to think nhs could save a lot of money if docs did their jobs?

[HelenHen]

It seems far too common for docs to write something off as a virus or to tell people to 'keep an eye on it's

I had to hold my 2 year old in such a way so as to make him scream today to show the doc that there is a problem. He was determined to fob me off and get rid of me. It's really disheartening!

I refuse to see "Dr There's nothing wrong with you", there may be nothing serious wrong with me or the DDs, but doctors make me very nervous. I don't go endless I'm properly worried.

Like the OP I do prefer doctors who listen and examine before reassuring you it's nothing serious.

I don't seem to be the only one who feels this way. This Dr. always seems to have appointments and the receptionists are never surprised when you ask for someone else.

I think your mistake was making this a generalisation.

There are a lot of good doctors working their asses off in not ideal working conditions. unfortunatelyin my experience there are also a fair few "by the book" doctors who cant think outside the box.

Friend mid 30s had been repeatedly but tagged as "tired as had young children" was rushed to hospital when she passed out due to undiagnosed food issues. Friends parent now partially sighted as all her aches and pains in 80s tagged as "age" she had a textbook case of an illness which very nearly killed her. Ive been maintaining for a fair few years I am pre menopausal but tagged "too young" clock ticks over on my birthday this year year, suddenly I may be right (mother and grandmother were young too)

People are being way too harsh with someone who is obviously upset and worried about her child ffs! Whoever it was that implied the op had deliberately hurt him - what a fucking horrible spiteful thing to say!

Op, ywnbu to expect the dr to examine your ds before deciding whether or not there was a problem. There is one like that at my surgery and funnily enough the lovely doctor who actually listens to what you're saying is always fully booked! I hope the other gp is able to put your mind at ease tomorrow

For the rd I'm not a drama queen! I've taken ds to doc twice, both turned out to be right. This was my third time and I'm sorry but I expect to be listened to... Not to have to go and make appointments with other docs til I'm taken seriously, thus wasting nhs resources!

Dh and I were getting worried about this and u was gonna take him Wednesday when you don't need appointment. Mil, who's a nurse, had him a few hours yesterday and voiced her concerns when she dropped him back as it had escalated.

I'm sorry my initial posts were ridiculously annoying but my phone was acting up and I was tired and frustrated.

Those of you focussed on what a bad mom I am for making my child scream don't really deserve any response but you can fuck off anyway. The rest of you thanks for your replies, particularly the supportive ones!

I don't tend to lift dss hip/bum other than nappy change but is it actually normal for child to scream and shake in pain while holding the sides of the drawers while saying 'sore back' just cos they don't like nappy changes? Just cos I didn't give all the info in the initial post, it's odd that you would fill in the gaps including implying that I'm lying and that I sat there squeezing my son in front of the doc! Get s grip!

My DH works for the NHS, and they would probably save money if they didn't have to send their staff on "how to spot a terrorist" courses. I kid you not. Bit of a loner? Could be a terrorist. No friends? Could be a terrorist. Looks like someone from the "This is England" film - could be a terrorist. What total and utter bollocks. But, I have a dim view of docs, because when you get to a certain age, all your problems are done to "It's your age". Also I had to beg a GP to come out when my son had his second epileptic seizure. "Can you bring him to the surgery?" "I can't carry him - he's unconscious" We had never called a doc out in all the years we'd lived here. (and before you ask, I'd called ambulance etc when he had his first fit, I knew what to do for this, but only wanted the doc to check all was OK)

Helen I'm sure you're not going to like my post but it is meant helpfully. I too have had frustrating visits to the GP with two pretty serious conditions missed. I rarely visited the GP and was pretty ill with the more recent event and felt they should have taken more care to realise this was unusual and serious. So I do appreciate where you are coming from

Because GPs see oodles of worried well every day, I think some become a little too ready to reassure rather than examine thoroughly. I find their interest is grabbed (or not!) with my initial few statements.

You seem angry, worried and therefore your 'story' is not clear nor flows - it really is meant as an observation not a criticism. :) What is helpful to the GP is a very factual account and don't assume from the off, the GP is crap. That's as bad as them assuming that you are a malingerer.

Deliver the following clearly and concisely

How long has this been occurring for
What have you tried to solve it
It only happens when
This is unusual/not normal for him/her
I know my child and this is really worrying me

It may be that you feel you did this...it may be that the GP is indeed careless. Either way that's just my observation on getting the best from your GP

Like any post on here, people's reaction is often determined by an initial impression and then can go either way. Emotive and aggressive OPs get a reaction...but not usually to the problem...more to the style of post.

Best wishes and I hope you get to the bottom of it

(PS I've met some fabulous GPs, far more than the bad ones)

To clarify, I have an appointment with another gp tmrw, not a specialist!

SO you have been buffed and turfed.

I have only ever heard of one GP who every one of his patients loved and thought he was the best because he listened. That was Harold Shipman.

OP
Have you tried holding your ds in a different way so he doesn't scream?

Front thank you! I know my posts tell a different story but at the doc I was clear and concise. I also told him that I'd mentioned it to another doc a couple of weeks ago when he went for tonsillitis, who told me to 'keep an eye on it'

Oh Grey's that's ridiculous! Bureaucracy is a disgusting thing!

YABVU I'm sure the 70+ hrs my DH did last week was doing his job properly as his very grateful & alive patients will attest to.
My current consultant is a fab individual who has helped me to continue to work, have & look after my child and live life to the fullest with a shitty lifelong condition.

