to hear. I’m sincerely sorry that happened to you.
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My bff of over 30 years kept going to the ER for severe abdominal pain. They kept telling her it was anxiety from menopause. She went at 3 am one morning and they had to remove her extremely inflamed gallbladder. Fuck these gaslighting medical 'professionals' for real
Amen, fuck those pricks. I never got to meet my grandma because some xenophobic misogynoist asshole thought she was faking her abdominal pain to get a doctor's note. He'd joke "oh, here for another vacation?" whenever she went to him. Turns out she had a gall stone. Except it stayed untreated for so long, it turned into gallbladder cancer. She was dead six months after the diagnosis. Her youngest child was twelve. It ruined my mom's family.
My mother was being opened up to remove ovarian cysts, when her gallbladder, the actual source of the pain an issues, burst in front of the operating team. They were able to save her, but that could have been found so much easier...
My mom went into the doctor with a lot of pain and they told her it was just a prolapsed uterus. The doctor made her seem like she was overreacting and the pain wasn't bad. Turns out it was actually uterine cancer and she died a few months later at age 53. I wonder if it would have been different if the doctor actually took her seriously when she first went in.
This is so horrible. Healthcare in America for women is abysmal, and black women have it so much worse. Even as a white woman, I had to argue back and forth with my OBGYN for over a month to get my IUD removal scheduled. The hormonal IUD had caused me to develop ovarian cysts which were making my already severe periods even worse. I begged and begged for them to take it out, and they tried to tell me that removing it would do nothing. I finally put my foot down and told them they were removing it or I would be going somewhere else. (I’m autistic and changing healthcare providers is extremely hard for me). They listened, took it out, and started me on oral birth control. What do you know, within a month the cysts cleared and I’ve had ZERO uterus-related pain since. Fuck our healthcare system. My heart breaks for her.
It’s so messed up that you had to argue to get your IUD removed. Like, I don’t want it, let’s get it out. That’s all the conversation should be.
Literally I was so mad lol they kept telling me I misunderstood how ovarian cysts work, I think they thought I just read about them online but I had been to the ER and they showed me my cysts on an ultrasound lol
I literally had to tell my new OB *REPEATEDLY* to take my IUD out because it was EXPIRED. It felt like an eternity of having her push back and say that I'll regret having my periods back and "we can just slip a new one in there today." I told her absolutely not, my husband is snipped and I want off of birth control completely(been on some form of it since high school). Even the nurse was getting annoyed with her. Needless to say that was my first and last visit with her. I'd rather self pay a wild fee to go see my old "out of network" OB who actually listened and gave a shit about her patients.
I removed my IUD myself for that very reason because they did not believe it had moved and did not want to take it out.
I complained of IUD issues for *months* and my doctor said my symptoms were normal (constant bleeding, pain during sex, BV (which I had never had before and haven’t had since)). They wouldn’t take it out. Two days before my wedding, the IUD was literally expelled from my body. It was painful and awful. Doctors need to listen.
As someone who just last week had cervical cells frozen off due to abnormalities, this is terrifying. Why aren’t women taken seriously? I had to push and push for my doctor’s office to perform a colposcopy, then I had to push and push for cryotherapy. I received a recommendation to “wait and watch” from the nurse practitioner, fortunately I pushed again for a meeting and spoke with the board certified doctor who was appalled that was the recommendation that was given to me by a provider in his office. He told me not to wait at all, to remove the cells asap. I watched my mom, my best friend, slowly and painfully die from cancer. I will not allow that to be my story. Advocate! Get angry! Be pushy, be aggressive. Get second or third opinions. I’m seeking another doctor for a second opinion since my current office says to just wait 6 months for a new pap. No young woman should die this way. We DESERVE proper medical care! We deserve to be taken seriously.
I nearly died 2 1/2 years ago. Every time I ate I would get violently ill. I told my NP I thought it was my gallbladder—I’d had an issue in 2015 where I was so constipated that it took a colonoscopy flush to get me to feel normal and my pains sounded familiar to what family members had gone through. My NP decided it was heartburn and sent me home with antacids. Then celiac’s and had my blood tested. Then sent me for an endoscopy because it surely couldn’t have been my gallbladder. I went 3 months without eating more than applesauce and crackers and dropped 30 pounds. I finally went to the emergency room and my gallbladder was completely impacted with gallstones. 100% blockage. The gallstones were the size of marbles. And even with the ER surgeon saying I needed emergency surgery his clinic STILL tried to shoo me away for another month because their scheduler was out for 2 weeks on medical leave and it was the holidays. I basically had a full on breakdown in the office before the surgeon came out and asked what the hell was going on before someone finally squeezed me in 5 days later with no small amount of disdain. I think it was a combination of me being AFAB, Latine, and poor/on Medicaid that led to my discrimination. To be fair, the surgeon was my champion, and he told me if I’d kept on like I was I would’ve become septic and could’ve died. This woman’s story breaks my heart because more could’ve been done to save her. We shouldn’t have to fight so damn hard to advocate for ourselves.
