Nice.... is that the best they can come up with?

[listsandbudgets]

A consultant referred me on and started the letter with

"I'd like you to see this nice young lady"

Surely they can come up with something better than "nice"? Nice sort of implies Im a bit of a non entity aIbeit a nice one.

I like the young bit though, I'm 44!!

( I had a teacher when I was 11 who forbade the use of the word nice for the whole year I was in her class so perhaps I'm unnecessarily at odds with the word )

Consultants obviously use code when dictating these letters. I often wonder what adjectives they use for "heart sink" patients.

It's code. It means you're not a time waster.

I’d always thought that the wording of consultant referral letters was a kind of doctor to doctor code about what the patient is like.

I’d take “nice”. It’s too positive to be code for “pain in the neck malingerer” or “thinks Google knows better”.

It's code 🤐

I always get ‘pleasant’. Equally as wishy-washy.

I’m going to aim for feisty next time.

I always get 'pleasant' .... I'd love to know what it's code for!

I had “delightful “ once (I’m not!) which made my day

I've had a 'nice' and a 'delightful' on two different letters from my cardiologist to my GP. Good to know they don't think I'm a timewaster!

Oh well if its code for not a time waster I will let it go.

I used to work with someone who always said her doctors described her as "interesting". She was never quite sure it was meant as a compliment..

her doctors described her as "interesting"

I'd interpret that as "I haven't got a bloody clue what's wrong with her - do you have any ideas?"!

Please let there be an AMA on this,

My daughter was called "bonny wee lass" - which I thought was lovely!

It’s code. Means you’re not a dick. Common ones include lovely/nice/pleasant/delightful etc. Plus they know you’ll probably have sight of it.

Oh this is cool, I have to know more! What are the codes for patients who ARE dicks?!

I'd take a description of 'interesting' as a bit quirky or odd.
If it said the case was intersting I'd take that to mean that they didn't know what was going on or something very unusual.

Nice I would take to mean you're not a pain in the ass.

I was referred to as "knowledgeable" once - I took that as meaning "pain in the arse, think she knows everything" ... on that occasion, I did. The doctor was actually wrong.

I've never had this and am always envious of others' adjectives! Mine are always totally factual: 'this xx-year-old lady'. Although it does get my back up a bit that they say 'lady'; so old-fashioned.

Yep, it's code. Nice, pleasant, lovely etc means 'not a time waster and not a dick'.

'I'd like you to look at this lady who is reporting XXXX symptoms" means 'suspect this person is lying/ time waster/ fit note chaser'

'interesting' i've not heard but it's likely just that - interesting/ unusual presentation

'knowledgable' - Has a medical degree from Google

'this lady/ man who is otherwise in excellent health' - probably something wrong but patient is a dick

'no family history of XXX' - in context of a hereditary disease, means exactly that. Out of context of hereditary disease it means watch out for the relatives. Sometimes you'll see 'no history of XXX on the mothers side' which tells you exactly which relative to watch

You will get some posters saying that in their trust in means exactly what it says, others will say it is code for the exact opposite. In my experience, it is just old fashioned generic and meaningless "medicalese" courtesy.

When most consultants were at medical school, it would have considered rude and abrupt to discuss someone in the purely medical/objective terms e.g. This 42 year old female company director who has endometriosis... so they threw in some pleasantries to sound less clinical e.g. Thank you for referring to me this very pleasant 42 year old lady who works as a company director... Now it is considered more rude (and a bit patronising) to make subjective comments about someone's personality so it is less common for younger doctors to write in that way.

I'm sure you are very nice though!

My favourite one was always FLK.. to tell another medical team yes, we have already noticed this child has an unusual face.

I was described as "slightly obese" once. I was 10 stone 10 at 5 ft 5 inches. I've never forgotten it.

there's a CODE

this is news to me

I was referred to the maternity hospital for an unscheduled scan as a "nice, married lady"

YgritteSnow that's not even overweight!! I'd have been most unhappy!

@MotherForkinShirtBalls how long ago was that?

@MsVestibule

YgritteSnow that's not even overweight!! I'd have been most unhappy!

IKR?! I was fuming and also only that weight as I had had an injury and couldn't exercise. This was a letter from the orthopaedics clinic dealing with it! I was only 19 too.