Golden Girls Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Dorothy Confronts Dr. Budd

Dorothy confronts the doctor who dismissed her illness.
This is the experience of far too many sufferers of chronic illness.

[@corygoodrich7242]

This is one of many examples of how the Golden Girls was far ahead of its time. They tackled so many tough issues on top of this one. Chronic conditions like Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome are still largely looked at with confusion in misunderstanding and Golden Girls addressed it perfectly back in 1989. They were so forward thinking with their content. I wish Bea, Rue, and Estelle were still alive to do a reunion show

[@cfsbrisbane9539]

I didn't know that this episode was way back in 1989. There's still so much stigma about ME/CFS even 'tho it was officially classified by the WHO in 1969 (50 years ago!).

[@suemarie6032]

I loved that show. I remember seeing that episode and hoping it would bring much needed awareness, but here we are decades later being treated the same way. There's some hopeful research being done but for the most part, the medical community still dismisses us.

[@tahraethestoryteller6079]

@@cfsbrisbane9539 I believe someone on the show went through a similar thing (whether it was one of the show’s creators or a producer I can’t remember) so this episode was semi-autobiographical I imagine this speech was incredibly cathartic for her

[@kittenclysm116]

They definitely set some good lessons to follow to deal with those issues

[@SweetBearCub]

@@tahraethestoryteller6079 I believe the person you're referring to is Susan Harris, one of if not the main writer(s) for The Golden Girls. She was actually diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, as I understand.

[@erinm4602]

Medical students should be required to watch this clip. What an incredible delivery. I hate that this resonates with so many patients. Please speak up. Get a second opinion. Advocate for yourself. You are in the driver's seat and don't ever let a doctor make you feel otherwise.

[@LegionIvory]

For real. This episode needs to be part of the med school curriculum.

[@BiG-JuPO1O1]

Too many doctors these days don't care about the work they do, they care about making money. Often those type of doctors have bad attitude and doesn't listen to their patients.

[@partyguy101ify]

Mrs. Budd: "Shut up, Lewis/Louis." Dorothy: "And as angry as I am, and as angry as I always will be, I still wish you a better doctor than you were to me."

[@kittenclysm116]

I like how Dorothy confronted him in a public place, but had enough control to not make a scene. Good for her😌

[@samalvey8168]

"Shut up, Louis." Why do I get the feeling she went through the exact same thing when she expressed concern to her husband that she wasn't feeling her best either?

[@nancyny930]

I took it as she was disappointed to see her husband was not compassionate to his patients and she sympathized with Dorothy. But you could be right too. Whatever the case, that one simple line and the anger and disappointment on the wife's face were brilliant.

[@ladennayoung2939]

@@nancyny930 I think it was both, but mostly what the original comment stated. He probably was the one that suggested his wife dye her hair when she was saying she wasn't feeling well. Doctors tend to be very arrogant, put themselves on a pedestal, and see themselves as a god. God allow things to take place in their lives as away to humble them.

[@HorrorLover]

@@ladennayoung2939 yep, in the conversation between Dorothy and the Dr, he says "you should dye your hair, My wife was a totally different person until she went blonde", she's sick of his shit too.

[@cocoafemme47]

@@ladennayoung2939 : I experienced that arrogance and lack of compassion from a FEMALE doctor. As I was getting older(40+), my late mother who was a brilliant nurse, kept telling me to get my Gynecologist to do a thorough examination on me because it was not normal to experience increasing menstrual pain as I was getting older. Much to my utter heart break, there was a growing Fibroid that covered my entire uterus, so I had to have a hysterectomy. Having never birthed the child I planned to have, I find myself being so FURIOUS at that physician's incompetence. What had me seething with anger over the years, is that I couldn't file a lawsuit against that DUNCE because she--like all doctors--has malpractice insurance.😬😬🤯🤯

[@Emma88178]

And it's so stupid since hair color is just a physical appearance and has nothing to do with who you are. That Dr. Was a total dirtbag overall.

[@mrmcdeezy7]

“BUT I WILL!!” 😆 Go Dorothy!

