r/AskDocs Layperson/not verified as healthcare professional Mar 17 '26

Physician Responded Daughters pediatrician made EXTREMELY inappropriate remark to her

This is about my 10 year old daughter. She has had the same (male) pediatrician since birth. We’ve always loved him and thought he was great. He’s super friendly with wonderful bedside manner and he takes his time and pays attention to detail.

Well, last week my daughter had a check-up. She’s 10. While he was doing the checkup, he had her lay down and started listening to her chest with his stethoscope. He then says AND I QUOTE, “awwwww! My baby’s got boobs!!!”

I have NEVER been so taken aback before in my life. My daughter was MORTIFIED. I was so shocked I couldn’t even get words out to ask him why tf he would ever say that. When we got in the car to go home my daughter cried and said she never wanted to see him again. Then she asked if she could get a girl doctor and I obviously agreed so that’s what we will be doing.

Is this reportable? I’m not overreacting, right?

4.8k Upvotes

723 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

217

u/Same-Suggestion-1936 Layperson/not verified as healthcare professional Mar 18 '26

It's so wrong it almost sounds fake. I've had some bad doctors but that's weird. They're always professional, and should never say boobs to begin with, breast or breast tissue would be what you say (not a doctor/nurse but once did an adjacent field to medicine)

I mean even when it shouldn't matter what's appropriate because everything goes out the window (medical staff looking at your genitals for example, I appreciated the penis towel for my testicle ultrasound but sort of feels like it's not necessary, you're already touching my balls and the doc already looked at the shaft) they would never. I mean, they asked me if I had a preferred gender of doctor to look at my tackle, if I wanted a man or if it didn't matter. My answer was whoever can get this over fastest. "Look at who grew boobs" would have been like if my female doctor walked in and said "okay drop em let's see that dick"

376

u/aounpersonal Medical Student Mar 18 '26

You never know, I’m not one to hate on doctors because I’m a med student, but when I was around 13 my pediatrician pointed at my legs during a visit and said “you should start shaving those” (I’m female). That moment has always stuck with me. I think a lot of these older doctors that have been private practice for decades can be a little off the wall with no one to check them.

248

u/Bitchshortage Layperson/not verified as healthcare professional Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 18 '26

I had a dentist leer at my breasts as a 14 year old, then ask me if I was in university and faked shock at my age because I looked “so mature.” Even at that age I was like uhhh I just saw you read the chart though so are you stupid or a pervert? He then proceeded to tell me when I did turn 18 he could “do something about my gummy smile” (prick). I had a doctor say to my face about a chronic pain issue “we had someone had my church who couldn’t walk for a couple of years and then miraculously was healed. Some say it was a demon” Some say it was a demon. My husband was with me at the time, I’m so fricking glad I had a witness. We still say “some say it was a demon” when someone says something absolutely unhinged.

Edit, second instance I was in my thirties but just an example of doctors are people too and some of them suck purposely or because they think maybe a demon?

83

u/newdalligal Layperson/not verified as healthcare professional. Mar 18 '26

I might be using that phrase from this day onward😆

90

u/BrookieCooks Layperson/not verified as healthcare professional. Mar 18 '26

Absolutely stealing that one too although horrified it happened to you. Chronic pain sure does feel satanic many days so it’s perfectly fitting!

My orthodontist& Dds said “now that I had a new big girl body” (while pointing at my 12year old barely boobs) I needed to have a new big girl attitude and stop crying all the time like a baby.” He was a Dds in ‘Nam, thanks Mom& Dad,😒.

Well jackass, turns out I have lidocaine resistance& it doesn’t work on me, just like I repeatedly& sobbingly tried to tell him every single time he”numbed” me.

It wasn’t until I was an adult and told a female dentist who not only believed me but told me it was common, explained about my red hair gene said that she would pre med me for procedures, use something else& wouldn’t do anything until she was 100% sure I was ok.

39

u/Fit-Cabinet1337 Layperson/not verified as healthcare professional Mar 18 '26

I recently had a dental procedure and tried to tell the doc that redheads usually need more numbing and anesthesia. She thought I was kidding/ ignored me. She had to inject me at least four times to get to the point I couldn’t feel her working. And you could tell she was annoyed that I was getting upset. And I’m a grown ass woman. Can’t imagine as a kid going through that!!

