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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to be offended by my GP

52 replies

Chocolatefiend99 · 18/09/2016 13:26

I went to my GP on Friday just gone. I lost 2 of my senses 2 years ago following a head injury so I asked him to refer me to a specialist. he said to me why have you never been to see me about this before now. I pointed out that I went to him a few days after it happened (2 years ago) and he said I was in shock. so I went away.

6 months ago I went back to see if there is anything that could be done as I was still without my senses. my GP said he believed it was permanent but could refer me to a specialist. as he was pretty adamant the damage was permanent I didn't request an appointment with a specialist.

so after being made to feel suitably guilty by two colleagues for not following up on Friday I went back to my GP to ask to be referred so I know for certain if the damage is permanent or not. I had a 25minute wait for the GP which I was ok with as I wasn't at work however it would have been nice for the receptionist to acknowledge there would be a wait. the GP wasn't even in the building.

so on Friday my GP said I had not told him of the loss of two sense previously which I did both times. he also accused me of being drunk when the accident happened which I most certainly wasn't. his words were you was drunk wasn't you. I then find out that the hospital who treated me after my accident recorded the incident as fainting. when I was in fact unconcious for 2 hours, with a head fracture, nose bleed and sickness.

I was offended that the GP accused me of being drunk, I felt like I was being judged. I am also shocked that the hospital didn't do any tests on me when I was admitted. I had a fracture to the head which resulted in an injury to my brain.

I'm not going to submit a complaint as nothing will come of it I guess I would like to know if I am right to feel annoyed about the service I received.

OP posts:
Original poster
Chocolatefiend99 · 18/09/2016 16:46

if I stick to vodka I am perfectly fine. I probably don't have more than 10 drinks in a year. I much prefer to drive and eat. 4 drinks in one day isn't a huge amount when out drinking. well these days anyway. I wouldn't have had much more if I hadn't passed out. there is a surgery right next door to where I live. I will ask to sign up there

OP posts:
Original poster
Chocolatefiend99 · 18/09/2016 16:47

I have been told many times I am a cheep date too. when my accident occurred I was on a date. though not a first date thank god though there wasn't a follow on date ha ha. i don't think it will be a date he will ever forget! I certainly won't

OP posts:
Witchend · 18/09/2016 18:15

Four vodkas on an empty stomach, particularly if you aren't used to drinking sounds an awful lot.

StarlingMurmuration · 18/09/2016 18:29

OP didn't say she had an empty stomach, did she? And even if she were paralytic, it hardly matters. Her condition (loss of senses) should be treated seriously and professionally by her GP, and it doesn't sound as though it was.

TheBriscoesLady · 18/09/2016 18:44

OP said she is practically tee total but had had 4 drinks that day on an empty stomach. So yes, I would say the alcohol probably was a factor in what happened. Still, the GPS sounds like he is possibly fixated on this issue and it has clouded his judgement to the extent that OP is possibly not getting the treatment she requires.

OP I would lodge a complaint in writing with the Practice and then seek to change surgeries.

But please don't downplay the impact your alcohol consumption may have had to play in your accident, as it makes you sound as if you're in denial about your drinking habits and tolerance

Original poster
Chocolatefiend99 · 18/09/2016 19:30

I certainly am not in denial about my drinking habits. I know how much I drink which is very little (probably twice a year at a push and not binge drinking) and I know how I feel when drinking. I was not in the slightest drunk. vodka has little impact on me hence why I drink it. now if I'd had four shots or 4 glasses of wine I would have been drunk. not that it matters if I was drunk or not my GP should be non judgemental or people who do have issues with alcohol would be less likely to seek help for fear of being judged.

