If you're a fan of medical dramas like Grey's Anatomy and ER, we're here to burst your bubble. While these shows like to provide us with a glorified impression of the medical world, real-life medical cases and patients are a little different. Most of the time, they're much worse! And if you don't believe us, just have a read of these doctors' stories. These doctors have shared their real-life experiences of the worst patients they've ever encountered, and we bet they wish there was a pill that gave people common sense - because these patients certainly didn't have any.
I Spy With My Sore Eye
Have you ever had to administer your own eye drops? If you have, you'll know that it can be pretty difficult, but you probably give it a good shot. An eye doctor has shared the story of a patient whose eyes seemed to be getting worse. And when he asked his glaucoma patient whether she had been putting in the eye drops that had been prescribed to make her condition better for the past few months, she got annoyed.
To make sure that the patient knew what she had to do, the doctor asked his patient to show him how she used the eye drops. Incredibly, she opened up her mouth and dropped the eye drops down her throat!
In the Midst of a Purification Process
After watching so many medical dramas and documentaries, some people think that they're health experts. One volunteer at a free medical clinic realized that for themselves when they were visited by a woman struggling with pneumonia. Although the woman had tried to treat her condition herself, she had still yet to see any results and seemed to be getting worse. So, she wanted to ask the professionals why her natural treatment wasn't working.
But what was her treatment? Well, after watching a documentary about Indians, the woman decided to chase back Listerine with a pack of cigarettes in an effort to "purify my lungs."
Can Someone Get Some Water?
Doctors share stories of their successful operations and treatments all the time, and while there's no denying that they are extremely smart and talented, sometimes these fixes are quick and simple. And that's mostly because people lack a lot of common sense. This was the case when an elderly woman rang the paramedics claiming that she felt dizzy and had a very dry mouth. Of course, the medical team immediately got to work, testing her vitals to make sure she was ok.
When her vitals came back fine, the paramedics asked how much she had had to drink that day. Her answer? The only thing she had drunk was a cup of tea, ten hours earlier!
Ear Ear, What's This Then?
Over the years, doctors have shared many stories of their medical successes. But we guess it's hard to be successful when you're dealing with patients who believe that they know best. And when a man turned up in the ER with an inguinal hernia, the doctor decided to do a thorough check of the patient to ensure it had no other side effects. It was during this check that he noticed a rope going through his ear piercings.
When the doctor asked why he had a rope in his ears, the patient told him that he believed the rope would treat his hernia one and for all. Oh how the doctor laughed!
Low Sodium With Extra Salt
Many medical cases can be solved by a simple lifestyle change. Sometimes, someone needs to do more exercise or cut down on red meat. One doctor has shared the story of a patient who was admitted to the hospital due to congestive heart failure. After multiple tests, doctors told her that she needed to cut down on salt and follow a low-sodium diet if she wanted to combat her shortness of breath and fluid overload.
But when a pharmacist later discovered that she had been eating instant ramen noodles complete with the seasoning packet and extra salt for lunch each day, they realized that she hadn't listened at all!
Household Chores Gone Wrong
Every medical case is different, but some of them are downright weird - especially when patients have to go to the ER after household chores go wrong. And that's exactly why one EMT got called out to a man's house. Although he was just going about his daily business and mowing his lawn, he made a wrong move when he decided to reach out and touch the hot part of the mower. In the process, he burnt his hand.
But instead of putting his hand under cold water, this guy decided to whip out his gun and shoot the mower! The bullet ultimately bounced off the mower and hit his own son in the leg.
It Might Be Relevant
So many people struggle to have children, and that's where reproductive health doctors can help. One doctor shared a story of a man who was struggling to have children with his wife, and during their initial consultation, the doctor asked whether they had already had children. To this, the man replied that he had one child. When the consultation ended, the doctor was surprised to hear him knock at their door just a few seconds later.
Then he said, "Hello, doc. My wife told me that it would be relevant to you that the son I have is adopted, but that makes no difference to me as I always considered him my own son!"
