Everyone who has ever been to the doctor wants a clean bill of health and often can’t wait to leave the hospital. This urgency to get through a checkup might prompt some folks to tell small fibs to convince their medical professional they’re all okay.
Unfortunately, these lies are pretty obvious to almost every doctor, which is why they finally revealed the most common untruths patients try to get past them that are pretty easy to notice. If you’ve ever tried to pull the wool over your physician’s eyes, your fibs might be on this list as well, so do check it out.
#1
Sleeping with contacts seems to be a big one.
Came to the eye Dr with an inflammation. He asked if I fell asleep with contacts in. I said no. He asked again to see if I mean I didn’t fall asleep with contacts just last night, but maybe do occasionally fall asleep with contacts in.
He was certain that that’s what happened and tried to make it easy for me to “confess” to a bad habit about contact lenses usage.
I told him I don’t own contact lenses. That I used them in college, tried dailies, monthlies, different manufacturers, and just really really didn’t like them. So I only wear glasses. I think that’s when he finally believed me and went to think of other possible causes for my inflammation. .
Image source: Long_Conclusion7057, rawpixel.com
#2
I know smoking is one.
My husband kind of got caught with that one. For about 3 months his work stuff changed. And he had a group of friends who offered him a ride to and from work. Which was wonderful. Saved us lots of troubles. But it was an hour drive each way. And they all smoked in the car. That was their offer. Ride with us, but we smoke. We all smoke.
And it was a nice offer, and we took it. But my husband stunk. He smelt like a smoker for those few months. And when filling forms and stuff he would state, “I don’t smoke. But, I currently spend 2 hours a day in a car with chain smokers. So you will think I do.”.
Image source: TedIsAwesom, magnific
#3
Almost Everything?
Social history, medical history, surgical history, medications are all things patients routinely lie about.
Only thing patients routinely never fail to mention are “allergies”, which ironically enough are not true allergies.
Image source: InteractionDecent, syda_productions
There is definitely a power imbalance between people and their doctors, which is why some folks might struggle to tell them the truth. Studies have found that even in the early 1990s, around 85% of patients concealed or lied to their physicians. Mostly, it seems they were fudging the truth out of embarrassment, especially around younger male doctors.
Over time, this behavior hasn’t changed much, and nearly 60-80% of Americans admit they still aren’t entirely honest with their doctors. It seems like younger people are more likely to hide information, especially when it involves their drinking and smoking habits, as compared to older adults.
#4
I work in sleep medicine. Please stop lying about your bedtime routine. It’s ok! We know people use their phones in bed and drink coffee at 4pm! Please just tell us so we can help you.
Also, if you have a CPAP, don’t lie and say you use it more than you do. We can literally pull the data so you’re just wasting everyone’s time.
Image source: maroontiefling, lookstudio
#5
Not a doc but me and the husband got too amorous one night and I pulled a muscle in my groin/hip area because of it. It got so bad I could barely walk without pain so we went to the ER despite me not wanting to go. I was so embarrassed about why I was even needing medical attention because… I mean I pulled a muscle b*****g my husband and now I literally can’t walk.
I told them I was trying to lift a tv lolol
We know d**n well they didn’t believe that but I was actually getting nervous they were suspecting my husband of hurting me and that is the farthest from the truth.
It was a really weird feeling of relief and embarrassment when the doc literally ACTED OUT LIFTING A TV WHILE SUBTLY AIR H*****G A NON EXISTENT TV…..
We were in our very early 20s but now if it happened I would not give a s**t and flat out tell them, “I was giving my husband one hell of a f*****g time.”.
Image source: been2thehi4, bilahata
#6
A coworker, had a patient come in with a large MAG light in his lower colon that had to be surgically removed. After removing it, the surgeon pressed the on button and it lit up, to which he announced, “D**n, that would make a hell of a commercial for MAG products”. Never a dull moment in healthcare!!!
