To not go for these blood tests?

[Wetbankhols]

I went to see my doctor (this is quite rare by the way as I hate going) but I had really hurt my knee, and needed some strong painkillers as the over the counter stuff wasn't helping.

He was nice enough but insisted on weighing me even though I kept saying it was ok.

Obviously, I was obese which I already knew.

He wanted to put me on a weight management programme and insisted on sending me for blood tests which are between 8 and 11 Monday to Friday.

AIBU to not go? I get that they have to follow guidelines and I don't mind that but it's a big inconvenience out of my day.

Good luck

I'm sorry you have been left upset OP and some of these comments can't really have helped. People who don't struggle with weight really have no idea. Yes you will lose weight if you stop eating as much but it's like saying to an alcoholic just stop drinking as much. It sounds like this is your chance to get support to address your relationship with food if you want to. But it will only be successful if you are in the right place to do it cos it's bloody hard. Do you know why you overeat? Is it a comfort eating? Do you not feel full? Is it the amount or type of food you eat which makes you gain weight? Try a weight loss club where you will be able to explore these issues with people who are in a similar position. Good luck

I am 2 stone overweight Tatty, it does put me in the obese category admittedly.

I have recently lost half a stone, but have an uneasy feeling I've gained it again and part the reason I was keen to sort my knee out was because it made exercise difficult and I was limping when I walked.

Thank you for the (polite!) replies!

Ok, as every the whole things comes down to communication, doesn't it? And the management of expectation - yours (for painkillers), the GP's (must manage whole host of public health issues as decreed by the Powers That Be) and The Powers That Be's (that a GP can do all that AND have effective communication skills in 10 min all in - that includes requesting the blood tests or just documenting that they were declined or just writing down what went on during the consultation).

I am sorry if I was snippy earlier.
Whether you have sore knees (suggesting a chronic problem) or you hurt your knees, your weight will put additional and unnecessary strain on them and has a loads of other health risks which now doubt you are aware of.

Most surgeries offer blood test from 8am - would that work for you?

When the time is right tackle the weight thing. Think about what you have tried in the past to lose weight and what did or did not work for you. Don't go back to something that you found miserable or ineffective or you could not stick to. Do something different - gentle low carbing can be really simple, delicious, filling and effective. Works too!
Or intermittent fasting - I found 16:8 easy and it allows me to eat whatever I want - always a bonus.

Ultimately, it is your health and your sense of wellbeing and self-respect. Look after yourself. Take your health needs seriously. And if your GP is not as good as they should be at getting across what they are doing and why, please ask. Drs are not mind readers and are often thinking and concentrating quite hard and things don't go as well as they might like. I am not defending him or blaming you in any way, I was not there. But good communication goes both ways.

Tatty your "realism" is as much use as tits on a fish.

Tatty your "realism" is as much use as tits on a fish

Glad that you have a direct line to fish and their evolution...

I'm trying to help, even if that's offensive. Don't mean to be but I'm fed up with people not taking direct responsibility for their own health and making it the NHS's problem when they CHOOSE a direct path to ill health.

If someone KNOWS they have a weight issue due to over eating and chooses to ignore it then surely they must expect future health problems? Or is that someone else's issue to deal with? Time that people woke up to being responsible for themselves - the NHS has done some people no favours, actually.

But Tatty, I'm not a problem for the NHS. I rarely see the GP and anyway, I don't know why I am justifying myself.

Trying to help is not offensive, it is the way that you have gone about it which has been upsetting, and I think you know that.

You weren't snippy Pacific, as I say it was just a bit of a weird appointment all in all!

Obviously I would like to be slim and gorgeous and I would like to have a baby, and experience a healthy pregnancy but sometimes pressure can turn you the other way and obviously it isn't conducive to weight loss if I can't walk without limping, which is why I went to the GP in the first place! I think I'll give it a swerve in future!

I think I'll give it a swerve in future!

That would be a shame

I'm trying to help, even if that's offensive

That just isn't acceptable. It really doesn't matter if your intentions are good if the foreseeable outcome is harm.

May this be of interest?

We are starting a new low carb bootcamp on the 16th. Everyone is really helpful and supportive. Low carb works, it really does work. Come and join us

will do :)

PD one for you

Do GPs really consider those of us who don't visit the GP regularly as 'non-attenders' ? I've only ever seen this phrase used negatively and my own GP seems to share that view.

I'm lucky enough to never have had anything wrong with me that wasn't self-limited until very, very recently so I've been completely baffled at how it's just assumed that I know what blood tests are for, that I'll just strip off without a concern or that I'll automatically understand how a repeat prescription works. My records show a GP gap of 18 years as all my female health stuff is done at the local family planning clinic and I genuinely haven't had any illness or injury that merited medical treatment. Why is that a bad thing ?

I do hope you're not a medical professional, Tatty. Your interpersonal skills suck.

OP, Your GP's don't sound much better, if you've been left this confused. I'm wondering if the "is there anything else you need to tell me?" question was a clumsy attempt to get you to open up about abuse (since you presented with an injury).

Sorry, Op.

I wouldn't have thought so, but I did get the sense he wanted me to tell him something but I don't know what. It was really peculiar.

Thanks Tatty

Oh FFS, so now a knee injury becomes a potential 'abuse' issue??!

Tatty - calm down dear.

StickTheDMWhereTheSunDontShine That was to

If you did decide to go for the tests, I doubt you'd get the results instantly, so there would not be need for discussion. You'd only be called in if the results showed anything amiss, I would have thought. Also, next time you need to go in, you could make the appointment when that doctor is not in, so with a different doctor.

Blistory, no, I am very happy for people to not attend - IF they don't need us, great. The phrase 'non-attender' IME refers to people who make appointments (at the surgery) or have appointments sent (from, say, hospital) and don't turn up, often without any explanation. 'Serial non-attender' is Really Bad.
Also, some conditions or fairly dangerous, risky drugs so people who do not come for follow-up or for blood tests to monitor those could be referred to as non-attender.

Somebody who does not come to see the GP because they don't need to are not 'non-attenders' but Healthy People. They do exist. Thank goodness.

So, what I CAN help with is if you need to go for blood test, either go the the hospital or pick a day that the Dr surgery has a nurse from the hospital carrying out any blood tests (they all do this). They're much better than some surgeries who are teaching the receptionists to do it and believe me, that hurts!!

Sorry, missed a whole bit:

Also, some conditions or fairly dangerous, risky drugs need regular monitoring, so people who do not come for follow-up or for blood tests to monitor those could be referred to as non-attenders.

I am definitely not a non attender, by that description, but a healthy person.

It's at the hospital, Tatty, not the surgery.