To tell my Gp and physio they are wrong?

Hi, sorry it’s been a while. I’m new to mumsnet and didn’t realise you had replied to my message.
That’s awful. How can they cancel a scan and not let you know! I too have persisted with orthotics and they do seem to help. I can’t walk barefoot without being in pain. I’ve managed to find a podiatrist who is familiar with Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome/Baxter’s nerve entrapment. He says it’s an under diagnosed condition that often doesn’t show up on MRI scans or nerve conduction tests. He’s developed a specific injection therapy technique and gets good results so I’m off to see him in a few weeks. He sees patients privately and on the NHS. Let me know if you’d like his details.

@Iwannabeacrocodilehunter Apologies for resurrecting your old post but I am dealing with similar nerve issues in my foot. Did you get a good outcome from the NHS in the end? How did you advocate for yourself? I’m finding it quite difficult to navigate the challenges of the NHS.

I’m sorry for your losses. I 100% agree with you. I’m at the point I don’t believe anything a doctor says to me, I demand all results and do my own research. If I’m not happy I go private. Doctors just want to tick you off their list

@Iwannabeacrocodilehunter I'm glad that you are finally getting somewhere with this.

I always say to people, don't be fobbed off by your doctor, keep on at them, or go to a private clinic, anything, but don't just accept their word and go away and suffer.

My mum might still be alive if her doctor had diagnosed the real reason for her bloated stomach instead of assuming it was persistent constipation and hypochondria. No wonder she was constipated with that tumour blocking her guts. My neighbour might still be alive if her doctor had taken the pain in her leg seriously and had it investigated properly, because they might have found the bone cancer soon enough. Another family member of mine spent 6 months with a broken bone that everyone kept saying was a sprain. In the end a private CT scan via one of the top sports injury specialists in the country finally picked up the fracture. Rant over.

It’s more than just being annoying, it’s outright not listening to patients, having them jump through hoops to find out what wrong with them when things haven’t resolved and when proven wrong not even having the decency to apologise or even going as far as saying it’s in their head or they’re wrong about their own body.

HCPs not listening to patients and only hearing bits where they want to diagnose quickly and say “job done” are dangerous and cause more harm than good and it’s not them that suffer but the patients they’re supposed to be listening to and caring for.

Because it’s vitally important for all patients to feel listened to, to have a discussion with medical professionals rather than be dictated to. The principle here is medical doctors are ignoring the concerns of the patient- a dangerous precident.

@OMG12 - no I'm not. Appreciate doctors are annoying, but having had similar issues in the past myself, I'm just not sure of the benefit to OP in this particular case when the treatment would be the same. Circle your ankles, ice them raised and resting, wear boring shoes that fit well and have fresh soles with insole support, walk on your heels then on your toes to strengthen all the surrounding muscles and ligaments etc. Why isn't it more important to resolve the issue than to be right?

I've self diagnosed on about 3 occasions via Dr Google and have always been right. The last time was gallstones. I was pooh-poohed by both GP and hospital as my pain was central rather than right side (even though reputable websites like NHS, BUPA etc said pain can be either right or central.) Cue a couple of horrified looking radiologists when I had an ultrasound scan due to what they could see, then on the day of the surgery the surgeon telling me after they started counting my stones but lost count at 200 (usually there's about 5).

Maybe the OP would like to feel listened to. Doctors think themselves God most of the time and patients their little subjects who shouldn’t question them.

I really hope you’re not a doctor.

Doctors are wrong all the time (and often very arrogant with it)- I once went to the doctors and told them I had gall stones, they told me it couldn’t possibly be and why, the gp basically sat there with the student telling him how patients didn’t always know best - 3 consultant appointments several blood tests a colonoscopy and mri later (several months) the consultant was so excited to tell me he had discovered my mystery Illness through his tenacity and genius - I had….. gallstones.

my Dad was told he had a few weeks to live, he died nearly 30 years later.

Anaesthetists don’t seem to agree that I can’t have certain drugs )although dentists are quite happy to believe me). Although it was all covered up I believe this arrogance once nearly killed me.