Image source: Jappers1980, amixstudio
Folks often think that lying to their doctor won’t make much of a difference, but what they don’t understand is that their clinicians need the truth so that they can make an accurate diagnosis. Researchers note that when people want timely, reliable care, being forthcoming is the only way to get it.
Sometimes, patients and their doctors hide things from each other, thinking the truth will only complicate matters. These fibs may not seem important on the surface, but they can distort how the situation appears to the physician and put the patient at risk. That’s exactly why both parties should apply honesty to their relationship, rather than hiding things out of fear or embarrassment.
#7
Depression. A lot of people answer “no” to the questions because they worry about being sectioned, but you can absolutely tell the signs a lot of the time.
Image source: TheGhostestHostess, Drazen Zigic
#8
My wife is a retired pediatrician. she would ask about the diet of the children who were overweight or obese, and the parents would always lie. She would later ask the children what they had for dinner or breakfast and they would usually say something like McDonald’s.
Image source: 2019_Stealth, gpointstudio
#9
ICU doctor here – the amount of alcohol they drink. I don’t care and it doesn’t affect the quality of the care I give. However, I need to know if you’re at risk of alcohol withdrawal while you’re admitted to the hospital because it requires very specific medical management.
Image source: C_Wags, wirestock
As you’ve probably noticed from this list, patients tell fibs about the craziest things, and the BCMJ mentions that one of the most common lies folks tell is about their exercise habits. Older folks were more concerned than those under 35 about showing off their fitness levels to doctors.
On the other hand, young people tried to hide their bad habits like smoking or drinking, out of fear of embarrassment. The most common reasons for these falsehoods are fear of not being taken seriously by the physician, worry about discrimination, or feeling judged for the way they live their lives.
#10
Sadly, domestic a***e.
Unless the patient is a minor or vulnerable adult providers are discouraged from reporting because it makes patients less likely to seek help. I see a lot of medical notes about suspected a***e that was denied.
Image source: sugarplumbuttfluck, Curated Lifestyle
#11
Doctor: Have you been excercising 150 minutes a week, like I told you?
Me: Yesssss
Doctor: Really?
Me: Yes.
Doctor: Really?
Me: no…
Image source: Unlikely-Theme-9681, Jonathan Borba
#12
NAD, but I’m going with dog bites? My husband and our dog used to love to “box”. Which was basically batting at each other lol. Well she caught his lip with a super sharp dewclaw and ripped it ALL the way open. I warned him that they would probably think she bit him and was lying about it. Sure enough multiple people tried to get him to “confess” that she’d bitten him.
I feel like a lot of people don’t want theirs or their friends or family members dog to have an “official” bite history.
Image source: MooPig48, Getty Images
Not telling the truth to a doctor can have unintended consequences, and the Health University of Utah explains that it could lead to the wrong medication or diagnosis. That’s why this denial, either about the severity of their condition or about what led to them having to come to the doctor, can impact the treatment that follows.
This embarrassment about telling the truth might last only a short time, but physicians urge folks to be as honest as possible because of doctor-patient confidentiality. Folks who still don’t know how to open up to their medical professionals can bring a family member or friend for support during the consultation.
#13
Medical rep here men will not admit to erectile dysfunction and the reason it’s so important isn’t so much as you treat the erectile dysfunction as it is to demonstrate that they are having circulatory issues possibly too much cholesterol or hypertension could be low testosterone a number of tests need to be run.
Image source: Warm-Management-7323, Getty Images
#14
“Did you punch someone? Cuz the abrasions on your knuckles sure don’t look like you caught it in a closet door?”
“I swear to god doc….”.
“Well, if you hit someone and there’s human saliva, blood, or tooth fragments in your skin now, I really need to know, cuz I’m treat that very differently so that you don’t lose your hand”.
“Um, er, ok doc, yeah, I hit a dude, but swear to god, I was just mindin’ my own binuss”.