There are some not great drs out there, there are also some terrible patients out there who think they know better than everyone else including the person actually trained & experienced enough to help them. It would be stupid to extrapolate this to say all drs or all patients are rubbish.
Sometimes it is 'just a virus', sometimes a 'wait and see' approach is necessarily & sometimes they do get it wrong - but on the whole I think drs generally do a fab job under ever increasing pressure.

I've had this one a few times

1, back issues... Oh it will go in a few days... Needed surgery

2, no your throats fine... Got a second view as I could hardly swallow... Toncilitus

3, joint issues... Your fat what do you expect (1 month post giving birth) when I got a new doctor hyper mobility

My doctors try and blame everything on a handful of things from what I've heard, being overweight even by 1lb, smoking, drinking. Your better off seeing the nurse she seems to know more than the doctors.

Sashh yep I've tried! So has dh and mil. It's not just how I do it but any moving of his hips seem to reduce him to agony! I could keep trying but, in the meantime, this signifies there's a problem!

Chatty yep I too find nurses much quicker to get to the actual issue! If you waMr to see a decent doc at this practice you must wait weeks

While I agree, he does not sound like the most empathetic human being to walk the planet, I am still confused about him 'not doing his job'. He agreed there was a problem and referred you to someone who will be able to give a better diagnosis. That's what GPs do! Anyway, I hope someone can shed some light on your little boy's pain and help you both.

YANBU for being concerned about your DC. YABU however for your generalisation.

I also say this as someone who is currently disabled as a result of a procedure carried out that went wrong.

I hope you get it sorted x

Yes YABVU. My GP is terrific as I'm sure many are. Change doctors if you're not happy. Unfair to generalise like this.

Anyone who criticises the NHS has clearly never sat at the bedside of someone they love post- life saving surgery.

It is one of a very small handful of things which actually make me proud to be British.

Most of the time, I've been happy with my GPs, but there have been occasions when they've got it wrong.

They don't seem to have a clue about SPD. When I was in my first pregnancy, I'd got to the point where my everyday function was impaired and the constant pain was getting unbearable with about 6 weeks until due date. "Just pregnancy aches and pains". i ended up pretty much housebound, and couldn't leave the house independently. Second time round I knew what it was, and went through the MWs. However at my postnatal check, I mentioned that it had seemed to stagnate in its improvement. The post natal check is 8 weeks and I had days left to self refer back to physio, which I didn't want to do if it was going to resolve itself. The Dr said give it time. A month later I'd had enough of being incapable of walking up the short hill from the local shops and started going to an osteopath.

A GP has their areas of strengths and weaknesses, but if they make the patient feel listened to, and suggest a follow up if things don't resolve, maybe a colleague with more expertise, then that does a lot to make a patient feel satisfied. A patient shouldn't leave feeling dismissed.

Unfair to generalise but YANBU to be pissed off with this particular doctor. Unfortunately it probably would not save the NHS money to properly investigate patients - quite the contrary - most people who are fobbed off probably do not have anything seriously wrong with them, and of the proportion that do, only a small proportion will complain and an even smaller proportion will have a cause of action for negligence (always very hard to prove causation).

Unfortunately, criticising the NHS on Mumsnet is like blaspheming in the Vatican....

Hope your little one feels better soon.

Also to those who say IABU, referring back to thread title, what say you about my observations that many people see different docs until they are listened to? That's the problem! Whether your gp is wonderful or not, this IS going on in many practices across the country and taxpayers money is just being swallowed up by docs simply not listening to their patients. And yep, I accept that there are many many wonderful docs and they deserve their own thread but this thread is not about them!

If there are problems, they should be fixed surely? Rather than simply pointing out other aspects that do work?

Not been very impressed by many of the GPs I've encountered. Doctor google is often more effective.

Minesril alternatively I could add that anyone who defends nhs has clearly not sat by the bedside of someone dying from a missed diagnoses.

This thread does not criticise the entire nhs as a whole, but a particular aspect. Stop being so defensive please!

Also to those who say IABU, referring back to thread title, what say you about my observations that many people see different docs until they are listened to? That's the problem!

Yes - not exactly a sensible use of scarce appointments!

I had a similar experience and had to lie to get referred in the end. After about 20 GP appointments, I printed out the 2 week rule referral guidelines for colon cancer and pointedly read them out to the GP, telling him I had all of the symptoms. I finally got a referral (and a cancer diagnosis) but there is no doubt in my mind that I would have died if it had been left up to the idiot GP's in that surgery.

I now have a private GP and he is great - no issues with appointments or referrals.

most doctors do try and fob you off , i took my dd to docs as her elbow joint was pulled out , told him the problem said its happened 2 times before , he bent her arm around she screamed in pain , but he said no shes fine , i went straight to A&E who manipulated it back in place , parents know when things are not right , i think the op knows when her child is not right a bit more than a dismissive doctor .

Artic - to be fair something like that should surely have been an a and e job straight away?

Helen the flipside of that is that those GPs may have been right in the first place.

Patients who do have just a virus who book in again and again until they get a Dr who will prescribe antibiotics they don't actually need to just get them out.

Those who get a referral just to waste the appointment when the issue resolves itself by waiting and seeing and don't bother to cancel! They are the resource wasters too.