[@kittenclysm116]

I get where Dorothy's coming from. When I was 11, I started waking up with headaches that made me feel like there was an ax in my skull and I threw up everyday, which caused me to weigh only 67 pounds. When I went to my pediatrician, she said that I was just about to start puberty. The problem kept persisting, and everytime, my doctor would just say the same thing. I finally went to another doctor and I discovered I had a golf ball sized brain tumor that they figured I had since birth. Thankfully, I got it removed in time and I'm still here to talk about it. Even though I had to go through hell with all that, at least I got a better answer than, "It's nothing, don't worry about it." Thank God there are better doctors out there. And, hopefully, we'll live in a cancer-free world someday🙏 Edit: Just rewatching the episode and the doctor saying there was no cure and no guarantee of recovery, hell, I would've preferred THAT too! Even if I had to live another 60-70 years that way, it'd still be better than being told there was nothing wrong and that it was all in my head!

[@hadbetterdays8118]

That sounds so terrible I'm thankful you got to tell this story just proves to you how some doctors are quacks

[@kittenclysm116]

@@hadbetterdays8118 Thanks. Like my grandma always said, at least I'm here to bitch about it😄

[@kittenclysm116]

@BadDriversOfTennessee You should never give up. The only thing you can do when it feels like it's too much is to take it and put it in His hands. After one of my surgeries, I can't remember which one, I went completely blind. The doctor told my mom that I had a pretty good attitude, considering I'd never see again. But at some point while I was still in ICU, my vision just miraculously came back. It's still pretty bad, though. I went from having 20/20 vision to being near-sighted and partially blind in my left eye, but at least I CAN see

[@michaellovely6601]

I genuinely admire "Sick and Tired" because it brought awareness to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. What I didn't know about the episode is that it was inspired by real life because the show's creator Susan Harris had battled Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It's episodes like this that make me respect sitcoms from the 70's, 80's, and 90's because they weren't afraid of using humor to explore serious issues. Another episode of "The Golden Girls" that was titled "Mixed Blessing" addressed interracial relationships and the social stigma that surrounds said relationships even though many years have passed since the US Supreme Court ruling in the case of Loving v. Virginia.

[@AbbyPhillipsIsPeaches]

I have fibromyalgia, and seeing those old scenes now where Dorothy struggled to find out what was going on, how the doctors dismissed her, and how she began to question her own sanity, resonates with me so deeply. I learned to be my own advocate and stand up for myself, so this scene is still incredibly powerful.

[@kaylaevanscomedy]

I’m a mental health technician and I was talking to one of my patients about this clip the other day. I personally got really sick and really scared early in my career so I have compassion for my patients and I always believe them when they have concerns about symptoms. I’m not a doctor but I’m an advocate. It’s sad how relevant this clip still is today. It’s hard to find doctors out there who don’t immediately dismiss their patients if they can’t figure out what’s wrong in a 10-15 minute check up.

[@majorharmonic]

Yep, spot on. I'm an RN, and am currently very sick. Even before now, I've always believed my patients by default. The things I saw from other healthcare workers honestly turned my stomach. The things said and done out of a lack of compassion for patients. Especially in regard to mental health. I had a cardiac patient raise concerns to me about lifelong anxiety & it's possible contribution to their current situation. Obviously a valid concern, stress raises catecholamine levels & chronically high levels do put stress on the heart. They wanted to talk to the Dr about anti-anxiety meds. I raised this with their cardiologist, who laughed in my face. Said that being anxious didn't cause heart attacks. Lost 100% of my respect for him. Dismissive bastard. I talked more with the patient, validated their concern, & talked them through the process of going to a GP for mental health concerns. The way the medical field views mental health is absolutely disgusting.

[@Olga1983]

As someone with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (aka ME or the dumb name the CDC gave it of CFS), this episode is fantastic and I wish more doctors watched this!

[@michaellovely6601]

I guess that the reason why the CDC calls it "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome" is because it's easier to pronounce. Nonetheless; I love both parts of "Sick and Tired" because it brought awareness to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

[@58209]

reminder that ME is only one iteration of diseases that fall under the umbrella of CFS. not everyone with CFS has ME. i agree that the term "chronic fatigue syndrome" sucks in terms of communicating the severity of the disease, but not all of us have the higly specific condition that myalgic encehalymyelitis describes. and given patient's chronic fatigue can have all sorts of causes--known, undicovered, diagnosed, and undiagnosed.

