I'm a GP AMA

[DrBubble]

I'm a GP. Any questions about my job?
(Please refrain from asking for specific medical advice)

[quote DrBubble]@notnowbernadette Heck NOOOOOOO! Sad but very true. My own sibling wanted to do Medicine and got an offer. I did everything in my power to persuade my sibling otherwise. And thankfully my sibling listened.
Its a hard slog. Its like trying to complete sudoku or a crossword whilst listening to the news on full blast and only having 10 minutes to do so. You're constantly running on full power ands it's bloody exhausting.
For me GP was the best if a bad bunch. At 18 you don't really understand what youre getting into when you choose medicine. Very few other fields are compatible with a family life.[/quote]
That is interesting thank you. My eldest (14() currently wants to do medicine and I have been trying to tell him that he’s got years and years of constant slog and no downtime ahead of him. Ultimately it’s his life and I will support him whatever but I’m kind of hoping he changes his mind.

What happens if a doctor is found out to have had a sexual relationship with a patient?

I had a consensual FWB relationship with my GP for many years after I met him as my GP. Came to a natural end with no hard feelings on either side, and I would never dream of reporting him as I’m a grown woman who knew exactly what I was doing. But one drunken night I told a friend who was also his patient about it, and to this day I fear he will say something!

@Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow
Interesting point
I'm not one for unnecessary medications
You mention "evidence" however the evidence has to be pretty strong before it can be implemented.
There's a difference between trialing X treatment on 1000s of patients where half gets X medicine and other half gets Y medicine and the participants don't know which they are taking
However few "holistic" meds are trialled in that way
Often the "evidence" is a small group being given treatment X as a cure for condition Y and then self reporting improvement. How much of this is a placebo effect? And this evidence will be much weaker with much bias
It's a very stringent process before a treatment can be given on a wide scale to the public
I do believe that a healthy diet and regular exercise can help many conditions significantly
And yes I think it's very hard to offer a full holistic care plan when appointments are only 10 mins long (another frustration of mine)

@MNWorldisCrazy
I think there is more awareness of these conditions now and care is improving. I wouldnt be apprehensive about seein a new doctor. Part of being a good GP is accepting you don't know everything and being willing to learn.perhaps you could help your new GP to learn about these conditions and that in turn could benefit many patients :)

@RosesAndHellebores you are lucky; I’m only allowed 28 days of levothyroxine and when I dared to ask for more I got a lecture about the risks of abusing levothyroxine.

You say many fields of medicine are not compatible with family life. Do you think being a barrister, magic circle solicitor, banker, accountancy partner, successful entrepreneur are? If not, why is there not the teeniest bit more respect for patient/taxpayer time please?

Why is it impossible for women to be investigated for endometriosis unless they've suffered severe symptoms for 8 years or more? Is it medical incompetence or just plain contempt for the female anatomy?

@thereinmadnesslies it's utter nonsense. Abusing levothyroxine my backside . Any evidence based comments DrBubbles?

Do you think that as a group, the elderly are over medicated and if so do you think this may be a contributory factor in falls?

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland
Hmmm interesting question
I s'pose one would be a reluctance/suspicion about medications but inaction to change their risk factors. Leaves me between a rock and a hard place

Oh and the desire for antibiotics for minor illnesses, especially for children. I will often explain that we need to give the child's immune system a chance to fight off the infection itself.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland
Most common things
Back pain
Mental health problems
Sick notes

Why do you think so many women suffer with thyroid problems and why does it seem so difficult to diagnose in the U.K. compared to other countries?

@Lolastarsandstripe
Lots of MH appointments. NOT a waste of time. I do think a dedicated service would be good with access to counselors and support workers. I know of some practices trying to put this in place

@Covidwedding123
Foundation years are difficult but things do get better. Explore what you enjoy. Make sure you are happy with other aspects of your life too. Be a rounded person so a difficult day at work is counteracted by positivity at home. Hope things improve. DM me if you need to discuss further x

@AlwaysMoreCoffee
Us GPs are nosy. We want to know you're problems! If she's worried about overburdening the GP in one appointment then booking a double appointment means she can talk about more issues

@Wonderbrush
You don't sound rude at all
Of course we do research. We have to as part of our job. We engage in career long study so we are constantly learning.
I will often Google or hit the medical books if I don't know what's going on.

neojacket

OMG, he does the diet and is in the group. Probably outed him now.
He's had countless operations, only thing left was to remove his arm pits, he wouldn't do it. But this is somewhere else.
So glad you are in remission,

@RhubarbTea
The training was indescribably difficult. I think myself, and a number of others, have some PTSD from the experiences we've had during training. I think Adam Kay highlights this well. The stories I could tell...

Yes I will very regularly Google things. Google is a gateway to a plethora of medical resources, often books turned into websites for ease. Not just an article by Joe blogs who thinks turmeric will cure all his problems. Google done the right way is my friend :)

@feistyoneyouare
We do study them but not in great detail. There are specialist sleep clinics who know much more :)

@Forf0cksake
Not many. I don't mind patients coming in to be checked if they are worried.

@Potterythrowdown
You get used to it
Sort of like how new parents get used to changing nappies (I used to find it so difficult after first born, now I do it without thinking most times).
Also your definition of "ick" changes considerably. Your gross tolerance increase exponentially during medical training haha

So how does that work when your told not to do a double appointment or talk of multiples of illnesses.

How can you be diagnosed when there is usually two or three ailments all connected to one problem

How can you get past the receptionist who does not have a medical degree when you don’t want to tell them your exact problem and they then refuse you an appointment?

How much training do you have in diabetes and what is your go to on helping type 2s?

Why are men referred quicker than women?

Do you feel that on the whole, the health system is good at the moment? I'm not talking NHS debates - but I'm simply meaning patient care.

A lot of patients seem to report lots of negative experiences as well as good, and I'm wondering if this is something you see in colleagues who are not passionate about their job anymore, or who are just burnt out and not offering patient care that they should?

I've found a handful of GP's in my life who were so good at listening and taking my concerns on board, that they've made me cry, on the spot. It's an unusual thing for me. I've had so, so many who were awful, to the point I was told by one about 15 years ago that my symptoms of 'slurring my words, feeling drunk, eye vision problems, dizziness (and many more symptoms) ' were just 'an odd bug' and sent me on my way. I sadly had an undiagnosed vitamin B12 deficiency along with M.E, which as a result (I was put off talking to any other GP about this as I left feeling mortified) got pretty severe and I had a shit quality of life for years.

I'm having a similar problem in that I've been having chest pains, ectopic heartbeats, palpitations for years. The chest pains aren't as regular but the heartbeat issues are regular. I'm obese (not through lack of caring, I have hormone problems being investigated), I do smoke (my own fault entirely and I have cut down with a serious view to trying to stop altogether as it worrying me), I am very active however yet for the aforementioned 2 reasons consider myself high risk, yet had several doctors tell me it's 'nothing to worry about' because I am young (30), and 'if it was something to be concerned about, something would have happened by now'. I've had it diagnosed as anxiety though I wasn't really feeling anxious at the time.

I find this concerning as a family member (not immediate) was complaining of similar issues for years before having a heart attack and needing a stent fitted at 30.

I am not asking for medical advice about this of course, but am asking if you personally feel this is good patient care, and how patients can get more thorough investigations into health problems if they feel it's not adequate? Kind of at my wits end.

Can people experience indigestion in their back and ribcage?
I get this and its agonising but only intermittently which is why I've not called my gp.

Also, is it true that you can get smear test kits to do yourself or that that's on the cards?

How please does the nhs advise GP surgeries to prioritise those within Group 6 for Covid vaccinations?