Readers Respond: Have You Been a Victim of Healthcare Discrimination?

Studies have shown that people of different races get care differently.

What about the trooper that assaulted the paramedic in Oklahoma; was race a factor? Is it possible he would have done the same thing if the patient or the patient's family was white?

Do you think you've experienced discrimination from those in healthcare, either because of your race or your social class? Are you a healthcare professional who's been accused of discrimination?

Have you witnessed discrimination happening to someone else?

Share your story with others below.

Seizures

Everytime I go for anykind of treatment and they learn that I have had 4 seizures in my lifetime, they automatically treat me for that. It doesn't matter what it is. Also, one of the medicines has destroyed my teeth and I feel now that I'm being discriminated against about that because I look like a "meth head" or something and my most recent visit to the ER with a severe earache, flu like symptoms led me being treated by a physician's assistant, not a doctor, and "Oh, here you go, two Tylenol".

—Guest WGore

Chronic Pain-No one knows how it feels

My Dr Decided to put me in detox when I informed her that a lot of my Oxycontin were stolen by a so called friend of mine. She refused to believe because I had another incident in which we called police and reported we had been robbed of many things and they from our apartment while we were at work in the computer store below...These incidences should not be considered proof so that you have the ability to send a woman who was confused and mostly needed help with her ADHD so she isn't so scattered brained! She cut me off my Oxycontin and is sending me to detox. I was constantly being asked at every visit about "the street value of these drug". I don't want to hear it. Then she asks"Does Russ use Your pills as in "Does he physically take them himself. Does he sell them due to our financial situation? Since this started about a year ago when we shut the store down, she assumes that we sell the medication for profit. This is how she feels and I am sure the staff know

—Guest Juanita

Medication Discrimination

I have fibromyalgia, and for several years I had been taking a low dose of vicodin each day, just enough to get by. I became pregnant, and stopped the medication. I told the OBGYN about this, and it was fine. They started drug testing me behind my back, did not use clean catch cups, but instead used dixie cups and then stole the pee and sent it to the lab without me knowing. They have never given me good care, they sent me home after my c-section with barely any medicine, and now that I am trying to switch doctors, they have refused to transfer my records so I can get testing done.

—Guest Amanda

Biased opinion prevents care

Diseases that primarily affect females, like Fibromyalgia and CFS, are not considered VALID diseases by some male Doctors like mine. My doctor refused to diagnose me with anything BUT depression and sent me to a psychiatrist who began to treat me with one antidepressant after another. 15 to 20 were tried; all made me feel worse in one way or another, so he would increase the dose or go on to the next drug (hypersensitivity to psyc meds is SYMPTOM and should have been clue to right diagnosis). He said I should have additional testing done, for my symptoms of changes in memory and thinking but never sent me for any. I asked him why and he said he had sent my PCP his report. PCP says he never got the report or request for further testing from the psych. A year later My PCP says "I felt that all your symptoms were due to depression, so the psych would be the one responsible for any further testing or diagnosis."

—derabuf

fibromyalgia discrimination

When I appeared at my doctor's office with abdominal pain a CT test with contrast was ordered and that is all. When it came back negative I was subject on my next visit to the nurse practitioner with some verbal slurs about my fibromyalgia diagnosis. I had to beg for lab work to be done and was referred to a surgeon instead of appropriately to a GI specialist. This is very disturbing to me and has cost me money since I could not work competently as a nurse taking narcotics and the MD would not sign for me to receive short term disability. I am tired and angry about being mistreated and I believe at some point each of us must stand up for our rights to have our health and our pain taken seriously. As an aside, I was diagnosed with stenosis of the sphincter that leads into my pancreas. So even fibromyalgia patients can experience "real" disease.

—Guest pyegirlrn

Falsely Accused

I have recently been hospitalized for acute renal and liver failure along with pancreatitis. I had my gallbladder removed about a week before all of this came on. I went to my Dr's office and was told to get to the hospital right away. I never asked for pain meds as I have my own for my back. I've been in disability for 3 years because of my back. Long story short I ended up in the worst pain I had ever been in. The Dr's at the hospital I was at refused to give me a shot, even though my own Dr advised them to, for over 24 hours. I finally got better, or so I thought. I went to the ER at the same hospital in hopes I would avoid more testing. The ER Dr there was the same Dr that refused to help me when I was in pain. He accused me of needing pain meds. I had MORE than enough in my purse. I went to another hospital and found out I have a white blood cell count of 22,000..My lymph nodes are swollen and I can't get a full breath in. I need medical attention but I'm afraid to go now.

—Guest Db13

Meds taken away for no reason.....

