When healthcare worker D Rose posted a video of her impression of a faking patient on TikTok, she had no idea of the Twitter storm that would ensue as a result. The controversial video shows Rose in a patient’s gown, coughing and spluttering, before cutting to Rose dressed as a nurse, calling out the patient for ‘faking’.
Rose, who has described herself as a memory care worker as well working in mental health, alcohol and drug rehabilitation, has made a series of videos, all of which poke fun at various patient concerns. Unsurprisingly, the videos weren’t received well by patients who have had symptoms dismissed by medical professionals, only to be diagnosed with a serious condition later down the line.
Lauren Stiles, founder of Dysautonomia International, a charity that raises funds for research and promotes awareness of disorders of the autonomic nervous system, took to Twitter to respond to Rose’s video, in a tweet that read: “I was told I was faking my symptoms… Turns out, I had an acute onset systemic autoimmune disease.”
Another story shared among the 31,000 Twitter users joining in the conversation was that of Angela Clayton, who said her doctors refused to listen to her when in fact, she had a tumour developing around her left parotid gland.
And Sarah Samedi recanted her shocking experience of prolonged diagnosis of Stage 4 endometrial cancer;
Sadly, it comes as no surprise to many that women are more commonly on the receiving end of doctor’s dismissal. Many argue that women are treated as second class citizens when it comes to receiving medical treatment. GLAMOUR spoke to Nicola Neville, a picture editor from London, who had her own traumatic experience when trying to seek help for her symptoms, which including a growth the size of a new born baby on her ovary. “I remember pleading with the Surgeon from one misdiagnosis to check one more time,” she said. “I was being shooed off as if I didn’t know my body. I was tired, I was in pain, I was bloated, my body would collapse into spasms from the weight of what I would later know as my cancer. If I hadn’t begged the doctor and convinced the surgeon to check one more time, I’m not sure if I would be alive today. Later, the surgeon smugly said to me, ‘I saved your life’. I replied, ‘YOU nearly killed me’.”
Read more about medical misogyny and how it helped give rise to the wellness industry here.