Image source: tasteothewild, Roman Aguila
#15
My neurologist yesterday not so subtly hinted that he’d be able to tell if I faked a syncopal episode on a tilt table test. I asked if people ever did that, and he said yes, all the time. He had a patient fake a seizure in the waiting room earlier that day.
Image source: sparkly_butthole, Los Muertos Crew
If people aren’t willing to open up to their physician, the doctor should take matters into their own hands and determine whether the patient is telling the truth. According to Roswell Park, it can be difficult to know if someone is holding back, but medical professionals should listen to their gut if they feel what they’re hearing is a fib.
They should also ask probing questions about exercise and daily habits and watch for hesitation before the person answers. Sometimes “guilty” body language, like fidgeting, avoiding eye contact, or changing the topic, can also signal that they are not revealing everything.
#16
“do you have high blood pressure?”
“No”
Is possibly the one I get told the most frequently as I then find out they’re on 3 different kinds of blood pressure medication.
Admittedly some of these people say, “well that’s why my blood pressure isn’t high” which is technically true so touche.
Image source: jus_plain_me, Thirdman
#17
Medication adherence! As a hematologist/oncologist, it’s extremely important to know whether there is disease progression due to poor adherence to the medication or if the cancer is developing resistance to it. Please don’t lie about adherence; be honest about why you aren’t taking the medication, and it will start a conversation about how to improve it (financial assistance programs, side effect management, pill-taking strategies, etc.). We don’t like spending the extra time investigating pharmacy fill records (or looking at how many pills were dispensed on the last refill and comparing it to the refill date), but that’s an easy way to spot how adherent a patient is to a prescription. Also, we can tell based on labs in some situations (i.e. hydrea increasing the MCV).
Image source: betallama1912, Kampus Production
#18
I once told the hand doctor that I broke my pinky knuckle by horsing around with my dog. He said usually people break it because they don’t know how to punch. He said, how did you break it again? I said horsing around with me dog. He said okay, if that’s what you want to go with… I broke it punching an inanimate object like an i***t. I have never done that since.
Image source: Calm_Scallion_9879, Dominik Gryzbon
It seems bizarre that people might tell so many lies to their medical practitioners, but sometimes it’s also because the other person is difficult to talk to. That’s why Angela Fagerlin advises doctors to have a better bedside manner so that they seem more approachable and make folks feel comfortable around them.
This can be done by practicing empathy and active listening when a patient is talking so that they feel heard. Instead of reacting harshly or making judgmental statements, it might be best to take a more neutral approach. This change in behavior can help build greater trust and collaboration between people and their physicians over time.
#19
People love to omit their history of breast implants.
Image source: Runnrgirl, Yan Krukau
#20
“I’ve been taking my diabetes medications and staying away from sugar!” – my T2DM patient with a nonhealing foot wound and A1c of 10 as they have a liter of Pepsi next to them (this really happened).
Image source: batsyvaderx, Olena Bohovyk
#21
Eye doctor here. Someone already mentioned contact lenses and sleeping in your lenses so I’ll mention diabetes. We can tell if you have been habitually cheating on your sugar. Not just from your A1C but when you’re literally micro bleeding into your eye, we see that. Granted, not all cases of diabetic retinopathy are directly related to poor sugar discipline, but the second you mention you’re seeing blood where it shouldn’t be and you ask about their sugar discipline, they always fess up.
Image source: OscarDivine, Getty Images
In all of these stories, we’ve only seen people lying to their doctors, but have you ever wondered about your medical practitioner hiding something from you? According to researchers Nana Matoba and Angira Patel, doctors sometimes tell white lies to their patients, often to protect them from the truth.
In overwhelming or intense situations, physicians might hide part of the whole picture from patients’ family members to avoid inciting panic and overwhelm. They may also do it to protect the individual from the nocebo effect, which is when folks feel real negative physical symptoms simply because they expect a certain treatment to cause harm or side effects.
#22
RN here – quite a lot of patients do not comply with the plan of care they agreed on with the clinician and then get mad about the fact that they are not getting better. And then lie about it when we ask them if they followed the clinician’s instructions.