[@sarcasticallyrearranged]

Women are dismissed as being hysterical and overreacting exaggerating their symptoms. If you have pain and no physical way to prove it, good luck with getting help. Thanks to the opioid hysteria, chronic pain patients are being cut down, cut off or flat out denied pain medication. Last time I checked, it was the doctor who went to medical school and not the DEA. No one should be left to suffer.

[@ConstantChaos1]

The opioid issues are genuine not hysteria, no paitent should be dismissed but prescribing painkillers without a second thought is not the answer

[@cirquedude123]

Bravo! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻✊🏻

[@mdee860]

👍👍👍👏👏👏♥️♥️♥️ - spot on.

[@mdee860]

@@ConstantChaos1 - b4 issuing Blanket Statements - do some research on people with severe pain. It is very difficult 4 many people to get adequate pain medicine - DESPITE the 2018(?) Mea Culpa letter from CDC stating that 90 MME was only for guidance for PCPs INITIATING OPOID treatment. For people with mod/severe pain - we only have enough to take the EDGE OFF, there is NEVER, EVER true relief of pain. It is enough where I have 1.5 hrs. twice a day - where you might see me 'smile' on my once per week outing. My GOOD DAYS are where, with pain meds, I am at a level 4. I mostly live at 8 or 9, with some buffering when pain med is working. Try dealing with that 24/7/365. It is too painful for me too sleep more than 3 consecutive hours because I have to get up & change position. I am sorry for those who lost loved ones - but NOT ALL are addicts. Some are simply trying to get thru the day as best they can.

[@sweetfreeze5528]

@@mdee860This! Thank you 🙏 And I'm sorry for your pain. I have chronic migraines that debilitate me 3 or 4 times a week. Trying to find help with the pain has always made me look like an addict looking for a fix. But I'm just a mom who wants to enjoy watching her kids grow up, and not be stuck in a dark room for most of their lives.

[@unknownpasserby7405]

My fav beside's bea's line was that "Shut Up Lewis." She might be Dr. Budd's wife or date. And if someone suddenly came to the table, most people would defend their companion. She didn't and let dorothy say what she wanted to say.

[@kittenclysm116]

I freaking LOVE that!🤣It's obvious she's on the girls' side and isn't about to let someone tread on her

[@tahraethestoryteller6079]

I think it was his wife since in the previous episode he said that his wife became a blonde

[@stephaniekolinda6318]

Susan Harris,the writer of the show,suffering from it too

[@cfsbrisbane9539]

I didn't know that the writer has ME/CFS! Good on her for writing about it in such a prominent show.

[@sunshinenOJ]

Episode was written in 1989, but later Susan Harris found out she had adrenal fatigue instead according to Wikipedia

[@kristinae.7084]

This is the speech I wish I could give to most of the doctors I've ever had.

[@useryou9877]

what a powerful scene! one of my favorite! such a wake up call about society for a number of reasons... how doctors dismiss patients, and how women especially are dismissed, not only by doctors!

[@LegionIvory]

This happened to me when I had a flaring cyst in throat. I had to beg the doctor to check my throat. It wasn't until he actually felt the lump that he stopped being so cold. I managed to get the surgery a couple months later, and I'm doing much better now, but this sadly tends to be my experience with white doctors, and it breaks my heart. I shouldn't have to beg to be taken seriously. This episode arc remains one of my favorites for this very reason. Dorothy deserved better, as we all do.

[@majorharmonic]

I'm so so sorry. This definitely doesn't just effect women. The way BIPOC are treated in medicine is absolutely disgusting. Anybody who isn't a cishet white male just isn't trusted or respected, and it needs to change.

[@desertrose1226]

@@majorharmonic my husband is from the Middle East and he got treated like dirt by a few doctors and he is youngish so it’s even worse they thought nothing was wrong with him turned out he was prediabetic..

[@majorharmonic]

@@desertrose1226 Despicable. They need to listen to their patients. At least test for the basics. There's no excuse for missing things like diabetes.

