Doctor visits rarely go exactly as expected, as evidenced by these 22 true stories from patients who experienced exam room encounters they’ll never forget.
One college student arrived at the clinic convinced his hands were turning blue due to poor circulation, only to discover he’d simply never washed his new jeans. Another patient’s “ruptured appendix” scare turned into an enema appointment where he joked about the doctor’s unpopularity – only to receive the perfect deadpan response about thank-you cards.
Children seem to be particularly adept at creating memorable medical moments. There was the five-year-old who crashed his mini motorcycle commando-style, making his bare-bottomed stitches a family legend decades later. And the teen whose acne exam took a turn when the doctor’s groin-related questioning triggered a laughing fit that ended… explosively.
Even routine appointments became unforgettable. One woman’s sports physical turned confusing when she burped instead of coughing. Another patient’s wisdom teeth removal left him laughing at his own gauze-filled reflection for five straight minutes in the lobby.
As these stories show, sometimes the most effective treatment is being able to laugh at ourselves – even if it’s years later.
