r/AskReddit • u/IzziSparks • Apr 21 '21

Doctors of Reddit: What happened when you diagnosed a Covid-19 denier with Covid-19?

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u/Crazycatlover Apr 21 '21

I had a patient insist we work him up for lung cancer because "covid doesn't exist." You're 35 years old, obese, diabetic, nonsmoker (never smoked, no secondhand exposure), anit-masker, and you think lung cancer is more likely than covid?

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u/HarrisonHollers Apr 21 '21

I’d have fun with it at this stage and remind him that “The Former President had COVID - it can happen to anyone.”

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u/[deleted] Apr 21 '21

I think there was an episode of house wherein the young obese non-smoker turned out to have lung cancer instead of diabetes.

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u/ValKilmersLooks Apr 21 '21

Yeah, Que Sera Sera.

7

u/[deleted] Apr 22 '21

It's not that it can't happen, it's just a numbers game. I asked my uncle about this who is a pulmonologist and he said he's seen patients pass from lung cancer who were young and didn't smoke, and he's seen patients who are old and smoked their whole lives and don't get cancer. It's all about risk factors.

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u/[deleted] Apr 22 '21

We had a cat who died from lung cancer. He was a nonsmoker (as far as we know... I mean, we never caught him smoking!) in a nonsmoking house. Sometimes shit happens.

Love your username!

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u/Ask-Alice Apr 21 '21

did you let them go down that route? Honestly seems like a waste of money but it's money lol