To think the gps at my surgery shouldnt advise patients on things they know nothing about?

[Koothrapanties]

Dd has bad reflux and cows milk protein allergy.

It took months to get her a diagnosis and this was only once she was so ill she was admitted to hospital with blood in her poo and every other symptom on the list. She was in a very bad way. I had gone to the gp again and again, but had been dismissed as a hysterical first time mother.

She was put on domperidone, gaviscon and nutramigen (special milk) by her paediatrician and has been thriving ever since, still very sicky, but much better.

We had to go to the gp to get her medications on repeat prescription and were told by the gp to get her off of domperidone because it was an antipsychotic and very dangerous for her. We tried to wean her down on it but she started projectile vomiting again and was losing most of her feeds. Spoke to the paediatrician who was very cross that the gp had meddled and explained that what she had said was rubbish, and explained any side effects domperidone can cause.

I saw another gp for myself today and quickly asked him how to arrange dd's change to the next stage of nutramigen at 6 months. He told me to give her cows milk because nutramigen is not nutritious enough apparently?! I told him that the paediatrician had said not to even try to introduce it until after 12 months as she had such a bad reaction, and The gp didn't seem best pleased.

The last gp I saw for my pelvis problem also told me I have a problem with my ICG joint, which my physio has told me doesn't even exist! They were all laughing at the letter she had sent to them which made no sense apparently.

This isn't good enough surely? I understand GPs aren't experts in every area, but they shouldn't be giving out dangerous advice like they have for my dd! If they don't know, then surely they should leave it to the specialist dealing with the problem? Aibu?

[hiddenhome]

Bless, they know very little don't they? I can't remember the last time I was correctly diagnosed by a GP. I try to avoid going at all costs, and even when I do have something wrong, I find the nurse practitioner of more use

I live in fear of any of us becoming properly sick. Never trust a GP.

[capsium]

I do think medicine is not as clear cut as some people presume.

One doctor will give one opinion, another another and they all have areas of different experience and expertise. Medicines have different side effects which must be weighed up by their benefits.

Leaving it to the specialist? I am not sure. The specialist could be fallible too. Although in your case it sounds like the specialist's advice was working. I don't know what the protocol is...

[HellomynameisIcklePickle]

Yanbu,that's awful. Can you move doctors?

[thegreylady]

Domperidone is a very effective anti emetic which is often given to chemo patients to help with sickness. I am sur specialists know what they are doing.

[Koothrapanties]

The other doctors down the road is worse! I used to be a patient of the partner surgery to the one I'm at now, then moved and had to join this one instead. I wish I hadn't told them my change of adress because the old one was fantastic.

[JennyBendy]

I think GPs do a difficult job very well on the whole, and whenever a GP has attempted to overrule my consultant, I've always asked could the cons suggest perhaps extra training?

My DD has severe CMPI and was prescribed the usual cocktail of domperidone ranitidine omeprazole and also Neocate, and my GP suggested I water it down as it's so expensive! I fed that back to my HV and paed and he was spoken to. What a wally.

[creampie]

There are people who give poor advice in every profession. In an ideal world it wouldn't happen.

GPs do a difficult job under difficult circumstances and are usually trying to act in your best interests. Don't tar them all with the same brush.

[Pobblewhohasnotoes]

Domperidone is very commonly used in children with reflux. I don't know about the milk, my DS was on Neocate until he was 1. Have you not got a dietician you can speak to? They usually help with dairy free weaning etc.

Your GP sounds useless. But mine was also in getting my DS diagnosed.

[Koothrapanties]

Creampie - I have made it clear in my title that I am speaking about the gps at my surgery.

I know gps do a hard job, and couldn't fault my old gp surgery, they were fantastic. This gp surgery? Not so much.

[ApricotExpat]

I feel your pain!

I was labeled a hysterical first time mother when I kept taking dc1 to the docs with projectile vomiting. Eventually I went A&E - head pyloric stenosis. He wouldn't have lasted long without the op.

Funnily enough, I never went there again.

Good luck.

[Koothrapanties]

Jenny that is awful advice!

[Nennypops]

Did your specialist write to the GP to tell him/her what to prescribe? If so, I don't see what they think they're doing querying that.

[Koothrapanties]

Apricot I was terrified it was pyloric stenosis, sorry you went through that.

[Koothrapanties]

Nenny yes they did.

[ApricotExpat]

Thank you.

Really, really, trust your instinct. You sound like you're doing everything right! Hopefully time will improve it.

