Doctor visits are usually stressful, but sometimes they turn into pure comedy gold. These 12 real-life stories prove that laughter really is the best medicine.

One dad went in for a vasectomy referral two days into paternity leave—his doctor walked in and joked, “Already?!” Another surgeon greeted a BMX rider he hadn’t seen in 10 years with, “You messed up the other knee this time, huh?” And a 43-year-old man learned he was “pregnant” after a doctor mixed up his test results mid-handwash.

Patients delivered their own punchlines too—like the guy with a head injury who shouted, “I GUESS I HAVE AMNESIA!” after being asked about his medical history for the fifth time. Or the woman who thought she’d lose her toe—only for the doctor to clarify, “No, just the toenail.”

Then there were the unforgettable mishaps: a trainee tech drawing extra blood “for practice,” a grandma convinced she had a tropical illness until her doctor discovered she’d been bathing with the cat’s flea shampoo, and a dentist pulling a coffee bean from a patient’s molar after he’d been chewing espresso beans to “wake up faster.”

In the end, these stories remind us that even in hospitals—sometimes especially in hospitals—humor finds a way in. And honestly? Thank goodness.