To thinks that a GP's personal views shouldn't overide 'your health welfare'

[Oblomov]

Bit of a long story. And I appreciate that I am in the AIBU section, so might get told off, if I keep adding info later, but .....

My GP has a 'less is more' attitude. She told me so. This doesn't sit with my view. My view is that it is of no concern, what her personal views are, I think her primary interest should be my welfare.

I am thinking that I should just change GP's, but although we have quite a big practice, it seems to me that quite a few of the GP's have this attitude. And i don't know who to change to.

There has been quite a few stories in press recently, about pharmacy staff refusing to administer morning after pill, becasue it goes against their beleifs. See, I think that is wrong. I consider my issue not dissimilar.

AIBU ?

[lulumama]

depends. depends if you want antibiotics and there is no reason for them

or you want blood tests when there is no reason

medics and pharmacists are allowed to be conscientious objectors to administering certain drugs or doing certain procedures. why should your beliefs override theirs if there are other people available without those objections who can help you?

need a lot more info than you have provided i;m afraid !!

[misdee]

now come on, give us all the facts...

i do know most of the back story t this, so NO YANBU.

[jimjamshaslefttheyurt]

need more facts.

If you're after ABs when you don't need them then YABU. Could be persuaded either way on other issues.

[mazzystar]

I agree with you re your morning after pill example

but her "less is more" approach wouldn't by definition conflict with placing your welfare first

need to know specifics in order to comment

[2beornot2be]

yep spill the beans what is it you want that they wont give??

[expatinscotland]

spill it!

[littleducks]

disagree with morning after pill scenario, need more info on th rest

[Sidge]

Depends on the situation.

Less sometimes CAN be more. Sometimes adopting a "wait and see" approach is entirely appropriate.

For example antibiotic use is not always indicated; antidepressants not necessarily first line of treatment; referrals to a specialist not always necessary. (can't think of any more at the moment!)

[Oblomov]

So couple years ago, sore hands. GP's useless. No referal on NHS for 2 months. Sobbing at night because in pain. No sleeping. Thus struggling with p/t work and looking after ds. Paid to go private. By time, seen 1st consulatnt, had tests, and then seen top consulant, my symptoms had gone. Diagnosed carpal tunnel. but no treatment.
Over these 2 months I kept going back to GP begging for something for pain. In end, given like a pain blocker, worked well. But had 4 or 5 different Gp's to get it. In end, sobbing and swore at her.

This time , I am a pregnant, 31 weeks. Also diabetic, on pump, taken care of by Kings. BUPA at work.
So ring consulatnt . He says steroid inj into hands. Will check if o.k. diabetic & pg. And will get back to me.
In meantime, I go to Gp, mainly for referal letter. She said less is more. Says she can offer me paracetemol if "things get really bad". I say paracetemol, never been any good for me, does nothing, only makes me sick. She says splints. I say that had splints before, and no use. Consultant had confirmed they either work for some, or not all all. No middle ground.
She is horrified at idea of inj and tells me so. Advises me against it.
She offers me nothing, other than letter, I requested. I leave.

I leave, becasue I already know that consultant , has said good chance, of steroid inj. But if I hadn't of had theat back up I might have fought her harder.

Ring Kings, Prof Amiel, top diabetic consultant in WORLD happy for me to have steroid inj. Says I only need to monitor blood sugars more closely.

So go for inj. It is very small dose, isolated place. Tell him of Gp re-action , he is not surprised.

So far, symptoms a bit better. So glad I ignored her advice.

But consultant, private , presumably not able to offer me any pain relief, 2 years ago, because i hadn't yet been diagnosed by him. That meant that I struggled for 2 months in pain.
This time, I had been diagnosed, so went straight for the injection. But what if I hadn't of had this.

I try not to go to GP often, but when I do, I am in real pain. And I want the strongest thing that they have available to me. Not just this time. But for future too. I don't want to have to fight every time. I want her to look at me as a woman who is sobbing and see that something needs to be done. I know I am pg, but that wasn't done by Gp this time, or last time 2 yearts ago.

What if I develop something in 6 mths time. Do I have to fight and fight and fight to get pain relief, Because their view is different to mine.

I feel that GP's personal views override their professional opinion on a patients welfare. And their priority is not what they think, but what the patient needs.

AIBU ?

[tiggerlovestobounce]

Depends on the situation really.
Thinking "less is more" doesnt mean that her primary concern isnt your welfare. I imagine that she thinks your welfare is best served by avoiding excessive intervention.

[tiggerlovestobounce]

Your consultant has proposed something pretty unusual. He isnt surprised that a GP would think it was unusual and be less than enthusiastic about it.
But after discussion your GP gave you the referral letter you asked for.

I'm not sure what is unreasonable about that?

[nancy75]

oblomov, ynbu at all, i have a very similar gp to you, the attitude is always oh just wait and see how it goes, i am starting to think some of them just dont care.

[lulumama]

but teh GP is not a consultant specialist, she may have advised you on the knowledge and experience she has, which is not as extensive as the consultants. so, you had teh injection which would have been done by the consultant anyway, to whom the GP referred you?

i am not sure what you are upset about, sorry if i am being dim

[expatinscotland]

Oh, one of those useless paracetomol-as-a-panacea-for-everything 'doctors' who live back in the stiff upper lip bullshit dark ages.

YANBU.

CHANGE surgeries if need be.

there is absolutely no reason for anyone to be sobbing in pain nowadays for most ailments unless they chose to forgo pain relief.

[NorthernLurker]

yabu. This isn't her personal view - she doesn't morally object to steroid injections! As a professional she didn't feel it was a course of action she would wish to offer - but because you want it she did you your referral and you got the treatment. I don't really see where the problems lies.