[whatever5]

I'm surprised the GP is so willing to give advice that it is contrary to the specialist. He should know that domperidone isn't used as an antipsychotic- it doesn't cross the blood brain barrier.

[Pobblewhohasnotoes]

I always go in with every prescription and letter DS has had and say 'there you go'.

You know why they don't like prescribing Neocate and the like, because it costs £30 a tin!

I've been told my DS will grow out of his reflux etc, he's putting on weight so what am I worried about (with a projectile vomiting, screaming child). And that ranitidine should only be given to adults. My DS is two years old and still on ranitidine.

Even being a children's nurse myself didn't help me. Some GPs just don't know enough about children's reflux and milk allergies. Don't even get me started in trying to get his eczema treated (told to moisturise him, nothing they could do).

Luckily I've seen three lovely GPs who listen and are helpful.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

That's awful. My dd had CMPI I was told it was probably colic or silent reflux. Luckily i already had very strong suspicions of what I thought the problem was and begged for the milk.

But I'd been told by every Nurse/dr/HV id seen (and I'd seen a lot given two hospitalisations for illness by that point) that the symptoms is reported were nothing or to "wAit and see"

Day one of the milk and my baby actually smiled.

[Koothrapanties]

Thanks apricot. Even dh started to think I must have been bonkers because the doctors were saying there was nothing wrong. The excema was just baby rash, the constipation was normal, then the diaorrhea was normal, the screaming was just colic, the projectile vomiting was normal possetting apparently! So very frustrating. She was like a different baby once she was on the right milk.

[Koothrapanties]

Giles dd didn't smile until she was on the right milk! Shechose not to even though she could. I don't blame her, I wouldn't have been smiling if I was that poorly. Once she was on nutramigen she suddenly beamed all the time!

[Babiecakes91]

We had the opposite problem when my son was a baby we had a neurologist and gp overrule a specialist for our sons feeding, our neurologist was involved for longer than he should have as he didn't want my son going back on nutrigem ( bad spelling) as it made my son lose a lot of weight and made him that sick he stopped breathing, he then put him on neocate it did wonders but his other specialist wanted him off of that but we stuck to our guns on it and I wasn't having a repeat of my son not breathing again as he had needed CPR and i never want to be that scared again, do what you feel is right for your child, you know them best x

[firstchoice]

OH, this brings it all back for me.
My ds, now 9, had 'borderline' pyloric stenosis so they didn't operate but he and we went through a terrible time with endless 'hysterical mother' crap from hcp's.
we had ranitidine, domperidone, nutramigen - the lot.
Weaning helped, age helped but it was horrendous and we got no support.

I have just had my GP surgery, upon receipt of a letter from local nhs Consultant asking for them to refer me back to him and him only for foot surgery, refer me elsewhere and refuse the meds the Consultant prescribes meantime....

General Prats, often, sadly....

hope your dc gets better soon. I remember well, it was hellish. x.x.x.

[Gileswithachainsaw]

It made me very tearful tbh. She was so loved by me and her dad and grandparents and sister. And I felt like I must be doing something wrong because dd1 smiled so much as a baby really early on and I wasn't doing anything different with dd2. I started to think it was me even though I knew deep down it was because she was uncomfortable.

Luckily we didn't have projectile vomiting but there was no denying something wasn't right.

I guess in a way though in the end I was lucky, not in having a gp who realised what the problem but for being able to convince him to let me try the milk. And for having drs after who's attitude was "best not rock the boat" rather than "this stuff is expensive shall we try something else"

I'm
Surprised to hear your gp questioned the specialist. If he'd known how to deal with the problem you'd not need a specialist :(

[SilverSixpence]

What a lovely thread - I am a GP and have correctly diagnosed (and treated) many conditions thus avoiding a lengthy wait for hospital appointments and a lot of inconvenience and worry for patients. I don't deny there are some GPs who are poorly trained or careless but most of us work hard and do our best for our patients, and actually do a decent job most of the time!

[Pobblewhohasnotoes]

I'm certainly not trying to make generalisations SilverSixpence. Like I said, I'm a paeds nurse and still couldn't get one particular GP to take me seriously. Unfortunately we had to pay to go private. The consultant we saw was disgusted by our treatment, but seeing him was the best money we ever spent.

It's really hard as a parent when you have a screaming, miserable, vomity baby to not be believed and be dismissed as a neurotic mother. It's soul destroying.

I have seen some lovely GPs but also some terrible ones. I nearly cried when my DS's eczema was dismissed. I have no idea why it happens. Lack of knowledge maybe? Not wanting to refer as it means admitting you don't know? I wish I knew.