Tell GPS to mind their own business
he latest bonkers edict from NHS England (who they?), that doctors should inquire about sexual orientation, typifies the “surveillance mentality” – that the supposition of an entitlement to inquire into their patients’ private lives is for their own good. I suspect some might not appreciate the resentment this can cause.
The writer Robert Harris, when struck down by a nasty sore throat as he was rushing to finish one of his novels, thought a course of antibiotics might be appropriate. He managed to get an appointment the same day, but rather than – as he had expected – his doctor inquiring solicitously about his symptoms, he was subjected to the usual interrogation about smoking, units of alcohol consumed, exercise taken and so on. Furious at the impertinence of this questioning, he walked out – and good on him.
Those with diabetes are probably the main casualties of
Tthe surveillance mentality, an integral part of the routine annual check-up. I am grateful to a reader for passing on this snippet.
Nurse: “Do you exercise and keep active?” Patient: “You mean apart from housework, shopping, gardening, digging, etc?”
Nurse: “Right, you do seem to keep active. Do you drink milk – whole milk or semi-skimmed?”
Patient: “Neither – I drink skimmed milk.”
Nurse: “Oh, I don’t drink it, I think it is horrible. Do you have plenty of friends?”
Patient: “Yes.”
Nurse: “Your blood pressure is up. I wonder why?”
Patient: “I can’t imagine.”
And so drearily onwards. The appropriate response to this type of inquisition should be MYOB.
Mystery pain waves
Furious at the impertinence of the questioning, he walked out – and good on him
This week’s medical query comes courtesy of Mr DP from Dorset, writing on behalf of his wife, who has been seriously troubled over the past two years by waves of pain (likened to a tourniquet) that wake her in the morning and occur several times in the day.
They start in the toes, progress over the top of the feet, are “very strong” around the ankle and up the front of the leg to just below the knee. She has had every conceivable test – MRI scans, X-ray of the knees, etc – that have excluded possible explanations of peripheral neuropathy, nerve compression and inflammatory joint conditions. She is currently under the care of a private pain management consultant, the local NHS waiting list apparently being three years. Might anyone, he wonders, help clarify what is amiss?
G&R – it does work
Finally, my thanks to a reader for further confirmation of the efficacy of the noted gin-and-raisin remedy. When his friend, a jazz guitarist, consulted his doctor about stiffness in his hands that was impeding his playing, the GP mentioned that one of his patients similarly afflicted was much helped by G&R. He duly gave it a go and, within a few days, was apparently back strumming away.
It could not be simpler: empty a box of raisins into a plastic container, cover with gin and, once it’s evaporated, eat nine during the day. The raisins act like a slowrelease pill, dispensing a small amount of alcohol over an hour or two, relaxing the muscles and thus easing the stiffness of the joints.
Interestingly, several people over the years have also commended it as a treatment for psoriasis. “I would not say it was a cure,” writes a woman who tried it for a couple of months, “you can still see the affected areas. But the itchy flakiness and soreness is much improved.”