1. “MD here. A penicillin allergy is rare (less than 1% of the population has it), but 10% of people THINK they have it. Get tested to see if you have a true allergy because being labelled with one prevents health care providers from using a number of antibiotics for your potentially serious infection.”
—Anonymous
“If you can’t remember your ‘allergic reaction,’ or someone else told you that you were ‘allergic,’ as a child, you are probably one of the 9/10 people who think they have a penicillin allergy but actually don’t.”
—Anonymous
2. “I have patients who skip their annual checkup because they ‘feel fine.’ Serious conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and early-stage cancer don’t always cause symptoms you recognize. By coming in for your annual physical, we can discuss any recent changes, review your lab work, and look for new disease markers.”
“And your annual physical is free through your health insurance. Take the time to come in!”
—Anonymous, 44, Massachusetts
3. “If your kidneys and liver are functioning properly, they detox themselves. The purported ‘cleansing’ process is not necessary — it’s just what some people say to make money.”
—Anonymous, 78, Florida
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5. “I am a medical professional. If an event happens and a foreign object that is not minor, like a thorn or splinter, gets lodged in your body, go to a doctor, and do not pull it out, as some have been told. Doctors need to get tests first to ensure it’s not against vital organs or arteries before removing it.”
—Anonymous
6. “Palliative care does not automatically mean your loved one is going to die imminently. People can be discharged from palliative care once they are feeling better (i.e., the cancer is now in remission and the patient is feeling well). Palliative care is about symptom control and management, making the person as comfortable as possible — but it’s NOT only for terminal patients!”
—Anonymous, 29, Canada
7. “Stop refusing pain medications for your loved one, when they’re at the end of life, because ‘they’re strong,’ ‘they don’t need it,’ or my favorite, ‘they’ll get addicted.’ No, they won’t. They’re on their way out. Dying is painful, but it doesn’t have to be. They may be strong, but that doesn’t mean we should make them more uncomfortable than they have to be in their final days.”
“Unless that is their own RECENT wishes, don’t deny your loved one pain control and comfort in their last days. No one should die in pain if it can be helped.”
—Anonymous, 29, Canada
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8. “ICU nurse here. Your loved one’s safety is my very first priority. That means your comfort comes second. When you ask me for bottled water or a warm blanket, I’m slotting those requests into a list of 30 things I need to get done by priority — and my patients’ care comes first, always.”
“I’m sorry to ask you to wait and sorrier when I forget the ice chips you requested half an hour ago, but I’ve given antibiotics, taught tracheostomy care, called the doctor for orders, and started a blood transfusion since you last asked me. Please be patient, if you can. We’re short-staffed, overworked, and can only do one thing at one time. If you’re my priority, it means YOUR life is in danger!”
—Anonymous, 31, Pennsylvania
9. “Midwife here. A few things…first, if you think you lost your mucous plug, just know that it does not always indicate that labor is about to start, and it can actually regenerate itself. Second, if you think you’re experiencing contractions but aren’t sure, make sure you drink a few bottles of water! Water is imperative in pregnancy and will most often make contractions (that aren’t true labor contractions) go away. Same for a headache; most headaches are caused by dehydration. That way you can find out for sure before you call, especially if you haven’t had anything to drink all day.”
“Lastly, please call whatever emergency/after-hours number you were provided instead of just showing up to the hospital (unless it’s an emergency). We can almost always talk you off the ledge and give you tips to solve your ailments to save you a trip!”
—Anonymous, 44, Maryland
10. “Bee stings. Swelling of the affected area does not mean you are allergic. If your throat closes, then yes, you are probably allergic. Otherwise, take an antihistamine like Benadryl, and you’ll be fine.”
—Anonymous
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11. “An epidural doesn’t completely stop all pain, just keeps it at a manageable level. Also, prepare yourself for every kind of birth and pain relief options. An epidural is not the only kind of pain relief available, and if you want a low intervention/no-meds birth, you should still educate yourself on pain relief options and C-sections.”
—Anonymous, 35, Texas
12. “Not a clinical member, but an administrative assistant in cardiology. We understand it can be frustrating when appointments are limited or schedules change unexpectedly. Please know this is not because we don’t care — our cardiology providers split their time between the office and the hospital. They are often called to emergencies, such as heart attacks, in the emergency department, where they must act immediately to save a patient’s life. Because of this, our providers are not available in the office five days a week like primary care doctors may be, and their schedules can change on short notice.”
“Also, if a patient is experiencing urgent or serious symptoms, the safest and fastest way to get care is to call 911 or go directly to the emergency room. Coming to the office without an appointment will only delay your care, as our providers cannot treat emergencies here and will refer you to the ER.”
—Anonymous
13. “Breastfeeding does not prevent pregnancy!”
—Anonymous
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14. “Vaccinate your kids (and yourself)! It’s that simple. Even if there was a tiny, microscopic chance that it could give your kid autism (which has been REPEATEDLY disproven), that is much preferred to the chance that your child could be harmed/die from measles, mumps, RSV, flu, COVID, polio, or any of the other horrible diseases that we have been able to prevent through centuries of vaccine research and development.”
—Anonymous, 25, Indiana
15. “Please don’t call your primary care provider’s office to book an appointment if you experience an acute onset of any of the following symptoms: chest pain, shortness of breath, unilateral weakness, abdominal pain, high fever that doesn’t respond to over-the-counter fever reducing medications, severe headache, marked change in vision or vision loss, or have blood in your urine, stool, and/or vomit. All of these symptoms require a trip to the ER, full stop. Most primary care offices don’t even have the necessary equipment to properly diagnose what’s causing these symptoms, which needs to happen before you can be treated.”
“We understand that no one wants to go to the ER, and it can be incredibly frustrating to sit in the waiting room for hours on end only to find out your abdominal pain is actually indigestion. However, your primary care office cannot allow you to come in for an EKG before you go to the ER, just to make sure your chest pain is actually due to a cardiac issue. We know this sounds like a great idea to you, but it could cause a life-threatening delay in treatment. So, if the next time your PCP advises you to go to the ER, and you’re tempted to ask to be tested first, please keep in mind that if you happen to go into cardiac arrest, they likely won’t have the same equipment and/or medications as the ER does, which are needed to resuscitate you and save your life.”
—Anonymous, Massachusetts
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And finally…
16. “When you have an appointment to prepare for surgery, please come prepared. Please bring what we ask you to bring with you, and when we ask you questions, give us the answer to the question and not a 15-minute rambling on answer. We are on a schedule, and the same way you want us to get you on time, the patient after you wants us to be on time. And we are like a doctor’s office with appointments. We might not be able to come out there and get you at the exact time of 10 a.m. — it might be 10 minutes later, just like it is at a doctor’s office. You don’t get called at the exact time you’re scheduled for.”
“We do our best — please don’t yell at us and have the receptionist keep coming back asking us how much longer, when we’ll get you, etc. It’s an appointment, and many of the people we see are retired, not even working, and this is about your health and your surgery. It’s very important! So please consider that; we’re doing our best to keep you safe and get you ready. We often have to deal with people who come in with extremely high blood pressures and blood sugars. All of these things require time and solutions before you can have your surgery.”
—Anonymous, 60, Virginia
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Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.
Doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals, what are some other health “lies” and misconceptions that more people should know? Tell us in the comments, or if you prefer to remain anonymous, you can use the form below.
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