Experience as a patient 3 - x rays
I was a GP in Cheltenham for about 4 years from 1973 and patients with tuberculosis were not unheard of. I had seen a child 4 years of age with tb of his spine having contracted this from another adult patient of ours. I was dealt with as a tb contact and was asked to have a chest x ray. I was a patient of our practice (frowned upon these days) and wrote out the chest x ray form myself (also frowned upon now). One could go along to the radiology department without an appointment which I did. I handed in the form and a radiographer came to me not so much later. She spoke to me gruffly and said something like “get in there and take your shirt off”. This I did and she roughly manhandled me to the right position relative to the machinery. She actually pushed me. She took the film and told me to get dressed. After I had dressed, she said “Right. Go to your own doctor in 5 days and ask for the result”. I said “I am my own doctor” and walked out.
In about 1979, I was under considerable stress form setting up, with the fantastic help from my wife, a general practice from scratch ie no patients when we opened up (but this is another story). I was not sleeping well and drinking too much alcohol. I crashed our mini into a lamp post and was taken to the local casualty department in an ambulance. The car was a write off. This was at about 10 pm. My ankle was x rayed and I was told there was no fracture. I went home and found that the pain was so bad that I had `to go up the stairs backwards on my bottom. In the early hours of the morning ( and this action is a sign of my poor mental state) I decided to phone Mick, who was nearly a consultant orthopaedic surgeon. I told him the story and asked what I should do. He said “you need your leg xraying” and put the phone down somewhat hastily as it was about 2 am. The next day I went to another casualty department and saw a great Egyptian doctor. He discovered a fracture of my left lateral malleolus and put me in plaster of Paris. I did not complain about the first casualty department as I had done that job in the East End of London and I knew how difficult it was to interpret xrays late at night without a radiologist.
About a year ago I went to my GP (who was in another practice from my own) to talk about my hypertension tablets and management. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing him because he was new and this was my first consultation with him. He turned out to deal with me in an exemplary fashion. He asked me to have a chest x ray and I asked if it was OK to fill in the form myself with his name as the GP – this was to be helpful and save him time. He agreed and I did the form knowing the result would be sent to him.
Again, one can go for a chest x ray to the local radiology department without an appointment between certain times in the working week. I arrived at about 8.30 am and handed in the form to the receptionist. I sat in the waiting room with quite a few other patients. The receptionist (who knew I was a GP) came back to me, and, in front of all these patients asked “ Have you filled this form in yourself?”. I said “Yes, but my GP said it was alright”. She said “I’m sorry but we are going to have to fax your GP for his signature” and she went off. I was livid and felt she was accusing me of forgery. I had recently had the honour to have been elected a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners and believe in its very strict ethical approach. I thought that if she says anything else to me in front of all these people I would give her some lip. She came back and told me “The fax machine is not working. We will have to wait until the consultant comes in and ask him”. I said “ Do you think I have forged an x ray form without going to see my GP? What sort of person do you think I am?” She then apologised, the consultant came in and I could have my x ray.
I was told to proceed to a cubicle and prepare myself. In that cubicle was a shirt thing. I could not work out which way round to put it on. Also in the cubicle was a notice telling patients to ask for assistance after they had been in the cubicle for 15 minutes without being called. I was called after about 5 minutes, had my x ray, got dressed again and was in a bit of a rush to get to my work place in Leeds. The radiographer was charming and when I waqs leaving said to me “Dr xxxxxxx (the consultant) will see you now”. I told her I was in a bit of a rush to get to work and asked her to apologise for not seeing him. As I was driving to Leeds, I started wondering why he wanted to see me. I ended up thinking I had lung cancer at the very least and was in a bit of a state when I got to the Deanery in Leeds University, where I was working that day. I told one of my GP colleagues my tale and he advised me to phone the consultant which I did. I asked him whay he wanted to see me and that I was worrying about my x ray. He said “ the x ray is fine. I just wanted to say hello.” Phew.
I went to see my GP a week later. The first thing he said to me when I went into his room was “Rugby Player?”. I had no idea what he was on about. I am the laziest person I know. In a department store I used to look for an escalator to go down! The x ray result had discovered two healed fractured ribs, he explained. I then remembered what could have happened. A few years ago, in the winter, I had bought 6 eggs and on the way back to the car slipped on some ice. I fell and hurt my chest. Not a single egg was broken! I did not have an x ray at the time.
Well, I have not had great experiences with x rays and I am a doctor! What patients have to put up with I can only imagine!