Breaking the Rules
Patients rely on the knowledge of doctors to keep them safe, but this all went awry when a doctor spotted a patient breaking medication in half and only taking half of the capsule at a time. When they asked why they were doing such a thing, they claimed that another doctor had told them to do it. Confused, the doctor asked which doctor had told the patient to do it - and they pointed to a woman who was not a doctor at all!
Instead, she was a nurse who had been going through a tough time and had decided to spend her days impersonating a doctor and giving out bad medical advice. Thankfully, the nurse was suspended.
Keeping Things Natural
Some doctors' stories seem too ridiculous to be true, but this one definitely happened! After all, many people choose to treat their medical cases with natural remedies - and in some cases, they can work. But when a lady took her baby into the ER was a rectal temperature of 103, the doctor knew that herbal teas or crystals wouldn't do the trick. The baby needed specific medical treatment, but the mother refused.
In the end, the doctor was so worried about the health and wellbeing of the baby that he threatened to call social services on her if she didn't let him treat her baby. Thankfully, she agreed.
Feeling a Little Blue
Doctors come in all shapes and sizes, and Optometrists focus specifically on eye health. And while they see perfectly healthy eyes on a daily basis, they've also shared stories of some of the strange ones. This happened to one Optometrist, who saw a patient with a raging red eye due to an extremely irritated cornea. When the doctor asked what had happened, they had no idea that hair dye would be involved!
The woman had tried to tint her eyelashes with the same ammonia-based hair dye she had used to dye her hair blue. But instead of getting the blue color she was after, the woman was stuck with red instead.
Urine Big Trouble Now
Many minor medical cases can be treated by natural and homoeopathic remedies, but it's always important to take into account what medical professionals tell you. And despite the fact that doctors shared their concern about a cancer patient who decided to reject chemotherapy in favor of natural remedies, the patient decided to continue their own therapy. This therapy involved drinking their own urine that they boiled down so much it turned into a powder.
As the doctors' story confirmed, this urine treatment did nothing to help her cancer. In fact, the cancer got worse and she eventually gave in and started her chemotherapy treatment.
Not-So-Sweet Relief
While some doctors immediately opt for medicinal treatment, there are others who also prescribe natural alternatives. When one patient turned up with extreme eczema, the doctor alerted him to the fact that oatmeal baths can cool down the skin and make it more comfortable. Of course, the doctor didn't think that he needed to specify that it needed to be normal oatmeal - but we guess he did, as the guy went ahead and bought maple and brown sugar oatmeal!
He began to wonder why his skin felt so sticky and why his wounds were starting to fester. And it wasn't until his partner called him out on it that he realized he'd done something very wrong.
"It's Not My Fault, Doc"
Rehabilitation is a huge part of medicine, especially in those who have had surgery. That was the case for one doctor's patient, who had a total knee replacement and was prescribed basic exercises to do in order to get his full range of motion back. And while the doctor explained these exercises to his farmer patient, the farmer came back after 8 weeks shouting and screaming that his knee was no better.
The doctor asked the patient how often he had been doing the exercises, to which he admitted that he hadn't been doing them at all. Not only that, but he'd been undertaking hard labor on the farm, too.
A Second (and Less Appealing) Breakfast
Let's be honest; we all know that you shouldn't eat before undergoing a medical procedure - especially if that medical procedure is surgery. Doctors always do a great job of telling people about this rule, but it seems as though some people just don't want to follow the rules. So, when a child told their parents that they were hungry before surgery, they decided to bypass the surgeon's rules and give their kid a whole Southern breakfast.
The surgeon didn't know the parents had broken the rules until he saw the kid's breakfast come out during surgery. And still, after seeing the second and less appealing breakfast come out of their child, the parents thought they'd done nothing wrong.
When the Chips Are Down
Some medical cases can be very hard to solve, with some doctors spending hours running tests and doing their research to try and understand why their patients are struggling. But other times, a diagnosis is pretty easy - and that was the case when a patient came in with sore gums. One look at the patient and the doctor knew exactly why they had sore gums. After all, they walked in with a bag of Zapp's spicy cajun potato chips in his hand.
Apparently, that wasn't the first bag of spicy chips the patient had eaten that day! So, it didn't take long for the patient to be ushered out of the hospital.