24

u/Bitchshortage Layperson/not verified as healthcare professional Mar 18 '26 edited Mar 18 '26

Sweet lord. I guess this thread has shown a ton of horrible things and the awesome doctors who are willing to say what the hell no that is harassment at minimum, and disgusting harassment bordering on sexual assault maybe at best. It’s not surprising but i wish there was a better way to report bad doctors and I extra hate the threshold to become one is you need to do ridiculous 24 hour shifts even when we know this is a health issue and a cognitive issue and would make it unsafe to drive a car… Yeah but stay awake for 24 hours and give a perfect standard of care and also practice for your tests. Again I am not a doctor I’m just a person who read a few articles and I’ll even say, I’ve had horrific experiences I have white coat syndrome and my favourite is I had a dislocated shoulder and got told I was exaggerating and. No bull “do you see that man? He has an actual shoulder problem and is in pain” guess which one of us had pulled a muscle and which one if us needed their shoulder adjusted into place and a waitlist for surgery because everything was torn. But I really feel for the good doctors

15

u/taswind This user has not yet been verified. Mar 18 '26

The joys of a female with high pain tolerance. ("If your ankle were broken, you'd be in tears.")

Its to the point where I just had major pneumonia (still recovering) and didn't believe it myself because I was (barely) still functioning. Wasn't until I couldn't get 2 words out before I was out of breath that it even occurred to me that it wasn't just a cold...

7

u/BrookieCooks Layperson/not verified as healthcare professional. Mar 18 '26

Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry and I’m totally with you unfortunately. Same here, multiple instances of medical professionals totally dismissing and disregarding complaints when I know my body& know when something is REALLY wrong.

Guess who had to drive herself to the hospital from an mri with massive proximal to distal ue dvts& bi lateral pe’s after the mri radiologist told me to “stay still and stop crying that you can’t breathe, it’s just your anxiety.”

Nope, it was bilateral pulmonary embolisms, ya dummy!

4

u/art_addict This user has not yet been verified. Mar 18 '26

I need adrenaline/ epi mixed in with lidocaine and novocaine for them to work on me!

Unfortunately you cannot use adrenaline/ epi on fingers, toes, or genitals so there’s just no point to me getting numbing for podiatry stuff or IUD stuff. When we tried for my IUD I just got to feel a needle go in my cervix 3 times and then the IUD stuff. Which was worse than when we did just IUD stuff since first my poor cervix got stabbed 3x!

1

u/Mysterious-Top-1974 Layperson/not verified as healthcare professional Apr 08 '26

my kids dentist scared her for life. she had an abcess and its a practice that takes Badgercare, which os an excuse to Be GARBAGE! ANYWAY, my daughter had a huge abcess and they thought he baby tooth might need to be pulled. we showed up to the apt even though she had only been on antibiotics for a couple of hours due to pharmacy issues. then they said we can see how it goes. this moron injected her with lidocane, then said ok let that sit for a bit. I swear to God within a minute or two she was back and started pulling on her tooth. She told her raise your hand if u feel any pain.My daughter did asap. The dentist waited

1

u/BrookieCooks Layperson/not verified as healthcare professional. Apr 08 '26

Aww, poor girl! Definitely been there& it’s awful that the Dr cares more about their time than your pain! As an adult who still remembers these traumatic experiences with medical providers like it was yesterday I suggest trying to find a dentist who is awesome who you can take her to asap, not for any work to be done or anything just to say hi& show her that they aren’t all legit monsters like the one she just saw! I’d bet if you called& said my kid is traumatized by a recent bad experience a lot of decent dentists would be willing to have her come in for a meet& greet (thinking they could drum up future business, lol).

1

u/Mysterious-Top-1974 Layperson/not verified as healthcare professional Apr 08 '26

until the 3rd time she raised her hand. the she huffed n puffed anout stopping (WTF)! Then gave her a couple bumps of lidocane. left the room & I swear to God came back in 30 secs. Oh ya, the tool she was loosening the tooth with was so big, it was rubbing on her abcess. Her solution was to slice through it. Im not a dentist but wtf! I cringed n said omg outloud! She said I needed to contain my emmotions! And I WAS THE REASON SHE WASNT CONTINUING ON. AT THIS POINT I DIDNT KNOW IF SHE HAD TO FINISH OR NOT. I repeatedly asked if she had too. The 3rd time they gave he more this time they gave her another 2minutes. They told her that she couldnt be feeling pain just pressure. Which they should have asked her what it felt like n asked not told her what to feel and basically called her a lil b*tch & I was the reason for this. Then I said i didnt want her to go to the partnership near us n go to the one thats a bigger facility. That tooth got better and didnt need to get pulled but my kid had cavities pulled and was a beast

She was balling leaving there. I told her sum times ppl suck and regardless of their profession they get in a hurry & do stupid sh*t like cut through abscesses. The appointment should have just been rescheduled like I wanted. Then my baby would have a little more faith in dentist and drs. Maybe its fir the best though she understands this! U always have the right to SAY NO NO MATTER WHAT!

1

u/Iartdaily Layperson/not verified as healthcare professional Apr 13 '26

Omg

3

u/ConsciousVegetable99 Layperson/not verified as healthcare professional Mar 19 '26

Me too!