Have you ever been seriously misdiagnosed by a doctor?

No, but I was told I had ringworm by two different doctors (including a bellaire dermatologist) when in reality I was allergic to my body lotion. What the fuck did I pay $142 for a “biopsy” for?

When I was five years old I fell off a tricycle and broke my leg. My parents brought me to the doctor, and told him that they though my leg was broken. The doctor told me walk around, but I couldn’t. I collapsed when I tried to.

The doctor told my parents I was just pretending, and sent me home. That night I was still in pain and still couldn’t stand/walk. The next day my parents brought me back to the doctor. This time he sent me for x-rays, which revealed that my leg was in fact broken.

Almost died as a result. My teenager daughter saved my life.

@Zen are you going to tell us what happened or should we just imagine it like a dramatic movie in our heads?

@La_chica_gomela Whichever is more fun for you. You tell me.

@Zen: I would prefer if you told the story.

Thanks. OK. Doctor said my chest pains were nothing – take 2 advil and call in the morning. It was a collapsed lung, (look up the one where it’s spontaneous if you’d like to follow this story medically.)

Long – short, emergency surgery – now I’m fine.

collapsed lung. woww. how does that happen?

I went to my doctor with complaints of painful irregular periods and general pain in my abdomen so I had an gyno exam and was given a different birth control pill to switch to. A few months later a roomate looked at me and told me I was pregnant not sick. Back to the hospital I went and after a simple urine test it was confirmed I was near six months pregnant. The hospital suggested an abortion after looking over the medications I’d been taking and the doctor who did the initial pelvic exam was dismissed.

@La_chica_gomela see here

My mother went to see a doctor about a possible pregnancy, her first. The doctor did tests and informed my mother she had a tumor that needed to be removed and that she would be unable to have children after the surgery.

With the surgery scheduled, my mom opted for a second opinion just in case. Thank goodness, because the tumor was me.

@noelasun Good one! Welcome to fluther. Water’s fine, eh? Good dive!

Yes, when I was abt 19, I was having some crying spells as I was dealing with my brother’s death and this doctor (regular practitioner) after hearing me for 2 minutes gave me 10 mg of Paxil that has since ruined my mental health…it’s been almost 10 years since and I’m still dealing with its effects

@Simone_De_Beauvoir I took paxel for about a year, and though it got me through difficult times, it might be responsible for some of the mental heath issues I now have.
What effects are you now dealing with?

@Simone_De_Beauvoir , Oy.

I have two, not super serious, but fairly bad nonetheless. I have Fibromyalgia and a host of other stupid auto-immune problems. With the pain in one of my arms increasing rapidly, I had to undergo some blood tests. My ex-doctor called me and informed me that I had tested positive for Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis, and needed to be seen by a Rheumatologist ASAP. While I was crying on the phone, he basically told me to get over it as they weren’t such bad diseases to have! So, after a 3 hour appointment with the Rheumatologist, she announced that I did not have either disease… just some antibodies for them. Her diagnosis? Tennis elbow. I cried like a baby, my relief was so great. I still may get them in the future, but for now… I’m good.

The other time, I started having a severe twitch in my eye. It was a stressful time for me, so I didn’t think much of it at first. After a month, I mentioned it to my doc. He waved off my concern, and told me to try taking Xanax for it. When that didn’t help, I called again. “Hmmm, not sure what’s causing that. These things usually resolve themselves on their own.” When I began to feel pressure in my eye, like it was bulging out of it’s socket, I called again. Still, no concern. Meanwhile, 6 months later, I happen to read the insert that came with a prescription refill (that my doc had prescribed for me). “If these rare but serious eye side effects occur, discontinue this medication immediately: Muscle twitch, pain, and/or pressure.” I called and left a message for the doc about it. A half hour later I had an emergency appointment with an eye specialist. Turns out that medicine causes Glaucoma! Luckily, I caught it in time.

@Simone_De_Beauvoir and @filmfann I’ve been on paxil for several years and can’t say anything bad about it. What do you mean it has ‘since ruined your mental health’?

@upholstry I’m pulling up a chair for this one, if you don’t mind. Sorry about the furniture no-pun-intended.

Not as serious a case as yours, @filmfann, but not nothing either. My doctor diagnosed me with IBS. I suffered miserably day and night for about three years. It turned out to be a side effect of another medication I was taking under his prescription. He knew about that side effect but evidently didn’t think of it when I presented my gastric complaints. When the med was changed for other reasons, the symptoms went away.