The Same, but Totally Different
It's incredibly important for patients undergoing chemotherapy to ensure that they attend every single treatment without fail. And while everyone is busy, surely health comes first? Well, when one woman couldn't make one of her appointments, she didn't choose to make her health a priority. Instead, she decided to send her twin sister to the appointment instead! She didn't think the doctors would notice, as they looked identical and she answered the ID questions perfectly.
However, the patient failed to realize one thing - she'd had a mastectomy while her twin sister hadn't! So, it didn't take for the doctors to realize what was going on.
A Bad Joke Gone Terribly Wrong
Some doctors' stories are heartwarming and wholesome, while others are absolutely terrifying and irritating. That's certainly how we feel after learning what a surgical technologist had to go through when they were administering anesthesia to a patient who chose to have elective surgery. At first, everything seemed to be going well. But then the patient decided to play a bad joke on the team and pretend to have a seizure on the operating table.
Apparently, the patient had done his medical research and discovered that some people experience malignant hyperthermia when anesthesia is administered. So, he decided to pretend that he was going through it - and it's safe to say that his elective surgery didn't go ahead.
Time for a Sucker, Suckers
Parents will know that the well-being of their child is the top priority. But this is a reminder to all parents to ask a few questions before taking what a child says as gospel. One set of parents learned this the hard way when their 4-year-old kid told them that he needed to see the doctor. Without asking any questions as to why, they immediately took their child to the ER.
As soon as the doctor saw the patient, he asked what was wrong. But it turned out that he was perfectly healthy! He had just wanted to see the doctor because he wanted to get a lollipop.
Caught Yellow Handed
If you've ever been to India, you might know that it's common practice to eat food with your hands. Because of this, many people have yellow stains on their hands and fingers from all of the turmeric in their curries. But while this is something that's extremely common across the country, one doctor's shared a story of a young woman who went to see her in the hope that she could treat her discolored fingers and nails.
Amazingly, this woman wanted to be given medicine to stop the turmeric from staining her fingers! And it took a little while for the doctor to explain that that kind of medicine didn't exist.
Caution: Bleach Is Bad
Everyone knows what bleach is, right? You use bleach to keep your house clean and bacteria-free, and people use it on a regular basis around their homes. But one doctor's shared the story of one of their patients, who came to the ER with physical and neurological issues that they just didn't understand. Even after numerous tests, the doctors just couldn't work out what was wrong with her. But then everything clicked.
It turned out that the woman and her whole family (who had all passed away at a young age), drank and bathed in bleach everyday in an effort to stay clean themselves!
Going by the Bad Book
Doctors don't just treat humans. Veterinarians are also tasked with keeping animals fit and healthy, and that's why one vet was so confused when an owner came in complaining that their cat was lethargic. Almost immediately, the vet could see that the cat was severely underweight. So, he decided to ask the owner a little more about how often and what he fed his cat. To this, he replied that he gave him raw food.
But, apparently, this owner had done his own research and decided to only feed his cat half a cup of raw food every 3 to 4 days in order to mimic how often cats eat in the wild!
The Power of Crystals
Some people swear by crystals, the power of the universe, and manifestation. But while the scientific evidence of crystals curing cancer is scarce, there's a huge amount of evidence to suggest that chemotherapy can treat the disease. By one doctor has shared a story that has stuck with them for years, and they've never been able to forget the young woman in her early 30s who was in palliative care due to her terminal diagnosis.
However, the woman hadn't always had a terminal diagnosis. But her cancer had progressed over the years due to the fact that she rejected chemotherapy in favor of crystal therapy instead.
Come On, It's Just a Trim
There are so many different medical cases out there, but there's no doubt about the fact that heart attacks are extremely serious. They need to be treated right away, and that means that they need to undergo surgery straight away. However, one doctor has shared a story of a heart attack patient who refused surgery when they learned that the doctors would need to shave his groin area in order to save his life.
The guy refused the surgery because he didn't want to be shaved down there - but that's not all. Shortly after, he decided to sign himself out of the hospital and go home.