[@iprobablyforgotsomething]

Unfortunately, it's not just white male docs who are arrogant and dismissive (although they have been consistently the worst, save for two docs I've ever had). Old male Asian doctors and, astonishingly, young female doctors of Middle Eastern appearance (idk their exact descent, as I didn't ask) have also been horrifically dismissive and cold to me (light-skinned mixed female) across decades. . Maybe doctors all around just need to pull their heads outta their behinds and remember that their book-learning came from case studies of real people who surprised their doctors then... just as patients do now. . Medicine advances onwards primarily because someone found out a previous theory was wrong or another treatment is more effective than the standard one in use. Doctors should *not* be shocked to have assumptions disproved or to have patients with a-typical symptoms, etc.!

[@lulumoon6942]

This moment was so redemptive for anyone chronically ill with few answers from the medical profession!!! 💖

[@itsjemmabond]

Shortly before graduating from university, I felt sharp pains in my abdomen I initially mistook for gas and bloating. When I couldn't endure it any longer I was referred to a specialist at the teaching hospital where they discovered fibroids, but the doctor refused to refer me for surgery because apparently fibroids aren't life-threatening. Because of her, I had to live with unbearable pain which got worse, 20-day periods, constant fatigue... It took four years before I finally asked my GP to send me to another hospital, and I had to be placed on a waiting list, but eventually another specialist removed those tumours and I was back to normal, and if I hadn’t seen him, who knows? Doctors don't know everything, but you know your own body - when in doubt, trust your own instincts and get a second opinion.

[@Queenalika85]

THE STORY OF MY LIFE...FIBROMYALGIA IS REAL

[@ConstantChaos1]

Im sorry you had to deal with that, if its any consolation the newest generation of drs is proving to be alot better about this than before

[@Queenalika85]

@@ConstantChaos1 i totally agree

[@kittenclysm116]

I love how his date/wife tells him to shut up when he tries to defend himself😈

[@celtichound9889]

The 'hairdresser' line from Dorothy is actually because Dr.Budd said to her that she could go change her hair colour. He said that his wife did that and now she's a new woman.

[@ffionann4]

I have M.E (CFS) and fibromyalgia. I was surprised at how much this hit home. I often feel that people, doctors included, don't really comprehend or believe how debilitating these conditions can be. This episode is amazing - you know when something is wrong with you and, it may take a while, but there is always someone out there waiting to help!

[@nobodyuknow6337]

👏👏👏👏👏👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼✨✨🎈🎊 I have had CFS for half my life and I didn't understand what was keeping my body from just shutting down. I NEVER would have believed that the body could be so exhausted and weak and still function. Even *thinking* was exhausting. I have in the last few years, developed other health issues on top of it. If any of the other health problems act up they trigger the CFS and intensify it. I wish the mockers could suffer for a month what so many of us endure for years.

[@carlettejarrett8394]

Hello. I'm so sorry you are enduring this but I urge you to not be bitter and resentful. Make yourself light. Don't wish ill on anyone but that they will be more compassionate,understanding and willing to listen.❤

[@chewie2055]

Do you take pain medication?

[@nobodyuknow6337]

@@chewie2055 3. 2 pain meds for Fibromyalgia and one for chronic migraines. But paid meds seldom get rid of all the pain rather make it bearable.

[@finleyknight443]

My husband has CFS and I've seen him fall apart from exhaustion. He even starts shaking just from doing dishes, and it's horrifying seeing him so weak and tired. So I make sure he rests whenever he needs it even if it's for the entire day. Thankfully both of us work from home, so we don't have to go anywhere

[@tammywebb1289]

@@nobodyuknow6337 I am so sorry that you're going through this Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I had NO idea what Chronic Fatigue Syndrome was until I saw the Golden Girls episode. Dorothy is my MOST FAVORITE Golden Girl, and she's right, more doctors need to be more caring and compassionate towards their patients. They're not only rude to their patients, but they also put their patients' lives in danger by not taking their illnesses seriously. I also think doctors need to be more aware of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

[@carleethe1st]

Not CFS, but I have Ehlers Danlos. It’s a rare congenital disorder that does extreme damage to basically any and every part of the body. My first specialist was a urologist and he sent me to psychotherapy at 8 when he couldn’t comprehend my pelvic pain. That psychiatrist fought for me and told him off for pawning me on her. Well, my bladder was contracting and ripping. The urologist actually cried when he found out. I’m not mad anymore, I just wish doctors wouldn’t use psychiatry as a scape goat.