The word iatrogenic is a useful one to know:
adj. Induced in a patient by a physician’s activity, manner, or therapy. Used especially of an infection or other complication of treatment.
In other words, a doctor-caused ailment.

Paxil was terrific for the time I used it. I found it not to be an anti-depressant as much as an anti-emotion drug. I found myself not caring about anything, unless I hit the outer bounds, when emotion hit me like a mac truck.
After going off Paxil, I found myself with increased empathy (not necessarily a bad thing), and an increased schizotypal personality disorder, though I am not sure if I should blame the Paxil or the trauma I was going through.

I was misdiagnosed as a hypochondriac for years until the doctors realized—wow! It wasn’t psychological! I had a tumor on my pituitary gland that was sending everything out of whack!

@Simone_De_Beauvoir I’m right there with you. I’ve been on so many anti-depressants, I don’t know which one caused the most trouble for me, I blame the Lithium though. Having to teach myself how to read, after having to drop out of college, was oh so much fun~

My mother has been having severe pain, for the past 5 years. 5 years ago, she had been going to and from the doctor and emergency room for right flank pain. Turned out she had chronic appendicitis, and they took her appendix out 5 years ago. She was still having pain though, with a million diagnoses’ later (like endometriosis, IBS, fibromyalga(sp), restless leg syndrome..and others) she had a hysterectomy, and they found a lot of intestinal endometriosis. She had been told she possibly had a large intestinal tumor. Thank goodness they were wrong.

I’ve never been diagnosed with something, I’ve only had doctor’s speculate, which is still pretty upsetting. Like when my lymph nodes began swelling to the size of tennis balls, in my throat. I began seeing an ENT specialist, who told me I possibly had lymphoma and needed biopsies immediately. The needle biopsy came back normal, but my lymph nodes continued to grow, it looked like I had one large goiter! They finally did an open biopsy. Turns out I have reactive lymph nodes…it happens when I get tattoos. I get sick every time I get a tattoo, because my body wants to fight them. It’s bizarre.

@upholstry
well i’m sure paxil works for some people but my system is uber sensitive and i wasn’t ever diagnosed properly and don’t think i was experiencing anything worth 10mg…as a side effect of paxil, my emotions went numb, no ups no downs no orgasms no excitement…and no one told me how to properly get off ‘em so i just quit one day and had the worst withdrawal in my life, physical and emotional (i was taking liquid paxil and poured it down the drain and was in London at the time so couldn’t get it again)...i was severely suicidal at the Louvre of all places…and barely made it back to the US…had to be put on lexapro to deal with what Paxil withdrawal did to me…and I think it really destabilized my system since then…and because of this whenever i was under great physical stress (like my 1st labor) i fell into anxiety/panic/depression and now generally have to be on meds all the time

@Simone_De_Beauvoir That is exactly what I was saying about Paxil! It’s not an anti-depressant, it’s an anti-emotion drug. I felt like a clone, or a replicant (if you know the whole Blade Runner thing). They should explain that to people before they take it. My wife was quite upset at my detachment.
I will say, though, that it got me through some bad shit.

@casheroo, you forgot how to read? How is that possible?

@Jeruba Lithium is known for doing that to some people. I know Daloon has had the same experience. It’s more that you cannot piece the words together, an comprehend what you are reading. I could read the same sentence fifty times, and it still wouldn’t stick.

I have Social Anxiety Disorder, for most of my 51 years, took paxil for 4 years and was GREAT, but gained weight, lost some hair, and had/have no sex drive from it! The Withdrawl was HECK, worst thing I ever experienced and a year and a half later I am still having brain shocks, headaches and wish to goodness I could still take paxil but I refuse. What permanent damage has it done to my brain?

I’m pretty sure I was misdiagnosed with pneumonia today. But… I’m not the one who listened to my lungs, so… I’ll take the antibiotics anyway. Probably won’t hurt!

@MacBean Well, if the doc even thinks you have pneumonia, you must be feeling terrible! Sending you my best wishes for a speedy recovery. :)

@augustlan: It was my first ever voluntary ER trip. And it was eventful. When I can type anything longer than a quip (they tried to put an IV in my wrist and botched it, so now I can’t lean on it to type for extended periods) I’ll tell you ALL ABOUT IT.

@MacBean Poor Bean! I’ll await your details. Send me a PM when you get a chance.

@MacBean: Poor baby!!! I’ve had that happen and it hurts like hell! Sending good thoughts your way!!