"Hello, Is That Animal Control? "
At the end of the day, every pet owner has the right to make decisions that they think are right for their pets. But if a vet tells you that it's the law to have your dog vaccinated against rabies, the last thing you want to do is scream and shout at your vet and tell them that you think vaccines will make your dog stupid! That's exactly what happened to one vet, though.
Not only did the woman's dog die shortly after she rejected the vaccine, but she got two more dogs in the subsequent months that also died. In the end, Animal Control got involved and stopped her getting any more dogs.
Just Sleep It off
Although doctors like to give some of their patients the benefit of the doubt, it seems as though some of them just don't have any common sense. This was clear to see for one doctor, who discovered that a woman had left her partner - who was in the middle of a very serious stroke - in bed to "sleep it off." Although her partner had no movement in his left side, they just assumed that he would wake up in the morning as right as rain.
Even when his face started to droop, and he lost control of his bowels, she didn't think it was worth phoning the doctor. In fact, it was 12 whole hours before she eventually picked up the phone.
Allergic to Water?
It's important for every medical professional to understand the exact needs of each patient that comes into their care. That means understanding whether they have any allergies, as this could be the difference between life and death. But one OBGYN resident got a little more than they bargained for when they asked a woman in labor whether she was allergic to anything. In response, the woman replied that she was allergic to water.
The resident had never heard of such an allergy before, so they asked the woman a little more about the reaction she got from water. Well, it made her need to pee!
Burn, Baby, Burn
Life-threatening medical cases probably get doctors' hearts pumping and their adrenaline rushing. But every now and then, doctors come across patients who have non-life-threatening cases that don't seem to make a lot of sense. And that was the case for one doctor, who treated a patient who had burns on both of his hands. To make the situation even more bizarre, these burns had come from a hot glue gun!
Apparently, this patient didn't think their glue was hot enough, so they decided to test it out on their hands. In doing so, they realized that it was hot enough after all!
Remember to Read the Brochures
If you've ever had a surgical procedure that requires you to take laxatives before the procedure, you'll know that this is for a very good reason. You'll also know that the medical professionals do everything they can to ensure that you understand that your colon has to be 100% empty for the procedure to be effective and successful. There are even countless brochures that give you simple step-by-step instructions on how to use these laxatives.
But so many doctors' stories revolve around patients not reading the brochures and either not taking the laxatives or taking the laxatives while still having a full meal. Of course, this doesn't end well.
Keeping Things in Check
Some patients are extremely strong-willed, and they will do anything to stay away from the hospital. But some doctors' stories of these people are scary - especially when it comes to a 60-something-year-old man who went under the knife to get a pacemaker fitted. Although he was meant to attend subsequent appointments to get his new pacemaker checked, this guy refused to show for a whopping three years after his surgery.
After three years, he eventually made his way back to the hospital - and, strangely, he was wearing a bra. The doctor quickly realized that the bra was actually holding the pacemaker in place, as it was no longer inside of his chest, but hanging out of his body by the wires!
A Convincing Foodie
Sometimes, the best stories about medical cases and patients come from those who share rooms with patients rather than the doctors themselves. And that's certainly the case with this story. When this patient was sharing with another girl who was being prepped for surgery, she was under strict instructions not to eat before she went under the knife. But it turned out that this girl was a convincing foodie who had her family wrapped around her finger.
Every so often, she would convince her family to bring her some more fast food. When the doctor found out, they postponed her surgery until she finally agreed to stop eating three days later.
It Just Doesn't Make Sense
There are so many reasons why social services take kids away from their parents, and one doctor treated a patient who had had many of her children taken away from her. Despite this, she continued to get pregnant - and there came a point when the doctor suggested the woman take birth control or get her tubes tied. However, the woman was confused - because she just didn't understand how she was falling pregnant all the time.
In this woman's eyes, she could only get pregnant if she was in love. And as she had never been in love before, she just didn't understand why she kept having children.
Time to Drink Some Water
Medical cases are often intense in the United States, but it seems as though doctors in the UK also struggle with patients who seem to lack common sense. One doctor realized that for themselves when they were called out to see an elderly lady on a rare 104-degree summer's day. And as people in the UK aren't used to the heat or have houses built for such temperatures, she obviously didn't know how to deal with the heat.
