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 have had some letters like this but I used to get pleasant and even delightful!

I haven't changed any so I wonder if the real me is showing through os some of them are just not doing the other stuff anymore?

Another thing I am seeing more is "You" as in the letter is written to you, states things like 'you had a severe episode of X" for example.

I'm hoping I have not just become a nightmare but wonder about changes to style, I think some of the newer ones were younger doctors / consultants

Yes this is also my understanding. I'm a solicitor and in my younger days when I did personal injury defence work we would often receive reports from medical experts.

"This pleasant x year old man/lady" inferred the expert considered that the patient was giving an honest/accurate account of symptoms.

"This x year old man/lady" inferred that the expert was doubtful about the patients account of symptoms/possible exaggation etc.

Yes this is also my understanding. I'm a solicitor and in my younger days when I did personal injury defence work we would often receive reports from medical experts.

"This pleasant x year old man/lady" inferred the expert considered that the patient was giving an honest/accurate account of symptoms.

"This x year old man/lady" inferred that the expert was doubtful about the patients account of symptoms/possible exaggation etc.

I've had "delightful former nurse" which is code for "she's OK but her medical knowledge is 15 years out of date"
I did like the "wankers who Google" translation upthread

Their own agenda in making you better?

Oh, something else I have had is "I know her quite well now and she is very sensible about her problems" This was when I mentioned to the consultant I sometimes felt a bit dismissed by my GP. I think they were kind of sticking up for me!

I used this letter in a PIP claim and it was granted at appeal on the papers, so maybe it helped there. Who knows

And that is relevant to your health status how?

if it’s about after care - ‘Mrs X lives alone and therefore post operation care will need considering’

If it’s about alerting others to the existence of a pet that will need looking after in an emergency then say that!!

Its so condescending and there is a judgement implied.

"Pleasant" = civil and coherent, and didn't attend armed with a knife.

It surprised me to read "This lovely man" reading some of my dad's correspondence (I did a blue badge application for him). He was lovely basically but often had a grumpy demeanour.

I completely get this and would have been the same. Although conversely and shows how contrary I am a nurse weighed me years ago and told me I was underweight. At 5 ft 3 and 120 pounds I obviously was not.

Their own agenda of not being questioned. I’m a healthcare provider. I don’t want the people I work with to be compliant and agreeable if they have concerns or questions. That can lead to worse outcomes. I am not so arrogant that I think I always know what’s best. I want open and honest dialogue. I have my expertise and will use that but they know themselves and are experts in their own experience.

Yes, I'm a fellow 'very pleasant lady', meaning I don't make a massive fuss and am generally quite reasonable

Thats exactly what it means.

I've seen "Interesting" a couple of times ( not about me I'm usually pleasant or delightful!)

I am guessing 'Interesting " is a code for something like we reckon she's lying or exaggerating but not sure..

I dont think you are a very pleasant lady if you think Kemi Bandenoch is anything like Myra Hindley. I would say you were a very UNPLEASANT person. Your Doctor is a very bad judge of character in my opinion.

Agree.

Not in UK and my letters don't do this. It's just 'I saw Ms Shrinks on xxx'.
There's something patronising at best, arrogant at worst, about a medic verbalising judgements on character like this, be it 'code' or not.

Yeah in my experience people's tolerance for being called cross or angry is very low

We do have zero tolerance letters but usually for extreme cases where we will end up refusing care if it continues

It's possibly more complicated because in mental health we have a trickier line to walk then say if you shouted at a dermatologist

35 years ago in a day surgery unit for his own notes a member of staff had his own code FOB, fucking old bag.

It's really quite old fashioned now and I suspect will die out eventually. In mental health where I work we do include how people are turned out, ie appropriately dressed for the weather etc as its part of the assessment.
Some of the really old letters in peoples notes would blow your mind. I once saw a GP letter from the early 80's where he described a patient as a "rather immature 16 year old, she attended with her mother who was very pretty."

Your son's internal misogyny is actually the issue here: he has turned 'pleasant lady' into that standard thing of suddenly seeing middle aged woman as a bit dim and childlike.

He's seen it through his filter.

I too discovered I have an unremarkable brain! I am also a pleasant lady ( possibly even very pleasant)
DD was a delightful little girl a few years ago.
I think I'm most relieved about the unremarkable brain tbh but like your DH, I've had my leg pulled about it 😂

@SummerSnowstorm how can this be differentiated from cases where the patient is understandably distressed due to the nature of the potential prognosis? Emotional is a far cry from aggression in my books

My tactful DH uses "interesting" to describe very occasional culinary failures

I’m usually delightful or charming, but ALSO well-informed or articulate. My guess is that’s a good thing. I am indeed well-informed, but I’m not a dick about it when I ask lots of good questions.

I had "strong willed"

Which was code for what he said in real life I guess that I was stubborn and likely to have a great recovery

I'm a reliable, stoical, and pragmatic lady. 😁(the first three are correct)
I'm a research patient and experimental surgery patient, who's also good with allowing specialists trainees to practice procedures.