i have just had a copy of the letter which was sent to my doctor by my ms nurse. the appointment with him was my first official one. its a pretty standard letter but one sentence has really grated on me and i quote ‘and there have been no falls in the last few weeks.’ i laughed at first but then thought hang on i havent fell over since i tripped over my own feet in stilletos 30 years ago. i really feel like ringing him but its in print now -would it do me any good? am i over reacting.
I agree woth Poll, I’d let it go too. One of my symptoms before dx was falling, knocked myself out a couple of times got some lovely scars to show off!
I’m sure I remember seeing a similar line on one of my letters from ms nurse to gp. My nurse would be pretty gutted if he thought he had upset me. Maybe yours would too.
If it still bothers you next time you see him/her mention it then.
I don’t have an MS nurse, though I know how to get in touch if I really had to (I never bother, as the only dealings I’ve ever had with them were about as much use as a chocolate fireguard).
However, sometimes the write-up from neuro appointments has left me seething, because it said things that just weren’t right. For example, one time it said something along the lines of not seeing colours, when the opposite was true - I was seeing black and white as colour - so seeing them when they weren’t really there!
They also NEVER mention pain, and rarely mention fatigue, despite those being my two biggest issues.
I have (so far) not bothered to make a fuss about these things, although I do have a moan on here.
I’ve just had to accept that the ten minutes you’re in there (IF you’re lucky - usually more like two!) isn’t really enough time for them to get everything down AND check they understood correctly, so when you see the results, they don’t always reflect what you thought was said.
As Poll says, your write-up was technically true, albeit misleading in the sense it suggests falls might have been an issue up until fairly recently, when in fact, this has not been something you’ve reported at all. I agree it seems slightly odd to write: “This patient has had no falls in the last few weeks”, when a better version would be: “This patient has never reported any falls”.
Rather than make a fuss about it now, maybe next time you go along, clarify that falling has not so far been an issue for you, as you felt the last summary seemed to suggest it might have been, and you just want to clear up any misunderstanding.
Having read this, I wonder if there are any ms nurses who are actually members on this site. As a nurse myself I would use this forum as a very valuable tool to get a lot more than a pathetic I few minutes consultation might do…keep thinking I should get a job as an ms nurse, might be a bit more empathic, although in a way it’s like telling midwives, you can’t get a post until you experience labour for real lol. Ah well, in a perfect world eh? J x
Don’t worry, this nasty monster effects all of us differently. My MS nurse, Lisa is wonderful. I think you should tell yours that her letter upset you.
Chin up sunshine, and make sure you tell her about the things that are your own personal demons. The symptons are all so different, that is why it is so hard to deal with.
Keep in touch on the forum, because there will be others than can help you. I am one of the lucky ones, my wonderful other half loves the ground I wobble on. There is no accounting for taste.
