health
The possibility of discussing intimate or embarrassing problems with your GP means it’s easier for many people not to think of
doctors as human.But they are, of course, very human. And although they’ve probably seen whatever your medical problem is
many times before, that doesn’t mean that inside their professional outer shell they aren’t reacting - sometimes wanting to laugh,
cry, shriek in horror or even retch.
Such normal human reactions, although hidden by most GPs, are
on full show in the new book by British doctor Benjamin Daniels,
Further Confessions of a GP - which starts with a stomachchurning tale about a pensioner’s constipation and Dr Daniels’s
“overwhelming urge to gag” during her treatment. The followup to his first book Confessions of a GP, this fascinating insight
into life in general practice includes a wealth of patient stories,
such as the teenager convinced he lost his virginity and caught
HIV some time between leaving a bar and waking up in a kebab
shop, a man plagued by a phantom ‘smelly bum’ condition, and
a woman whose mobile phone turns up in an unexpected place.
Dr Daniels, who uses a pseudonym so both his identity and that
of his patients is protected, says one of his favourite stories is
about John, a doctor who is his patient and is struggling to cope
with work, and drinking too much.
“He’s finding everything a bit difficult to manage, and I like to
think it demonstrates that doctors are people too, who struggle
with life in the same way everyone else does,” says Dr Daniels.
The GP points out that most doctors have “seen everything”
relating to the body, and reassures people that while they might
feel embarrassed about going to see a GP about an intimate
matter, it’s water off a duck’s back for the doctor.
says. “It’s much more about trying to reduce symptoms and
managing the individual consequences of a disease.”
Offering reassurance and care are part of the reason he
believes internet self-diagnosis, while sometimes helpful, will
never replace GPs. “I think using the internet is probably more
good than bad, but while the internet has a huge amount of
information that no doctor could ever hold in their head, it
doesn’t have the knowledge and experience that doctors have, to
be able to put information and symptoms into context.”
Dr Daniels says mental health issues are the most common
problem patients come to him with - but not all those seeking
such help are genuine. The book relates the story of a young
man who demanded to be referred to a psychiatrist but was
initially unwilling to say why. It eventually emerged that he was
due in court on a GBH charge