Woman in coma told she has anxiety 🙄

[ChangePrivacyQuestion]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx24njzzkgjo

A woman IN A COMA, with past medical history of epilepsy and paralysis told "she has anxiety" and THREATENED WITH MENTAL HEALTH DIAGNOSIS if she keeps coming to the A&E!

This is one of the most harrowing examples of medical misogyny I've ever seen. That "doctor" should be named, shamed and struck off! This situation is precisely why we have maternity services enquiry, too.

There MUST be something we can do, we're over 50% of population FGS!!!

Sorry, but I'm fuming at this. I've experienced it myself, years and years of fobbing off, anxiety, have you tried losing weight (my BMI is top end of normal) etc, only to discover I have quite a serious autoimmune condition. This whole situation is unacceptable!

That’s an extraordinary list of diagnostic failure. Ouch.

But it's not extraordinary in terms of a woman being fobbed off... that we see every day! If she were a man, it wouldn't have happened!

No, they also misdiagnose men too.

DH is dead because he was told his leg pain was neuropathy and sent away from A&E with no tests or treatment. He had multiple blood clots including a saddle embolism.

How on earth does someone read this story and instantly think 'misogyny'? This woman's story is horrific. Why are you trying to turn this into misogyny? Support her by all means, get angry about what's happening to her even. But stop using her trauma to suit your own agenda.

The evidence base does point to this being over represented in women (pub Med search, cannot link as am at work).

There's no agenda. Yes, mistakes happen with men too, but when was the last time a man in coma following presumed epileptic fit was told he has anxiety and to stop harassing A&E or they'll get a MH diagnosis?

Can you prove this?

https://bjgp.org/content/75/754/234

Just one example. If you put "pubmed women being dismissed in medical sphere" there's plenty of material to keep you occupied until Christmas.

Why is anyone surprised? Any information system is only based on what is fed in. The entire medical system is based on research done primarily on men, it’s hugely misogynistic. Stands to reason any system based on that input is going to spit out similarly misogynistic information.

It does happen to men as well, unfortunately,

one of my friends from uni died after being sent away from A and E.

the hospital paid a lot of money to his widow, but….

The truth is while we are screaming social injustice (misogyny in this case) we are missing the main point which is that the UK medical system is unfit for purpose and is failing people of many backgrounds and the only reason people put up with it is because it’s touted as ‘an American system is the only alternative’ (untrue). I’m now in a second world ‘developing’ country with a better health care system.

I was told my pulmonary embolism was anxiety and was sent home. I nearly died

A friend of mine, with severe gynaecological condition affecting her quality of life, was told by a NHS gynaecologist to just accept that's how God made her. It's disgraceful.

I was a clin neg lawyer for 20+ years and in my experience men get fobbed off, ignored and misdiagnosed just as much as women. This is a shocking case, but nothing misogynistic about it

100% agree.

Well, no. Your title is deliberately click baity. When she recovered and was discharged following a 3 day "coma", she claims a dr told her she didnt have epilepsy, she had "anxiety" which probably means she was given a diagnosis of functional neurological disorder, or non-epiletic seizure disorder. Both of which are psychological, not biological, often trauma response related and can be triggered by anxiety.

Was she failed, absolutely. Are women statistically more like to be failed, also absoultely. But your heading is factually misleading.

Yes, my friend's completely tee total husband was sent away and told to 'cut down on alcohol and junk food'.

It turned out to be advanced liver cancer, which they would've found if they'd bothered to do any tests.

Misdiagnosis is so common. Unless you have something run of the mill, docs don't listen, don't think, don't do anything imo. That's been my experience, my brother's too. And I am currently going through it now, 2 years trying to find out what is wrong and I've been told all sorts of nonsense. Experience has taught me to question because last time I trusted them 20 years ago they nearly killed me. Boy, doctors do not like it one bit, it hurts their ego and it becomes more about them.

I have a letter from one doc, explaining what is wrong and when proved it was incorrect, they denied ever sending the letter or saying it in the first place. This is where we are at in the NHS.

You know that an awful lot of doctors are women. I'd be amazed if many of the doctors involved in this chain of misdianosis weren't female.

I suspect arrogance and an unwillingness to listen are as much a problem in misdiagnosis than misogyny. I also think probability plays a part - it makes sense to consider likely causes before unlikely ones.

Yes, women are fobbed off for women's issues, we are told outdated things and dismissed as being part of a woman. For example, endometriosis is still 7-8 years for average diagnosis because the BMJ is all outdated. We keep teaching doctors the same rubbish.

But it also happens with men too. My brother was dismissed when he was 21, testicular cancer. Even though my brother worked in the NHS, asked them to check, over and over he was ignored for a long long time. In the meantime it spread everywhere. He went back to the GP with loads of testicular cancer information leaflets and insisted they put them where patients could see them as there was nothing in the waiting rooms for mens health. There was loads of leaflets for women's health, children too, but nothing at all for men.

In the case op mentioned it is misogynistic, it's a well known studied and researched experience where medical professionals dismiss further investigation and diagnostic possibilities as they assume she has anxiety because she is a woman.

Just because men also get misdiagnosed it doesn't mean women aren't subject to medical misogyny.

Look up "medical misogyny" and "medical misogyny anxiety" for proof.

Eg

https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/328/women-and-equalities-committee/news/204316/medical-misogyny-is-leaving-women-in-unnecessary-pain-and-undiagnosed-for-years/

We know this.

However, most people are taking issue with the OP's confident declaration "If she were a man, it wouldn't have happened!"

It's a flippant and silly statement, considering how many men are also ignored and misdiagnosed.

Just because the numbers aren't the same, it doesn't make her statement any less silly.

Do they get accused of it being MH though?

I thought there was a massive issue with women not being taken seriously, especially when it comes to menopausal or period related issues as most medical training was related to white males?

Jesus I’m so sorry to hear that and sorry for your loss. Absolutely awful. 💐