A Texas woman said she spent more than three hours with a dislocated jaw in an emergency room and that the doctor who finally saw her stared at her and said he did not know whether he would fix it and walked out.
TikTok creator Brooklynn, username @bendwithbrooklynn, shared the experience in a video and a long caption. Her mother recorded her experience and Brooklynn posted it from her account. The account comes from her posts and has not been independently verified.
While Yawning, Brooklynn’s Jaw Dislocated
Brooklynn said, “I have severe hEDS and TMJ, but I’ve never had something this traumatic before. My jaw dislocated at 4:00 a.m. when I yawned. I rushed to my mom’s room.”
Her mother called an ambulance while she was throwing up, having a panic attack and trying not to pass out from the pain. When paramedics arrived, she said they told her to come along, which she took to mean they could not help at the house.
Her family drove her to Altus Lumberton Hospital, Texas.
The Family Waited a Long Time for a Doctor
Brooklynn said staff took their time once they arrived.
She said, “The nurse who wheeled me back asked, ‘So what’s going on today?’ as if you couldn’t tell… as if I could speak. So my mom said my jaw is dislocated.”
They then waited for the doctor to arrive, she said. Her mother began filming once he came in, but the video cuts off because the phone stopped working.
The Doctor Allegedly Walked Out Without Doing Anything
In the video, the doctor is heard mocking Brooklynn’s mother when she said, “Hello?”
Brooklynn said the doctor seemed dismissive from the start. He also said he was trying to figure out why she was freaking out.
At the end of the video, the doctor remarked, “I’m just trying to figure out if she did it by throwing up.” Her mother told him Brooklynn had yawned and was now vomiting from the pain.
When her mother asked whether he had treated a dislocated jaw before, he said yes, but Brooklynn said he answered with an attitude. The doctor said his niece has the same issue and that he could pop the jaw back in, but then he just stared at her.
Her mother asked whether he planned to put it back, and he reportedly answered, “I don’t know.” A few minutes later, he stormed out because the family could not deal with his attitude.
Brooklynn Was Finally Treated after a Long Wait
Brooklynn said, “Later on, I was given nausea medicine and morphine, and they did the scans while I was out. The doctor popped it back in while I was under morphine, so I don’t even remember that part.”
In total, her jaw was dislocated for 3 hours and 15 minutes. She said she knew she would have to wait for X-rays but believed the doctor prolonged her care. She also added, “I will be making a formal complaint and contacting the Texas Medical Board.”
How Viewers Reacted
Viewers responded with anger. One wrote, “Patient advocate NOW!!! I pray he got fired.”
One viewer commented, “If he treats patients that way, I know he treats nurses that way. I definitely would report him.”
Another viewer commented, “Healthcare in the USA is a joke.”
One commenter praised Brooklynn’s mother, saying, “I’m obsessed with your mom sassing him. Bravo.”
Many mentioned the word “Ombudsman.” One viewer explained the policy and shared an experience where nurses apologized to the commenter after mistreating their father.
