Professional incompetence
Now, Legless has already done a stirling job in pointing out the multitude of flaws in our beloved Government. And yet there's Gordon whining on about how Labour can secure a 4th term despite an utter trashing in the polls. Er, not if you keep going with your punitive policies you won't mate.

That aside, incompetence drives me up the wall. There's far too much of it about, and the people responsible for their professional fuckwittery seem to generally go unpunished. I could rant all day about this, but there is one instance that I would like to share.

My ex mother in law died a few years ago, courtesy of the big 'C'. Now, she had a bit of a history, having first been diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. She was wheeked straight into hospital for treatment and, following a successful course of radiotherapy and chemo, emerged fit and well again a few months later. The cancer was caught early enough to be treated. All was well, but regular checkups after that were the order of the day.

Five years later it came back, but again was caught early enough for it to be treated. It did put a spanner in the works for our holiday plans that year - a 3 week trip to the west coast of the States, which we had to put on hold (she was coming as well, you see), but that was OK, we just went the year after.

Again, all was well. Until 2001, when she started suffering from pains in her chest. Of she trotted to the doctor, to be fobbed off with "You've probably strained something, take it easy". This continued for the next 6 months, by which time the GP had reluctantly agreed to send her for some tests. By which time it was discovered that not only had the cancer come back, it had spread to her ribcage and one of her ribs had actually been partially eaten away - it didn't show up on the X-ray.

She died about 18 months later, the cancer being incurable this time. Once it gets into your bones, that's it really.

So my peeve in this instance is this. How come, when a 50-something woman with a history of breast cancer, and who's own mother was killed by the disease, goes to see her GP complaining of a pain in her chest, there was absolutely no regard to her medical history and no recognition that there may be some link between the two..?

I know that people in the medical profession are probably under a lot of stress. I accept that mistakes happen, people die on the operating table - it's an inherent risk, and one that I don't really get my bowels in an uproar about. But when a patient has a history of a disease and comes to you with symptoms that, whilst not consistent with breast cancer could have an underlying link, why did it not switch a lightbulb on in your head? And why did you consistently ignore her gut reaction that this was something more than just a muscle strain?

You condescending, God-complex suffering, 'expert' prick.
( Davros' Granddad a voice of calm reason in a world of spastics., Sun 4 May 2008, 13:40, 10 replies)

*hugs*
:(
( ..wil, Sun 4 May 2008, 13:51, closed)

Thanks WiL
My mother in law was a lovely woman that I got on well with. Even though I'd split with her daughter by this point, I still went to see her nearly every day.

Yet another good person taken too young.
( Davros' Granddad a voice of calm reason in a world of spastics., Sun 4 May 2008, 13:59, closed)

More hugs
and warm thoughts. She sounds like a grand woman who'll be remembered fondly. I hope that when I'm gone, I'll be remembered fondly.
(TheWeeWitch hasn't been here much recently .., Sun 4 May 2008, 14:12, closed)

^ Wee Witch
I think of you fondly now xxx
( Tourette's ( . )( . ) has a monkey hair in her fried egg, Sun 4 May 2008, 14:29, closed)

Aaw, thanks Tourettes.
I'm sending you positive thoughts for your own wee invader. Fingers crossed and all that.
(TheWeeWitch hasn't been here much recently .., Sun 4 May 2008, 14:40, closed)

its a 'sterling' job - as in pounds sterling
just saying so you dont look like a mong like
( spimf ™ is whoever you want him to be, Sun 4 May 2008, 15:08, closed)

Unfortunately if it wasn't her usual GP or he wasn't aware of her past history
he wouldn't have bothered to read her notes.

I went to see my GP years ago (not long after I'd had all my treatment and been given the all-clear). It was a new GP, she asked me what the scars were on my chest, I told her I'd had breast cancer and she laughed at me! "Oh no, of course you haven't! It was just a cyst."
So that's why they gave me six months of chemo then, just for a cyst?
Ah...

Sadly they just don't have the time to read a patient's notes. Doesn't make it right though.
( chickenlady b3ta's very own Elizabeth Taylor, Mon 5 May 2008, 20:29, closed)

Trouble was...
It was her GP of some 20 years that didn't make the connection. He was heading for retirement by that point and I think he just couldn't give a toss.

Cockweasle.

(I hope you had a good weekend by the way).
( Davros' Granddad a voice of calm reason in a world of spastics., Mon 5 May 2008, 23:15, closed)

That well and truly sucks.
*sigh*
*wishes life was like books.


Had a lovely weekend thanks - kids, biking, climbing, baking cakes, lots and lots of cooking, gardening, wine, bit sunburnt from biking and gardening and had PJM here the whole time. Lovely.
( chickenlady b3ta's very own Elizabeth Taylor, Mon 5 May 2008, 23:33, closed)

Nothing like as serious
But I saw 'my' GP a while back, after the A&E Scablifter phoned me at home on a Sunday to say 'we think you've got X, go and see your GP IMMEDIATELY'.

Off I bimble to my local practice, to be told that the tests 'hadn't come through' (6 months later, they still 'haven't come through').

Now I could see my notes on screen behind him (and could see that they wrongly described one of my past misadventures), and he didn't even look at the fucking PC.

Or examine the faulty appendage in question.

Or do shag all except tell me to take shedloads of Ibuprofen. For ever.

Hope it's not leprosy, then.
(osok Rebel without a clue, Tue 6 May 2008, 11:12, closed)