bleeeurgh

[aumentou]

There are some words that arent pleasant to here from a doctor. Obviously the biggies are things like 'HIV' 'cancer' 'leukaemia' and so forth, but among the ones that arent so memorable but still rather nasty are the ones I heard today, when I went to see the doctor about my wrist, which has felt rather sprained these last six months:

Chronic arthritis.

and something went 'click' in my brain, as I added up the feelings in various joints, and the arthritis that runs through everyone in the Clavering branch of the family.

Did you ever wonder what the future holds? Well mine holds mild but steadily increasing pain. Oh, and as the nice but not so useful doctor said, nurofen.

Sometimes I wonder if doctors education is actually really broad, but quite shallow. Dealing with them seems like dealing with tech support: Have you rebooted? Have you tried aspirin?
Maybe we should have three tiers of doctors. Medical assistants, or some better title, who know enough to direct patients to a set drug, and when to direct them to docors as now but a bit more specialist, and then consultants on top.

Comments

[bluecassandra.livejournal.com]

oh fuck.
um, jill might be able to tell you some stuff abouy this that doesnt involve permennet nurofen (which by the way is not good for you and also is not any more effeciant than own brand ibuprofen but simply better marketed).

[confuseddave.livejournal.com]

Doctors: I do have a feeling that's how GP's work, having listened to my Mom (an Occupational Therapist specialising in Rheumatology, appropriately enough)

And given the immense range of things a GP may have to be able to deal with at any time (including working out whether patients are seriously ill with subtle symptoms or just raving hypochondriacs), given also the immense range of subtle things which can go wrong with the human body, it'd be incredibly difficult for a GP's knowledge to be anything other than really broad but quite shallow.

Although I don't know many practicing Doctors, so I don't really know at all.

[reznorsedge.livejournal.com]

That's really bad news. Ruth told me last night ... hope something can be done.

[chiv.livejournal.com]

Maybe we should have three tiers of doctors

I think we already do, GP, Doctor/Consultant, Specialist.

I'll drop by at some point to give you the new Raven book.