While it never hurts to have an open mind, there are certain professionals you really should listen to. These include, but are not limited to lawyers, plumbers, and, of course, doctors. The pages of history and countless interpersonal tales have all been told about the trials and tribulations of people who decided that they knew better than a medical professional.
But one netizen was curious to hear from people who decided to second guess doctors and, contrary to most cases, ended up not regretting it. From comical to tragic, people shared medical mishaps where they decided to trust their intuition and it ended up paying off. We got in touch with Dave deBronkart, activist, cancer patient, and author to learn more.
More info: Quora
#1
I was 22 at the time and a first time mom to a 6 month old baby girl. I was doing my best but things were very tight to put it mildly. My periods had not been at all regular since giving birth so when I found myself very late I went to a walk in clinic to get tested. The Dr walked in with my results and informed me I was pregnant. I was beside myself with anxiety about the very idea of having another child at this point in my life and asked him “what are my options?” aka, please point me in the direction of help. His response was unexpected to say the least. “I have two girls and I love them dearly" and that was it. I stared at him blankly thinking in my panicked 22 year old mommy brained state “but, I'm not married to a doctor"….and then he left. I did manage to find the help I needed, despite my clearly pro-life Dr's very unhelpful advice. To all that would choose to chastise my decision, don't bother. I am staunchly pro-choice, and this experience only solidified it. What would have happened to me and my babies had I been forced to give birth to another baby is no life I would wish on any child or woman, especially if there is another option.
Image credits: Patricia Jones
#2
Image credits: Mike Gershowitz
#3
After a motorcycle accident my doctor recommended the amputation of my right foot, claiming that I would never regain feeling in it, and it would be a bother for the rest of my life, I decided not to and see how it went, two years later, severe itching started, one year later, all feeling came back. 40 years later I’m still able to do everything, although it does still hurt a little when it’s starting to rain.
Image credits: Larry Green
#4
Image credits: Brenda English
#5
Image credits: Randi-Short
#6
Image credits: Joseph LaRocca
#7
Image credits: Wendy Snyder Crabtree
#8
At nine months pregnant, my water broke at home. I called my OB and was told to come in and see her. She examined me. She said I'm 4–5 cm dilated and to go home and have lunch, take a nap, and enjoy the afternoon. This was 4:30 p.m. 'Are you sure? Shouldn't I head to the hospital now? I feel I should go straight there,' I asked. This being my second child, I felt uneasy with the advice. But, she's the expert. She got defensive and said, 'How dare you second guess me? I've delivered hundreds of babies!'" "I had no car. I took the bus home. By the time I got home an hour later, I was in active labor. Contractions were two minutes apart. Blinding pain. Panicked. Incredibly stressed and overwhelmed by the urgency for help. I got a ride to the hospital and almost delivered in the car. I had the baby within minutes of arriving shortly after 6 p.m. A huge and healthy 11-pound boy. I didn't even have time to take my jacket or shoes off. My pants had to be cut open by a nurse.
Image credits: Michelle Lee
#9
Image credits: Osla McKercher ·
#10
Image credits: Adrianne Siddon
#11
Image credits: Jean Li
#12
Image credits: Unanemo Manou
#13
Image credits: Randy Boyd
#14
When I was 14 I had to leave school because my stomach was hurting really bad. Both my parents were working but I called my Mom. She told me to go to the doctor's office. When the old guy who was our family doctor saw me and heard my complaint about the pain in my stomach, without even touching me or taking my temperature he told me I was having my period and that is the cause of the pain. I was not having a period and I really did not know what to do but I went home and lay down on the couch. My Grandma came home from the store and took one look at me and took my temperature. It was really high. She heard the story of my trip to the doctor. Without further ado she put me in the car and drove me to the Emergency ward at the local hospital. She went in with me and quite loudly demanded I be seen at once. From there it was emergency surgery to remove my appendix! The surgeon told my Grandma that another hour or so my appendix would have burst. I refused to go to that doctor again even if he had been our doctor for donkey’s years. Good thing I did not really need a doctor for a long while after that.
Image credits: Gail Olive
#15
Image credits: Barbara Meuleman
#16
After three weeks of suffering from what I thought was the flu and taking OTC meds, I made my way to the doctor. He informed me all I had was a mild head cold. It felt a lot worse than that, and I told him so. His response was, 'Nonsense. Go home, take a nice hot shower, climb into bed, have some chicken noodle soup, and keep taking the OTC meds.' Within a week, my so-called head cold had turned into a nasty case of bronchitis. I was sick as a dog for six more weeks. By the time I saw another doctor, she said it was borderline pneumonia.
Image credits: Tempe Reynolds
#17
Image credits: Genesis Davies
#18
Image credits: Becky Spoon
#19
My husband was having a problem with his arm. He was having a lot of pain! The PA comes in and asks him about the problem. My husband explained what pain he was having with his arm -- doing just every day things like getting dressed, etc. The PA walks up to him and jerks his arm back really fast. My husband screamed in pain. The PA says that it is no big deal. Just don't move your arm. He tells him to go home and stop moving his arm. My husband had to go to another doctor and it turned out that he had a pinched nerve,
Image credits: Debra Braga
#20
Image credits: Cindy Mcdonald
#21
Image credits: Paul Bolin
#22
Image credits: M. Mullen
#23
Image credits: Eve Swan
#24
Image credits: Marinette Dupain-Cheng
#25
Image credits: Hambone Harris
