Carers UK Forum

Re-being embarassed when young but blase when older. Yes, I have slowly become almost (almost) immune to these things.

I recently had to use my toilet with 2 paramedics sitting listening, because my bathroom door won't shut once I go in there in my wheelchair (small flat). I was a bit shy, but thought ''Oh what the heck, so long as I don't break wind loudly, I'll be ok''

Then I was visiting P on the ward, and used a toilet that the nurses warned me had a broken lock. It was the only disabled toilet I could see, so I just shrugged and used it anyway. Too bad if they see me wobbling and attempting to hover over the disabled toilet. Half their a*ses are hanging out on that ward anyway. Might as well enter into the spirit of things eh?

Agree on the convene thing though. P had trouble with his, but I wasn't going there. Nuh uh. I just called the nurses and went to admire a better view out the window (8th floor, nice....)

X_1808 wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 23, 2018 6:25 pm

jenny lucas wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 23, 2018 2:54 pm

X, I tend to trawl the Internet, then with the doctor try and ask the kind of questions that will show I have actually researched this topic, along the lines of 'Do you think it could be xyz?' etc.

Sometimes they don't mind (the sensible ones, as you say) and sometimes they get shirty.

Just WHY they want patients to be thick as two short planks I don't know, but there it is.

Glad you've got some who aren't like that!

I think many doctors prefer thick, unquestioning patients because they take less time and effort to deal with. To be fair, most (all?) NHS docs do have a very big workload. So I can see the attraction of ''Yes doc, no doc, 3 bags full doc'' type patients.
. . .

I think it is because doctors like to be methodical in diagnosis, and not work by deduction. To be offered a suggestion could be inferred as a mild challenge, which they may need to disprove, and they would rather work systematically towards the cause of the problem. Sometimes different ailments can have similar symptoms.

But there is no need to be "shirty". A measured response would be something like: "Well let's do these tests next, then we'll see."

I'll be seeing my doctor about a little problem next month. My wife has told me what she thinks it is and I did look it up on Wikipedia out of interest. But I think I'll just let the doctor examine and question me his own way - "Yes, Doc, no, Doc..." etc.

Good points Denis.

Unfortunately over the decades, doctors have made quite a few (sometimes incredibly serious) mistakes with me (and three other members of my family). Two of us still live with the consequences.

Around half my family members are also ex NHS staff, or currently medical/paramedic students. And we've also been sick a lot. Often with rare/difficult to treat conditions. All this NHS/medical experience changes the way you see things I think? It certainly has done for us.


I'm now firmly of the opinion that the more complex/rare your case is, the more you need to be playing an active role in what is going on.....

If it's run of the mill stuff, I'm happy to sit back and not hover over them or interject. But when it's rare, and/or serious....No. The stakes are too high for causing even more suffering.

Not on my watch.

After signing up my brother, who has learning disabilities, to patient access I had a browse through his records to find that he had a cervical smear!

In these 'trans' days, who knows if he hasn't!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!