Insensitive doctor – cancer monitoring

So today I had my cancer monitoring ... 

Doctor's initial comments while looking at tumour hospital are keeping an eye on was "well, it doesn't look like anything too exciting ...". Exciting! I should jolly well hope not. What an inappropriate term... Like so many people dear to me died from cancer. Definitely NOT exciting!!! What is it with some doctors???

He struggled to match up images in my notes, complained about some being blurry, asked me what type of dermatoscope (?dermoscopy) the previous doctor had used (what??? how on earth would I know – are there two different types even) then pondered if the lesion were something else entirely. I told him firmly "no", definitely not that. I already got that misdiagnosis with another (thankfully now excised) severely dysplastic lesion/"funny" mole/melanoma-in-situ? that doctors decided they wanted to "treat as melanoma" after biopsy (but initially thought was just a harmless wart – I had to press for it to be excised). Given my very firm assertion, he decided to take another look even though I'd just zipped myself back up ... Ah yes ... it's got X and Y ...

Then, he signed me off to watch and wait a bit longer before I go back for another check. So, good news (I think), but the consultation hardly inspired confidence. 

 

  • Hi Rose, i know it's not the same as you with Brenda but the trouble we had with experts saying she's having trouble with her dementia and loads else and me trying to explain it was Brenda's UTI what started this and not listening because nobody put UTI on notes.even after i told ambulance men and A and E and later on wards..

    Billy 

  • There's so much going wrong with the admin Billy. I really sympathise!

    The file the doctor kept pulling up in puzzlement first today was nothing to do with what I'd gone for but a letter from hospital Dermatology (signed by consultant who runs 2WW skin cancer clinics) stating I wasn't to have an asthma medication again... (He was baffled... I was baffled...) The only reason I'm not complaining is the fear my file might get lost when answering a complaint, or end up in the "wrong place". I've several hospital appointments coming up next few months and it's happened before that my paper file has been in the wrong department since it can't be in two places at once... Or I've had the doctors not able to access my computer photographs ... Even when things do get written in the notes often the doctors don't find them. Having multiple medical issues is really hard and the patient – or in Brenda's case her loving (and thankfully very clued up) husband – has to keep tabs on everything. Brenda really is very lucky to have you, Billy!

    Rose