For example, not wearing the brace and/or doing the exercises we tell them to do/use for their sprained ankle.
EDIT: also, lots of patients do not follow-up with the specialists we refer them to and then come in 3 months later with the same problem “only now it’s worse”. I’ve had patients lie to my face when I ask them if they saw the specialist; they say they do yet there are no notes in their chart regarding the visit. I can literally see what appointments they made in the past/future and if they went (at least for hospital systems/clinics that use EPIC).
Image source: Butthole_Surfer_GI, Getty Images
#23
During Covid we did a lot of telemedicine. People were used to just living their life on video anyway and it was pretty surreal. I’d have to ask people perhaps not to be getting dressed in their walk-in closet while we were trying to do a visit, things like that
My favorite was asking someone how much he’s currently drinking and he told me that he stopped drinking a long time ago. He was in his bedroom, sitting on his bed, surrounded by bottles of beer and liquor. Some half empty, most empty, some glasses with leftover beer and what not. So I asked him how to explain the “late on a Saturday night bar tableau,” and he said oh well that was just one time because it was just my birthday. I had to explain that I’m looking at his chart and his birthday was like 10 months ago.
Image source: fonewi19, Getty Images
#24
From a patient’s perspective, apparently everything. I can’t seem to convince doctors how much f*****g pain I am in.
Image source: Ya-Dikobraz, Getty Images
It might seem crazy, but the average person lies almost 4 times a day or approximately 1,460 times a year, so it’s no wonder that we’re out here telling untruths to our doctors. The problem is that when you hide something from a medical professional, there’s a greater chance that it will end up causing you more harm than good. So, maybe it’s best to tell them the truth and deal with the consequences of that, no matter how weird or embarrassing.
Have you ever told your doctor a fib? If so, what was it about? We’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below.
#25
Not a doctor, but a medical interpreter here. About 85% of patients say they don’t drink alcohol at all. Somehow I don’t think some of them are telling the truth, lol.
Image source: Adventurous-Two-1877, Helena Lopes
#26
My spouse runs into the issue while preparing a patient for heart procedures. He askes if they use illegal d***s, and they almost always lie. He then explains that he doesn’t care on a moral or legal basis, but that they need to know on a medical basis, so they don’t over or under medicate them before their procedure. They usually fess up then.
Image source: aeraen, Pavel Danilyuk
#27
Not a Doctor, but a Paramedic.
When people get arrested, and/or put in a cell, and suddenly become very unwell and demand medical care, thinking that it somehow how means they won’t be charged or get out of whatever trouble they are in – we call this “Incarceritis”, “Cell-ulitis”, or “Allergic to Handcuffs”.
Fake seizures (‘fakey-shakeys’) are popular too. And for clarity to other medical professional reading, I am not referring to psuedoseizures, I mean just embarrassingly bad performances.
Image source: Demo_Model, Kindel Media
#28
Teenage boys saying their not anxious about getting a blood test
Sure fella
You’re just pale and sweaty for no reason.
Image source: raftsa, Maria_Sbytova
#29
Not a doctor – I’m a medic. There’s this thing called cyclical vomiting syndrome where people that are habitual, heavy p*t users develop. They smoke w**d, it makes them nauseous, they smoke more w**d (because in the past that helped with nausea) and they get more nauseous. The only thing that gives them relief is hot showers.
We know who these patients are. We deal with them many times over. Yet they’ll get in the ambulance and tell me they’ve been vomiting non-stop and the only thing that makes it feel better is a hot shower before swearing they haven’t smoked p*t.
Also, they usually smell like p*t.
Image source: evanka5281, Andrej Lišakov
#30
No, you did not get that STD from a toilet seat.