Go with your gut instinct, chances are you’re probably right. Don’t take no for an answer

Given that the treatment for either Baxter's nerve entrapment or plantar fasciitis is rest, ice, stretches and strengthening, plus better footwear... And the painkillers are similarly identical... Why exactly are you so excited about the diagnosis OP? Just start the exercise and wear better shoes.

You can't doctor Google yourself and then demand actually trained medical professionals take your research because you think they're wrong. Jesus all you need to go is Google headache and after 2 mins you can conclude that you have a brain tumour and are 10 seconds away from deaths door

Sorry I haven’t read the replies yet but OMG I have this! I’ve had it for years. I’ve googled it, asked my GP, have never found any explanation for it. It comes on really suddenly (and yes quite often when I’m sleeping / lying down), always in a different part of my foot, usually the end of one of my toes. It’s like being stabbed with a hot pin several times, and yes it can then spread around the outside / bottom of my foot. I am definitely flat footed on that side and have also had issues with my hip and wondered if it could be related. I hope you find some answers! I’ve all but given up.

I’m a healthcare professional (a podiatrist, actually). I don’t mind at all if people have self diagnosed or googled, it gives me additional insight.

For example, the OP thinks it might be Baxter’s entrapment because it shoots and burns up into her foot and ankle. That already gives me some clues for differential diagnoses. Also, she is scared about permanent nerve damage, which tells me something about her worries and values.

Allied health professionals are in a unique position, in that we generally have mote Time than GPs to listen to the patient’s story.

Took me 10 years to get a diagnosis for one ongoing illness despite having the typical symptoms and family history. Took 3 different GP surgeries and several GPs to be referred to the correct place. One surgery later and my life was completely changed. As soon as I said 'I think it is x illness' they completely shut me down. Thankfully one Dr listened and referred me to the correct dept who put me on the waiting list for exploratory surgery that day.

I'm also asthmatic and my GP kept prescribing me an inhaler that wasn't working for like 3 years. It was only when I ended up in hospital that i was referred to the asthma nurse that regularly holds clinics at the GP surgery. She was shocked when I told her that I had told the GP I can't go outside when it's cold as it hurts to breath, and I was just told to take my current inhaler before going outside and to keep warm!

There is a very big difference between expecting a GP to know everything, and expecting a GP to do a referral to the correct people when the problem is beyond their knowledge!

I think you need a referral to a podiatrist - a really top notch one. After years of seeing doctors and physios for various foot related pain my podiatrist did a foot assessment that took over an hour. I then had custom orthotics made and over a few months my 20+ years of foot and leg pain was over.

Not sure your GP did you any favours there. I suffered terribly with PF and the injection cured it completely.
The injection wasn't too bad at all compared to the pain I was in anyway.

Yes, definitely question, I did some research about my condition and treatment as I felt that I wasn't being recommended the right route. I presented recently changed guidance and research papers to my NHS consultants who just ignored them. I paid for an opinion from a consultant from the national centre of excellence on my condition who agreed with me and wrote a letter saying the same but my local NHS consultants are still disagreeing because I think they're working from old guidance. I'm not convinced they've even read the letter. It's frustrating but at least now I have good information in order to make my own decision.

I’m a GP.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know a lot about Baxter’s nerve entrapment.

I wouldn’t mind you suggesting a diagnosis at all or a possible treatment plan. Makes my life easier - and you will have spent far more time thinking about your problem than I can with the best will in the world so sometimes at least you’re going to know more about it than I do. If patients suggest something and I think there’s a decent chance they’re right I’ll probably do it (unless it’s outside guidelines etc). If I don’t know enough I’ll do some of my own research be that reading or discussing it with colleagues. If I think they’re wrong I’m quite happy to explain why and discuss. It’s helpful to know what patients are thinking anyway.

I probably wouldn’t start off the consultation by saying “I think you’re wrong” though! We’re only human and that might make me feel a bit more irritable than “I’ve been reading and wondered if it might be….”