To Not know how to go about this? (dr related)

[GreatFuckability]

I need to see my GP. For a while now i've been having some symptoms

• exhaustion, to the point that on the weekends where I don't have my children i often sleep for 24 hours plus, as its the only way I can get through the rest of the time. I'm a student and I'm seriously considering dropping out of my course as I'm so tired I barely make it through lectures without falling asleep, let alone take in any information.
  
• pain, I have some issues with my back that are old, but over the last six months my arms, shoulders and neck hurt, as do my hips and hands.
  

-weird sensations in my face, not numbness as such, but like pins and needles, or like there is hair on my face, but there isn't.
-bowel issues

I'm on medication for depression and every time I see my doctor about any of these things, they say its either the medication or a symptom of the depression, but mentally i've been really stable for a good while now, so i can't see how its linked.

Anyway, my AIBU is that I really dont know how to address this with the doctor, do i make a list of everything? My doctors make a big deal about only looking into one thing at an appointment, but how do i know if these things are related or not? Help me, mumsnet!

[ohgoodlordthatsmoist]

Just make an appointment and tell the dr what you have told us, write it down and bring it along if it helps, they will probably do some blood tests as a starting point,
Hope you are sorted out soon x

[GreatFuckability]

I have to get past the receptionist she scares me first. its ok to just say 'its personal and i'd rather discuss it with the doctor' right?

[CakeAndChocolate]

Yes, tell the receptionist you don't want to discuss it with them.

I totally agree with writing everything down and don't leave the surgery until you have covered everything and you are comfortable with the proposed course of action. Doctors are supposed to take what a patient believes is wrong/not wrong into consideration, so it is important to say you don't think it is the medication causing these symptoms.

[Penfold007]

Perfectly okay to decline to tell the receptionist that it's a personal/private matter. May take a written copy of what you've posted here to help both you and your doctor.

[PikachuSayBoo]

They could well be related. Dd had these symptoms and she was anemic and Vit d defiecient. She's gradually getting better now she's taking supplements.

[plimsolls]

I had exactly your symptoms and it turned out I had very low levels of B12. Make sure doctor does blood test for it!

[GreatFuckability]

I need to grow a pair, I don't know what it is about doctors that make me into a gibbering fool, really! I'm not normally passive or afraid to speak up, whats that about?

right, i'm going to write it all down, have a word with myself and make an appointment. thanks!

[Tigerstar123]

Sorry you're feeling unwell op.
Could you ask the Dr for a full blood count test when you're there? The tiredness/ exhaustion sounds very similar to when I had anaemia. Plus, the test could rule out anything illness related (or may find out what's wrong).
Hope you get sorted soon x

[Tigerstar123]

I've just X posted with plimsolls about the blood test!

[GreatFuckability]

I will definitely ask about blood tests. thank you!

[3luckystars]

Get your VITAMIN D checked, it's a specific blood test so you have to ask for it. Please do this!

[Microwaste]

Yes I was about to say B12 too, pins and needles and odd sensations are very characteristic of that. It's something else not covered in a full blood count so the doc should request it specifically. Good luck

[Sugarpiehoneyeye]

Hello GF, you need a blood test. You don't need to discuss anything with the Receptionist, if you don't want to.
It could possibly be that your Thyroid gland is under active.
Don't worry, just crack on, and get there. 💐

[MagliaRosa]

It sounds like it may be anaemia to me too so definitely push for blood tests. I was very low last year, feeling quite depressed and anxious along with tiredness etc and my mood lifted very quickly once i started taking iron. Hope you get it sorted.

[GreatFuckability]

I'm writing all your suggestions down and will ask the doc about them. thank you so much everyone.

[grannytomine]

I had this for about three years, gradually getting worse and worse and doctor just kept saying it was depression. I got an emergency appointment with the nurse practitioner and sat and sobbed as I just couldn't cope anymore. She said she thought she knew what it was, took a blood test and the following morning I got a phone call asking me to go straight to the surgery. Dr saw me and said I had hypothyroidism and he didn't know how I had coped, said it must have felt like swimming through treacle. I was so shocked I couldn't even say anything, like well I have been telling you that for 3 years.