The woman had not only left all of her windows closed, but she was also wearing multiple layers and hadn't drunk any water all day. And still she wondered why she didn't feel well.
Whoops, Is It the Ice Cream?
Some of the most annoying doctors' stories we've ever heard are those revolving around silly patients who choose not to look after themselves. And when one doctor dealt with a diabetic man who had refused to take his insulin for eight years, he was irritated to see that the man wasn't taking his diabetes very seriously. In fact, his blood sugar levels were so high the glucometer couldn't even provide a reading.
In response, the man laughed and said, "is this because of all the ice cream I've eaten?." he then proceeded to rip out his IV and cause blood to gush everywhere.
Watch Out for the Bullet
Bullet medical cases are all different. And while it sometimes works in the patient's favor to get the bullet removed, sometimes it needs to be kept inside the body to prevent any further complications. This was the case for one woman whose doctor suggested she keep the bullet in her leg to prevent any further damage. While being discharged, the doctor also explained the importance of steering clear of having an MRI test.
But a few months later, she made her way into another hospital with head pain. She agreed to have an MRI scan, and the bullet ripped out of her skull! Not only that, but it also broke the MRI machine.
Listen to the Vet
If you have a pet, this is your reminder to listen to your vet. These people have trained for years to know everything they need to know about the health and well-being of animals - so they know what they're talking about! But one vet has experienced first-hand how little common sense some pet owners have. Over the course of their career, they have seen animals die under the stupidity of humans.
One owner blinded his cat by dropping tea tree oil into their eyes because of something they read online, and they've even had another owner scream at them because their exam room didn't have a window!
Draining the Bank Account
Although it may feel as though there's nothing worse than a headache when your brain is pounding, it's fair to say that there are medical conditions that are much worse. But that didn't stop one patient from calling 911 when they had a mild headache. Of course, doctors take their jobs very seriously, which is why they decided to take a chance and check on the guy to make sure it was nothing dangerous.
After numerous tests and a trip to the ER because he claimed he needed to go, it was determined that he just had a headache. And we bet that cost him a fortune!
Flick It, Don't Bend It
Anyone who has ever broken or fractured a bone will know that you have to have physical therapy to get back on track after your injury. And while doctors have seen all kinds of patients over the years, one orthopedic rehab doctor dealt with the strangest patient after her common fracture of the wrist. Although it was his job to try and get her to bend her wrist, she just couldn't do it.
Over the course of 17 40-minute sessions, she just couldn't get the hang of what she was being asked. Instead of being her wrist, she would contort her whole body, keeping her wrist completely still.
"Give Me My Property Back"
It's not uncommon for dentists to have to remove a patient's teeth. This is all part and parcel of many different procedures and something that most patients are happy with. But when a dentist's receptionist asked the dentist to translate a phone call she had received from an unhappy patient, they just assumed that they had to translate a foreign language. Little did they know that the patient was unhappy because of a lost tooth!
Apparently, the patient wasn't happy with the fact that the dentist had kept his tooth after the extraction he had four years earlier. And he wanted his "property" back as it was his "right" to have it himself.
Strict Oatmeal Instructions
If you're struggling with your weight, doctors can help. In fact, many doctors prescribe overweight people oatmeal to eat for breakfast to keep them fuller for longer so they don't binge on anything else. But when one patient actually gained weight after this prescription, she made her way back to the doctor with her complaints. The doctor soon got to the bottom of the problem, though, and it wasn't his fault.
Instead of eating a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, the woman had instead been eating a whole packet of oatmeal cookies every single morning! So, it's no wonder she was gaining weight.
Diabetic Dogs Really Do Exist
Diabetes in humans is extremely common, but one thing you might not realize is that diabetes is also common in dogs - especially when owners don't manage it properly. And when one diabetic dog owner took his dog to the vet because he was extremely overweight and very tired all of the time, he wanted to know why his dog was behaving so strangely. Then, the vet took the dog's insulin levels.
In doing so, they realized that the dog had a blood sugar level of over 1,000 - ten times the normal level. When asked whether he had been giving the dog its insulin, the owner said that the dog was "doing fine without it."