Bad experience at consultant appointment

[panicwomble]

Has anyone had a consultant tell them absolute rubbish at a consultation?

I've recently had a terrible experience at the hands of a consultant whom I paid to see privately. I feel a bit let down also by the specialist who referred me, for sending me along with a referral letter that contained multiple inaccuracies. To date, I have not received a copy of that referral letter although they said they'd send it to me.

At any rate, the appointment with the consultant was a total waste of time and $$, and I came away feeling a wreck, thank god I was allowed to bring a friend in with me or it would have made my HA and emotional issues 100x worse.

Panic

[countrygirl]

It all hinges on what you feel was rubbish at the consultation. If it was clinical inaccuracies in the referral letter then I guess you would have corrected that at the consultation? Or did you feel the consultant was of no help?
You could always write to the consultant if you feel strongly enough expalining why you feel as they do and they will reply or see you again.

[panicwomble]

First off there were inaccuracies in the referral letter, I cleared it up with the consultant and he said outright that I did not need any further investigations (i.e a scan) since I'd updated him.

I felt a little upset at the specialist for having written the referral without sending me a copy so I could correct the inaccuracies, because it wasted time and money as I was seeing this consultant privately. It just seems a bit unprofessional because it contained information that urgently needed updating and yet she'd sent it along without doing so.

Furthermore, the consultant actually stated certain things that were completely incorrect - granted, it may not be his exact specialty, but he made those observations with authority and conviction, and I am really quite flabbergasted that he could have said those things. I know it is hard to believe, but it is what happened. I almost feel tempted to refer to this conversation the next time I see my original specialist to make her aware of this misinformation I was given, but I do not know if this is a good idea. Maybe I should just let it drop?

I certainly hope not to see him again if I can help it.... :(

Panic

[Catherine S]

Without knowing the details it's difficult to advise you really. However, if you went there expecting a certain diagnosis for a condition you think you may have and the diagnosis was not forthcoming then you'd naturally be disappointed or angry. If you're a member of NMP then i'm assuming you suffer with health anxiety? Is it perhaps a case of you not believing what doctors tell you When they say there is nothing to worry about? I think we've all been in that situation at some point.

ISB x

[countrygirl]

I must admit I have never ever seen a copy of a referral letter although sometimes you get a copy sent to you of the consultants letter back to the Gp etc.

If there were real inaccuracies in the referral letter then yes do mention it to your original consultant just to say it could have caused problems if you had not corrected them.

I have super ventricular tachycardia and before diagnosis I was referred by Gp to specialist heart Dr and a few weeks before the referral I had had a 3 day ecg plus an echocardiogram done but my Gp totally missed this out of the referral letter and the specialist heart dr was surprised when i told him but he just wrote to my Gp asking for copies of those tests.

[LilGsMama]

My ENT letter was a bit crap, hence my plan to correct the bugger when I go next Tues! I've a feeling he's thinking of discharging me so he's getting both barrels.. going to take notes AND make sure he listens this time. I waited 6 weeks for that appointment last time and came out feeling fobbed off xxx

[panicwomble]

I have a real condition that is causing me huge anxiety, so it's not strictly HA as such, but rather, anxiety and negative patterns of thinking causing lots of emotional turmoil.

To cut a long story short, I have TMJ, a problem with my jaw joints. There are basically two kinds; muscular and/or joint/bone related. My specialist assessed me 2 weeks ago and thought some signs were concerning, I couldn't open my mouth wide enough so she referred me to the consultant for an MRI, fearing it could be a displaced disc. It could also have been a muscular issue but she wanted to make sure.

It took me several weeks to make an appointment with this consultant, during which time I had several more visits to this specialist, who actually managed to increase my mouth opening dramatically. This has effectively eliminated the possibility that my discs could be displaced, but since I'd already booked an appointment with the consultant, she thought I could see him anyway and get the MRI to make 100% sure nothing else was going on.

