That is not a very reasonable outburst. Stress does give similar symptoms to some people. The doctors had clearly tried according to best procedure, but it is a matter of luck whether something like a small bristle is visible in a cat scan. Regular x-ray, not possible.

And if the doctors make you go through dozens of cat scans, you'll probably make a noise about them making unnecessary expensive examinations.

I think that's a bit unfair. If they went to the point of two CT scans (which showed nothing), it's not like they were being dismissive. They were probably trying to give the best diagnosis they could with the evidence available.

I'm not one to typically experience much stress, but it sure sounds like a dubious explanation for the symptoms.

I'm sure we can all appreciate how hard it can be to diagnose an issue in a piece of modern technology like a car or a piece of software.

A doctor's job is diagnosing (often very vaguely described) problems in a living body, a structure which is vastly more complex than any technology we've ever produced, and they can't just shut it down and take it apart either.

It shouldn't surprise anybody that many diagnoses are going to be wrong. That doesn't mean they are useless. They just have to be right often enough so that your odds of finding a beneficial treatment for your ailment improve when you seek their aid. And I think that is the case.

Some doctors are downright dismissive and lazy, though (as with software developers). So try more than one doctor, I guess.

>Stress? Give me a break.

I think that's the point.

Abdominal pain is notoriously hard to diagnose. Always get a second opinion if it's serious.

Doctors seem to be unwilling to admit that they don't know something.

True enough. Doctors unafraid to admit not knowing something inevitably impress me the most (to the point of staying their patient even after moving to the other side of the city):

* A young GP who pulled out a medical book in front of me to consult it.

* My dentist who told me he’ll perform the extraction if I want him to, but that his colleague specializes in it and will do a better job.