"Doctor's inflated ego got in the way"

I attended the ENT clinic operated from here out at Sir Robert Peel and sadly I found the consultant had a large and fragile ego.

Any probing and challenging of their thinking, or suggestion that we might be able to discuss the matter rationally, was met with a condescending and increasingly hostile response. It seemed like they felt they were on a pedestal and the suggestion that a mere patient could contribute to the thinking surrounding their own circumstances was absurd and that I should keep my nose out.

Within minutes of the consultation they announced "Great News - you don't need an operation" which they would have known I would not consider to be "great news" at all because the only thing that would constitute great news, would be some chance of respite from my symptoms. As such, the announcement of "Great News!"actually constituted further disappointment and desperation. This came across as a passive aggressive way of saying "think yourself lucky, your symptoms aren't bad at all so it doesn't matter that I can't help treat them"

Furthermore the consultant disagreed with the diagnosis made by another doctor, and disapproved of the (life-changing) treatment I was (and currently still am) receiving.

When I challenged their thinking and presented the evidence, I actually felt threatened by their response in that they seemed to be suggesting that if I challenged their authority they could use their influence to get the treatment withdrawn since my very being on that treatment seemed to threaten their authority as the sole judge of fact.

When I probed in relation to my symptoms and their causes, they dismissed my remarks as "unscientific". Ironically, conjecture is the first step in the process of science, followed by testing of those conjectures and it was the dismissal of those suggestions without reference to argument, nor evidence to the contrary, that most scientists would consider unscientific.

Overall I got the impression that this was a very knowledgeable doctor who would in many cases manage patients' care well but on occasion their hubris was seriously impeding, particularly in cases where some other doctor, or the patient themselves, might hold a different opinion to their own.

I have only awarded 1 star for "dignity and respect" because the system does not allow me to award zero.