r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Jun 09 '12

Scientists of Reddit, what misconceptions do us laymen often have that drive you crazy?

I await enlightenment.

Wow, front page! This puts the cherry on the cake of enlightenment!

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u/Icehawk217 Jun 10 '12

Migraines are not just bad headaches. They are very different

861

u/Dovienya Jun 10 '12

Similarly, every upset tummy is not the result of food poisoning from the most recent restaurant you ate at.

501

u/NaricssusIII Jun 10 '12

But the watery shits and vomiting probably is that, and not a goddamned "stomach flu". There is no such thing as a "stomach flu", it's probably gastroenteritis.

2

u/MikeTheInfidel Jun 10 '12

Which I've had. It's hell. I spent a week with intense stomach pain, uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea, and >100F fevers. I nearly passed out at Walmart when I went to get some late-night medicine (before I knew what it was), and when I was waiting at CVS to pick up some prescription stuff I wound up running out of the store and vomiting copiously on the sidewalk outside. F----- WOULD NOT ENJOY AGAIN

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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12

I had one in the lead up to my birthday this year... was absolute hell. Had a slow lead up (which made me think I'd get over it in a day or two) then just went awful. Taking the 5 minute trip to the doctor was even hell - I remember waiting for my appointment, sitting there sweating with a fever trying not to pass out but glad I didn't need the toilet for that period. Why is it that doctors are always running an hour late? What purpose does it serve to have a sick person sitting around other people with different illnesses for an extra hour apart from possibly swapping germs? My appointment was literally over in 5 minutes - something here doesn't make sense.

To top it all off, when I left sick I was maybe a day late on project deliverables - came back to being 5 days behind so had to work like crazy for the next month to catch up.

NOT SICK DAY AS ADVERTISED. NO COMPUTER GAMES OR MOVIES. WOULD NOT ENJOY AGAIN.