Upsetting experience with rheumatologist

[Jax1962]

Had a very upsetting telephone consultation yesterday, well I say consultation! The first thing he said when I answered the call was " I don't know why you are on my call list this morning!? He was very stern and clearly hacked off! He had me on speaker phone so I asked if he could take me off as I'm hard of hearing and will struggle to know what he's saying, his abrupt reply was no! I need my hands to work the computer....He went on to say that he could see from my notes that I'm on a treatment plan with Dr....., so he cant see how he can help me, I replied well Dr.....wasn't available for months so I was given this appointment as it was earlier. The treatment isn't working and hasn't done since Jan 2019. I also told him that I was in such a bad way I had called Rheumatology and asked a Nurse, what shall I do, increase my steroid dose or go back on opiates until I see a Consultant, she advised to up my steroids - omg he was horrified!! he said so Dr..... has put in your treatment to reduce your steroids and yet you're taking 20mg, that's seriously putting you at risk with the current Covid situation.

I said look don't trouble yourself with this and put the phone down.

Happy days my friends

[Coffeebeans]

What an awful thing to happen, so sorry to read this. I really think a complaint might be the way forward if you're up to it.

In the meantime, you need treatment and advice. Can you go back to your GP for a referral somewhere else? Or a fast track appointment with another consultant at the same place.?

[Jax1962 in reply to Coffeebeans]

Morning, yes I've got a very good GP who's been with me throughout this horrid journey, I'm seeing her on Friday 🙂

[TheMoaningViolet]

😱 Words fail me.

[Constance13 in reply to TheMoaningViolet]

And me!

[jinasc]

You need to contact:

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) offers confidential advice, support and information on health-related matters. They provide a point of contact for patients, their families and their carers. You can find officers from PALS in your local hospital.

This service advocates and takes up complaints.

Never mind the rest of the stuff, to not switch off his loudspeaker because he needed to read his computer............you could very well have missed something important.

His patient skills, needs re-training methinks but that won't happen unfortunately.

[Marijo1951 in reply to jinasc]

Yes, do send your complaint to the hospital PALS. They have real influence. A friend of mine had a really arrogant swine of a consultant and PALS helped her sort out the situation quite satisfactorily.

I had an experience of my own more recently. In early May I had a telephone appointment with my consultant, but nobody called. I really wanted to discuss my dosage at the time. I kept trying to phone the rheumatology department to make another appointment and left several messages, but never got a call back. My next step was to email PALS and the very next day my consultant called me and we had the required discussion. She never apologised for the missed appointment or mentioned that PALS had contacted her, but I had the advice that I needed.

I must say that, apart from this one incident, I've no complaints about my consultant. She is happy for me to reduce slowly and on the whole treats me like an intelligent human being. If she can be like that, why are others so different?

[Jax1962 in reply to Marijo1951]

It's such hard work isn't it.,..

[Constance13 in reply to Marijo1951]

What an arrogant .........! He still thinks of himself as 'a God in white' obviously.

[Jax1962 in reply to Constance13]

🤣👏

[Jax1962 in reply to jinasc]

Thank you that's really helpful x

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Nice one - I don't think.

[Longtimer]

I'm glad you put the phone down....perhaps through your GP you can see a different Rheumatologist if they can't help.....no-one should be spoken to like that.....please make a complaint, if only to stop him repeating his behaviour with another patient....

[Jax1962 in reply to Longtimer]

Yes I definitely will do

[DodiR]

Hi, sorry you have had to suffer this sort of treatment.

May I ask if you have a very good GP do you need to go to a so call specialist?

I have settled to only involve my GP in my treatment as he truely knows what he is doing (PMR was his specialist subject whilst working in local hospital before getting own practise)

Sad to think that this specialist is consulting with loads of patience and making them feel really low.

[Jax1962 in reply to DodiR]

Well funny you should say that as I'm now really reluctant to see anyone else at the hospital and will ask my GP about this on Friday

[MiloCollie in reply to DodiR]

Good point DodiR - My rheumy is doing tests I presume to rule out other conditions as well as to try and diagnose me but once he assesses all this I will slink back to my GP.

[Arflane97G]

I would complain - who needs such uncaring arrogance!

[Jax1962 in reply to Arflane97G]

Absolutely, yes I'm going to

[MiloCollie]

That's shocking. These phone "consultations" are a joke. My experience was similar. I hope you get answers elsewhere. Best wishes

[Jax1962 in reply to MiloCollie]

Thank you ♥️

[Pixix]

Lost for words but sending a hug, I think you must need one!

[Jax1962 in reply to Pixix]

Awww thank you ♥️

[Liby57]

Where are you based? I’ve been waiting for a year to see NHS Rheumy, finally had to give in to going private. Now all of a sudden I’ve finally been given a phone call appointment with NHS Rheumy on Mon 26th. It’ll be interesting to compare notes between the 2 rheumatologist. I really don’t know how they can do a proper assessment just by speaking to you on the phone. It’s not even a video call.

[Jax1962 in reply to Liby57]

Well I had actually looked into seeing this consultant privately! I'm absolutely sure he would have been a true gent at £240 for 40 minutes