A routine check-up at a clinic is frequently regarded as routine—but for a few people, it became an ordeal imprinted in memory. This compilation reveals instances in which a routine health appointment devolved into weird and unforgettable territory. From unnerving remarks by physicians to life-altering diagnostic blunders, or even encounters bordering on the weird, these stories continue to reverberate with individuals who have lived through them.
Story 1:
The radiologist turned pale while looking at my scan. She then quietly asked, “Do you hear anything when you sleep?” I was confused—until she showed me the monitor. I almost fainted when I saw a thin, metallic fragment lodged near my ear canal.
“It’s pressing on a nerve,” she said. “That could explain the tinnitus—and the sleep disturbances.”
Imagine my shock when I saw it. I still have no idea how it got there.
Story 2:
While waiting for my turn, I heard someone screaming behind one of the exam room doors.
It wasn’t pain—it was full-blown panic, begging to be let out. The receptionist didn’t react at all. I asked what was going on and she said, “That room’s been empty all day.” The screaming didn’t stop, so I kept pressing.
Finally, she sighed and said, “That’s a sound loop we play to test the soundproofing. Some patients don’t hear it at all.” I did. Loud and clear. And even after I left the building, I swear I still heard it.
Story 3:
Story 4:
I woke up one day and was unable to hear out of my left ear. I waited a few days to see if it would improve, but I didn’t get better at all. I went to the doctor, and they diagnosed me with a nasty ear infection and gave me some antibiotics for it.
After using up all the antibiotics, I went back, and they prescribed me stronger ones. Those ended up not working either. This cycle went on for another month until I eventually decided to go to an ear specialist. Within five minutes, the specialist saw that my eardrum was not infected, but rather covered in wax.
By the end of my visit, I had my hearing restored. It’s safe to say I was furious that the doctors misdiagnosed me for an entire two months and gave me antibiotics into me that I didn’t need.
© Cosmic_Noodles / Reddit
Story 5:
I showed up at a new clinic I’d never been to. The doctor greeted me by name before I said anything. He rattled off my medical history, even allergies I hadn’t mentioned in years. When I asked how he knew, he paused and said, “I’ve seen you before. Just not here.” I checked later—there was no record of my visit, no one by that name worked there
Story 6:
Story 7:
I would constantly complain to my doctor that I couldn’t breathe when I walked and that I would get shortness of breath. I was always tired and fatigued, and I would get dizzy if I walked too long. She always brushed it off and told me to get more sleep or drink more water, even though I was getting plenty of both.
Finally, I made an appointment to talk to her face-to-face, and she flat-out told me I was lazy and needed to exercise more. I was so embarrassed because I went with my husband, and she made me feel like I was just this lazy couch potato.
I switched doctors, and my new doctor decided to do blood work—something that other lady should have done in the first place—and found out I was severely anemic to the point of needing blood transfusions. I felt sooo much better after I got my infusions. Some people just shouldn’t be practicing medicine! © NotAsPlanned- / Reddit
Story 8:
I shared a room with an older man for an overnight hospital stay. He chatted with me, asked about my life, gave me advice. Next morning, I asked the nurse where he went. She looked confused and said, “You’ve been alone the whole time.” His bed was still warm. His hospital bracelet was on my nightstand.
Turns out he was moved to another room during the night for monitoring, and the nurse on shift didn’t update the chart. I wasn’t losing it—just dealing with a paperwork mix-up and a sleepy staff rotation. Still freaked me out, though.
Story 9:
Story 10:
I had just given birth, and my daughter needed to stay in the hospital, but I was ready to be discharged. The doctor talked to my husband like I wasn’t there. He told him I had postnatal depression (apparently, I wasn’t supposed to be upset about leaving the hospital without my baby). The doctor handed him a prescription for antidepressants and told my husband he needed to force me to take them. © rowenaravenclaw0 / Reddit
Story 11:
I was like 12 and went for a check-up. The doctor asked me over six times if I could be pregnant, to the point where my mom had to step in and say, “Look, she isn’t pregnant, and I don’t know why you keep asking.” Literally no reason for it. © Pessimist_Reality / Reddit
Story 12:
I started having irregular menstrual cycles and went to my gyn. They wouldn’t listen to me and kept prescribing me things without doing any tests. So I went to my primary doctor to get a referral for some ultrasounds.
My doctor said, “You’re probably pregnant. I’m not even the doctor you’re supposed to see for these types of things, but I’m going to take you because I have to. You’re probably pregnant.”
After that, she made me take a pregnancy test that I knew would be negative. When it came back negative, she looked at me and said, “Well, I’ll write you a referral for that ultrasound.” I never went back to her again. © Unknown author / Reddit
