This is a continuation of this thread, started a few months back by ohyouBadBadkitten as "a thread for you to vent in or post your 'hooray's'". Everyone is welcome, regardless of the nature or duration of their illnesses and whether or not they have a diagnosis. The last thread dealt with a real diversity of long-term and acute conditions, as well as many of the mental health challenges and fertility questions commonly associated with them.
We should probably add the standard sort of disclaimer about not necessarily being qualified or insured to offer proper medical advice, which means that if your symptoms start to sound a bit scary you'll get a few of us rather assertively shoving you in the direction of your local A&E department. As madsometimes puts it, "A&E for Mumsnetters would have Boden medical gowns, Farrow & Ball paint schemes and fruit shoot free vending machines selling organic elderflower presse. Pinot Grigio would be dispensed at wine o'clock. There would be public information posters warning about the dangers of googling Dragon Butter... the injuries resulting from Friday night threads would be quite horrific." However, we all know the reality of medical emeregncies to be signifiantly more stresfull than that, so if it's not life-threaningly urgent, we'll hold your hand and chat and support and speculate on the basis of the reasonably half-informed knowledge gained by our own life experiences.
Welcome. The kettle is on...
Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.
General health
Support thread for those awaiting (and undergoing and recovering from) medical appointments,tests and surgery: PART TWO
BreastmilkDoesAFabLatte · 16/06/2012 10:21
Just to add that this thread is also for anyone suffering from general decrepitude to moan in a supportive and non-judgemental environment.
wow, you are incredibly calm for someone who has been put through the mill for so long. it makes me very cross that gps are often not proactive. but, then I had an experience at work where I realised that sometimes, people see things with a client over a period of time and they see those things as isolated things, they just don't ever join the things up, no lightbulb moment of aha that plus that and that could equal this. Sometimes it takes an fresh pair of eyes. I work with criminals, and part of my job is to assess behaviour, and if risk increases panic manage that. A colleague of mine had lots of little bits of information at hand over a period of about 8 months, but each thing was not huge. When the case was downgraded in risk of harm it was passed to me, I read the whole file, and all these little peices fitted together, plus one tiny weeny bit of knowledge I had that was not a professional bit of knowledge, but a local bit of knowledge that the other person did not have and I went 
and not only did his risk raise back up, but it went past the original level of risk and straight to 'very high risk of harm' which meant, like he could kill someone NOW! I only go on about this because i am anal about my talking about my job it reminds me that people need from time to time to refresh their cases and remind themselves of what has gone before, including GPs.
that was long too.
Hello Pavlov - I know what you mean. I used to work in an area that meant gathering evidence and then seeing the whole picture, it does discipline the mind wonderfully. Actually I was wrong last night, it isn't bone cancer as such, I think its in the bone marrow, so it has something in common with leukaemia. I would not have expected the GP to think "aha, myeloma?" but I would have expected her not to be so dismissive and to see the pattern in the blood tests. I've had to pay privately (part insurance/part my money) for my all referrals except this one, and she even had the cheek to look a bit 
when I said I'd run out of cash so I needed an NHS referral, so it was a battle to get to this stage.
Unfortunately, my DD aged 11 has also just been diagnosed with a rare congenital condition, life altering but thank god not life threatening, and you know, the GP (another one in the same practice) tried to persuade me that her stomach pain was because she ate too much fatty food. I think they are literally obsessed. Perhaps they need a bacon sandwich. And to keep looking and learning - too many GPs are arrogant and feel that there is no need for them to keep reading and researching.
Luckily for DD we had a fabulous paediatrician and he's been on the case all the time, rings me at home to talk about it etc. I feel my new rheumatologist is cut from the same sort of cloth.
I do feel calm. I am the sort of person who goes to pieces over a bit of toast falling butter side down on the floor, but calmly deals with major crises (what is the plural of crisis?!).
That was long as well - I seriously think someone else needs to join in today, I can type for England if not stopped! So - how are you today Pavlov, and what sort of day are you having?
Hi Burning, and welcome from lurking. You must be having such a stressful time, so I'm really pleased that you do not have a long wait until your bone scan. I think that doctors tend to move fast at the slightest suggestion of cancer, which should explain your quick referral. I'm glad that you now are under a doctor that understands your condition, and hopefully you will not be kept waiting long for the results. I'm quite that your symptoms were initially dismissed as a weight problem, and love the moving fat. I wish my belly flab would move upwards to my boobs 
.
GP's are interesting. Mine is very good, but they are not created equally. When I moved into my street, I asked the lady next door if she could recommend a GP surgery, knowing that her dh was a GP (not local). Her recommendation was not to go to the nearest one, but another one. She knew her stuff, and I haven't looked back.
Evening ladies.
