 Poster: A snowHead
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Jonpim, to be fair the consultant didn't exactly ignore the questions I put (I knew exactly what to ask), but I don't think he understood what I was asking. I didn't want to appear racist by saying that English was not his first language, but when I asked about returning to normal (for me ) activities, he thought I was asking how likely it was that I would break my neck again!
Nb- fairly likey from the comment I've just recieved on Facebook
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Helen Beaumont wrote: |
| laundryman ignoring the questions totally is still inexcusable. |
Sure - I was only speculating about an explanation, not making excuses.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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laundryman, I don't know. Communication difficulty was the problem I think, (see julesB's post above.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| JulesB wrote: |
| English was not his first language |
Ah. Tricky. At least half of doctoring is about communication.
Unfortunately in many outpatient departments "Follow-ups" (what you is) are left to less senior staff.
This is quite wrong. You should have been seen by the chap who did your op.
(I realise the above comments are not much help to you JulesB, but they may prevent another snowhead getting into a similar unsatisfactory situation.)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Jonpim, perhaps we should pay Prof Gay a visit at Grenoble CHU next week instead.
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Jonpim, problem is that in the NHS we don't get any chance to say which surgeon we should have -we are just allocated to one - or that is what happened when I had my achilles tendon go. And communication at my local hospital was really bad. I had the cast off one day, and was scheduled for an operation the next. So I went on to nil-by-mouth from 3am. I didn't find out that my operation had been postponed to no definite time until I was told mid morning to take some tablets. It was only when I said I couldn't, because I was about to have an operation, that I was told it was not happening that day. I contacted my firm's health insurance, and found that they would take me on - and advised nursing staff, but I was still there throughout the day, effectively blocking a bed I don't need. It was only at six in the evening that I could speak to someone with sufficient authority to do any thing - and I wasn't on my way to a private hospital until the next day. The contrast in attention when I went private was enormous.
I got the impression that the NHS nursing staff were grossly overstretched, partly because of the number of cases that were coming in, but also partly because of inefficient management. I also gained the impression that as an individual the patient was not very important.
I don't know what the answer to our NHS problems is. Intensive care is only available AFIK through the NHS. And, given present taxation, not that many can afford private health insurance - always assuming they have no chronic condition that wouldn't bar them anyway.
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achilles, private medicine wouldn't have helped up to now in Julians case. His op was in France, and he needed an ICU bed for a few hour after surgery. It may have speeded up the initial consultation in the UK , but only by a couple of days (Friday instead of Monday), although he may actually have seen the consultant at his follow up yesterday . On his initial visit it was Mr Wynne-Jones registrar that he saw, but she was very good, and rang him back at home a few weeks later when he asked if it was Ok to go on holiday.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I don't think we would have known which consultant to choose even if we had a choice, neck trauma is not suitable for choose and book I don't think. Anyway, the consultant may have been operating on some other poor bugs damaged spine.
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"Choose and book" chooses the hospital, not the consultant.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Why do I need to worry who my consultant is when I have all of you to give advice?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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JulesB, 
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Helen Beaumont, I chose my consultant after talking to a buddy who was also an orthopaedic surgeon (though one who did only did pre-planned (eclectic?)) surgery. I have no idea how I could have made a decision otherwise. For the private operation, very shortly after I had chosen him, the surgeon was at my side, explaining to me the procedure he was going to use. He saw me again before the operation, and all post operation care consultations were with him.
Although I do suspect the management could be improved a lot, I do think the NHS has much that is good - and am pleased that Jules treatment has resulted in him being able to buy me beer at VT 
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You know it makes sense.
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achilles, I'm rather relieved that he'll be able to buy me a beer.
You will be pleased to know that the French surgeon also explained everything to Jules too. And J is wrong about him not speaking English.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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achilles, you are quite right about seeming lack of choice of surgeon (or physician) on the NHS.
The present system relies on your GP having knowledge of local surgical expertise.
As there is usually no data, this "knowledge" is actually based on rumour and hearsay.
Even if you have no say in the initial surgical referral, you are perfectly entitled to enquire about qualifications, expertise, experience (number of similar cases done), success rates, failures, disasters, and deaths. And if you don't like any of the replies, you are quite within your rights to ask for another doctor.
12 Questions to ask about you Surgery from Queensland Health (Australia) - note expecially question 11. This is also valid in the UK.
Consent for Surgery from NHS National Library for Health
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Poster: A snowHead
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achilles, I didn't want to end up knocking the NHS. It was just this last consultation I expected too much of. I did enjoy looking at my scan on the monitor.
I'm not normally on the other side of the counter as it were, and I remembered yesterday that the NHS staff deal with much the same general public as I do. One patient didn't actually have an appointment; one decided that they did not understand anything said to them because attending hospital was a new experience; one was a week late because he'd changed address and not told anyone; and one stroppy B was complaining that he had to wait three hours between scan and consultation after putting a fiver in the parking meter.
They may want to work on waiting room layout re-patient confidentiality 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Jonpim, in your role as a gasman (I decided I couldn't spell anesthetist), can you evaluate the expertise of the surgeon you're working with? Or is it not really obvious from the manner of their hacking and proding?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Hoppo, you don't necessarily have to be qualified to recognise class. In my first year as a clinical medical student< I was able to recognise a surgical "duffer" who was subsequently "promoted out of trouble" (he was made an examiner for the Royal College of Surgeons  )
Three years later, (he still hadn't been moved at that stage) one of my friends was his houseman, and developed appendicitis while on-call. He pleaded with the registrar (middle-grade) doctor not to tell the boss (the boss would have then done the op that evening "out of courtesy") and ended up driving himself to the Casualty Department of the hospital 15 miles away in order to avoid his boss's fumbling fingers.
A true story, unfortunately.
This was 28 years ago and I don't think would happen nowadays - but perhaps Jonpim will enlighten us further.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Hoppo wrote: |
| can you evaluate the expertise of the surgeon you're working with? |
You can. Much the same way you can tell a good footballer/golfer/snooker player: you've seen a few good ones to compare, and know how things ought to go.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Hoppo, when Jules had his op in Grenoble, I was immediately reassured that he was in a 'safe' pair of hands, simply by the manner of the man, the way he spoke of the surgery like it was routine, and the way that his staff obviously respected him.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Helen Beaumont wrote: |
| Hoppo, when Jules had his op in Grenoble, I was immediately reassured that he was in a 'safe' pair of hands, simply by the manner of the man, the way he spoke of the surgery like it was routine, and the way that his staff obviously respected him. |
Oh yes during visiting time, but after she'd left the nurse with the eye patch who called herself after a snake, came round, and for those of you old enough to remember, the patient next door had had his head grafted onto the body of a pig.
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Jonpim, no slight intended - I was just curious, since I've never had any contact with surgeons.
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achilles, Similar to my single NHS op experience - I blocked a bed for days when there was no realistic chance of surgery after an A&E admission when I'd much preferred to have gone home (and actually slept) ready to be called in when the relevant surgeon was operating (ortho so no real risk of condition deteriorating or requirement for monitoring).
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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robboj, probably hallucinating from the lack of alcohol. I don't suppose he's been without alcohol for that long since he was a teenager
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I take that as a slurp on my good character
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Helen Beaumont, JulesB, yey!
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Poster: A snowHead
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JulesB, Helen Beaumont, fantastic - well done! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Excellent 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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FAQ