Image source: Theskidiever, Miriam Alonso
#31
Used to be a phlebotomist, we knew most of the time when people would give us fake p*e for pre employment screenings. I’d ask them once to give them a chance to be honest, telling them the test will tell us if it’s real and clean urine or not and each and every time they chose to insist it was real urine. I’m not a cop, I’m not gonna arrest you but when I tell the company that just hired you that you gave us fake p*e that’s gonna follow you for while (small area, employers would talk to each other and thus it’s very easy to gain a bed reputation).
Image source: ParkingTangerine5626
#32
Sup. Dentist here. Mostly it’s about brushing and flossing. Rarely is it at the frequency they say it is. Smoking and vaping is another one where people will lie about frequency.
Image source: Macabalony
#33
Not a doctor, but I work in Public Health. It’s amazing how many anti-vaxxers happen to know several friends and family members that d**d or experienced an incredibly rare side effect like myocarditis, TTS, etc after a vaccine. You know 20 people just in your neighbourhood that got blood clots after the flu shot do you, Kevin? *sigh*.
Image source: LackTotal9085
#34
For me in radiology, its what’s in your b**t.
And no….you did not slip & fall.
Image source: ThrillNyeScienceGuy
#35
I’m not taking anything else.’ I had a patient with recurring stomach pain that didn’t quite fit the rest of the picture. I went through their medications twice and everything looked fine. Later, while asking about their daily routine, I asked if they took anything for headaches. They said, ‘Only when I really need it.’ Turns out they were taking ibuprofen almost every day. They genuinely hadn’t thought of it as something worth mentioning because it was over-the-counter.
Image source: Honest_Tadpole_8904
#36
As a patient, I’m guessing alcohol. I genuinely drink like 2 drinks a year, which seems medically negligible to me. When answering the questionnaire, it asks how often do you drink each week. I put none — because what am I gonna put, 1/2 teaspoon (
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#37
Trying to explain it away as a basic UTI instead of an STI so they don’t look like they were going wild in the sheets.
Image source: loft2209
#38
When I told my doctor the amount of units I drank a week, he added 25%ish to it. I saw him do it, then I pulled him up on it, pointing out that the number I had told him was already quite silly. Why would I lie about that? .
Image source: hopsinduo
#39
That they shaved their b***s! I worked in urology with a doctor who specialized in male fertility. He did in-office vasectomies. I had to prep the patients and assist with the surgery. Part of the prep was making sure the area on the s*****m was clean and clear of hair. 9/10 times I would ask the patient if they shaved, they would say yes, and when would lift the sheet, they would be full on hairy!! Then I would sigh and get out the razor. I never cut anyone, but I wouldn’t have felt bad if I did.
Image source: Applesauceier
#40
Vaping.
I’m an anesthesiologist and you immediately know by how much secretions are in the endotracheal tube, how much they cough when they get extubated, and how the heart rate and blood pressure respond because of all the nicotine.
Image source: Outside-Calendar2456
#41
Im guilty.
Doc: how did you get that bruise on your shoulder?
Me: crashed my bike
Doc: ~raises eyebrow~ “want to try that again?”
Me: girlfriend bit me. .
Image source: InfraredDiarrhea
#42
I am a transplant hepatologist and it is amazing how many people will deny alcohol use even when I have objective biochemical evidence of heavy consumption(ex. PEth >1k) and confront them about it. Having an alcohol use disorder is not a contradiction to liver transplantation, but lying about it and not engaging in treatment is.
Image source: _Pumpernickel
#43
My sister an A&E consultant sees fake seizures all the time people copy tv but that’s not how they work she adds the fakers never think to wet themselves either they are never that dedicated to the role.
Image source: becpuss
#44
My buddy is a surgeon who specializes in bowel stuff. Patients routinely lie about cleansing the day before. He just goes in expecting s**t everywhere.
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#45
You didn’t actually fall on that. You stuck it up your a*s impulsively and had no way to retrieve it.
Image source: postprandialrepose
#46
Nad/ but a receptionist at a cosmetic surgeon. You have no idea how many people lie about smoking. They’ll quit for three days to pass the test, and then have to come in weekly for 6 months to get their wound rebandaged bc they won’t stop smoking post op.
