The Anstey Surgery

Visiting my Anstey surgery once every four or five years i always said that I had no preference as to which GP I should see. On 31 October 2014 this threw up for the first time a doctor with whom I had never before had a doctor/patient relationship. (The doctor had looked after my late wife when, years back now, she had excruciating pain in her right hip which culminated in a most successful 'intervention' in a French hospital and, ten years ago, when she was dying of ovarian cancer. She thought highly of the doctor and I now know why.) Checking my diaries I see from that date I have had some sixteen face to face consultations, two telephone consultations and one home visit. On each of these occasions she has treated me with unfailing courtesy overrunning the allocated ten minutes quite often. She oozed processional skills. She made me feel welcome. She told me of her judgments and invited my comments. Despite my age she treated me as an intelligent thinking human being, something which does not happen too often now with the world at large. It helped that my classical education meant that I knew the terms she was using even though my pronunciation did vary sometimes from that of the medical profession. During these last four years i have been treated for polymyalgia rheumatica and other rheumatic problems, diverticular disease and, latterly, problems with my bladder and prostate gland. On every occasion her initial diagnosis has proved to be correct including the time when neither she nor I could accept a consultant's diagnosis. I can now walk pretty much like other human beings when a few years back I could not. My rheumatic problems are under control. Further, I recently underwent a successful procedure to reduce the size of my prostate gland. So I am fitter now at 88 than I have been for four years. In no small measure the reason for this is the doctor and the way she has handled me. She is a credit to her profession.
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