I have just reduced myself to tears with frustration at the GP

[IsabelWatchingItRainInMacondo]

I would go straight for Bupa if I had the money and didn't have to go pass through the GPs every time I need help with DS's allergies.

And then there is my stupid hospital brandishing the marketing flag that they are seeing all patients within six months of referal (6 months my ar*e!)

[IsabelWatchingItRainInMacondo]

and would like to talk about it...[but above all fruistrated emoticon]

[meandmy]

air it is good to say what you are thinking!

[3andnomore]

Awww....sounds like you are really upset.
I assume then that your GP is of the useless variety.
What are your sons allergies and why is your GP so unhelpful?

[IsabelWatchingItRainInMacondo]

He is not bad really, have only seen him a couple of times but today was a mess.

DS is now reacting to rice milk (or th sunflower oil in it) and I don't have any more options about what to give him as he is allergic to the other options as well.

Well, he refused to give him calcium suplements because vitamin D is dangerous in excess (fair enough), so I asked if I could have 2 sachets of neocate(two single sachets instead of the full nbox they use to prescribe). He didn't know what neocate was, then asked why I couldn't give him milk, I explained to him that although the skin prick test failed to pick up his milk allergy, a RAST test did, he then went on why not to trust alternative medicine tests (WTFF???).


ANyways, explained the paediatrician at the allergy clinic mentioned, on last visit, that it may be an intolernace therefore better avoided. Asked me what the paediatrician thought of the reaction to rice milk, explained that the reaction had just started a few weeks ago, has not been seen at the allergy clinic recently and won't be tested again until next year, then he told me I couldn't know if it was the rice milk until then therefore to continue on it.

So I asked if I could have the Neocate then, he said it was not for children the age of DS so, I pointed out that Neocate was in the list of medicines the paediatrician sent to the GPs on last test, he reviewed the letter the GP sent and told me it wasn;t there. I have a copy of that letter, along an e-mail sent directly to me by the paediatrician specifying he had asked GPs to prescribe it if DS would take it. But the doctor couldn't hear any of it and pointed out appointments were 10 minutes long an my time was up.


So, for the first time ever I stamped my feet. I said I was not leaving as it had taken them several days to give me an appointment, and asked him to check the paper for repeated prescriptions attached to every prescription for NEocate. He refused... so I reminded him that he had agreed to prescrie another inhaler for DS asthma, and when he printed the prescription it came with the option to order Neocate attached to it but refused to prescribe it because "perhaps by now the NHS has removed from the lists because is very expensive" and tried to remove that part of the prescription before given it to me.

Anyways, by this time I was already in tears, he said that I had to understand the NHS was just like this and this is the part I regret more... I answere that I knew well how the NHS worked as I work for the NHS!!!
And I was not angry at him but frustrated at the fact that every single time I have asked for help for DS allergies I have been faced by ethernal waits while they take their time while DS is getting worse. And told him that even for DS fist reactiopn to peanut it toke them 18m to offer an appointment for testing.


I know it's not his fault, the problem is my son needs to see an allergician, a proper one, not a good intentioned but misinformed GP that stands in the middle making decisions about something he barely knows about.

I asked about

[ProjectIcarus]

Your son needs you to make a fuss. Try not to feel bad about it.

Is there another Gp surgery near you who are perhpas more experienced at dealing with severe allergies? I ask because at my surgery we have a couple of Gps who are specialists and are very good.

[IsabelWatchingItRainInMacondo]

Gosh... wonder if you are still there but if you manage to read all this bable, thank you.

[3andnomore]

Oh god, that is bad, and if he wasn't sure about being able to prescribe it then he should have tried to find out, not fob you off...all he needed to do was look on his computer or call a pharmacist...they tend to know...
Is that neo stuff available at all without prescription? I do realise that it possibly is very expensive, but for now you would at least be able to give your lil one some milk....
really sorry that you are having to go through this...no mother shold have to.

[IsabelWatchingItRainInMacondo]

There is just one single person in the full city with an interest in allergies, who is the person in charge of the allergy clinic. However, said clinic only operates one single Tuesday adternoon a month, therefore if you get a referal you have to wait for a year (or 18m as we did)

In the past we asked them to refer us to a private allergician but they claimed they couldn't find anyone who agree to see DS before he was 5 yrs old.

[IsabelWatchingItRainInMacondo]

Ca only be prescribed by a paediatriacian, but DS had it prescribed by one.

Obviously, with DS complex medical history, a 10 minutes appointment is just useless.

[IsabelWatchingItRainInMacondo]

He ahs been in Provamel for a year Kerry, I got Ready Brek yesterday following your suggestion in my other thread.

[3andnomore]

looked up neocate
here some links that might interest you:
on E-bay

neocate uk website...might be something to give your gp the link too, aswell..

neocate yahoo group

I really hope you can get that sorted....

[ProjectIcarus]

Am just musing here and you have probably thought of all of this but are there any other allergy clinics within distance of you?

Who can you complain to, can you get a referral to a dietician would it help?
My HV could refer to dietician if necessary.

Did you get the Neocate btw?

[3andnomore]

can I just also give you some links which may well help..but they are more of teh anti cowsmilk kind...but there is a lot of info about the myths we are subjected to, i.e. the amount of calciium we need etc...
I don't know if they awill be of any inyterest for you, but I have a few links on my favourite list, so, not a problem to post those...

[IsabelWatchingItRainInMacondo]

He has had 3 dietitian appointments, problem is they are not used to deal with so many allergies in a single case. But, I recognise I had the intention to ask about it but... my time was up.

I don't know who I can complain about this, I will ask my boss on Tuesday. It is bizarre because in someway, we are the clients of the GPs but at the same time as the NHS is the one that pays the GPs for services lent to us as patients, it seems to me that sometimes the patient is seen like a secondary object while the real client is the NHS. Strange situation where the client and the service provider are the same. In any case, I feel I will be ignored.

3andnomore, thanks for the links, I will go and have a look.

[IsabelWatchingItRainInMacondo]

Please do 3andnomore, I get a lot of info about how to feed DS from Vegan sites (the list of things DS is allergic to is very similar to the list of things a vegan won't eat with the exception being that DS couldn't have soya/nuts and has meat )

[3andnomore]

Isi, I know what you mean...

[MrsCarrot]

Can you change surgeries, or doctor if it's become confrontational.

We saw a consultant at the allergy clinic within a few weeks for wheeziness and LO'S symptoms were quite mild. They referred us to a dietician who was in fact useless (said I could always stop breastfeeding and try their hypo allergenic formula) but there was no long wait.

How old is your LO? DD has never drunk milk after I stopped feeding though she did have some yoghurt later.

[IsabelWatchingItRainInMacondo]

I know Kerry, I know... they should be fantastic for one or two, but multiple allergies is quite a different animal.

[MrsCarrot]

seem to have echoed Kerrymumbldore regarding dieticans. She also said maybe try mustard and celery before wheat from the list of common allergens. WTF? Shall I sprinkle mustard on his apple?

[McEdam]

Cheeky sod telling you your ten minutes were up. Next time you have to see a GP, tell the receptionist to book a double appointment as previously the GP said he didn't have enough time to deal with all your son's needs.

If he's in a partnership, could you see one of the other GPs?

[IsabelWatchingItRainInMacondo]

Thanks Mrs Carrot. I can not easily change surgeries, I moved to this one after a GP from the other surgery next door told my husband that Cluster headaches were imaginary as she had never heard of them, and asked me to stop taking clomid because it was unsafe as it was not used in the UK