However she wrote the referral letter after the assessment and said my jaw was stuck/restricted. She did NOT update this information. Naturally when I saw the consultant, he asked me about it and I told him the latest developments, and he seemed annoyed and told me I did NOT need an MRI scan, because it was obvious to him that my discs were fine.

I really do not know how my specialist expected me to still get the MRI with that outdated referral letter that she sent on to the consultant. Moreover, the consultant told me:

"With limited jaw opening, your discs WERE displaced 2 weeks ago. But the treatment must have pushed the discs back into place so now they're fine!!!"

Unfortunately, this is patently untrue. A displaced disc without reduction never goes back into place unless surgery (usually ill advised) is performed. I was really stunned that the consultant told me something that all TMJ specialists know is impossible.

We continued our chat. He asked me what I was experiencing, since pain is a major indicator of joint displacement. I told him I had little pain, but had these other distressing symptoms associated with TMJ. He then proceeded to tell me that my symptoms had NOTHING to do with TMJ. I was incredulous at this, and said that it was listed on my specialist's website, as well as on other websites and in a TMJ book that I own. He replied that he was a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeon. :ohmy: Therefore he was RIGHT. At that point I could have had a meltdown out of sheer anxiety, luckily a friend of mine was at the appointment with me so she saved the day afterwards. I don't know if the consultant particularly cared that he had undermined my specialist with what he'd said. He then proceeded to patronise me by saying I could Google my symptoms and the most common cause was "XYZ" and not TMJ.

Basically my crazy anxieties are hinged on my fears that my symptoms can never be resolved, this had the potential to be devastating but luckily my friend helped me by reminding me that this consultant was brashly and confidently stating all sorts of stuff that was possibly beyond his own knowledge and expertise. I have to say that I felt pretty battered afterwards and it is still a daily struggle to stay positive and on the right track.

So yes, he said an MRI scan was unnecessary, which I am all too happy about, but his behaviour at the appointment really upset me - plus my specialist's rather wishy washy handling of the referral letter makes me wonder.....
:shrug:

I am sorry this turned out to be such a long post!!!!!!!


Without knowing the details it's difficult to advise you really. However, if you went there expecting a certain diagnosis for a condition you think you may have and the diagnosis was not forthcoming then you'd naturally be disappointed or angry. If you're a member of NMP then i'm assuming you suffer with health anxiety? Is it perhaps a case of you not believing what doctors tell you When they say there is nothing to worry about? I think we've all been in that situation at some point.

ISB x

---------- Post added at 19:56 ---------- Previous post was at 19:51 ----------

I am glad I'm not the only one! My specialist did say that she was sending me a copy of the referral but I haven't got it to date.

It contains inaccurate information and possibly other errors/misunderstandings about my case history that I narrated to her at my first assessment but I need to read it in order to correct them.

Anyway yes, the original letter said I needed an MRI because of XYZ and now XYZ does not apply anymore, therefore how does she expect the consultant to still order the MRI? He rightly decided it was unnecessary.

However it was his subsequent behaviour that really threw me off kilter.... (see long post above).



I must admit I have never ever seen a copy of a referral letter although sometimes you get a copy sent to you of the consultants letter back to the Gp etc.

If there were real inaccuracies in the referral letter then yes do mention it to your original consultant just to say it could have caused problems if you had not corrected them.

I have super ventricular tachycardia and before diagnosis I was referred by Gp to specialist heart Dr and a few weeks before the referral I had had a 3 day ecg plus an echocardiogram done but my Gp totally missed this out of the referral letter and the specialist heart dr was surprised when i told him but he just wrote to my Gp asking for copies of those tests.

[LilGsMama]

My ENT consultant went against everything I'd been told and said that sinus problems do not cause pain near the nose.. Without offering any kind of explanation as to what my nasal pain was about.. He "assessed" me for TMJ too. Hope he isn't expecting me to lie down and take it next week as I'm sick to the back teeth of feeling like crap!

xxxxxxxxxx

[countrygirl]

Ah - I understand now. His attitude was the " i am god and who are you to question me" grrr so annoying when you get one of those!
I agree, TMJ dysfunction is a very specialist area so it was probably not something he was an expert in.

