Insider tips for getting the treatment we need

[Fruitandnutcase]

Not that we hadn't worked out a lot if it for ourselves 😊

dailymail.co.uk/health/arti...

[Clutter]

Thanks, F&N. Quite a lot of that is news to me, so maybe helpful to others too.

[crabapple]

Kinda gobsmacked by that lot. Will save and re-read. Thank you.

[Jazzw]

What a refreshing article - some great pro-active tips there. Thanks for posting x

[greygoose]

Should be required reading for doctors, too!

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to greygoose]

Exactly. He had a book out ages ago called 'Trust Me I'm A Doctor' and now has a new book called 'Trust Me I'm (Still) A Doctor'.

Maybe his next book will be called 'Trust Me I Used To Be A Doctor Until I Wrote A Book Telling People How To Work the System' 😊

[humanbean]

I'm not convinced by some of these suggestions. Any time I try to stand up for myself I end up being treated like scum. I know I don't have the greatest social skills in the world and I'm not tactful. Perhaps this advice only applies to "the right kind" of people?

[Fruitandnutcase]

It's interesting to know what we're entitled to - even if it's not actually what we always get offered. I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to do a lot of the things he suggests and quite a few of the reader's comments hint that you might be looking for a new doctor if you aren't careful and they take offence.

[Chancery]

Well, I don't know if I should be proud or not to say I already do all of that, except shake hands. I don't do that because hand-shaking seems to be a forgotten art and because I don't want to be chummy with doctors anyway, plus I always see the same one!

But it's a very good list and I think it's great that he's encouraging patients to take care of themselves first and foremost, and he's not seeing self-education as some kind of threat to the medical profession. A rare beast indeed...

[Fruitandnutcase]

It's funny, when I go to the ends they all ( teaching hospital - I saw six different endos/ housemen, whatever during my B & R treatment) look you in the eye, say how nice it is to see you and shake your hand. It's very nice but it doesn't lull me into believing or agreeing with everything they say. I've just come to the conclusion it is departmental policy to make patients feel welcome.

I do wish it was something that was done more often, I'm old enough to remember when your family doctor shook your hand as a diagnostic technique, and prescribed by symptoms rather than blood test results, but that's another story.