13-03-2025
A Black Patient Almost Got Their Foot Amputated Because Of Their Non-Black Doctor's SUPER Wrong Diagnosis
Going to the doctor can be a terrifying experience when you genuinely have no idea why a part of your body is aching, itchy, numb, or you just know something is off, but you can't explain it.
But one doctor told a story on TikTok that perfectly explains why Black people — who are 20-30% more likely to get misdiagnosed by a medical professional than white men — have yet another layer of concern when they enter a doctor's office.
Dr. Nichole Mgboji, known as @naturallynonny on TikTok, is a 28-year-old podiatry surgical resident from Maryland. And a repost of a video she shared about an experience with a patient recently went viral with 3.5 million views. "Do you know why it's important to have a Black doctor if you're Black?" she asked.
TikTok: @joelbervell / Via
"There was a patient I saw today. I got a consult [from a colleague]. He's like, 'Hey, we think this is frostbite.' I was like, 'Oh man.'"
"Thinking that it was going to be 'dry gangrene.' And if you don't know what that is, that means your toes are basically going to fall off, and you need to put betadine and everything to make sure it stays dry until you can amputate it," she explained.
"I said, 'Do they have, you know, what's going on?' Like – they're like, 'Oh, it looks necrotic, it looks blackened, it looks...'"
Necrotic means dead or dying tissue.
*long, disappointed pause*
"I went to the patient, and the patient had hyperpigmentation. They [the colleague] told me it was necrotic. That patient had cap refill," she said.
Cap refill pertains to blood circulation in your arms and legs.
"Their toes were alive, they're just Black — ya," she concluded.
In the comments of the video, an alarming number of doctors and patients shared similar experiences. "My doctor thought I had cancer because of my arm having hyperpigmentation, which was just the natural deodorant having a bad reaction to my armpits," this person shared.
"I'm in peds psych, I've heard providers refer to AAVE (African American Vernacular English) as 'psychosis' 'disorganized speech,'" this person said.
"had a doctor ask me, 'what are those scars on your stomach what happened???' he meant my stretch marks..." this person shared.
Other people expressed how grateful they were for Dr. Mgboji. "If nobody told you in a while.. thank you and I'm proud of you," this person expressed.
"Oh lord have mercy. Thank god you were there," this person said.
And one commenter needed to know how doctors end up in this situation in the first place. "I have a question. As a black girl going into healthcare do you learn about it in the curriculum? I heard how things look on us isn't even taught," they said.
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Dr. Mgboji addressed that question, acknowledging, "At my institution, I don't believe there was an overwhelming amount of literature or pictures about different melanated skin tones, but we were instructed to recognize that things will, in fact, look different on various complexions."
She shared how Black people can advocate for themselves if they're ever in this predicament. "Understand medical terminology at least, and in some circumstances, get a second opinion."
"The best way is having a trusted family member or friend in the medical field. The medical field is very complex, and it's good to have someone close to you who can explain things to you in a way that you understand," she said.
What do you think? Did the patient's actual diagnosis surprise you? Let us know in the comments.