Hello. I have fibromyalgia, but it is secondary to thoracic & lumbar scoliosis, deteriorating discs in my neck and degenerative arthritis in my hands. I also suffer from migraines that can last up to a week. I had been on pain meds on and off over the last 20 yrs. I was on pain meds from my gen practitioner, to help maintain a level of pain. Last dec. This dr. Retired but I stayed in the same practice so I could get the same care. The new dr declared that I can not have any narcotics & and this was the first time she had ever seen me. That clinic will prescribe none for me, & the dr placed me on a "no prescribe" list for the entire health care facility. She says that I am a fraud because I dont take my pain meds every day & I didnt get my narcotics refilled every 30 days. That makes no sense, my reg dr. Wanted me to try to limit the amt of pain meds I took, but now I am a fraud because I was following a doctor's orders? Now my pain level is just getting higher & higher.

—Guest diluna

Denied treatment due to lack of family

I'm a 52-year-old female, divorced and live in a western town of 2000 with a small medical clinic. Consulted a doctor due to asthma complications from a respiratory infection. He stood in front of me with my chart and said, "Well you don't have any family!" as if "family" is the only reason someone should have medical treatment. I said, "No, but I have the biggest meanest boss you have ever seen and if I don't start showing up to work he's going to come and get YOU!" That has happened several times in various forms. Was denied treatment for several days for an intestinal blockage because I didn't have a "husband to drive". When I collapsed in the doctor's office, I was loaded into a small car to ride with a hospital employee for 100 miles of bumpy road to the next town with no pain reliever. If I could have gotten the door open, I would rolled out onto the road so a truck would run over me to end the misery. Health "care" isn't for women without "family".

—Rio57

Fibromyalgia discrimination

I appealed to the MCO to reverse its decision against the prescription of Cymbalta. They had neither fibromyalgia as a diagnosis or any drugs for FMS on the formulary. I had a fair hearing with Human Services in New Mexico, and the Administrative Law Judge recommended in favor of me (against the Department). The director of the Medical Assistance Division disagreed because "the diagnosis of fibromyalgia is a subset of neuropathic pain" and I must try drugs that are approved for that. Final decision, and I may seek judicial review. I will do that. And by adding that the dept. will not pay for fees or costs that I incur is not a deterrent. I hope everyone with fibromyalgia stands up for her or his rights. I also cannot believe I am up against not only the mco but the "Department" who takes their side. I do thank the administrative law judge who knows the facts and understand the patient-based research and personal experience. Keep up the fight!

—Guest Iris Gersh

Fibromyalgia discrimination

I had severe pain for 8 years before I was finally diagnosed with FMS. The pain is excruciating and debilitating. I went through 20 different types of meds from muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatories and antidepressants before a pain doctor finally had mercy on me and prescribed painkillers. I had great results, but after that doc moved and I had to go to a new one, I was accused of being a drug addict. The doctors seem to find it impossible that a person in pain could actually be taking pain meds to find relief. My sons dad has mild MS and admits he's hardly in pain at all, but docs have no problem giving him pain meds. FMS is not recognized as a serious illness and the severity of our symptoms are dismissed. My entire adult life I just wanted the pain to stop and to be able to work and raise my kids. Nobody with FMS should have to suffer for years and go through the side effects of 20 meds before finally getting relief from painkillers.

—clairedelune666

"Empty Nest Syndrome"

33 years ago, when I was in nursing school, I was taking care of a middle age woman with widespread acute pain. Tests were run and came back negative. The doctor explained that she had "Empty Nest Syndrome", her children were grown and moved out the house. The thinking at that time was a woman, faced with the fact she was no longer needed, would experienced phantom pain. "It is all in her head", the doctor said. 15 years later, following an injury at work, I continued to have widespread pain months after the incident. I was sent to a psychologist to find if it was I just didn't want to return to work. At the end of the battery of tests and interviews. the psychologist was puzzled because I really wanted to go back to work. I worked in a Newborn Nursery, I liked my work. The orthopedist I was sent to pulled out his ball point pen, jabbed it into my hip and asked if that hurt. Of course it did! He then told me I had "Fibromyositis". I went untreated for 10 more years.

—mabbrown

Condition-based discrimination

I haven't seen this personally, but I know a lot of people with fibromyalgia are denied treatment of any kind, simply based on their diagnosis. The bias against this condition is deeply entrenched in the medical community, and people with a legitimate diagnosis and extreme pain are the victims. Can you imagine a nurse telling someone with severe chronic pain that they're just whining? Or a doctor refusing to treat someone with a recognized diagnosis because they take up too much time for too little progress? It happens on a regular basis, and it's the sad result of the practitioner's lack of knowledge -- not the fault of those trying desperately to maintain a life on top of debilitating symptoms.

—Adrienne110

Fibromyalgia

When I have had surgery or been in the emergency room it seems as though the offer of pain medication immediately is reduced or completely disappears when I tell them I have fibromyalgia. I've also seen this happen as a nurse. Other nurses under medicate patients who are on chronic pain meds at home because they figure the patient is so tolerant already there's nothing else they can do, so why try.

—khayesrn