I was a GP in Cheltenham for about 4 years from 1973 and patients with tuberculosis were not unheard of. I had seen a child 4 years of age with tb of his spine having contracted this from another adult patient of ours. I was dealt with as a tb contact and was asked to have a chest x ray. I was a patient of our practice (frowned upon these days) and wrote out the chest x ray form myself (also frowned upon now). One could go along to the radiology department without an appointment which I did. I handed in the form and a radiographer came to me not so much later. She spoke to me gruffly and said something like “get in there and take your shirt off”. This I did and she roughly manhandled me to the right position relative to the machinery. She actually pushed me. She took the film and told me to get dressed. After I had dressed, she said “Right. Go to your own doctor in 5 days and ask for the result”. I said “I am my own doctor” and walked out.
In about 1979, I was under considerable stress form setting up, with the fantastic help from my wife, a general practice from scratch ie no patients when we opened up (but this is another story). I was not sleeping well and drinking too much alcohol. I crashed our mini into a lamp post and was taken to the local casualty department in an ambulance. The car was a write off. This was at about 10 pm. My ankle was x rayed and I was told there was no fracture. I went home and found that the pain was so bad that I had `to go up the stairs backwards on my bottom. In the early hours of the morning ( and this action is a sign of my poor mental state) I decided to phone Mick, who was nearly a consultant orthopaedic surgeon. I told him the story and asked what I should do. He said “you need your leg xraying” and put the phone down somewhat hastily as it was about 2 am. The next day I went to another casualty department and saw a great Egyptian doctor. He discovered a fracture of my left lateral malleolus and put me in plaster of Paris. I did not complain about the first casualty department as I had done that job in the East End of London and I knew how difficult it was to interpret xrays late at night without a radiologist.
About a year ago I went to my GP (who was in another practice from my own) to talk about my hypertension tablets and management. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing him because he was new and this was my first consultation with him. He turned out to deal with me in an exemplary fashion. He asked me to have a chest x ray and I asked if it was OK to fill in the form myself with his name as the GP – this was to be helpful and save him time. He agreed and I did the form knowing the result would be sent to him.
Again, one can go for a chest x ray to the local radiology department without an appointment between certain times in the working week. I arrived at about 8.30 am and handed in the form to the receptionist. I sat in the waiting room with quite a few other patients. The receptionist (who knew I was a GP) came back to me, and, in front of all these patients asked “ Have you filled this form in yourself?”. I said “Yes, but my GP said it was alright”. She said “I’m sorry but we are going to have to fax your GP for his signature” and she went off. I was livid and felt she was accusing me of forgery. I had recently had the honour to have been elected a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners and believe in its very strict ethical approach. I thought that if she says anything else to me in front of all these people I would give her some lip. She came back and told me “The fax machine is not working. We will have to wait until the consultant comes in and ask him”. I said “ Do you think I have forged an x ray form without going to see my GP? What sort of person do you think I am?” She then apologised, the consultant came in and I could have my x ray.
I was told to proceed to a cubicle and prepare myself. In that cubicle was a shirt thing. I could not work out which way round to put it on. Also in the cubicle was a notice telling patients to ask for assistance after they had been in the cubicle for 15 minutes without being called. I was called after about 5 minutes, had my x ray, got dressed again and was in a bit of a rush to get to my work place in Leeds. The radiographer was charming and when I waqs leaving said to me “Dr xxxxxxx (the consultant) will see you now”. I told her I was in a bit of a rush to get to work and asked her to apologise for not seeing him. As I was driving to Leeds, I started wondering why he wanted to see me. I ended up thinking I had lung cancer at the very least and was in a bit of a state when I got to the Deanery in Leeds University, where I was working that day. I told one of my GP colleagues my tale and he advised me to phone the consultant which I did. I asked him whay he wanted to see me and that I was worrying about my x ray. He said “ the x ray is fine. I just wanted to say hello.” Phew.
I went to see my GP a week later. The first thing he said to me when I went into his room was “Rugby Player?”. I had no idea what he was on about. I am the laziest person I know. In a department store I used to look for an escalator to go down! The x ray result had discovered two healed fractured ribs, he explained. I then remembered what could have happened. A few years ago, in the winter, I had bought 6 eggs and on the way back to the car slipped on some ice. I fell and hurt my chest. Not a single egg was broken! I did not have an x ray at the time.
Well, I have not had great experiences with x rays and I am a doctor! What patients have to put up with I can only imagine!
posted by Ivan at 11:15 AM
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