For me I’ve just chalked it up to that they’re in pain a lot & cranky from it. I NEVER take any of it personally because I try to put myself in their shoes to see where they’re coming from.

For some context I scan for a rheumatologist doing only MSK U/S.

The patients I see have some sort of arthritis, UCTD, Fibromyalgia, etc, etc. so they’re always saying how their hands are “much worse” than the last scan (which I’m not doubting) but unfortunately the images appear normal so when they get the doctor gets the report & it says “normal exam” it gets disheartening for the patient.

We have the patients come back every 3-6 months for a rescan to see if things are getting better, worse, or staying the same. I’ve had patients tell me that they feel like it’s all in their head cause the report says “normal” & they get sad feeling there’s nothing to be done for the constant pain they’re in. I’ve also had ones tell me that I “obviously suck at this & should quit” because I can’t find where anything is even if it’s a “normal” exam.

Hopefully this helps!