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

[HouseyMcHouseFace]

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.

It’s the little things isn’t it. When our first ivf failed my fertility doc wrote to my gp about how it failed and it said: I do hope this lovely couple will be successful in their journey towards a successful pregnancy. I can cry thinking about that letter!

Comments like this are out of vogue.

I have colleagues who still write letters like this but I don'. I think it sounds too judgy.

I might write it was lovely to review X butI wouldn't describe them as pleasant or attractive.

I would however include occupation if relevant e.g. My Dad has just had a heart attack. I would expect his notes to include the info that my brother is a medical negligence solicitor, I'm an acute specialty consultant and his DIL is a GP.

I couldn't get to the hospital so DF had a list of very precise questions to ask. The information was probably meaningless to him but told my SIL and I a lot. The junior doctor helped him write the what's app with the answers!!!

What are the letters for? And why does it matter if someone is “charming” or “pleasant”?

Bet you’re lovely op, hope you’re feeling better soon

I see a lot of hospital letters.

Pleasant, lovely, delightful all mean - these are the patients we come to work for

Somewhat anxious means - delightful but nervous wreck, allow extra time to offer support in consultations

This was a difficult conversation means - the patient threw a chair at me and insulted the morals of my mother

I've seen letters describing people as pleasant and lovely and also delightful children. However some being described as pleasant by Consultants make us say in the surgery "really?" because they treat us like shit.

I've also seen a hospital letter about "this man" which was understandable.

My GP said every time he sees me he realises he is grateful to not be me!!

My mother once received a copy of a letter from a hospital consultant to her GP that described her as “very thin”. She was outraged!

I was described as an 'involved' mother in a letter regarding my dd18 recently.

It pissed me off tbh

I've been described as 'pleasant' on a consultant referral letter. I assumed it was code for polite and not likely to be difficult to deal with. I'm fairly shy and timid and not the type to argue with authority figures!

I have just checked a referral letter a GP wrote for me a couple of months ago. I have not been afforded any nice adjectives. I am just “this XX year old lady”. Guess it’s because I’m bit pushy!

I got "this anxious mother" once when I asked to be referred to get the MenB for DS privately as he'd missed the NHS starting point.

But I had just had a polite disagreement with the GP in question who was surprisingly anti vaccine.

I'd have taken pleasant lady!

Very pleasant - not a pain in the bottom.

Who cares if they all say that?! It's still a lovely thing to read about yourself. A compliments a compliment - doesn't matter who it comes from!

ignore the negatives -

ErictheGuineaPig Mon 28-Jan-19 20:15:51Why on earth would people read that this compliment made the poster's day because she's ill and feeling down and then make a point of telling her 'all letters say that'. Just, why? Can't you just let her have something that's picked her up a little? Has anyone ever heard the expression 'sometimes it's more important to be kind than to be right'?

I know. Some people simply just have cut others down. It’s sad. Half of them (the negative ones) aren’t even right! 🙄

Housey. Don’t be pay any attention to the negative posts. It doesn’t mean bolshy, it means - as it says - pleasant. It is frequently used, but only when the patients IS pleasant.

You sound lovely 💐 My friend had this done and she said the difference it’s made is incredible, so I hope it’s the same for you 😊

I used to read correspondence between GPs and consultants all the time in a previous job, there are various different ways of describing somebody as bolshy and saying they are pleasant is certainly not one of them. My mother was described as a pleasant, assertive and knowledgeable elderly lady in a letter to her consultant; it suits her down to a T as she's stubborn and thinks she knows it all

Like heyjude I am also a medical professional, and in my experience phrases like 'pleasant lady' and 'delightful gentleman' are relatively common and mean exactly what they say.

There are other ways to indicate 'bolshy'.

Aw, my DD got a “delightful” when she was age 2 from a consultant. She was really sick at the time and it made my heart sing that the doctor had thought of her as a real person with a personality, not just another “bunch of symptoms”in a very long clinic.

I've had several 'charming and pleasant lady' type letters and one ' MrsX expressed considerable dismay at this consultation' most likely because I told him he was plain old wrong that there was no other drug for my condition.

‘Pleasant lady’ is code for ‘no trouble at all’. ‘Well informed’ means ‘loves a fucking google’.
I was once described ‘Ms Chinny presents as a thin, pale lady’. This was code for ‘too thin to get pregnant and you might just want to check her haemoglobin’

northern has it spot on.

I've seen some corkers like "This patient is a very committed smoker".

Mind, my DC's CAMHS caseworker once said "Mornings, I'm in no doubt that you're very good at knocking on doors until you get the help you need". I think I'd be "determined and focussed" AKA the thistle that jags your arse.

I’ve just remembered a letter that referred to ‘this very wriggly 6 year old boy’. ‘wriggly’ actually came up a few times in notes, as in ‘I attempted the procedure but as x was rather wriggly I could not carry it out’.

I must say, I was delighted to get "presents as clean and tidy" a couple of months ago. At the time, I felt anything but!

I have been called a ‘most peculiar child’ (I was 20!) and ‘this lady presented as obese’ (I was pregnant!).

I nearly always get ‘it was a pleasure to see Coper at clinic today’ which makes me preen.

At my last consultation, I was actually obese as opposed to pregnant, and the consultant wrote as kindly as she possibly could, that I needed to lose weight. I can’t remember how she worded it but she could have said it a lot more harshly and it seemed like she had carefully thought about the wording.

OP, you really do sound delightful. 😊 Best of luck with the medical bits, and I hope you feel much better soon.

Also, if that’s the nicest someone has been to you in a while, you need to hang with a better crowd! 😁 We all need a pick-me-up sometimes, and your loved ones seems to have forgotten when it was your turn.

Lots of good wishes to you.