No-one is born better or worse than any-one else. What makes us better is not status, wealth, power or titles. It's how we treat other people. That's what I told the doctor earlier this week who berated me for dragging her into hospital (she was on-call) to examine me.
The fact that my GP had dispatched me there immediately on grounds of having a potentially dangerous eye infection ("& one doesn't mess with the eyes Tess", he said when I moaned "Can't you just hit me with some heavy duty narcotics & send me home in a taxi?") & that she was merely being asked to do her job (as opposed to contravene the Geneva Convention) failed to stem her flow of righteous indignance.
I have bigger fish to fry & I held my own (even though I was in excrutiating pain) so I wouldn't have taken it any further. Unfortunately for the doctor there were 2 nurses just outside the consult room who heard her rant. One was a senior manager & both are lodging a complaint. I protested that although they couldn't hear me I had dealt with it. They pointed out, quite rightly that, if a nurse spoke like that to a patient they would be sacked on the spot. The doctor deserves feedback but not a complaint. I hope my argument prevails.
Because this doctor is young, there's time for her to take stock of what her role involves. Treating patients (who have a habit of becoming very ill at the most inconvenient times) with dignity & respect should be paramount. I can hold my own, even when poorly, but as my kindly Mary Seacole (the black Florence nightingale that history forgot) said, "you shouldn't have to". A doctor patient relationship is based on trust. Being told off before you even begin doesn't inspire confidence & crucial information can be lost because you just don't want to engage with this scary, angry ogre.
This doctor was in a position of power & she abused it. The incident didn't traumatise me (though it wasn't pleasant), for others her actions could have had devastating emotional, psychological anf physical consequences. On behalf of other vulnerable patients with more serious illnesses, I will offer some constructive feedback. We all have bad days but there's a line that must never be crossed, whatever your profession, but never moreso when vulnerable people put their lives in your hands.
Forgive any typos or ramblings. I've got blurred vision & am heavily medicated. I've been banned from using the computer, driving heavy machinery or handling delicate/valuable objects for the next week at least. Until then my friends.
Tess
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