Doctors code words.

[GreekOddess]

Just received a copy of a letter from my Consultant to my GP which states that he had "the pleasure of meeting this lovely lady". I remember reading somewhere else that everything is written in code. So what is "lovely lady" code for? Does it mean that I'm not a pain in the arse??

When you write "accompanied by" it's a way of assessing the patient social history, if they've got home support etc.

People sure like to suck the pleasantries out of being a health care professional don't they.

I had "he was challenging to examine" when 3yo ds kicked and screamed in the consultants' faces
Never seen him like it, think he was terrified

I once had 'i have advised Mr & Mrs X that they bring littleX to the next appointment as I cannot make a clinical judgement without seeing them'

The appointment letter said THIS APPOINTMENT IS FOR PARENTS/CARERS ONLY'

He was an arrogant twat of a doctor.

My DS spent a lot of time in Gt Ormond St Hospital & has a lot of surgery. One time, while I’m for 10 days in traction, then surgery, his notes said “X is such a happy baby, a credit only to his mother” - I was a single mum from 5 months pregnant due to DV & had no support from my family either. The consultants were so empathic & kind and that note made me cry. DS is 21 now & I still remember it exactly as he wrote it.

My dh said that acronyms traditionally used were now forbidden. He gave the example of FLK - funny looking kid.

I was just going to bring up FLK - is it really banned now?! I was also told that if you go to A and E with an alcohol related injury, then your notes will say 'PFO', which stands for Pissed, fell over.

DD was always described as "delightful" (she's very smiley), but "mum is very well informed" (meaning "don't piss around, mum knows more about this particular condition than I do, and is not afraid to show it" .

I’m pretty sure codes aren’t allowed any more. Good thing too. I saw a few processing discharge papers around 20 years ago but they were rare then.

Favourites were

DTS = danger to shipping = very fat
NFB = normal for Bxxxx. = name of town not known for its desirability.

Not sure if it's true but I have been told that a frequent response to FLK is FLPT - funny looking parents too

A consultant friend told me that where she had once worked they used
NFN Normal for Norfolk
SEFS Subnormal even for Suffolk!

However I think even then it was more in jokes than what they actually wrote on people's notes.

I've also heard that the pleasant lady thing is a way of saying you're OK/reasonable/not troublesome. If it's not there it could mean watch out this person' a pain in the arse. Don't know if that's true though.

To be honest I don’t see a dr or consultant to make friends so I’m not sure of the point of stating I’m pleasant or nice etc I don’t really care either. It’s not code our paeds drs do the same so it’s just a thing drs do. But doesn’t bother me if they think I’m nice or a pain in the arse tbh long as they do their job

We used to write SOB meaning “short of breath” as the presenting complaint for emphysema or chronic bronchitis patients who turned up with an exacerbation.
We didn’t realise it was a purely British thing until a colleague did a short attachment in the US, and innocently wrote it at the top of a patient’s notes. And got a bollocking from his consultant - apparently SOB means something entirely different in the States!

One consultant wrote that I was a good historian.
I wracked my brains for any snippet of conversation that I could recall where history was discussed. Couldn't think of any.
Nonetheless, I felt the need to share this keen observation with a consultant relative.
He fairly burst my bubble.
I was thinking of going back to uni to study history or something....
Oh well. I suppose I should be thankful there's nothing wrong with my memory yet.

Mine usually start with I had the pleasure of meeting x at my clinic today.......

I'm never described as pleasant.
A&E and inpatient doctors/nurses might however start off with 'I had the unique displeasure of attempting to examine and engage in discourse with this pig-ignorant, combative, argumentative arsehole, but I put it down to the fact that she was due some pain relief. To be approached with caution'.

@Alrighteo

So what did it mean?

It meant that I was an expert on WWII (well that's what I imagined).
No, apparently it means that someone has good recollection of their illness/symptoms/admissions etc. What a let-down.

Alpacamabags I can feel you cringing about your misunderstanding now that you stand corrected. 'I'm not thick'. Omg that's hilarious.

@damnthatanxiety Don't rub it in though it did give me a giggle

I recently got called a young lady. I am not young and I am certainly no lady! Sadly, I don’t even look young.

😂 😂 😂 Aw man. Apparently I am thick. I've been inwardly seething about that for years!
In this instance I am very happy to stand corrected! I honestly was so anxious going to the GP from then on!

I had one appointment where I described my pain as worse than childbirth. It really was!
In the letter to another consultant mine put something like ‘she assures me the pain is worse than childbirth’. It looked so patronising when written down 😂 I figured it must be some sort of joke the male doctors have with one another , when every woman comes in and references her level of pain as ‘worse than childbirth’.

“I once had 'i have advised Mr & Mrs X that they bring littleX to the next appointment as I cannot make a clinical judgement without seeing them'

The appointment letter said THIS APPOINTMENT IS FOR PARENTS/CARERS ONLY' “

As in “don’t bring the grandparents and three younger kids along with you too”? Or maybe “we need to speak with the person with parental responsibility, don’t send the child with the au pair or nanny”?

It is very ambiguous and could also have meant ‘don’t bring the patient ‘...

I think it means not a time water

oops waster