Misdiagnosed | Health.com

It Happened to Me: Real talk from women who've been there

Doctors Blamed This Woman's Chronic Cough on Acid Reflux—But a Mass Was Actually Pushing Into Her Lung

Rachel Walsh, now 36, went from specialist to specialist to find out what was causing her chronic cough, severe diarrhea, unremitting fatigue, and elevated white blood cell count.

What Doctors Thought Was Just This Woman's Reaction to the COVID Vaccine Turned Out to Be Breast Cancer

Jill Kleiss had to convince her doctors to biopsy the enlarged lymph node she developed after getting her COVID vaccine—which ultimately led to a breast cancer diagnosis.

It Took 10 Years of Seizures for This Woman to Be Diagnosed With Epilepsy

This woman had her first major seizure when she was 24. Doctors said it was caused by an adverse reaction to medicine, but as the seizures continued to strike, she began to suspect something more serious.

A Doctor Told This 24-Year-Old the Red Bumps Covering Her Body Were Bug Bites—But She Actually Had Psoriasis

Claire Spurgin had no idea what she was dealing with when she suddenly developed the splotchy red spots. It took months to get the right diagnosis—and then come to grips with it emotionally.

This Woman's Lower Back Pain Turned Out to Be Stage 4 Rectal Cancer

Colleen Farrell, now 40, thought she was dealing with a pulled muscle, but it turned out to be a condition she thought she had prevented.

This Woman's 'Gluten Intolerance' Turned Out to Be Uterine Cancer

Dafina Malovska, now 41, had to deal with extreme bloating for several months before seeing the specialist she needed in another country.

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More Misdiagnosed

This 24-Year-Old Discovered She Had Pulsatile Tinnitus After Posting Her Symptoms in a Facebook Group

"There's nothing medically wrong with you" a neurosurgeon told Adina Martin after she'd been hearing her heartbeat whooshing in her ears for months. So she found a community of people who helped her get the right diagnosis.

This Woman’s Searing Toothache Was Misdiagnosed by Doctors, and It Turned Out to Be Cancer

As her toothache turned into constant debilitating jaw pain, Nicole Kowalski, 28, was treated for everything from a sinus infection to allergies.

This Woman Had Endometriosis Since She Was a Teen, but Doctors Insisted Her Symptoms Were All in Her Head

Before She Was Diagnosed With Multiple Sclerosis, This Dancer and DJ Saw 14 Specialists

This Woman Had Burning Breast Pain, but 4 Doctors Told Her 'Breast Cancer Doesn't Hurt'

Degenerative Disc Disease Was Causing My Crippling Back Pain, but Doctors Blamed My Posture, My Purse, Even MS

You Got This: How to be your own advocate

Diagnostic Errors Make Up One-Third of Serious Malpractice Claims, Study Shows

Misdiagnoses are the most common, costly, and dangerous medical errors.

All Misdiagnosed

My Constant Insomnia Turned Out to Be a Symptom of a Rare Disorder Called Hypophosphatasia

One in 10 People With Any of These 3 Serious Conditions Will Be Misdiagnosed, a New Study Says—Here's Why

Before She Was Diagnosed With Small Fiber Polyneuropathy, Doctors Misdiagnosed This Woman's Pain for 18 Years

The Lump in My Breast Was Growing—but My Doctor Kept Dismissing the Possibility That It Was Cancer

It Took 2 Years of Unexplained Symptoms Before Doctors Finally Diagnosed Me With Type 1 Diabetes

I Had Symptoms of Preeclampsia During My Pregnancy—but My Ob-Gyn Kept Shaming Me for My Weight Gain

My Doctor Misdiagnosed Me With Seasonal Allergies—but I Actually Had Lung Cancer That Spread to My Brain

I Had an Eating Disorder for 21 Years—but Doctors Wouldn't Diagnose Me With Anorexia Because of My Weight

Doctors Dismissed the Lump on My Neck as a 'Swollen Lymph Node' for 5 Years—but It Turned Out to Be Cancer

Doctors Completely Missed My Brain Swelling and Sent Me to a Mental Health Facility for Schizophrenia Instead

My Doctor Dismissed My MS Symptoms as 'Stress'—Even Though My Body Was Going Numb

A Doctor Told This New Mom to Lose Weight—but It Turned Out She Had Cancer

For 6 Years, Doctors Kept Telling Me I Had PMS—but It Turned Out to Be Brain Cancer

When This Woman Went to Her Doctor With Lyme Disease Symptoms, She Was Told She Should "Try Meditation"

This Woman Refused to Leave the Hospital Until Doctors Properly Diagnosed Her Terrible Pelvic Pain

My Vagina Felt Like It Was on Fire for a Year—but Doctors Kept Telling Me It Was Just a Yeast Infection

Doctors Kept Dismissing My Back Pain—Until I Was Finally Diagnosed With Terminal Cancer

When I Told My Doctor I Thought I Had Endometriosis, He Said, 'Stop Practicing Google Medicine'

I Thought I Had the Flu—but It Turned Out to Be Sepsis

After a Decade of Skin, Hair, and Weight Issues, I Was Finally Diagnosed With PCOS

This 30-Year-Old Personal Trainer Has Stage 4 Lung Cancer. You Wouldn't Know It by Looking at Her

Doctors Thought I Had MS, Chronic Fatigue, and a Heart Condition Before I Got the Right Diagnosis: Anxiety

One Woman's IBS Struggle: "It Took Me 7 Years to Be Diagnosed"

Still Pregnant: My Miscarriage Was Misdiagnosed

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