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??

My letters from my cancer surgeon usually started with 'this pro active lady..." basically because I just wanted to get it dealt with and move on.

*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”?
**
*No, as in the appointment is for the parent/Carer only NOT the child. They couldn't care less of granny cane along for support.

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

Nothing ambiguous at all. Standard letter from CAMHS which meant appointment is only for parents/carers, not the child.

It was supposed to be a diagnosis appointment after 18 months of appointments. Doctor changed the goalposts. We didn't misread the letter. Have had several letters over the years from NHS regarding 2 of my DC and 'this appointment is for parents/carers only' has always meant - not the child.

I am "delightful". Possibly code for "she's getting a copy of this letter so I have to say that".

I was more surprised by "she appears well and happy", which must be code for "she is remarkably stoic despite months of abdo pain". Or perhaps it will change to that now that we have both seen my scan results.

I was once described as “sensible”

This is just old fashioned. It has been discouraged as health professionals should not write anything personal, even if its nice. It implies the others are not. Its just completely unnecessary really, they mean well. mentored by old patriarchal consultants

However, many years ago they did indeed write insults in code. Usually letters such as NF(first letter of town) which was Normal for.........

DS' consultant asked to see his "gentlemen's parts"

I wonder when the medical profession became so coy - "woman" and "penis" are hardly going to frighten the horses

I think it’s very common for doctors to use colloquial terms when it comes to embarrassing matters like genitals, bowel and urinary problems. For some patients, especially the elderly, using anatomical terms would be considered quite shocking and make the whole encounter even more uncomfortable.

It’s very uptight and British. I find it kind of charming

I remember a GP documentary where a doctor discussed having to learn the local idioms used for genital and bladder complaints, because they’d been completely flummoxed by some of the terms used by the locals

I used to work for a health advice telephone line and once had a gentleman phone in saying he had a problem with his downstairs. I had to really question him to find out what particular part of his downstairs was causing trouble, or whether he had called the wrong number and actually needed a builder or a plumber to sort out the ground floor of his house.

I see letters referring to lovely and pleasant patients and they are.

However I've seen a letter referring to a pleasant gentleman and my colleagues all said "Really?" Some people can be lovely to Consultants but absolute shit heads to minions.

If you are a lovely person then that's the reason you were referred to as that in the letter.

@slipperywhensparticus

What does ‘lively’ mean....?

@lazymum99 my DS has idiopathic epilepsy. Most epilepsy is idiopathic. It's pretty clear he has epilepsy.

Watch out for a diagnosis that says 'idiopathic'. I think it means they haven't a clue what you got!
No; it means they know what it is but not what caused it.

My letters always flag that I'm a nurse and the department I work for. It's quite common, so that medics know we have a certain level of medical knowledge and don't start explaining blood pressure to us

I worked with a lady who opened a letter that her consultant gave her to pass on to her GP. It said "FFF" which turned out to mean "Fat, Forty, Fertile".

I had to be referred to the maternity unit after a fall when pregnant. The letter called me a "lovely, married lady". The gp in question was a very traditional Catholic who was delighted I was wearing a wedding ring.

Lovely lady/gentlemen is normal. I don’t think it’s sarcastic or code for anything and is in many consultant letters. I think sometimes letters are dictated and then typed so a phrase that might seem odd written down probably didn’t sound strange when it was dictated, if that makes sense?

LadyEggs my dad who was a nurse told me that the four Fs, "Female, Fair, Fat and Forty" is a signpost for possible gallstones if you have abdominal pain. (and maybe also Fertile!)

Not how people might want to be described though!

I got told female, fat, fertile and forty...I was 38 but close enough! And I am fair too! But now gallbladderless.

Sadly I have learned through experience (though not personal) that 'well informed' usually means 'this person has been on Google and thinks they know better than us.' Very fair in some cases, but with rare diseases, not so much.