Should I complain about this doctor?

[fluffydressinggown]

To preface, I have named changed and I don't want compensation or anything just to make the doctor aware of how she made me feel.

I cut myself (self harm) yesterday afternoon, it was a longish and deep cut so I went to A&E.

After a 3 hour wait I saw the doctor. She stitched my leg with 10 normal stitches (the amount is relevant), I expressed concern that as the wound was gaping quite a bit it might not close very well. I also did not feel that she had given me adequate local anaesthetic because I could feel the needle going in as she did the stitches and it was pretty painful. At this point she said "well you shouldn't have self harmed then." She also asked me my job. I am a teacher and in response to this she said "it is just playing with children and not very stressful."

I had to dress the wound myself, she did not wash her hands at all throughout the procedure and she seemed to really struggle with actually doing them and they looked really loose and the wound was left gaping inbetween the stitches.

Got up this morning and 7 of the stitches had opened up and come out and the wound was gaping. Rang A&E and they said to come back. Seen again by a different doctor who referred me to plastics straight away. 10 internal stitches and 20 normal stitches later my leg is properly closed up, I had to have the wound re-opened and the edges cut open again so they could close properly and it took about 2 hours for them to sew me up.

My husband is fuming that the first doctor did such a shoddy job and she said what she said to me. The doctor I saw today also suggested I complain.

Part of me thinks that I should just get over it and because it was self harm I kind of deserve everything I get. The other part of me is frustrated that she did such a poor job of managing the wound and I had to go back again today and spend another 5 hours at hospital being treated.

AIBU to complain or just being fussy?

Woooo complain, that Dr needs educating on so many levels.

Why - your views are outdated, unhelpful and ignorant. I have treated many upstanding members of society who behind closed doors struggle (including one very lovely doctor) Mental Health does not equal axe murderer/abuser. In fact it can make people better at their job at times IMO because they are non judgemental of similar problems and do not display attitudes like the OPs Dr or yours.

Please complain!
You think/feel that you are not worthy, that you were foolish (a twat to use your words) etc (I strongly disagree btw) but please complain anyway.

Just imagine the scenario, your best friends teen dd self harms for the first time, she is brave/clever enough to get herself in to a&e... She then gets given the Dr you saw... Luckily you are strong enough that you went back, you have support from your dh and others, you have an agreed action plan. Let's face it you were lucky, if you did not have all that support around you your trip to a&e could have ended very badly thanks to that Dr. For the sake if the next person who goes in this needs flagging up.

you are a teacher which self harm, it doesn't mean you would harm others

whyisthatok you sound quite ignorant regarding mental health issues really and show a distinct lack of compassion. As a Psychiatric nurse I am currently working as a therapist for people, many of whom self harm. The reasons people self harm are wide and varied - it can be to feel pain because they are cut off from their emotions and therefore to feel real in an unreal situation or it can be to numb you from emotional pain. It is closely associated with a condition called borderline personality disorder, which in itself can and is often associated with abuse.

The reason I mention is that from this you can clearly see its not just a simple case of taking a pill and suddenly being better - i.e. not self harming any more. Therapy can take years and it is often something people fall back on in times of particular stress in their lives. People arent "mad".

I find you post quite offensive and ill-informed - you would think I would be used to ignorant stupid judgements people can make about mental illness by now, sadly not.

Complain OP

Just to echo everyone else, yes complain. I was once in A&E a few years ago after suffering a seizure while pregnant. I had my heart monitored, was told it was probably down to low blood pressure and eventually sent on my way. But not before a Dr had hissed in my ear "we can see all your notes in here and we know what you did it X year with the Coproxamol"
Believe me it was not to be misconstrued as a reassuring comment.
I wish like hell I had complained and it's bothered me ever since
I had been clear of self harm and "out of the woods" from depression for a few years by then.
Two weeks later I found out I'd had a missed miscarrige and for the past 13 months Dr's have been chasing an epilepsy diagnosis. All things that could have had the ball rolling in that A&E visit if the Dr hadn't been more preoccupied with being judgemental.
It is not ok to let them get away with focusing on their predjudices and not their job.

You sound like a lovely self harming name changing teacher.

I hope things get better for you soon. You deserve it.

I agree with everyone except why.

I am a doctor, and have worked in a few A&E departments. Your wound sounds as though it was not dealt with properly, and certainly with intolerable people skills- i'm sorry if she has made a hard time even worse for you.

It is likely that doctor2 also had a copy of the notes that dr number 1 wrote, and the fact that they haven't tried to downplay your concerns about your treatment tells me that doc 1 has probably not done much to make herself popular with either patients or other doctors, and probably is a poor "team player". Others working in that A&E department are likely to think something needs to be said too, and will be glad you have done something about it.

The PALS link at the hospital will be able to tell you the next best steps to getting some acknowledgement that she totally mismanaged your case, and start the ball rolling toward retraining/ complaint etc etc.

Good luck. Please don't let the self harm worry you- that's not the point here, and you are clearly an articulate woman- I hope you get some relief from the self harm and feel more content in yourself soon.

That's dreadful, pocketsocks.

I've had something happen to me in a&e because of self-harming. I haven't done it for twelve years but I'm scarred for life. I went into hospital after losing a lot of weight and developing heart problems. A nurse in a&e took one look at my forearm and announced I was anorexic. It turned out I had a massive stomach ulcer and hypokalemia. I've also had doctors ask me why I tried to kill myself when I've gone in about a bad cold. It makes me feel so uncomfortable. You really do have my sympathy, fluffy.