Do get a blood test. It was like a revelation to me when I got on a full dose of thyroxine, I knew I was bad but didn't even realise how bad until I started to feel normal again.

[Helpisathand13]

Good luck with your appointment. I agree with others B12 sounds likely and possibly Vit D I am deficient and have boosters. A full blood count is the best option for the GP and is a simple ask. Keep focussed during your appointment on what you want to say and convey your symptoms exactly as you have told us. Just to note if you really are struggling with your GP (you may wish to consider changing, not all are like that!) or if you want to be seen quickly, many private hospitals run private GP services for one off consultations. Yes of course you pay and you would also pay for blood test. Just a thought if you really wanted a GP to listen and take appropriate action quickly. X

[MagliaRosa]

Years ago I was told to go and get a blood test after trying to give blood. They did the droplet test and it showed I was low on iron, I wasn't allowed to give blood that day and they advised I went & got iron levels checked with my gp. Could you lie and say something along those lines to your gp? There was no paperwork or anything so I just told the gp and he arranged the tests. I've found that gp's can be quite dismissive unless they think it's come from another professional.

[MrsMozart]

Get bloods done - Vit D, Calcium, Parathyroid (PTH). I have something called hyperparathyroidism. Your symptoms are amongst those that go with this disease.

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

YY to getting checked for vitamin deficiencies. I had a vit D deficiency that was causing me pain in my hands and ankles. B12 deficiency or pernicious anaemia is another possibility.

[HarryPottersMagicWand]

I was similar to this although didn't have depression. I had the standard blood tests which came back clear so they didn't want to know. I changed surgeries, same again, didn't want to know. I persisted as it had gone on months and saw a different doctor again whom did more in depth tests but said they would get to the bottom of it. Unfortunately I was eventually diagnosed with ME/CFS (don't think your is that btw, slightly different symptoms) but I didn't give up as I knew something wasn't right. They did go over the whole depression thing with me as I had had it in the past and I ended up with it again due to how I was feeling but there was no way I was going to let them fob me off with 'its just depression' as the neurologist was trying to (he was a twat btw).

Tell the receptionist it's private and they should leave it at that. I did get one jobsworth before though who wouldn't leave it and I had to bloody tell her that DD had thrush before she would let me see the nurse practitioner. Wish I had stuck to my guns and not answered.

[Careforadrink]

Get your thyroid checked. Also Vitamin deficiency and iron levels.

[ChippyTea16]

If you have more than one thing to discuss you can ask for a double appointment. That is what is advertised in my GP's surgery. It has this tips poster basically saying your appointment is 10mins long so ask for a double one if you have more than one thing to discuss.

Also writing stuff down as well as bringing a list of all your medication will help.

Good luck hope you get sorted soon x

[RhodaBorrocks]

Lots of good advice here OP on what to get checked so I won't repeat. If all of those come back ok though look into fibromyalgia.

Tell the receptionist you don't know what's wrong and that's why you need to see a doctor. If they ask for specifics say they're personal. My only advice regarding not disclosing why though is that my surgery does triage based on what you say. When I made it clear my DS had a severe appendicitis like stomach aches for 20+ hours we got an appointment instantly and we're asked to get there within 10 minutes (luckily we only live round the corner). When I have said I had a skin lesion that wasn't healing and was on medication that puts me at risk of skin cancer I was given an appointment for the next day. DM got an appointment in 48 hours for a breast lump. If we'd said it was personal we would have had a wait of 1-3 weeks depending on which gp we wanted to see.

Good luck!

[Mari50]

What medication are you on?
I was on sertraline and had to stop because of the significant joint pain I was getting- I was actually considering going to gp to ask about the possibility of arthritis when I twigged it may be a side effect. Sure enough it was.
I'm now on citalopram- joint and muscle aches are tolerable but notable, my memory is screwed and I'm an exhausted (10 hours sleep a night at least)
I'm weaning myself off as while mood wise I'm fine, it's not ideal.
None of my symptoms manifested themselves immediately and came on fairly insidiously too. So while there may be underlying issues don't disregard the side effects argument.
That said if you're on sri's the withdrawal is no easy task so it's not like you can stop for a week and find out because the withdrawal would be horrific!