I was laughed at by a nurse in urgent care after he learned I had health anxiety and other anxiety disorders, and after reading my file my doctor had sent with me. 

So I was told by my GP to go to ER instead of waiting for a requisition for an MRI. I have been experiencing almost daily headaches for the past month, sometimes bad enough to make me throw up. And he figured going to emerg would be quicker (lol). When I went in for triage a male nurse was asking me the basics. I went in with my mom, as I always do for these things. I won’t remember anything important and I don’t do well in unknown social situations. 

First laugh: he was taking my blood pressure and pulse, I obsessively check these and they cause severe anxiety. My mom immediately grabbed my arm and told me not to look at the screen. Rightly so. He asked what the problem was and my mom explained. He laughed a weird chuckle and started asking me if I had been treated for my anxiety (Ha ha) and my mom explained I have been seeing someone since before I was 7 and been on medication since about 12. 

He then started to become a backyard psychologist and said he took antidepressants and was fine. Then asked what the cause of my anxiety was, and that once I figured that out I wouldn’t be anxious anymore. If only I knew…

He kept trying to say that it was just a migraine and I was fine. Even though I get migraines and these aren’t the same. Plus my migraine meds aren’t working, only an Advil. 

After that he started reading my file my doctor printed and started laughing while reading it. Like straight up laughing. My mom immediately distracted him so he would stop. She told me after she did it because she felt horrible that he was laughing at me right in front of my face. 

We left and I was eventually given some pain meds, was seen by a doctor and he essentially said I had really poor sleep posture, it’s muscular and I’m taking daily Advil for a bit. 

But, with all the awareness and help that’s out there, he really reminded us how awful people can be towards mental health. Not my first and won’t be my last. 

If you made it this far, thanks for reading my rant. We are going to file a complaint. 

:/