Do you ever lie to your doctor?

The last time i visited my doctor i was 3 days back into smoking after an 11 day unsuccessful quit attempt. I told them i had quit.
I think it was mainly because i was more embarrassed to myself about starting to smoke again.

Back in high school, I think I lied during a physical and said that I had never had alcohol even though I had been drunk several times by that point. That’s the only time I’ve ever lied to a doctor. I wouldn’t want to lie should it cause the doctor to misidentify a cause of a problem…

I use to lie about how much I smoked. I wanted to keep getting my birth control pills without a hassle. (May 1 makes one year that I’ve quit smoking, btw, Yeah, me!) I figured it was my business if I wanted to die of a stroke. I knew it was very stupid and very wrong, but I did it for no other reason except I wanted to get the birth control and not get pregnant.

I have lied to my doctor about other things as well. Mostly out of stubbornness and self loathing to be honest. It was a very difficult time in my life and I knew everyone was very concerned for my mental health. My doctor was a friend and I lied through my teeth convincing him, and hoping to convince myself I suppose, that I was okay mentally when I really wasn’t.

I think perhaps other lies I’ve told were to cover up embarrassment, like how much I was drinking at the time or because I was in denial or hoping to put off reality.

I sincerely hope everything is okay with you, @chyna. That is scary stuff.

@bkcunningham Thanks. I’m getting it taken care of next week.
@DominicX I know, why lie and cause them to perhaps misdiagnose me? But I did and can’t explain why.

My doctor no; my dentist often:

“I floss ten times a day, Sir!”

At a time when you felt so vulnerable, I’m sure it was easy to be defensive and maybe embarrassed about using a tanning bed. Lying gave you a little bit of control in a somewhat helpless situation too.

My dentist always says you only have to floss the teeth you want to keep.

At 17, I lied to my gynecologist about being a virgin to avoid an transvaginal ultrasound. That’s about it. I don’t smoke or drink, so I don’t have much to lie about.

The only doctor I see regular is my Dentist. He is the same age as I and we both drink scotch. I have been working out a lot lately, like crazy. He asked me if I have been taking anything to bulk up. I told him I take a multivatim every few days. He said, “seriously man, tell me if you are taking steroids”. I was like “God no! I just work out.” And he said “We can’t get that big at our age.” and I said “Dude, do you ever exercise?” The nurses laughed at him. Then he called me a liar but he said he would do the surgery anyways.

I tell my doc I’m feeling fine and he more or less seems to buy it. Gets me outta there faster.

I wouldn’t say I lie to my doctor, but occasionally fear prevents me from telling him about something that is bothering me. However…most of the time I do tell him everything and usually the things I worried about turn out to be inconsequential.

No.

Why bother going to the doctor if you are only going to lie, what’s the point? Just don’t go at all if you don’t want to hear her/his advice.

No, seems kind of self defeating. I am paying him to give me an opinion or prognosis. If I lie to him, I might just as well use a Ouija board and save myself a few bucks.

All I want are the necessary scripts and that’s all.period. I don’t want him ordering up 1000’s of dollars worth of labs I can’t pay for. I’m the boss in these get togethers and I’m not going to be intimidated by their position. I don’t have insurance so I’m not a blank check they can eat out of.. My doc charges per thing talked about. Because all he talks about is how much money he needs to make, it is a complete fuckin turn off and I can’t stand him besides. Fuck him.

When I was a teen, I purposely cut myself on the arm with a buck knife, but I cut it a bit too much and ended up needing treatment. It bled forever, then a shiny, thick black crusty scab was on my arm, and it hurt bad.
I went the next day to get it looked at and solved, and when the doctor asked how it happened, I lied. Told her my friend was swinging around a knife for fun, and caught me in the arm by accident. Didn’t wanna tell her that I did it myself haha. She also questioned as to why I didn’t come sooner, and I told her it happened at night when the clinic was closed, which was also bullshit.
I didn’t think it then, but now; a doctor can probably tell the difference between if you slowly sliced yourself, or if the knife actually caused the injury upon sudden impact. I’m pretty sure she didn’t believe me.