Agree with everyone apart from idiot Why.

@ Pocketsocks post, terrible on the part of the doctor.

Many of us have pasts we are not happy with but still became strong and healthy women.

You have had oads of supprt this evening op, I hope you have the strength to act on it and stay positive and happy.

I self-harmed for years, and never thought to question the way I was treated in A&E.

Ten years later after my last episode, I ended up back in the same A&E department after an accident in the kitchen. I could not believe how kindly and gently I was handled.

Scary, really.

complain, dr should have known better

Just wanted to post and say as an ex self harmer. You simply HAVE to complain.

Self harm is very much a illness no different to other illness and condition of th brain, would she have treated me the same way as I am epileptic and have no controll over my actions in a fit. Self harm is not that different there is no controll during the cutting phase. It is a physical ramification of the interlised pain you are feeling. It is not controllable at that instant. you cant controll this sympton anymore than you can controll a fever from an infection without treating the infection.

By the sound of it you have a care plan and a support network other selfharmers don't what would have happened if in crisis they sort the attention of a medical proffessional who went on to Make the FEEL worse! These kinds of doctors need to remember "first do no harm" her words could have push a self harmer into a destructive phase and could have seriously injured themselves and there metal recoverying.

For what it is worth I would bet you make a fab teacher and would be more than happy for you teach my DD. I bet you are empathic and would do anything to help a child in your class.

You have an illness and one you are getting help for. She may learn to stich better but she will never be a good human being if that is her reaction to someone in Pain.

COMPLAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yell it from the bloody roof tops
Ah and tell your therapist but they will have something to say about this.

Another A&E nurse here, definitely complain. It won't affect your future care with the other providers, no one will judge you for it and hopefully the doctor might wake up and realise she cannot treat people like that.

I had to make a complaint myself a few years ago, I had a bleeding ulcer and had to have an emergency gastroscopy and the doctor refused me sedation and I said there was no way I was having it without as I have a phobia of anything near my neck. She told me I was the most selfish mother she ever met who was willing to walk away with a life threatening illness and I wasn't entitled to sedation as I was an emergency.

The nurses were going mad requesting I was given sedation and eventually I was but only enough to stop me getting up too quickly off the table and I remembered the whole thing, I had to be held down by 3 people and really struggled. Afterwards I was crying and the nurse was too and they begged me to complain and I did.

Best thing I ever did!

Did this same doctor treat you for your previous self harming episodes? Shouldn't be relevant, but could be.

How would that be relevent?

YANBU
And please take reassurance from the fact that HCP, self harmers present and ex and disinterested bystanders with one exception why, why think you should complain and wish you well

No that is the thing it is not relevent.

A doctor has to do there job wheather they like it, agree with it or hate it. They choose the profession and if they are not capable to discharging it without professionalism they should not be allowed to treat.

You will find gynacologist who are ttc that are still professional and give women their options re termination.

You will find oncologist who have lost a brother to cancer what do they refuse to treat the terminal patients as well there is no point!

You will be the way find plenty of residents that have at some point self harmed!

Mental health is the most difficult area to treat. You can't lance out the posion you can't see what is going on. You can't see the blood results!

It is also the disaplin with the lest amount of "execellence" and the most amount of professionals that feel they have the right to comment!

I remember when I first told my teacher I was self harming, obviously they had to tell my parents so mum took me to the doctor that evening.

Doctor (who had been the family GP for years) said "I know you're just doing it for attention"

Um, no, how about the fact I just disclosed sexual abuse, you cunt.

Again, I wish I had complained now, but it's hard when the nature of your condition makes you incredibly vulnerable.

I should also add that my teacher was wonderful, she was so understanding and never judged me. She also started looking into the subject so she could help me more.

Why can't more people in authority be like her?

Fuzzpig

Because so many people join professions that give them authority for power! thankfully you meet a good teacher that really cared for her students. wish there were more people like her!

the fact that the second doctor said to you to complain suggests that it is possible there have been other issues with this doctor

Sadly mummyinspain I fear you may be right about the power thing.

Incidentally the only person who has been unbelievably tactless about asking me was doing a medicine degree at oxford!

Please complain OP. That sounds absolutely dreadful. You were treated shoddily and in a very uncaring manner. Not only that but it has made your injury worse.

I have just developed heart problems and last week spent some time in A and E. I was told by one Dr that I was "wasting beds that are actually for critically ill patients" and that I was "probably imagining" my symptoms. When my DP and I reacted with outrage he admitted he hadn't actually looked at my notes. He then swept off to do so and to my delight received a right royal telling off from the cardiology registrar. It is absolutely horrible to be treated like this when you are ill or vulnerable.

I might add that when I have stayed in hospital the care I have witnessed has been, on the whole absolutely unbelievably amazing. Last week, the woman in the bed opposite me had collapsed in town after drinking a bottle of vodka. The caring way with which she was treated was really moving so I do think that on the whole the medical proffession do an amazing job.

I think your treatment by the first medic was appalling and I feel awful for you going through that. I hope you do muster the courage to complain because getting it down in writing may well be very helpful for you and, if your complaint is handled professionally, it might help you feel a lot better.

You have explained it very well in here. I think her comments were outrageous and hurtful, not least because you are already so vulnerable, but the wound (non) closure is equally serious. So there are two strands to your complaint and frankly, it sounds as though she was probably on work experience.