[mayorquimby]

"There has been quite a few stories in press recently, about pharmacy staff refusing to administer morning after pill, becasue it goes against their beleifs"

but that's not the same thing at all because one is a moral judgment that is influencing their decision where as the other is based on a professional opinion on what would be best for your health.they are not doing it because they have made a decision that the other type of treatment is fundamentally wrong and goes against their moral beliefs.professional opinions will often differ be it law/medicine/architecture/car mechanics.

[Oblomov]

O.k. my problem is that I do think that her 'less is more attitude' is the polar opposite to my beliefs. If I am in pain, I want something stong to deal with it.

I left her office, with no pain relief, nothing. She offered me nothing. How can that be right, for a woman who is sobbing in pain.

I was LUCKY. I had already been diagnosed by consultant, so he was able to offer me something strong.

But for those of yyou that think, god steriod, wow that is th other end of the spectrum, apparently it is not.

I talked to the MW's at Kings. They both said, it was fine. Steroid normally given to sort baby lungs. But very small dosage, into wrists, they were happy about. Then Profs deputy, Dr Gayle phoned me, she too was totally happy. And then Prof phoned me.. She said she was happy aswell.

But if I had not gone down the private route 2 years ago, I could have very easily left Gp's office, with NOTHING AT ALL.

And I can't accept that this is right.

I am saying that her personal views are colouring her judgement for her patients welfare.

Actually I have just spoken to GP's. Apparently nice GP, Dr Coward has now left. I need to speak to the practice managewr, to find out which Gp has philosophy compatible with my needs. That is what the receptionist advised me to do.

To Tigger, and Lulamama, & NorthernLuker what I wanted was for GP to take my symptoms seriously, and give me some pain relief. I got a refral letter this time, only becasue I knew what needed to be done becasue of 2 years ago.

I don't want to keep fighting every time I am in pain.

I don't acre what her view/ opinion is, on life love and the universe. She may be a christian and think that abortion is wrong. She advocates less is more. But I am not interested in her views. I am intereesetd in her professional medical knowledge to advise me what the best treatment is, for my conditions.

[mrsgboring]

I have had extensive problems with tendonitis / tenosynovitis / carpal tunnel / RSI call it what you will.

The one thing I've never had is the steroid injection, because my GP and consultant were iffy about it (that was years ago though) so I don't know if your GP is BthatU to be wary of the steroids - my consultant felt they could do more harm than good (but that was a while ago and I think steroid injs have become more mainstream since then)

I know you're not after help with the carpal tunnel per se, but can I suggest you ask for a physio referral. Decent physio turned me from chronic problems, constantly at the docs, sobbing in pain to being completely able to manage the condition with self help measures (ice, exercise and stretching).

Splints are rubbish - they cause the muscles of the hand to atrophy, which makes it much harder to recover from the original inflammation, because your tendons etc. need good muscle support in order to move fluently. A splint at the wrong angle can just pinch the carpal tunnel further and make it worse. Have never been so miserable as when I was on a splint and have a bad habit of going up to people wearing them and asking them if it's really doing them good.

Sorry, shall butt out now.

[mrsgboring]

She should not have left you without pain relief. She falls short in her duties there.

[lovecat]

YANBU

I changed my GP a few years back because I had made the mistake of saying that occasionally my work was a bit stressful (whose isn't??) - from that moment onward EVERYTHING I had was diagnosed as 'stress' and I was sent home told to try and relax. Which was about as much use as a chocolate fireguard when I had stinking fluid pouring from my ears, no energy and constantly itching, inflamed skin...

Spent a fortune on destressing massages, lavender pillows, all that shite, then happened to see a locum and was sent to the hospital, to be diagnosed as having candidiasis throughout my system and, after a simple course of canestan and a few changes in diet, was 100% better. I suffered for about 3 years with this and the inner lining of my ears was all but destroyed because of it.

Your doctor should be ashamed of herself. on your behalf.

[Oblomov]

At the time of seeing her she didn't KNOW thta I was going to be given injection, becasue it hadn't been confirmed at that point.
SHe offered me NOTHING.
That can't be right.

Thnaks for those that agree.

[NorthernLurker]

Oblomov - so two years you wanted 'strong' pain relief. I suspect that the sort of thing you are talking about has significant side effects and when prescribing a GP has to balance those side effects against the effects of the illness itself. I'm sorry she left you in pain but I think if you asked her why she did not prescribe for you two years ago then you would get to hear the basis for her decision. A physician does not wilfully leave people in pain. They really don't abandon all human feeling as soon as they step in the surgery. It is a fact though that sometimes what patients think they need is in fact not what is right, appropriate or possible treatment.

[renaldo]

she did offer you pain relief - paracetemol which bearing in mind your pregnancy is reasonable
she did'nt give you the pain relief you wanted
there is a difference

[expatinscotland]

there seems to be this pervasive belief in the UK that anyone who uses narcotic pain relief or barbituates or the like, no matter for what or how short a course, is destined for junkiedom/addiction.

the levels at which people are undermedicated here and left to languish in pain is appalling.

i remember being wary of taking pain relief after having some major surgery on my leg and my sensible French surgeon pointing out that a) it's rare to get addicted if you're using pain relief for the purpose it was designed and being prescribed responsibly b) the body doesn't heal as well when it's gripped by pain.

i took his advice, took my pills 45 minutes before going to see the physio so that i could work on recovery without being overcome by pain and made an excellent long-term recovery.

[TotalChaos]

I sympathise - my mental health care in PG from GP was dire - as she was also of the less is more school - so she referred me for wholly inappropriate counselling, wouldn't prescribe ADs or refer on to psychologist or psychiatrist.