Pride goes before a fall

I'm so sorry to hear about your daughter, Monica. Six years - bless her, that's such a long time for a really exhausting sort of problem. Both of you are probably fed up with people throwing 'cures' at you, but at the risk of being annoying I'll just happen to mention papaya enzymes, and Bio-Kult brand probiotic (both available on internet). I hope she'll find something that helps, or - even better - that the problem will clear up on its own.

Also hope your arm is alright! It really is true that children see anyone over forty as fit for exhibition in the Egyptian bit of the British Museum, so don't feel bad. The chap who wrote the lovely comment about you has a much more accurate perspective so keep dining away on that

You're so right about doctors. This one in particular was a brilliant surgeon and a charming fellow as long as he was being adored! But one whiff of challenge, no matter how polite and ... my goodness what a change.

What a brilliant defence mechanism being Tiggerish is! I'm going to try to use that instead of my normal way, which is sort of clamming up and trying to be invisible ... completely boring.

Also made me think of something I could've used in the book-title game thread ... 'The Tigger of the Narcissus!' I'm always thinking of things too late.

Best of luck with your arm - more power to your elbow! - and lots of hope and best wishes for your daughter as well.

7 years ago a little girl who lives near me asked me how old I was. I told her I was 73. She looked at me for a few seconds and then said "Oh, that's when you die, isn't it"? Now whenever I see her, she seems to be wondering why I am still toddling around.

How rude!

My son, as a teenager, was described in such a letter as "this wholly unexceptional young man" He was mightily offended!

haporthrosie It is my family who likened me to Tigger, possibly because my defence mechanism when faced with a new situation is to be bouncy breezy and chatty. I am by nature a fairly cheerful person.

I think doctors, even in hospital where patients should be monitored, have a tendency to prescribe drugs without thinking about side effects or interactions.

Six years ago DD was, of necessity, on huge doses of antibiotics for nearly a month after an accident and she is still dealing with the food intolerances and digestive problems these caused despite every effort she has made to find a solution.

I am glad your mother's resilience and your determination got her through what must have been a very frightening time.

'usual Tiggerish way' how utterly marvelous, Monica! You sound lovely and it probably wasn't code at all!

Actual quote from my mother's medical record: 'She has a very pleasant personality. She has a reptilian stare.'



She had just emerged from a two-month long coma (which the doctors didn't expect her to do - thank God for a Mum who was always doing the unexpected), was still in hospital and dangerously ill. On top of all that, it turned out the medication they were giving her for occasional nausea was causing Parkinson's.

I had to fight tooth and nail, but they finally allowed a neurologist see her. He immediately realized that Reglan was the culprit and, thank God, within a few weeks of getting her off that evil stuff, the PD went away. An absolute nightmare but how lucky we were that it didn't last.

The memory of that summation always made us laugh, and reminded us of our many blessings. I hasten to add that my mother didn't normally have a reptilian stare - it was that horrible medication!

Wouldn't it be wonderful to see a consultant's letter about oneself that said 'Ding, dong!'

I was amused by the comments about me because, of course, these days the word 'fit' has several meanings.

When DD was about 6, she asked me: 'Mummy, were you born during the First World War or the Second World War?'

In case there is any doubt, it was WW2

GPs/consultants have only started making these comments since patients had the right to see their letters. There is sometimes a sub-text but often charming/pleasant/delightful usually just means that they thought you were perfectly nice.

My granddaughter asked a lady at her ballet class if she was a mummy or a granny! I was mortified, she was about 40.

Hedy47- have you tried online, just search: ww spicy tomato soup recipe (hope that's the one you are looking for)

I remember my own mum turning fifty and thinking she was ancient. Then my daughter turned fifty this year and she's just my wee girl!

I think I'm a reasonably fit 68 year old , but according to my 6 year old GS I'll be dead soon. Hope he's not psychic ?

My husband was a GP for 30 years, and if there was an unwritten code for letting fellow doctors know what to expect from a particular patient, he was never party to it - we both used to laugh when he told me how often a patient was described a 'this pleasant lady' (or gentleman, occasionally). When I had an aortic valve replacement, I received a copy of the letter the cardiac surgeon sent back to my own GP, adding a year to my age, but I was described as 'pleasant', too. Now that patients have a right to access their notes, the General Medical Council advises all medical practitioners not to write anything in the notes which they wouldn't want the patients to see, and the same will apply to the copy letters. And judging from a lot of posts inn this thread, the gallant use of the word 'pleasant' and other such adjectives is often well received. It's only because I know this is such a common phrase that I tend to perceive it as a rather irritating formality and even as rather patronising, but maybe I'm being too much of an Eeyore. Of course, the GMC guidelines are just that, as far as I'm aware, and consultants don't always take much notice of them (for example by calling patients 'tubby' or 'flabby'. My husband remembers a senior partner writing on the patient's notes: "Her husband has left her, and I can't say I'm surprised". But that was in the old days ...

Oh no!!! Gutted, I thought it was only me who got one. ?

Did you ever see the Holby City episode where a trainee doctor asked his supervisor why Dag was written on their patient's notes? The reply was, 'Well it's short for Dagenham which is next to Barking.'

Ha ha. I had a cardiac consultant who wrote to my GP calling me his "very very good friend Jacqueline". That's also how he greeted me when o saw him. He was a lovely chap and we used to laugh our way through the appointment. Best Doctor I've ever had.

A relative was horrified to find a consultant had described her, in the notes, as fat and flabby!
Admittedly overweight, she thought his comments unprofessional, and he was pretty tubby himself!

Thinking about gc and their descriptions. My dgs was telling me about the cleaning lady that comes weekly to their house. He said she's old, has a tummy and wavy grey hair and is very, very kind. Then he added 'I asked her if she was the queen'.
I suddenly knew exactly what he was seeing and it makes me smile every time I think about it.

Weightwatchers recipe
Does anyone still have an old WW purple booklet with 0 point recipes? In particular I'm thinking of a Spicy Lentil soup that used tin tomatoes, red lentils and Tabasco. It was really warming on a cold winter's day. I think the booklet is still in a packing box in my garage after I moved last year!

Flossieturner.In addition to my previous 'whinge'.
How necessary is it that the NHS pass on character diagnosis happy /miserable or he /she looks older than his/her years. Of what benefit to the patient or their treatment?. I can only hope that the poor soul in the hospital bed next to mine,several years ago now, was not observed as a 'misery' She was frequently in tears not in pain but her first time in hospital and a tendency to get emotional at the smallest thing especially having to use a bed pan.

My consultant letter just described me as very overweight....
No shit Sherlock ?

Probably means "not ready for DNR yet"

Some Consultants have sent Patients copies of the letters sent to GP for many years. Now I find you often have to ask for a copy which will always be provided. I think they do have to be careful now when we can ask to see the letters.

Picking up various comments.

1) We always get copies of letters sent to our GP. We do not ask for them. They just appear

2) As to being a charming woman of a certain age (who) learnt to charm, be bright, put on a good face. I am not sure that anyone would ever describe me thus. All I did was bounce into the consultants room in my usual Tiggerish way and agree with the consultant that my symptoms were visibly as described in the GP's letter.

Carpal tunnel syndrome doesn't make you feel ill, just makes your fingers go numb and muscles in the hand waste and it was a nice day and I was generally feeling cheerful. So cheerful I was.

They claim that there is no code:

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/feb/04/consultants-code-gps#img-1