[@kshitijpratapsingh5640]

I still remember the the time when two doctors messed it up and I ended up getting a muscle infection.

[@shivangi6418]

Do you have CFS?

[@rnopes21]

Just diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis and lupus. This episode hit so close to home. Getting told that all my symptoms are because I'm anxious (already being successfully treated for anxiety) was so horrible and dismissive. I had to hunt down my own Rheumatologist for 18 months before I could get the care I needed. Had to really fight for it. Such a terrible way to treat patients.

[@bombshell-1771]

I'm in complete WOW!!!! She nailed it!!! Wish I could see the whole episode.

[@SpookyVintageGal]

This is so similar to my experience I went through numerous doctors like this and finally after 9.5 years I found a wonderful doctor who took me seriously, listened to me did tons of testing and finally was able to give me my CFS/ME diagnosis.

[@3fishesinatank806]

EPISODE "SICK AND TIRED"

[@katieburak93]

I love the look his wife gave him. She was not dealing with his bullshit that day.

[@NXNX]

You know, this speech reminds me so much of what a patient who is suffering from Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD) might say, which is a syndrome recently recognized but until recently, and still now, denied and belittled by many doctors and psychiatrists.

[@tierefuerimmer9635]

I don't take SSRIs bc of side effects but I take Saffron and Ashwagandha.

[@maggiek.1176]

My first gastro doc told me basically I was lazy, fat, and crazy when he couldn’t figure it out. Turns out I have several rare conditions and my life has completely turned around with my new doctor WHO BELIEVED ME. I want this moment with my first doctor soooooo bad.

[@murphysletsdraw]

Absolutely spot on. The number of doctors I’ve wanted to force to watch this scene... I don’t know that I’ve ever seen fiction get this specific reality so right before

[@SweetBearCub]

I'd pass them the phone to them and insist that they watch this scene. You're in the driver's seat so to speak. "I need you to watch this specific scene of a show. It says some important things that I have been needing to say, better than I could ever say them."

[@carolinadelgado2897]

Now that I watch this, I appreciate how the Golden Girls tackled so many issues, and this is one of them. However, now that I am studying medicine, I realized that Dorothy may have had Cushing's syndrome, which was not even considered possible during that time period and was hard to diagnose.

[@SweetBearCub]

The exact illness may be hard to pin down, as it was just a sitcom, but I think the message that the writer was trying to send (Susan Harris, who wrote for The Golden Girls, was actually diagnosed with CFS) was that there are a lot of scared and angry people not getting the care that they deserve from any professional who is there to care for people, and that these professionals need to be a lot more focused on really listening to their patients, and not be so quick to dismiss them.

[@LP-wz2yp]

As a chronic bacterial cystitis patient, good god i feel this

[@mdee860]

Brava, Brava, Brava 👏👏👏 That is my story, too. 12 yrs. being told I had GERD - wrong; 15 yrs. to DX neck damage due to devastating horse accident, on top of all that - ME/CFS & 98% symptoms of Dysautonomia & CCI. What little energy I have is spent researching Drs - only to find out my expensive health insurance (AmeriHealth) denies ANY out of Network specialist. 👍👍👍

[@lynneufeld3175]

Hugs 🫂

[@starrama7711]

whoever put the thumbs down.. hasn't been really sick.

[@ConstantChaos1]

Or they are just lying

[@starrama7711]

@@ConstantChaos1 what do you mean?

[@ConstantChaos1]

@@starrama7711 they are lying about how they really fealt about the clip, it had a strong female protagonist so incels would dislike despite secretly liking it for instance

[@starrama7711]

@@ConstantChaos1 ohh thank yo for clarifying :)

[@FightingMECFS]

Im guessing it was a doctor lol

[@cirquedude123]

I’m going through something similar almost identical to what she goes through in these two episodes and this moment gives me hope that soon I will find an educated doctor who doesn’t dismiss me just because he doesn’t have the experience to know what it is that I’m suffering with.

[@bridgetbonds5169]

Well done Dorothy 👍👍

[@Dr.Beetlejuice110]

This was one of my favorite episodes of golden girls.

