consultant's clinical notes all wrong - is it worth the candle to correct?

[Pearlteapot]

Honestly after reading so many stories here of Endos reducing dose because of this that or the other I feel I would probably be wise to ask my Endo to correct her notes in case they form the basis for a bad prescription later, but is it really worth the fight when hopefully future prescription will be based on future symptoms?

She writes that I felt like my brain was liquidising after a dose increase from 75mg to 100mg whereas on the contrary the liquidising brain was the reason I asked for the increase! Entirely the wrong way round.

She says that patient noted an improvement when on starter dose of 50mg whereas I told her that I felt dreadful on the starter dose. As I understood her my initial adverse reaction was why she said she wanted a cortisol test. So it probably shouldn't stay on the record that I noted an improvement as I absolutely did not.

Massively disappointed that a private endo has got my clinical history ar** over t*t. I've only been sick 3 months, it's not exactly a massive history. But feel I should correct my medical record for the future. Is it worth it?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Pearlteapot

Definitely worth it.

Write a snail mail letter, send "signed for" and make sure you check the tracking and make a note of when it was delivered (you can print it off from RM's website tracking page), correct all the wrong information but please make sure that when mentioning the dose of your Levo you put mcg (micrograms) and not mg (milligrams). You don't want them to pick you up on anything. Then add

Please add this letter to my file.

I did this when an NHS consultant wrote to my GP after our appointment and put something wrong in the letter. I actually made an official complaint to the Health Board about him and I quoted what he said in his letter and what was actually said during the consultation. I put the "Please add this letter to my file" in that letter then I CC'd the whole thing to my GP and asked her to put the letter in my file at the surgery as well.

[Pearlteapot in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks so much SeasideSusie I suspected as much. I will do it over the weekend. I am already trying to avoid being seen as difficult, obstructive, anxious blah blah when it is the privately paid consultant who has got her records wrong. Gah.

She had also said she would ask the hospital labs to use my existing blood sample to test for T3 and cortisol but when I chased up on this to ask for the results it is clear from the correspondence that she never actually made the request to the labs.

Poor.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Pearlteapot]

Oh dear, not a good start with this endo is it

[Pearlteapot in reply to SeasideSusie]

Nope. I'll stick with her to my next dose increase and see if that's my sweet spot. I'm feeling quite good at the moment and another 25 mcg might be all I need so no point changing Endo now. If things remain unresolved after that I'll be back here asking for private messages to recommend an Endo.🤓

[Hidden]

I'm sorry it's totally unhelpful bit I've never heard that turn of phrase "is it worth the candle" before and I'm absolutely going to incorporate it into my lexicon!

[Pearlteapot in reply to Hidden]

haha.. not sure of the origin, presumably at least 18th century!

Edit: "This expression, which began as a translation of a term used by the French essayist Michel de Montaigne in 1580, alludes to gambling by candlelight, which involved the expense of illumination. If the winnings were not sufficient, they did not warrant the expense. Used figuratively, it was a proverb within a century."

Apt?

[Hidden in reply to Pearlteapot]

I love it. Its so expressive. Thank you! 🕯

[Anthea55 in reply to Hidden]

Amazing what you can find online - dictionary definition is

"If you say that the game is not worth the candle, you mean that something is not worth the trouble or effort needed to achieve or obtain it"

"This expression, which began as a translation of a term used by the French essayist Michel de Montaigne in 1580, alludes to gambling by candlelight, which involved the expense of illumination. If the winnings were not sufficient, they did not warrant the expense. Used figuratively, it was a proverb within a century."

[DippyDame]

Shocking!

More power to your elbow...

[Framboise]

Yes, I always ask that anything written incorrectly in my notes or letters is corrected and that my letter is attached to the original, because you never know how important it might be in the future. It's surprising how often it happens! Also, I've noticed that letters from some private doctors, especially my endocrinologist, often aren't included in my online medical record, and each time I insist that they are added to it. I also have an incorrect diagnosis in my records, and as that's more difficult to correct, I sent a letter explaining why it was wrong, what the correct diagnosis was, gave all relevant dates etc., and asked that my letter be attached to the letter with the incorrect diagnosis. If such mistakes were made by other professionals they would be called out for them!

[crimple]

The registrar that saw me instead of the Endo wrote that i had surgery for breast cancer and implied I had chemo to follow. What it had to do with my thyroid heaven only knows.In actual fact I had a small benign lump removed and no further problems.

I contacted the Senior GP at our practice and told him the story. He was not happy, especially as he had just been on a training course about writing accurate patient notes!!! he told me to write the correct version and it was then sent to the Endo department for my notes to be corrected.

I eventually received an apology too.

I always check my notes now with on line access.