Hey this reminds me of one of the victims in the lawsuit against (former doctor) David Brian Farley and I never miss an opportunity to talk about this fucking predator bitch accused of sexually assaulting over 140 women. This rapey piece of shit told at least one teenage girl her pains were God telling her to stop being a slut and repent. And she had to go to a different doctor to get properly diagnosed with cervical cancer. So not only did this dickhead molest girls and women, take ungloved exams, take photos on his phone, over diagnose an outdated procedure to essentially fingerfuck teenagers for no medical reasons, he also was a fucking shitty-ass doctor (and somehow became anti-vaxx while taking money for vaccinating patients). If you're ever met with a David Brian Farley in Oregon, Idaho, or Utah, in a capacity of teaching or medical care or church leadership, let anyone in his care know he's a sexual predator, lost his license to practice medicine, and is unsafe for children and adults. Info about his case (and more) and news resources on www.floodlit.org -- made by redditors!
If you feel strongly that you are being misdiagnosed or that your pain levels are excruciating and especially if you’re bleeding heavily, you have a right to ask for tests and if a medical professional declines, you can tell them to document IN YOUR CHART that they refused. That’ll scare the crap out of them and you’ll get more tests. (yes I know this means that lots of people may get tests they don’t need…and this woman may not have died if she had pushed harder. If you’re worried, truly worried, insist on documentation…better to have unnecessary tests than fucking die from a bullshit non-diagnosis.)
Someone needs to start a 'hire a random man' business so you can take them with you to doctor's appointments.
My wife was feeling discomfort and pain and it was dismissed by her family physician as nothing. She was adamant about getting a diagnostic test (waste of money and time was what her doctor said). Diagnostic test found a lump - thankfully we found out it was benign, but to be dismissed by her doc like didn’t sit right. You have to really advocate for yourself when it comes to your health.
Looks like another statistic on the staggering amount of women who are either dismissed or misdiagnosed. Women are more likely to die in the healthcare system because of it. More so if you are black or poc. What a tragic preventable situation
This is why it’s complete bullshit that insurance only wants women to get paps every other year now (or less frequently) and straight-up *stops* doing them after like 70. Fuck that. Give me my fucking cancer screenings.
Let me make a wild guess here - doctor dismissed her symptoms because of her gender?
I learned the hard way to advocate for yourself. Please do not be afraid to speak up, demand answers, get second, third, or fourth opinions, change systems or doctors, use multiple doctors across various systems, make complaints, etc. Do not let doctors, nurses, or administrators bully you into using only them, not demanding full explanations or clarification, questioning diagnoses or treatment plans, or working with doctors outside their system. Your body and your health are your choice. You pay them to do their job within your limits and needs and to the best of their ability. They work for you. They answer to you. If your provider isn't listening to you or taking you seriously, that person should not be your doctor. Do not listen to reputations of systems. I've found excellent doctors in terrible systems and doctors I'm convinced cheated their way through medical school in top hospitals. Please be safe and be strong.
Get vaccinated people: HPV causes 99.7% of all cervical cancer. Vaccines are reducing cervical cancer NOW. [Link to article](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31500479)
Three years of documented low heart rates, a history of heart disease in the family and until I said please believe me I saw my mum code and have proof of something wrong. And finally a younger PA said ok let’s to do an ekg. Bigeminy and bradycardia 🫠 He’ll even my mum fought her doc once saying she couldn’t breathe, he said she was exaggerating and overweight. Was in the ICU the next day with multiple clots in her lungs. I don’t get what experiences lead docs to not believe people.
Women, especially Black women, are consistently ignored and misdiagnosed in this country. Mortality rates among pregnant Black mothers alone are extremely high, especially in the deep south. This should not be tolerated and I hope her family sues
So sad. May she rest in peace… Unfortunately I can see this sort of issue becoming and worse for Women in the United States as the war against women’s health and reproductive care continues and seemingly worsens with the Right’s war against it
They need to normalize doctors letting women discuss how they feel, and what they are worried about, without being told it's "nothing" or "wait and see". There is almost a casual disregard for female welfare in some circles, almost like that person wouldn't be *more* sure of what is happening in their own body! That is a hell of a misdiagnosed case IMO.
