Let’s be honest: No one likes going to the doctor. It can be scary and awkward, no matter how many times you go in a year. Thankfully, doctors are trained professionals, and they usually know how to handle these situations.
But sometimes, things can go awry. And hey, we get it — going to the hospital or the regular doctor’s office can make anyone feel vulnerable.
Not only do patients have to dress down to their underwear and wear an uncomfortable backless robe, but they have to discuss the most intimate details about their lives with a sort-of stranger.
While this can sound like a scene from a horror film, it makes complete sense as to why these intimate conversations can attribute to some extra awkward doctor moments with a patient.
And even though these situations happen far and few in between, they occur enough for people to spill the beans all over Reddit.
So to make matters worse, we decided to find the most awkward doctor stories on Reddit that everyone can relate to. Because even though things might’ve gotten weird at the doctor’s office for someone, it doesn’t mean we can’t laugh about it now.
Here are some of the most awkward doctor’s office stories we could find.
1. When a woman thought an x-ray technician said “hold your breast” instead of “breath.”
[fm_giphy url=”https://media.giphy.com/media/JSueytO5O29yM/giphy.gif”]
At least the technician got a good laugh.
“[I] went to the doctor to get an x-ray done on my back. I hear the woman working the machine [instructing] me to ‘hold my breasts‘ as her hand is hovering over the button.
Horrified, I grabbed both my boobs in [an] absolute panic, not understanding what the x-ray machine could possibly do to them. Then I hear laughter followed by ‘No, sweetie! Your breath! Your breath!’ I am so stupid.”
2. When a handful of students got involved in a patient’s examination.
[fm_giphy url=”https://media.giphy.com/media/xT5LMttDJsdmSOI2Fa/giphy.gif”]
This sounds like an actual nightmare.
“I drove 26 hours straight moving from Florida to Boston. Apparently, all that sitting can cause an internal hemorrhoid. After taking a poop, I noticed that the toilet was filled with blood. That’s when I freaked out and went to the ER.
After [being placed in a room], a doctor came in, did a rectal exam [and found] more blood. She went to get the [chief] resident, who [did another exam], and decided to get the attending, [who also thought] this was a great learning opportunity for all the medical students.
About 12 people, my own age, stared into my butt. I was mortified.”
3. When an OB/GYN did the unthinkable.
[fm_giphy url=”https://media.giphy.com/media/xTiIzMvevaoCXJk7HG/giphy.gif”]
This is horrible.
“I went to the doctor because I had a yeast infection. My doctor, who is a female, wasn’t there that day, so they rescheduled me with another one, an old man with a thick [mustache].
He did the swab thing, and instead of just sending it to the lab, he took a big whiff of it and said, ‘Yes, I think it is a yeast infection.'”
4. When a patient read a form incorrectly.
[fm_giphy url=”https://media.giphy.com/media/xT1XGWbE0XiBDX2T8Q/giphy.gif”]
She thought it said three years.
“A month or so ago, I went to my OB/GYN for the annual checkup. I had to fill out the sexual history section [of the form] and there was a question asking how many new sex partners I’d had in the past three years.
Remembering my slightly younger, more torrid days, I thought a bit and put down a number that was a little higher than I wish it was. But there’s no use in lying to your doctor because they don’t care.
[We’re] discussing things and she’s going through my chart and just stops. Suddenly, the questions turn into, “Have things been…well? No incidents or anything you should report? Is your partner treating you well? Are other people [treating you well]?”
I was confused until she [ended] it with, “Well, I’m going to recommend you get tested for STI’s this month, and I wanna give you a high five.” Turns out I misread the form and you’re supposed to list all your new partners from the past three months. She thought I was just being coy about some [wild night.] I thought my face was going to burn off from [embarrassment.]”
5. When a routine ear check goes horribly wrong.
[fm_giphy url=”https://media.giphy.com/media/l4lRjeu1187nGzUrK/giphy.gif”]
Nope, nope, nope.
“I was having trouble hearing out of my left ear but I’m stubborn and didn’t go to the doctors for a week or so.
The doctor said I needed to get it washed out and when the blockage came out, it was revealed there was a dead spider in my ear.”
6. A patient made an OB/GYN doctor feel embarrassed.
[fm_giphy url=”https://media.giphy.com/media/PJeKg31621Wgw/giphy.gif”]
This awkward doctor story is hilarious.
“I had my first gynecologist exam and [the female doctor] was there doing her business. [She then] comes over to complete my breast exam. This doctor was surprisingly shy, given her chosen medical path.
So she talked to me and said, ‘You have really pretty green eyes, just like my husband.’ I turned to her and said, ‘You know, I usually don’t let people get to second base until after they say that.’
She turned bright red and now I’m not nervous about my OB/GYN appointments anymore.”
7. A nurse decided to sing a song during an embarrassing procedure.
[fm_giphy url=”https://media.giphy.com/media/GpyS1lJXJYupG/giphy.gif”]
Bet the wife was glad she was there for this.
“I had to go to the doctor because [I’d] managed to get poison ivy on [my lower region.] The nurse was going to give me a shot [that was supposed to] clear it up in a little over 24 hours but apparently, she could tell that I was tense because I’m not a fan of needles.
My wife was in the room with me and the nurse [who was] about to give me the shot, put her hand on my butt and said, “You need to relax.” I guess I didn’t relax enough [because] she started rubbing my butt cheek and singing, “Relax. Don’t do it.”