[@teresawalker5101]

I went through the same thing when they couldn't find out that i had lupus. Some chronic diseases really hide themselves well. It took 10 doctors and 2 years to find out what was wrong with me.

[@rnopes21]

I believe you. I'm so sorry you went through that.

[@sassbrat]

This 2 me was one of the best episodes ever as well as Dorothy's most savage moment (my option) given the situation of this scene. Dorothy confronting the Doctor about they way he treated her as well as letting it all out without raising her voice (which was the scariest part when someone is angry), without letting the man leave, telling the man that he lost being a human and the most important part for this scene is Dorothy with no matter how much she was angry with that the Doctor to never have to encounter a doctor like him when he would need help. She never wanted him to experience what she went through and that is what makes her great in this scene and such a bigger person. I love that Dorothy never gave up no matter what the Doctors told her that there was nothing wrong with her. She did have a point that if she was a man she may have been taken more seriously since people stereotype people all the time. She never gave up on finding out what was wrong with her. The Asian Doctor explanation about why the others doctors treated her the way they did is so true. The acting in these 2 episodes was just wonderful. There was this scared/dark humor that is used when you are scared for a loved one. Rose not being her loving idiot self but a serious person who was worried about her friend. Sophia worried for her daughter since she had seen more death than any of others given her past in one episode when someone said 'The Nazi's are coming.' due to a play said a lot. As well as her line that no parent should out live their child. Blanche just being there for Dorothy .

[@desertrose1226]

Doctors can still be just as dumb today. Very sad that even since this was aired very little has changed. I love the acting on this scene. Bea Arthur was a diamond here!

[@Yaya_Just_Visiting]

Golden in every sense of the word. Bravo Ms. Arthur. Bravo. 👏🏾👏🏾💐

[@Melissa0774]

I wonder if anyone's ever confronted a doctor like this in real life and if so, how did it go?

[@Highglow66]

No matter what you do, they're untouchable these days..

[@agoldenlessoninpatientcare3266]

I used this clip when I gave a talk to a room full of consultants here in the UK

[@theconfusedvampire]

We'll see.... I just sent a message to my doctor with this clip attached, because, I can't take it anymore.

[@lorendaemon7945]

@@theconfusedvampire How'd it go?

[@theconfusedvampire]

@@lorendaemon7945 Not the best still didn't help enough and funny thing is. I was recently diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as well as Fibromyalgia and POTS at the Mayo Clinic.

[@TheSmatt554]

I went through the same kind of dismissal. I was told that I was just a lazy woman. Thank God I found a Dr to diagnose me with CFS.

[@lazzanna1645]

I have chronic fatigue syndrome, have had it for over 15 years, the good days are when I am not asleep. I also have epilepsy which can antagonise it and cause more problems. When I try and tell the neurologist I am having more seizures all I get is the usual medical static. I am close to yelling at him and I think I will be not using polite language either. I really want help but for some reason they seem to think that because they have the PhD and that pretty certificate then they are the experts, they are experts in the body not in mine. I know what is happening and personally I think if they are going to become professionals in certain fields then they should experience what we go through.

[@KaryShort-wi7kv]

Good Dorothy! You really rammed that into Dr Budd's heart 🫀🫁 and mind 🧠🤯!❤😂🎉😅😊! 2:49 2:49

[@ConstantChaos1]

I will NEVER dismiss a paitent Im there to help them and thqts what I damn well will do

[@fp5495]

I think people are always under the impression that, only now, today, are we the most aware of pressing current events, when in fact, since the mid to late '60s, social awareness has been embedded in entertainment all the long. It's nothing new, despite what everyone thinks is going on today with social media. Television was social media, and unlike today, the word stuck around and frozen in time rather than scrolled past and forgotten about in 10 seconds. Forward thinkers exist in all generations past and present. It's truly nothing new.

[@cynthiahawkins2389]

It is 2020. And my hubby developed LE from his diabetes - lymphedema. However it is more common with women, especially after breast cancer treatments. BECAUSE in any mastectomy surgery the lymph glands are often removed. And unusual swelling can be a result. Kathy Bates ('Misery'/'Dolores Claiborne') has become a spokesperson for this condition - often ignored, frequently mis diagnosed. Women have the special challenge of persisting after being told by a Doctor, "this is emotional, it is mental, there's nothing wrong with you.." Feh!! Push on, no matter what!