[panicwomble]

I'm sorry you feel like crap and keep getting fobbed off. It sounds SO familiar though. I've had a horrible ENT consultant too, because guess what? My TMJ gives me ear symptoms and I've been to one ENT consultant after another, all of whom prescribe me nasal sprays for allergies that I DO NOT HAVE and offer nothing else by way of solutions or suggestions.

I had a panic attack outside one of the ENT consultant's offices once after he told me to go away and "nothing was wrong" despite my suffering distressing symptoms for weeks on end. It took me a long time to pinpoint TMJ as the root cause.

Panic

---------- Post added at 20:30 ---------- Previous post was at 20:25 ----------

I don't really understand what is wrong with:
"It's not really in my area of expertise, you'll have to ask your specialist about that".

But NOOOOOO.... there he was, getting defensive and riled up because I was sitting there with a frantic, bunny-in-headlights look on my face. It was pretty late in the day and I guess he must have been tired but still, it was no excuse.

I hope I never have to run into him again!


Ah - I understand now. His attitude was the " i am god and who are you to question me" grrr so annoying when you get one of those!
I agree, TMJ dysfunction is a very specialist area so it was probably not something he was an expert in.

[debs71]

I have had numerous ridiculous consultations with so-called specialists.

I was dagnosed with a cyst on my thyroid a couple of years ago. I was relieved it was a cyst, as I was certain that it could be drained/aspirated easily without the need for surgery. After the ultrasound I was referred to a 'head and neck' consultant who swore blind to me that the ONLY possible solution to my lump was surgery, where they would cut open my neck at risk of mucking up my PERFECTLY NORMALLY FUNCTIONING thyoid in order to drain and remove the cyst. I challenged him about the need for full surgery, but he knew oh-so better.

I walked away from the consultation in tears of frustration.

I went home and did my own research and discovered a private Endocrine Consultant/Surgeon who I made an appt. with for a second opinion. This man was amazing. He was shocked that the NHS Consultant I originally saw even suggested opening me up.

He told me he could drain the cyst right there and then in his office with a large syringe.....not even a local anaesthetic required.

I was out of his office in 15 minutes, came back for a follow-up, and that was that.

Just because these doctors are 'Consultants' they simply DO NOT know it all. The fact that the NHS doctor I saw was so readily willing to waste a lot of NHS funds, not to mention subject me to needless surgery frankly disgusted me.

As far as the referral letters go, well I always open whatever letter the GP's hand me for a private consultation (I have had two so far - one for my thyroid cyst and another for a gynae procedure.....and THAT NHS consultation is yet ANOTHER story!!!) before I make the appt. I don't care if that is not the done thing......MY health info and all of our health info is OUR BUSINESS, and I too do not trust what a GP may put in it, so to save any hassle before the appt, I read it first. :mad:

[panicwomble]

Oh I'm SO glad that I'm not the only one to have had a consultant spout utter rubbish at me!

For some reason, it makes me quite relieved. Your experience sounds horrific, recommending surgery when there was a simpler, much safer alternative.... did you write a letter of complaint afterwards??? I shudder to think of all the other patients who might be subjected to unnecessary surgery by this man!

I just wish some consultants would admit to some limits in their knowledge and say "I don't know, you'll have to consult XYZ" instead of doling out BS.

My specialist did not give me a letter to hand in to the consultant, that's why I couldn't read it first - she emailed it directly to him. She did say, in passing, that she'd send me a copy of the referral letter but to date, nothing has arrived. It's possible she has reconsidered sending me a letter containing information that is no longer applicable.

Oh, by the way I paid to see this consultant privately, because the specialist wanted the scan right away and the NHS waiting list was too long. So not all private consultants are very good/kind/patient either. :(