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 think it’s medical code for - ‘functioning member of society and won’t bite you’.

Not looking forward to my 8 year old turning 21 - I can’t believe they get even cheekier with age ;) I got told my bottom is too big for tights yesterday and I shouldn’t wear it - so it could be worse OP

Many years ago a consultant I knew, who is probably retired now, explained to me that they've had to stop using all the useful acronyms they used to put in patient notes which were a good shorthand way of indicating something important but not necessarily in the most flattering or politically correct way. The one that sticks in my mind is that she insisted that it was useful when seeing a child to see FLK, which stood for funny looking kid. Really? I doubt I'm alone in thinking it's for the best that that one's been phased out.

I’m amenable and compliant. Got a bit “spirited” at the compliant bit until my consultant said it meant compliant as regards to my drug routine. Now to work on the amenable bit. 🤣🤣

"Today I reviewed Mr/Mrs Smith" is all that is required.

For a child "today I reviewed 12 year old Katie Smith".

It’s standard consultant speak.
I’m a GP, and recently a patient of mine told me about his latest hospital appointment. He didn’t get on with the consultant at all, found him rude and patronising. My patient made his feelings about the consultant known during the consultation, and it turned into something of an argument at the time.
A few weeks later the letter arrived, describing my patient as a delightful gentleman!

When I was a student back in the 80s, there was a surgeon who was known to be a sexist pig. I remember hearing him dictate a letter about a young woman he’d just seen, referring to her as “attractive and big breasted, if a little overweight”. It’s things like that that remind me of how far we’ve come in the last few decades!

It means you're not going to cause problems or be a "difficult" patient who asks lots of questions etc.

Our notes system is mostly open to patients and all correspondence with GP is.
We don't for example use the same system as the hospital who uses a different system to the gp etc so communication between us always has the patient cc'd

Upset is somewhat vague though. Upset might mean sobbing because they are devastated or shouting or really passive agressive

I'm not advocating for writing in code, just explaining why sometimes odd things are being documented

I'm not sure why you've felt the need to explain mental health to me or that clinicians need to be respectful? This might be a classic case of communication coming off as patronising even if not meant by the writer

My whole point was about communicating in a way that keeps people engaged with health care

Oh dear. My consultant was a sweet man but he couldn't have been a fan. He just wrote that I was a multiparous 34 year old.

I’ve noticed that now my doctors are generally pretty young, I’m not seeing this wording. Letters are factual - I saw this 64 year old lady in clinic today . She has x y z syndrome. She is finding that her head is falling off several times a day now and this is adversely affecting her ability to function in all settings.

Or, this 64 year old lady has x y z syndrome and has been referred to me about the increase in her long standing head looseness.

i really like not having descriptions about my pleasantness or friendliness or whatever. I always found it very ‘unpleasant’ to be judged in this way. I mean Its hard to be pleasant when you’ve had to pay two bus fares because your head needs its own seat.

Thank you, you have articulated exactly how I feel about it in a much better way than I managed to in my post!

I always try to approach interactions of any kind from a place of respect and good manners. I don’t want to feel like I can’t ask questions or provide constructive challenge if I feel it’s warranted though.

We've had "delightful family" and "parents work in biomedical field" in DC's consultant letters. I assume the former is code for "calm and don't kick off" and the latter means "can use technical jargon to explain complex medical information to them."

I assumed if they say patient rather than very pleasant lady then it could indicate a tricky customer.

Definitely dont think it means dozy. Unless joking it says more about your son for thinking it could mean that.

@MumblesParty you edited your comment! My was for the consultant describing your patient as delightful not the horrid creep.

I got a "Miss NonkyNonk appeared normal" in an occupational health report once.

My line manager said that was clearly bollocks!

There’s a small town near me, former mining town, mines closed and the town is now known for being poor, grotty, lots of crime, alcohol/drugs, failings schools etc. The town begins with C.

A standard A&E acronym to describe a patient when I was a junior doctor was NFC (Normal For C…..) - basically meaning that someone was an alcoholic/addict, or not very clever, or just antisocial.
I can hardly believe it now, but 30 years ago this was considered a bit naughty but basically acceptable.

Mine says "I had the pleasure of meeting this they lovely ex nurse" Im not a bit bothered. I don't tell them that, (possibly came from my GP, so they don't patronise me)I don't want to come over as a know it all. When I went to the ED last time after a fall, the dr said "are you medically trained"? I dictated the letters when I worked in our patients dept,in those days patients didn't get a copy and the consultants didn't hold back.

Yes I think is Dr code for “not a massive pain in the arse” so the consultant knows what to expect.

What I dislike is the fact that my NHS consultant repeatedly does not afford me the courtesy of my title. Letters are usually Roses Hellebores, DOB, in the header, no title in the address section. The consultant refers to me throughout as Roses and yet if references other reports refers to other doctors respectfully and as Dr or Mr or Miss. They sign of as Dr Jane Smith.

I find it extraordinary that in the 21st Century medics think it is appropriate that the patient should defer to them and afford them a title when they simply cannot see the need to refer to the patie t with equal courtesy. The Dr's at my NHS GP practice do it too.

I think it should be titles for both parties or first names for both parties regardless of whether I am a pleasant lady. The inference I am a subordinate indicates they think patients are scummy and beneath them however they refer to them in the letter. It's such a pass ag practice.

I was about to write something similar about one of my relatives

I was referred to as a geriatric primagravida... I was 35

How reassuring to understand that the quality of one's healthcare depends on the subjective assessment of likeability. Talk about power corrupting...

Many years ago I once got a letter for DS stating "mum was a little flustered". Mum was actually a sobbing wreck after the journey from hell to the hospital in rush hour and a confrontation in the car park for taking the last disabled bay because "you don't look disabled", just as I was grabbing DS's maclaren major out the boot.

Apparently I'm a joy!!!

I have been a consultant for years and do not write like that. I find it faintly patronising. I work in mental health. Sometimes I might comment that someone has shown resilience or has excellent insight into their issues (I would say that to them in the appt) but I won’t make a personal comment like that. It’s not my job to make those judgments. The most ‘negative’ I will be is saying that we had a difficult or challenging conversation about something. Patients read letters and language is inportant.