Doctor Psychobabble

I read your link and it made think about a few years ago when I had appendicitis. I came in at 6PM, rated my pain an 8/9 and was not seen until almost 3 in the morning. I was not complaining or writhing around, though I was in agonizing pain. At 3AM, I was seen by a resident who suggested a UTI. Thankfully, her attending dismissed her out of hand – with me standing right there (sorry resident, I did feel bad for your humiliation, but your stupidity could have resulted in my appendix busting!)

Later, an ER resident friend told me that young women with abdominal pain are automatically shunted to the least important. Why? I wasn’t exaggerating my pain. I wasn’t being dramatic or even loud.The ER was not busy. I was telling the absolute truth without embellishment. Turned out I had acute appendicitis. The major academic Ivy league university hospital I went to evidently dismissed that out of hand. They were lucky my appendix did not burst while they were busy not trusting my self-report.

That resident not trusting me (minus her attending’s intervention) could have been my death sentence. Literally.