"Orthopaedic appointment"

Appointment went well to start with. Nurses were helpful, caring and treated me with respect. That all changed when I entered the consultants office. My son came with me for support and went to shut the door after we entered, he was abruptly told to leave it open. It became apparent to me the consultant appeared not to be in a good mood. Stated they couldn’t view my xrays and instructed the nurse to sort it out. My son and I were shocked at how other staff were spoken to.I was then asked numerous questions, why was I here, what meds do I take, had I followed up on other appointments.

Did not seem to be happy that one department had not followed up on an appt and discussed diagnoses with me. By this time I was both surprised and annoyed at how this was making me feel. After a quick look at my X-ray (finally) a hands on examination of my ankle was done and I was informed that the plate and pins were not the cause of my leg pain and it was suggested that it might be due to my shape. Continued to tell me that my shape was my responsibility and was more than likely the reason for my multiple health issues. I asked my son if I was hearing the consultation correctly. My son informed the doctor that the pain was present well before my so-called shape and in fact the steroids and other meds had not helped my ‘shape’.

The consultant then shut my file and informed me I should take responsibility and I should look at various diets. I felt humiliated and close to tears. I have Copd, arthritis in the spine and also being treated for RA. My weight has increased over the last 18 months due to my mobility issues and medications. My own doctor and my physiologist both put my mind at rest when I began to stress over my weight gain. This appointment has left me feeling ashamed and emotionally broken. If it wasn’t for my son who came with me and told me that the consultant should not have made me feel this way I wouldn’t have had the guts to write this story.