[@kerens8222]

Can you please enable closed captions? I would like to translate from English to Hebrew. Thanks!

[@majorharmonic]

I can't figure out how to sorry. Do you know how I can do it on a phone?

[@camdyndarksidecat7038]

I've experienced so much dismissal like this too (I don't have ME, but I do have severe nerve damage that's still listed as idiopathic) and that thing she said about how he should have said something like "I'm sorry, I don't know why you're sick", I had a doctor who said something like that to me, and he was excellent, his referral to a more specialized neurologist actually got me a real diagnosis. That arrogant dismissal (often sexist, racist, etc.) is a doctor failing a patient, not the one that admits they don't know what's causing the problem but believes you. Also, I have no idea who the heck is telling doctors that things like psychologically caused severe physical issues are common, they're far rarer than a patient having some type of physiological disease. The diagnosis of schizophrenia is more common than a formal diagnosis of "illness anxiety disorder" (formally called hypochondria), but any doctor who wasn't a specialist in it who claimed huge numbers of their regular patients had schizophrenia would be denounced as a quack. It's a rare disorder itself!

[@Dizzyfingers2]

This is the season that Bea started reading her scene dialogues on cue cards off stage like Dixie Carter did in Designing Women ... it's obvious here: @1:20

[@janetlieb2507]

I have Chronic Fatigue. Went through difficulty with male doctors.

[@emirlsanchos6302]

I think it was the writer or director of this episode that recently came out, at the time, and said they suffered from CFS. It makes Dorothy's dialogue more powerful as I'm sure the writer or director experienced similar ignorant dismissals and belittlement from doctors like the one Dorothy's dressing down verbally during her battle to understand the illness.

[@kerens8222]

I wish I had her courage

[@angelicamariapuga]

I'm ill too I have so many symptoms and I have fatigue issues as well people rather they know me or not and I've struggled with it airports to school and people are karens and spreading rumors about me that isn't true and my parents doesn't support me always blame me for things and teachers and my younger brother too I'm not surprised about my brother part but also Internet Bad people ect other than that God is the only one knows I'm struggling to survive 💯❤️🙏🏻

[@MrCraigblaze]

Thanks for the Upload 👍 !! Since watching this episode back in 1990 I have has the pleasure of having Two doctor that were COMPLETE jerks to me .And I am Very impressed in how Dorothy handled the situation !! XD

[@BeeKay4444]

This is so factual! Some doctors are terrible.

[@pocolocajuanita]

The situation is even worse if you actually have e g. anxiety disorder besides cfs /ME :( (though I'm not really sure which was first because they diagnosed anxiety when my parents sent me to examinations after a year my ME started...) It took 20 year and a huge ridiculously obvious worsening to get the cfs diagnoses - and for me to not give up and advocate for myself as I literally was unable to work at that point.. still the examination process got stuck at a psychiatrist who was a bit too sure in herself (even though i had depression before and i knew it's not like this) no matter what examples I told like how once i went to a Museum with my granny who was just recovering from a flu yet it was me who had to sit more times and was wiped out for long days while she travelled somewhere else 2 days later!(i was 30) The point the psychiatrist was actually considered my illness being physical when an immunologist finally nodded to the probability of ME/here cfs)...

[@vanessaoliver8240]

It's the same with ankylosing spondylitis .ten years of searching for a diagnosis while in pain with DRS who didn't know what was wrong.

[@Scorpio_Moonshine]

Anyone here with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome? 🧡

[@tonyajones1463]

I understand Dorothy frustration For the past 2 years I had been sick and I went to a few doctors and nor one of them believed what was wrong with me. I won't spill put what all I was feeling but my husbamd and I thought I was pregnant several times cause j had some if not most of the symptoms. Well ine doctor office diagnosed me with diabetes well after 1 year of making sure I was healthy and my husbamd was taking good care of me we learned I was never diabetic to begin with. I never cinfr9nted the other doctor who said I was ajd I wish I had. I went to go see an OBGYN she said I wasn't diabetic that my blood worj proved it and I wasn't pregnant the tines I went to the doctors and assumed I was. I think she said it was acid reflux I was having. I am in blood pressure medicine tho and I'm better. But I was dismissed and no one would listen to me and I had notes of symptoms I had not one of the doctors wanted to hear me. But my OBGYN listened to every word and symptom j had to say she is amazing. When u are finally heard it's a huge relief.