Otherwise, I never lie to doctors, especially since the only time I ever go to one is when I’m really worried about something, and lying is not going to help solve something that’s wrong.

Very very rarely, and never the type of lie you told. I think it is important for doctors to have that sort of information to help the public at large. Kind of a data gathering. And, of course how it might help me individually to be honest with my doctor. I don’t worry about them judging me, which it seems you were. I tell them when I am noncompliant with medication and whatever else I might have done.

In fact, I would not say I lie, but once in a very blue moon I exaggerate my symptoms if I feel like I am being dismissed for how I described my symptoms originally. Meaning, if I am not being taken seriously enough. I am not even sure I am exaggerating to be honest. Other people seem to use different descriptive words than I do, even doctors to describe pain, exhaustian, and some other things. I tend to play things down I guess, continue on even when I feel awful. I do try to calculate what is going to be most effective in communicating with my doctor. As I described I used to just state what was wrong, when that wasn’t working, I tried being in more distress, or emotional, or something, anything, to be taken more seriously. it wasn’t made up emotions, I was emotional, but I could also hold it together.

I have downplayed how much I smoke, probably for the same reasons you lied about the tanning bed. I told him I smoke a lot, but not exactly how much. We are silly creatures sometimes, but I try to be totally honest these days. If I were you, I’d tell him the truth the next time you talk. He’ll understand, I’m sure. We can’t be the only people who’ve ever done something like that.

Please keep us posted on your treatment, too!

Yep. I told him I wasn’t worried about prostate cancer.

I exaggerated how much a floss my teeth. I really rarely floss…yeah I know, not cool.

@genjgal relax, they were looking inside your mouth and saw :)

@woodcutter I rarely floss and the dentist can’t tell. The hygienist is always surprised I don’t floss much.

@woodcutter I always floss before I go to the dentist. So they don’t know. :P

@genjgal That doesn’t fool anyone. You would have plaque and other signs usually showing you don’t floss. Also, you are more prone to gum disease and gums receeding if you don’t floss. I just happen to be kind of lucky, but usually there a signs and a dentist would know you are lying. It’s why I don’t lie. Because if the hygienest saw a problem and flossing would help me significantly I would want to know. I might take it more seriously.

@JLeslie I almost never go to the dentist but at least I do floss and brush. The last time I had a visit the hygienist was shocked my teeth looked so good having not been to the dentist in maybe 20 years or so. Of course I got the “talk” that I shouldn’t wait that long between visits but do whatever I have been doing to keep a healthy mouth.

I don’t know…why would I stop now?

@woodcutter Stop what?

@JLeslie doing what I have been all along

Update: Basil cell carcinoma surgery went very well. Only a small area was taken.

How are you feeling, @chyna?

Great, except they put a big blob of Vaseline in my hair and I can’t get it out. The surgery was on my scalp. I’ve washed my hair at least 6 times!

I’ve heard you can put some whiskey, like bourbon on your hair to get the Vaseline out. If it doesn’t work, drink the bourbon and you won’t care about the Vaseline. lol I am glad you are feeling good.

The bourbon trick is real though.

@bkcunningham Thanks, but I don’t have bourbon. I wonder if beer would work? :-)

A beer might help get you started toward not caring about the Vaseline.

You might try cornstarch or baby powder in your hair. Put it in and then blot as much of the Vaseline out as possible after you let the baby powders or cornstarch soak up some of the Vaseline. Then wash with dish detergent. I just read that on a couple of sites online.

I will try that. I have baby powder and dawn dish detergent. That may help.

No, I’ve never lied to my doctor…..what good would that do for me. It’s a private room with a person of trust. Well, maybe if I had a quacky doctor, I wouldn’t care as much, but get a doctor that you feel you are on the same page as them and you are all set…...

Let me know if it works. Fingers crossed.