Hi,
apologies for my long sig file - it should be clipped for the digest,
but some long sigs slipped through.

>Thank you, also, for not criticizing another's instructions.  I
>learned a long time ago that I can't criticize what I didn't see.
>There's no way of knowing what the LC saw, heard and understood
>during a consult with a mother.  What I see may be several days later
>with only the mother's reports of what has happened in the meantime.
>And, just as I may re-evaluate a previous LC's work, she will most
>assuredly have the opportunity to re-evaluate mine!  Let's be kind to each
>other.

I once attended a lecture in which the psychiatrist speaking said there
were three things you should never believe of a patient:-
1. How much they drink
2. Whether or not they have ever had an STD
3. What the other doctor said! :-)

I am sure this stands true for all the caring professions. There is
quite a bit of interesting research about how people remember medical
consultations. In one rather famous experiment (sorry, no references),
people were audio-taped before, during and after a consultation with a
rheumatologist. The patients gave full consent for this to be done, and
*knew* that their interviews would be tape-recorded. Before she went in,
one woman was asked what she expected the doctor to say.
   "I have rheumatoid arthritis" she said "and I am afraid he will tell
me I'll be in a wheelchair by the time I am 30".
She was seen by the Specialist. He reassured her that despite some RA
signs, her condition was eminently treatable and there was no reason she
shouldn't live a normal life. Afterwards, the patient was asked *what
the doctor said*. "He said I'll be in a wheelchair by the time I am 30"
she replied. (Please note: this patient was not lying - she genuinely
believed what she had said).

I often think of this story because so often I meet women who tell me
"what the doctor/LC/midwife/LLL leader etc. said" and I always have a
large mental question mark over it. And ofcourse, there are people who
lie about what the doctor said because they love the drama of it, or may
even enjoy getting you at loggerheads with their doctor, but they are in
the minority. I remember when working as a nurse, being told by a
patient that a certain surgeon had operated on her and caused "rigor-
mortis in her legs". What can you say? I just looked sympathetic and
said "You obviously made a remarkable recovery".

I am glad I remembered this story when a woman recently told me she had
been advised to wean for mastitis by a local doctor. I was initially
furious, but decided to check it out. It turned out she was probably
looking for an "excuse" to wean, since her family were unsupportive and
she wanted to go back to work.
--
Anna (mummy to Emma, born 17th Jan 1995 and Alice, born 11th Sept 1996)
Web Page: http://www.ratbag.demon.co.uk/anna

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