[@user-bz8pq5fw7q]

This episode resonated with me.

[@hopelovewright4248]

Now all the golden girls are together again

[@goldengirl5165]

I wonder how many people with COVID we're dismissed like this before there was even a name for it.

[@kid-ava]

this is brilliant

[@jenjem5810]

BRAVO!!!!

[@quietyoutrash8150]

This was a great episode and it was still funny despite being about illness. My only thing is that Bea looks like shes reading off cue cards lol.

[@Dan-ct5zl]

Bea Arthur was brilliant as Dorothy

[@ultimatebishoujo29]

I love this so much!!!

[@SlightlyCrunchyMama]

Wow. Not much has changed in 30 years.

[@zinc8002]

I have never met a doctor who isn’t in some form or way like Dr Budd

[@chelsiirvine8970]

If your a doctor that doesn't know the illness at least tell them you don't know what it is or the answer tell them that u know a doctor you've known for years that has the profession for this kind of thing

[@stefijane]

I know what is feels like I was 12 when I got chronic fatigue syndrome and the doctor told my mum that there was nothing wrong and my mum was being over dramatic but my mum wouldn’t back down so the doctor send me to the hospital and said that the hospital is going to say the same thing but they didn’t they told my mum I had chronic fatigue syndrome

[@saralisa823]

Can I tell a story about a doctor I was born with seizures so naturally I have to go to a neurologist I go to one now who I have to see only his assistant she's so infuriating saying things like you need to eat more then trying to put me on weight management 😤

[@icarusunholy9448]

Dr. Carol Marcus!

[@suzycreamcheesez4371]

with no health insurance?

[@ButchBirdie]

God I wish I could talk to my rude ass doctor like this. I have iih, and am similarly not taken seriously

[@childhooddreamer6975]

He is just like all the doctors and nurses at my local hospital. 😡😠

[@cbross6200]

I suffers needlessly at the hands of a doctor. 5.5 months of labor like pain. She biased my referrals and made care nearly impossible. I lost 90 pounds and nearly died at the hands of this doctor. I’m not alone I read other horror stories at rate my Md. Yet there is zero repercussions from the medical board. She biased my care by writing that the pain was due to psychological stressor. My uterus was dead my ovaries were dead and I had damage to my small bowel. 5.5 months of agony. I lost 90 bs and put my affaires in order. I will never trust te medical system again. Welcome to being indigenous in a biased medical system.

[@3fishesinatank806]

WHAT YEAR WAS THIS?

[@3fishesinatank806]

1989

[@HeavensOfAlakye]

And still, doctors havent changed🙃

[@AliciaStLouis-ln3or]

This is how people make me feel when I'm dealing with daily chronic migraine pain. They tell you the pain in your head because they don't understand your pain.

[@sharipierre1]

🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

[@neoanderson726]

yep doctors get paid whether you live, die, get better, stay sick, or need to pay for second and third opinions . I know too many people that I love kept sick by incompetent doctors , made to feel crazy when they were right all along hello Mr emergency doctor who can barely speak english trying to tell my exhausted mother that her crying infant with a rash has emotional issues and not sick. She has to rush him from one emergency room to another Children's hospital where he was diagnosed with Roseola . So many just too many to write here . How about doctor not get paid until they completely heal you

[@blaiseavey4090]

I’m a hypochondriac and this episode really threw me for a loop.

[@sashamellon822]

The reality is that the writer who wrote this episode actually had adrenal issues not chronic fatigue and eventually recovered . Btw there’s still no treatment for chronic fatigue so what’s the point

[@reece-700]

Chronic fatigue is just one of a multitude of symptoms of "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome". There is no cure (as yet) because more funding is required for biomedical research.

[@anthonyhebisen]

In my deepest of gay fantasies…Dorothy gets her hair dyed , feels fabulous and the doctor was right all along 😂

[@peacepocket]

Dorothy was in her 50s. Most likely menopause is what was causing her fatigue, Doctors were clueless back then.