I am a "very pleasant lady"

[HauntedBungalow]

... according to the consultant who wrote to my GP following an appointment. It says so on the first line of the letter.

I was feeling quite chuffed about this but when I told my cynical piss taking 21 yo son he said it probably meant I was a bit dozy. Surely not!

Does anyone know if "very pleasant lady" means fragrant and nice, or if it means thick?

I've obviously disinherited the son, regardless. (Not so dozy now am I? Twat.)

I agree.

I much prefer the policy of my gynae oncologist. Following clinic appointments, scans, biopsies etc, he writes his follow up letters directly to me and sends a copy to my GP and to any other consultants involved in my care.

So his letters start: "Dear Ms Thesoundofwildgeese, I reviewed you in my outpatient clinic today and we discussed your recent ultrasound..."

An example in my area would be if they worked in the local carpet industry. Use of certain dyes and exposure to them can increase risk of bladder cancer. Similarly sheep farmers may have been exposed to agri chemicals, sheep dip, in the past without using PPE.
I used to see a number of patients who worked in the local vinegar factory. The acidic atmosphere used to damage their teeth.
My late DF worked for ICI many years ago in dye manufacturing. When the link to bladder cancer was discovered ICI ( now Astra zenica) introduced screening for all employees and x-employees.
It may seem irrelevant to patients but vital to consultant.

I'm still happy to this day because 18 years ago the consultant who saw me for a hernia post giving birth described me in the notes as 'Very Slim' !!!! My DH also saw a consultant and they put in his notes 'this charming gentleman'. I think it's kind of nice...

Well, I was told by a doctor only this morning that I 'seem sensible', which I choose to take as a compliment.

Interestingly DW got an acute work acquired illness. All her colleagues all went off to GPs, lots were referred on to specialists and all got different diagnosis! It's only when two sadly got so unwell they were admitted to the same ward that the link was made. At the time both were so unwell that they weren't conscious enough to say that they knew each other, it was a family member who recognised them as being from the same work place.
In some ways it was scary because one was a volunteer so probably wouldn't of mentioned it when asked about employment etc and had it been the other family visiting they wouldn't have recognised someone that goes in once a month

I wonder if it may have been picked up quicker with a better social history from everyone.

I suppose so but I'm worried absence of positive adjectives means the consultant doesn't like you. I'm very knowledgeable about my condition but was extremely nervous and didn't take the opportunity to ask as all the questions I wanted. The consultant described me factually with no personality descriptions. I would say he was within 5-10 max of my own age- 34.

It's a good thing that this is being discouraged, it is a ridiculous, outdated practice

I worked in a government office and there was a particular area where a lot of the same surnames were repeated. A lot . In referring to some individuals the initial PPP was used . Piss Poor Protoplasm .

It's really not universal. My area doesn't tend to use it, I can't think of the last time I saw it used by any of ours. It sort of just gets skimmed past as filler and is definitely dying out. Most people haven't been taught that way, and those that are still using it are either trained in the 80s or picked up bad habits.

Never be afraid to ask questions. People are entitled to ask about their own care, and get whatever information they need. I'd think very lowly of any colleague who wasn't able to discuss their care.

Whilst it absolutely shouldn't be at all controversial... even if it is it doesn't matter. Your aim is to get the best treatment, not to be the kindest patient they've seen that day

Unless obviously you feel like it's impacting your care when you'd be right to complain.

As soon as I read the title, I knew you were talking about a doctor's letter

Who decides what constitutes pleasant? Why are you assuming their demeanour in your consultation equates to a trait rather than a state?

I am usually pleasant (probably 98% of the time) but sometimes I’m a bit grumpy. If you catch me on a grumpy day, you would then label me as ‘not pleasant’ meaning the medics I then meet will have a certain lens when I meet with them, and as admitted by a consultant above, this could impact the service I receive.

At my first appointment I might not have a clue about my issue but at my second I might have done a huge amount of research and be more up to date than you. As a medical professional I’m not arrogant enough to think that I can’t learn from the people that come to me in clinic.

HHAHAHAAHA

Ah yes my DH had that too and I still tease him about it occasionally!

I am always telling people to be assertive patients yet when it came to my own appointment, I was so wound up I asked the bare minimum. I should have written down my questions. He was a nice chap.

I think it was the post by the new consultant a couple of pages back which worried me.

My 4 year old DS had a paedatric clinic appointment recently and the letter we got afterwards started with "It was a pleasure to see [SatinHeartJr] in my clinic today"

Given that DS had to refused to enter the consulting room without taking half the toys from the waiting area with him, answered all the consultant's requests with 'Nope" and then screamed when it was time to leave, I don't remember it being a 'pleasure' for anyone involved!

They always wrote this stuff. 😊

My grandmother was a GP (now long retired) and tells stories when consultant letters were much more honest and significantly less PC. Terms like “normal for Norfolk” were quite par for the course.

I was made up the first time I saw that on a letter, genuinely glowing with pride, until (many years ago) I came on MN to check it out and was debunked!

Why do they need to waste time dictating a letter, having it typed up, posting it, and then at the other end, handing incoming post, scanning it, filing it, etc.

It's all so antiquated.

Why not a simple app based/online "tick box" system where all the background information is either "pinged" across or sent via an e-link, with tick boxes of reason for referral, and maybe a small "blank text" box where the referral can make some brief additional comments that can't be communicated by box ticking?

As it is, they seem to spend more time on drafting some childish letter with "codes" to give a character assassination and then, usually send it with no actual details, such as test results, etc.

When my OH was referred by his haematologist to a different hospital specialist for a stem cell transplant, the referral letter was an absolute joke. It was just a couple of sentences - first the usual meaningless waffle of him being a pleasant gentlemen, and then and very brief sentence as to what he'd been diagnosed with.

When we saw the consultant, he had nothing - no test results, no scans, no x-rays, not even a run down of the treatment already given (chemo etc). Complete waste of a consultation. All he knew was the type of cancer and that he was a pleasant gentlemen!

Oh boo, I've just read my letter from the other day - 'this 44 year old lady' - not a pleasant in sight, I AM very pleasant!!!!

I think it's normal to have something complimentary like this. That way when doctors write to each other about someone who is a complete fucking nightmare to deal with, they can leave off the compliments and just stick to facts and the absence of the compliment will be noticed and taken as a veiled warning.

I find it to be a meaningless comment. I often receive referrals from GP indicating the patient is challenging or demanding - it can be true most often the patient is fine. It can indicate the patient is struggling to access care.

when my late husband was in hospital and I had to advocate quite strongly for him, I was known as "your forthright wife" I never got to violence level though. My DH was very proud of that title and so was I.

oh my goodness yes and it used to go in medical notes as well as letters to GP's. Things like "This rather stupid woman and her sullen daughter" The mother was obviously worried out of her skin and the child was a teenager with a noticeable scoliosis.

It's common, but I wish they wouldn't. It's a medical consultation, not a character reference.