"Inappropriate wording of medical notes"

An ambulance attended my home to take me to A and E. The staff were fantastic.

I genuinely had no complaints or issues until I saw the paperwork from that day. The word “demanding/demanded” has been used which I feel is inappropriate. I am sure that the staff's recollection of the events will be the same as mine which is that I was incredibly grateful to them for the attention they gave me and the gas and air which I was able to access to help alleviate the significant pain I was in. 

Unfortunately when we arrived at A and E at Wishaw General there was a queue of ambulances. It was very clear to see what politics came into play at this point around whose responsibility I would become. At this stage I explained that I had previously been given Oramorph in the ambulance a few weeks previously and that if I was to be expected to go and sit for another unidentified period of time in A and E rather than in the ambulance, I would like some stronger pain relief as I obviously could not take the gas and air with me. I at no time demanded Oramorph and I believe that using this language is not only inappropriate but also builds up an image of someone demanding/seeking drugs inappropriately. I was in clear pain and distress. The use of language like this needs to be addressed.

I would like the staff who attended to reflect on that evening and consider if this language is appropriate. I would also like them to consider how this then impacted my future treatment - as within my notes from the consultant who saw me after receiving that paperwork - he used EXACTLY the same language which again I have challenged as there was nothing demanding about my presentation. I assume that ambulances have CCTV and you will see that if anything I was overly grateful to the ambulance staff and most certainly not demanding. It is not a word that has ever been used to describe me in terms of my demeanour with any health professional - and I find it more than a co-incidence that it was used twice within 12 hours.

Language matters - it creates a narrative and draws a picture of the person you are dealing with.