Welcome from lurking Burning. What a long time you have had to wait to get to this point. You do sound quite calm even if you don't feel it all the time. As Mad says any referral to do with cancer is dealt with quickly and rightly so. It doesn't mean of course that all of these end up with that diagnosis. Also agree that GPs are very variable. The practice I go to has a large number of drs so I tend to choose different ones for different things as they all have their strengths. My parents in law's GP on the other hand works in a single handed practice and should probably have retired about 10 years ago. The things he says and neglects to do make me furious! I can't see him carrying on for much longer as the annual appraisal system and new revalidation system are pretty stringent in terms of the amount of ongoing training Drs have to do these days. Yours do seem to have gone on one too many healthy weight and diet courses though. Moving fat!!!!?
I wouldn't worry about long posts, mine can be quite lengthy! Have a 
, even though it's only Monday!
I have been to the cardiologist today and was sent off for a very detailed echo beforehand. The device is sitting where it should apparently and is stable. All looked ok. I can't say I am any happier about having it there but I think that will take me quite a while. There really should be some sort of counselling for people who have things put in their heart. It is very disconcerting. Anyway they are happy that it looks ok but of course that doesn't explain why I have odd pains in my chest and between my shoulders. Cardiologists advice was pretty sensible though - if it is nothing it will go away, if it persists for more than a few weeks we should do a TOE. I am now really hoping it will all settle down!
Hope everyone else is doing ok and has found the new thread.
Ginger I'm really pleased that your echo yesterday showed that your device is behaving and sitting nicely where it was put. I know it means no answers about your pains. I'm with you on not liking artificial implants in the heart. Who needs to be rational when we are human 
.
BM, I'm so happy that things are turning a corner for you. The Prozac does seem to have upped your energy levels.
Mharhi, hoping your op goes well today. I think Reeny is also in today, so best wishes to you.
I'm doing fine, apart from my INR taking a cheeky dip to 2.0 (should be 2.5-3.5). Below 2.0 and I would be on clexane injections which sting, so I'm pleased to have avoided them. My INR often dips just before my period, I don't know if that is a known thing or just me.
oybbk I agree that you did the right thing, as you say, you are completely honest and if something happened they have all the information.
ginger I have titrated my dose to 300, for one day only, and the drowsiness is easing slightly already. I have spent several days mostly asleep but yesterday and today I feel ok, little tired but ok in terms of the drug at least, my sciatic pain has eased a lot, so think this might be the drug starting to work? it might be that this phase is easing anyway, really not sure, but time will tell. All in all the side effects seem ok, but its only been just under a week so we will see, but I would say if you can get over the tiredness then give it a try.
mad sorry to be but what is INR?<br />
I am off to see the osteo today, with an arm full of questions, on tues I was in a LOT of pain and asked to see him, he could not fit me in early, and said there was no point as if in so much pain it would make it worse to get to him and there was little he could do right then to ease, that I needed to rest and maybe use an ice pack. Typically today, when I finally get to see him, i am feeling an awful lot better than I have been and can almost stand up straight. But I am worried that this is due to the amount of painkillers I am on, and that he will therefore dismiss it as all ok now, this acute episode is improving, rather than it is all being masked.
Don’t want to miss threads like this?
Weekly
Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!
Log in to update your newsletter preferences.
You've subscribed!
i have just been to see the osteo. I can't even put into words how I feel right now. Not listened to, like I am making it up. I knew this would happen, because I am chock full of drugs and it is now so much better, it is 'my stress levels making it all so much worse than it really is'. He thinks I probably had a migraine which made my symptoms worse . He said 'i am not saying this is in your head, or that you do not have a disc problem, we can see that on the scan, but your stress levels are very likely making it worse' because I stupidly talked about the pain in my face/head/arm (was worried about more disc issues elsewhere). He said that the results of my scan were not horrendous, and that once this 'episode' is over I will be able to continue as normal, normal activities, kayaking etc. So different to the other Dr at his practice.
He is also mixing up my kidney issue with my back, says it could be a red herring but need to rule out this having anything to do with the pain, despite me having this condition for my entire life with no problems, and the back pain, but his own admission being clearly lower back and sciatic type pain and not kidney pain.
It seems like, he does not have a bloody clue and is just shooting his mouth off and has made me feel 100% worse like I am banging my head against a brick wall. He would not see me when the pain was horrendous. If he had, he would have known that this is not in my head, it is not a reaction to stress, I am stressed because of it.
He is referring me to yet another clinic now to deal with rehabilitation which includes cognitive behavioural treatments. That deals with how I think, not with the bloody problem. That indicates even further that he thinks this is not as real as it is.
I am so upset I cannot put it into words.
And, to top it off, I come home to find a friend here having coffee with DH so I am distressed and angry in front of others, and now feel stupid and embarrased to boot.
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.