My wife died laughing and said I had the most mortified look on my face. [It wasn’t funny at the time,] but [I can’t help picturing myself] bent over [on] the examination table with my [butt] hanging out while a nurse singing to me, rubbing my cheek and hovering a needle just above my butt.”
8. A grandpa made an embarrassing realization while being at a doctor’s appointment with his granddaughter.
[fm_giphy url=”https://media.giphy.com/media/5J4OnrUBwaB7G/giphy.gif”]
Uh, no. Poor guy.
“I was getting my vocal cords scoped and was pretty nervous about the procedure (I’m a singer) and my grandfather came with me cause he’s had his chords scoped in the past. We’re sitting in the exam room and the doctor sticks the camera all the way dow”n my throat, easy as can be.
[M]y grandfather chimes in and says, “I choked like crazy when they tried to put that thing down my throat. What’s your secret?” The nurse let out a shocked little laugh, as my grandfather goes totally white in the face and says, “I’m gonna wait outside.”
9. A male patient accidentally peed all over himself in front of a nurse.
[fm_giphy url=”https://media.giphy.com/media/58F4nhLwXbKdxT3xGA/giphy.gif”]
Thankfully, it was only embarrassing after the fact.
“About two-and-a-half years ago, I developed [an] acute pain in the lower-right side of my abdomen, and after a quick stop at my doctor’s office, I was diagnosed with appendicitis and [was] quickly sent over to the hospital to have my appendix removed.
For the emergency surgery, they catheterized me, and when I woke up in post-op, I had an overwhelming urge to urinate. I groggily summoned the nurse and told her I had to go. She got me one of those bed urinals and I tried to pee. Since I was basically still drugged, I missed the opening to the bottle and peed all over my legs.
At the time I didn’t care (due to the drugs), but when I became fully awake, I was apologizing profusely for her having to clean me and the bed.”
10. When a teenager asked his doctor to tell his daughter “hi.”
[fm_giphy url=”https://media.giphy.com/media/eFQnviecZOOsM/giphy.gif”]
Things didn’t go well.
“I changed schools in the seventh grade and immediately developed a crush on the daughter of one of my small town’s doctors. Fast forward to the summer before freshman year, and it’s time for the pre-football physicals that are required by my state. The school contracted the practice [of] where the girl’s dad worked and guess who had the task of telling me to turn my head and cough?
Honestly, it wouldn’t have been so bad if I hadn’t asked him to tell his daughter “hi” for me once he was done examining me, but I did. We stood there staring at each other, both appalled at what I’d just said for a minute, and then I fled the room.”
11. A young male patient got a little excited around an attractive doctor.
[fm_giphy url=”https://media.giphy.com/media/ZyPbHP9qk86GY/giphy.gif”]
This is pretty common.
“I was 13-14 years old and [was] going in for my yearly check-up. They decided to assign me a female doctor; a rather attractive female doctor.
When she was checking down there, no amount of determination could stop my teenage hormones from creating an uprising that Katniss Everdeen would be proud of.”
12. When a doctor was blunt with their patient.
[fm_giphy url=”https://media.giphy.com/media/xT0BKDx5o9AfSKI75K/giphy.gif”]
At least they were honest.
“I had appendicitis and had to go to the doctor for surgery, [where] I had to have an enema prior. [It was] very embarrassing and extremely uncomfortable.
On the way to the procedure, I remember asking the doctor if there was any other way. I’ll never forget his response to this. He looks me dead in the eyes and asked me, ‘Do you think I want to do this?'”
13. A patient word-vomited when they saw a cute doctor.
[fm_giphy url=”https://media.giphy.com/media/3o6vXWicwOieMUOdXi/giphy.gif”]
This has happened to the best of us.
“I went to [the doctor] to get a prescription renewed, but I also had this scaly bump on the inside of my lip [that I wanted to get checked out].
I asked the doctor about it, but I got flustered because he was so attractive, and I spewed out, ‘What do you think this is? I mean, I think it’s just a canker sore, but could it be a cold sore? Because the only person who I know who has cold sores is my dad, and I haven’t kissed my dad. Not at all like that! But he kissed me on the cheek!’
He looked at it and confirmed it was a canker sore, but there was an air of awkwardness between the two of us for the rest of the visit.”
14. A doctor is amazed by a genetic condition.
[fm_giphy url=”https://media.giphy.com/media/9Ai5dIk8xvBm0/giphy.gif”]
“Aw, it’s cute!”
“I have two uvulas. I literally made my doctor gasp with shock and say, ‘Oh my god! That’s so weird!’ while she had a tongue depressor in my mouth. She scared me and I almost swallowed the popsicle stick. She called my mom and other staffers into the room to look at it.
When I cough it looks like little legs running, which caused her and a nurse to say, “Aw, it’s so cute.” Awkward doesn’t begin to describe having the throat prodded by a tongue depressor while my doctor makes cute comments at my expense.”
15. When a doctor screamed “peek-a-boo” at a patient.
[fm_giphy url=”https://media.giphy.com/media/3osxYsjktCluBqw8Zq/giphy.gif”]
It nearly gave the patient a heart attack.
“When I was in middle school, I went to the doctor for a routine sports physical. I was seeing a new doctor, so it was already a little uneasy in the room. Luckily, we made it through the whole thing. All I had to do was pee in a cup.
I’m in the bathroom trying to summon the urine from the deepest corners of my bladder when out of nowhere I hear ‘peek-a-boo!’ The doctor opened that little door you put the cup in when you finish and said, “peek-a-boo.”