Image source: No-Sheepherder-6911
#47
Eating disorder symptoms/behaviors. People lie and say they’re doing fine to avoid getting help and interrupting their rituals/behaviors. Honestly terrifying how much of a (sometimes d***h) grip these diseases have on the mind. EDs will force you to do ANYTHING to stay in control. Awful, awful illnesses. Millions per year go undiagnosed and struggle without getting the help they really need.
Image source: Bizarrebazaars
#48
I’m not the doctor, but my dad’s a child psychiatrist. Parents will always lie about how often they argue, whether or not they’re having problems in their relationship, etc.
ETA: It’s also especially obvious when parents try to coach the child to lie about it too.
Image source: ChanelCrocodile
#49
Domestic violence… you don’t rupture your drum by “falling off the bed” as an adult in your sleep.
Image source: whyuwant2know
#50
Illegally using Q-Tips to clean your ears. Doctors ask if you use Q-Tips WHILE they’re looking in your ears. They can already see the cotton wisps in there! Don’t lie! “yes, I use Q-Tips in my ear canal. Are you going to snitch on me?”.
Image source: JamesMarM
#51
Flossing for the dentists for sure. And smoking. The tannins are much different than those of coffee/wine.
Image source: donkedickinya
#52
Sleeping during a sleep study. I was sitting there motionless for like 3 hours, eyes closed, not moving. Then over the speaker “can’t sleep?” lol no I could not.
Image source: Reasonable-Turn-5940
#53
How many hotdogs they have in a day.
Image source: Regular_Ram
#54
Doctor here: almost everything. Like for real, we know bro. We’re just not challenging you on it because I can’t spend my day arguing with people. People don’t understand that everyone lies to us constantly, our job is actually to try to suss out a reasonable history and treatment plan based on a mountain of less-than-credible info. I don’t even trust other doctors diagnoses because people can be wrong. But lying to your doctor only hurts you. We don’t judge you for not taking your meds or doing d***s or whatever, we judge you for lying right to our face and then expecting us to figure things out with incomplete information. It’s maddening.
Image source: Serial7s
#55
If you weigh 350 lbs, you haven’t been eating just one meal per day which is just a salad with no dressings.. unless your capable of photosynthesis.
Image source: mtmuelle
#56
“Doctor idk why I’m not losing weight, I literally NEVER eat/ive only had salads for the last 10 years”.
Image source: parisienpearl
#57
I don’t know if it’s lying exactly, but it’s amazing how far off people tend to be when telling you about their weight fluctuations. In our EMR you can easily trend weight, which I do whenever someone mentions a big weight change.
“I’ve gained 20 pounds in a year!” Trend weight: up 2 pounds since last year
“I’ve lost 30 pounds since January!” Trend weight: down 5 pounds this year.
Image source: awdixon
#58
I had a patient with a routine lab analysis with elevated liver enzymes and muscle cell damage biomarkers shortly after starting a statin therapy for his hyperlipidemia.
I strongly suggested that the medication was causing it and for the next 15 minutes he was stubbornly denying it, straight up negating my explanations until he finally confessed that he hadn’t even started taking the medication.
It wasn’t obvious at first in this case however i can usually deduce when someone is lying about their medication adherence.
Image source: dzole_s
#59
Therapist here, you can tell me all day you did your exercises but when you’ve seen years and years of people who do vs people who don’t it’s obvious almost immediately. Also if you aren’t progressing but you are doing your exercises, you should absolutely be telling us this because it could be a different issue. There’s no shame in it, but lying about it makes us think you don’t care.
Image source: the_last_crouton
#60
Taking their prescription meds.
Image source: zenos_dog
#61
“I have a high pain tolerance”.
Image source: Cool-Disk-868
#62
My wife is an MD who works in a rehab setting
Whatever you tell her you drink she doubles it.
Image source: lowbetatrader
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