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Original poster

My doctor has described me as ‘a very pleasant lady’

205 replies

HouseyMcHouseFace · 28/01/2019 19:45

And it made me cry.

I have to go to hospital tomorrow for an infusion and needed a letter from my doctor as it’s an urgent referral thing. She wrote the referral with my age, weight and the fact that I’m very pleasant.

I am feeling poorly and a bit down at the moment but it really made my day.

OP posts:
StillNumb · 28/01/2019 20:32

I'm glad that gave you a lift OP. It definitely isn't standard terminology, and I think you can rest assured that is was your doctor thought. Plenty of patients are not pleasant! (and sometimes doctors too). I hope your appointment tomorrow goes well and you are soon feeling better. xx

MitziK · 28/01/2019 20:33

'Kind' = lovely, sweet little old lady instead of a shrieking harridan like the mother and daughter combo I had immediately prior to her

AdaColeman · 28/01/2019 20:33

"Pleasant lady" means exactly that.

Bolshy would be something like "knowledgeable and cheerful lady"!

Hope all goes well with your procedure Housey. Thanks

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KatherinaMinola · 28/01/2019 20:34

Thanks MitziK, I'll look out for those in future!

Abra1de · 28/01/2019 20:34

Thanks, Elspeth!

Abra1de · 28/01/2019 20:35

And MitziK

kooshbin · 28/01/2019 20:35

Definitely not standard. I worked in many specialties in my local hospital as a bank/temp secretary. When they say "a very pleasant lady" that is exactly what they mean.

Given how much NHS staff have to deal with "difficult" patients these days, it's probably a breath of fresh air to have a very pleasant patient. So kudos to you for being one of those patients who can make it seem so worthwhile for that doctor.

(The "difficult" patients get just the "this xx-year-old".)

MitziK · 28/01/2019 20:36

Oh, yes (it's all coming back to me now - 13 years since I did this last!).

'Delightful' - they made me smile/laugh. I needed that after the morning I've had.

MitziK · 28/01/2019 20:39

'Lovely' - cried during the consultation because she felt so ill, but apologised for being silly and I'm not allowed to give patients a hug

AndItStillSaidFourOfTwo · 28/01/2019 20:39

Am I the only one who thinks that judgements on patients' characters, be they positive or negative, don't belong in medical letters? Confused It feels rather patronising and presumptuous, tbh.

PinguDance · 28/01/2019 20:39

I used to work in private healthcare and my faves were when the consultants were totally showing off too each other - thank you for seeing my good friend mr x who is an art dealer, thank you for finding time to see mrs y who has a very busy job as a human rights lawyer - absolutely nothing to do with their medical history!

Titsywoo · 28/01/2019 20:39

My consultant always described me as a pleasant lady. I'm not bolshy at all! I'm bloody pleasant though I'll have you know!

Aridane · 28/01/2019 20:39

OP - you are very pleasant and the letter reflected that. No, not standard or meaning bolshy!

Stompythedinosaur · 28/01/2019 20:40

In my experience (as a nurse) pleasant = normal patient (if a patient is not described a pleasant you know they will probably behave badly), but very pleasant = likely to be a pleasure to look after.

MitziK · 28/01/2019 20:40

I disagree. It shows that they see the patient as a person, rather than just another malfunctioning womb/knackered immune system/dodgy knee.

taybert · 28/01/2019 20:42

It’s not standard and it just means what it says. I’m glad it brightened your day!

OpalIridescence · 28/01/2019 20:43

I have never had a description at all.

Feeling rather needy now! Why do doctors hate meeee??

Ihatemyseleffordoingthis · 28/01/2019 20:44

My mum (80 and tbh just brilliant) always gets "this very pleasant lady" on her consultant letters. She was a bit put out to have her character described, but I told her it just meant "you won't have any trouble with this one"/"clean and non-sweary".

Take the compliments wherever you find them OP. I'm sure you're as lovely as my mum is.

weegiemum · 28/01/2019 20:44

I get "this 48 year old GPs wife" - which I expect is a warning that dh will come with me and ask All The Questions!

I do think it's got me a side room once or twice, though!

NicoAndTheNiners · 28/01/2019 20:45

Well I've had pleasant, delightful and charming...all on different letters from different doctors. I am polite but will stand my ground and as a midwife have just enough knowledge of medical stuff, especially referral procedures to not be fobbed off when I want something. So yeah bolshy and a pita.

A VTs trainee looked rather panicked once when he tried to fob me off with the pill/coil for heavy periods ten years after I'd been sterilised after failing to get on with any hormonal contraception or the copper coil. I told him I'd already spoken to my favourite gynae consultant who'd agreed to see me and I just needed him to write the letter as I was planning on having an ablation. He ran out the room to ask a more experienced GP what to do. Think that was the referral letter which said charming bolshy Grin

NicoAndTheNiners · 28/01/2019 20:46

And yes my letters normally say midwife rather than lady so I think it's a heads up!

NutElla5x · 28/01/2019 20:47

I got the same description on a referral letter from my doctor. I thought it was nice but also a bit strange and wondered whether the hospital medics would not look after me so well if I hadn''t had a good character reference lol.

minipie · 28/01/2019 20:47

I always assumed pleasant meant perfectly nice to deal with.

And if the letter doesn’t say pleasant it means watch out for this one.

I’m pretty sure I’ve had articulate and knowledgeable Blush (dab hand with Dr Google, me)

AndItStillSaidFourOfTwo · 28/01/2019 20:47

Mitzi, I get that - I guess my feeling is that my personality is not relevant to my illness/condition (usually, anyway) and its inclusion is saying that what this person thinks of me is important/relevant. An assumption of the right to judge, I suppose.

minipie · 28/01/2019 20:48

Oh yes very pleasant is definitely a cut above pleasant.