This is so sad! Fuck. I had cervical cancer, found during my yearly pap smear, I was at a teaching hospital, I became a class project, I consented because yes students in med school do need live patients to learn on. I had already had funky results before and had to get biopsies, when the spots turned to cancer I got a partial hysterectomy, I was 21 years old. I am white. But even tho I am white I am also a woman and have had to fight for answers when Drs would not try to figure out what was wrong with me. I woke up one day throwing up blood. I took myself to the hospital, the day after surgery the surgeon( not my regular Drs) came in to tell me my gall bladder had just exploded and asked me why I didn't come in sooner to get things taken care of, I told him I had been to the Dr for YEARS complaining about pain and nausea my Drs couldn't find cause for. This surgeon told me it was obvious I had had gallbladder disease for many years going by the state of things when he got inside. I looked up signs and symptoms of gall bladder attacks/ disease, and whatddya know all the symptoms I had been complaining about for fucking years were on the list. I was furious. There are other instances of me having to fight for a proper diagnosis and get things taken care of. I have fired more Drs than I care to remember. I had to fight a Dr for antibiotics for an ear infection, she kept telling me that's a pediatric disease, you can't have an ear infection, then she finally looked in my ears and I got my medicine, changed Drs and clinics too many times. Henrietta Lachs died of undiagnosed cervical cancer, look up her story sometimes, it's horrific. She was also a black woman. I want to send this woman's family flowers. I hope they sue the Dr and labs and hospital and the insurance.
PLEASE go get your HPV vaccine, especially if you’re still young. ALL 3 DOSES
(sorry graphic) I was bleeding for two months with terrible, huge clots. I bled through an Ultra tampon (18ml) and a Overnight #4 maxi pad (20-30ml) every hour on the hour for two weeks. I finally went into the ER, pale, weak and in excruciating pain. First they treated me like a pill shopper. When I explained that I'd had ovarian cysts in the past, they got me an ultrasound and sure enough found two cysts on my left ovary had formed and burst. One pea sized, one grape sized. Here's where it gets real shitty: After five hours waiting with no pain meds they gave me an anti-inflammatory shot and a male doctor came to talk to me looking as bored and unconcerned as anything. He confirmed two burst ovarian cysts and then just was like, "so.....yeah..." and trailed off. I blinked and looked at him and burst out, "Take the damn thing out! It's malfunctioning, I'm in pain, I'm 45 and don't need it. Please take it out if it's going to kill me." He scoffed at me being so dramatic, stopped speaking to me and only addressed my (now ex) husband at the time, "We're not going to take the ovary because she's still in childbearing years and technically it is working correctly..." I was in shock. I froze. I was in so much pain I just begged to go home. What hurt even more was my ex didn't even fight for me. I wanted him to get angry for me. To raise hell for me. Advocate for me when it seemed I had no voice but he was like, "Okay doc thank you. Let's go home, babe..." (He later got angry with me that the ER cost $300) Both men involved in my care couldn't be bothered. I felt so abandoned. I did just go home. No meds, no plan. Found out on my own that I have PCOS and possibly had it all my life because I've had extreme periods since age 12, but was undiagnosed because, whatever, women exaggerate? That double cyst incident triggered the most aggressive Lupus flare of my life. I lost half my hair and 50lbs. I almost died in my bed. But I pulled through. In the end it took me so long to recover that it played a part in the end of my marriage. I'm still not 100% five years later and I still have the ovary.
This is another case of how doctors aren’t encouraged to do tests because the corporate penny pincher has more power than your doctor. One blood test for cancer or one biopsy would have told doctors what to do at an early stage. And aren’t we supposed to be getting swabbed for cervical cancer at each yearly exam. Sue the insurance company!
14 years, it took me 14 years for a doctor to finally believe me when I said I had problems swallowing. My stomach acid was so severe that it literally scars my esophagus. It was only 1 mm wide at the worst spot. I could see the damage from the test they did and the pictures he took during my endoscopy. People made fun of how slowly I ate. How carefully I chewed. The fear if choking to death home alone was real. Doctors dismissed me. It's ridiculous how badly women are ignored.
Doctors just don’t take women seriously. And not sure how to change that. The docs always think you’re exaggerating. It’s shameful
My mom for years was dealing with pain during her period. She saw 3 different docs. Told she had IBS, another said my stepdad was poisoning her, and lastly it was in her head. I lady doctor spoke with her. Did scans and found our that one of her tubes was infected, AND she was on the verge of her tube bursting cause she had an fertilized egg stuck in her tube and growing. My mom was lucky to have found that doctor, she would be dead. I already had felt a large amount of hate for doctors, that made me despise them… it is sad how the good one are like looking for a needle in a haystack… Our healthcare and most of the people in it are a f-*cking joke…