OP posts:
Original poster
Chocolatefiend99 · 18/09/2016 19:34

to clarify I did have an empty stomach. I had not eaten anything all day and the fainting happened late afternoon. only I know how I felt and I was far from drunk (having been drunk many moons ago I know the difference). I have a long history of fainting mainly due to my pain threshold. it sounds bizarre but I believe I fainted because I offended my date (badly in his eyes) and think I fainted as a coping mechanism. of course empty stomach and four drinks contributed but if I had not offended him I seriously doubt I would have passed out

OP posts:
dybil · 18/09/2016 19:42

Really isn't the point of the thread, and you should absolutely change GPs if you're not happy with him, but I have a couple of drinks most days and I'd certainly be quite drunk if I had 4 vodkas on an empty stomach.

Original poster
Chocolatefiend99 · 18/09/2016 20:00

no two people are the same or react the same. vodka has less of an affect on me than beer or wine. you are right that isn't the point of the thread. even if I was drunk it's of no one else's concern especially not for a doctor to judge two years after the event. the only person who can judge is me as I was the only one in the situation

OP posts:
StarlingMurmuration · 18/09/2016 20:08

Oh, I did miss that. But still, not the right thing for your GP to fixate on.

I drink maybe five or six units of vodka a week and I'd probably pass out on four vodkas on an empty stomach, though, fwiw.

scoobdoob · 18/09/2016 20:10

As well as a referal for an opinion on your loss of senses I would think your gp should be looking to see if there is any underlying cause.

Been unconscious for 2 hours and not breathing is not a simple faint.

SmokingGun · 18/09/2016 20:41

If you suffered a brain injury were you not seen by a neurologist? If so I would have thought that your symptoms would have been picked up then!

Original poster
Chocolatefiend99 · 18/09/2016 20:47

I wasn't referred to anyone. the hospital glued up the cut on my head and that was all they did. they said they ran tests to see what was wrong yet this wasn't in my record so my GP said no tests were run. my GP also didn't refer me I was the one to ask him about seeing a specialist. I realised quite quickly after (a day or two after) that I had lost my senses. after telling him twice about my injuries he doesn't recall me mentioning it and I assume he didn't add to my record at the time as he only captured it on Friday.

OP posts:
nooddsocksforme · 18/09/2016 20:58

Not sure this makes sense . To be unconscious for 2 hours would not happen as a result of fainting unless you sustained quite a marked head injury as a result of your faint . What senses :) ave you lost and how bad was your injury to result in supporting in such a loss

nooddsocksforme · 18/09/2016 20:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SmokingGun · 18/09/2016 21:00

Your treatment sounds dreadful! I just assumed that in all cases of a skull fracture and brain injury you would be at least seen by a neurologist whilst you were an inpatient. From what you and your GP have said it sounds like you should ask for a detailed explanation of the care/tests carried out by the hospital and go from there. Good luck, I hope you get some answers soon.

Bugsylugs · 18/09/2016 21:07

Loss taste and smell quite common in head injuries especially if a fracture. Agree with socks this doesn't add up a faint would not result in 2 hours of loss of consciousness and that would result in an overnight stay. Unfortunately if the hospital don't tell the GP about investigations etc no way they can know. You are not happy with your GP and that's is obvious from your comments that have nothing to do with this 2 yr episode so I would suggest changing practice.
4 drinks is by definition a binge

Original poster
Chocolatefiend99 · 18/09/2016 21:17

my GP disagreed with the cause the hospital put on my record of fainting due to me not waking until after I had been treated. I was not awake to remember falling, remember the paramedics coming to get me, putting me in a wheelchair, taking me down three floors of the shopping centre, to the ambulance, or travelling to the hospital or arriving at hospital. they should never have put that down as fainting. my GP said I must have suffered a fracture. I've lost my sense of taste and smell. I will be definitely be changing GP.

OP posts:
CaspoFungin · 18/09/2016 21:25

Sounds like the hospital didn't realise how serious your injury was, maybe weren't told you lost consciousness? They should definitely have scann d your head.

But if they failed to do these things maybe your GP never realised u didn't just have a small faint and little knock to the head like was recorded on the notes?

Chikara · 18/09/2016 21:26

Change GP
I wouldn't complain myself but doesn't mean you shouldn't.

GP wasn't judging but mentioning the facts - you clearly were affected by the alcohol and it was a factor in your fainting. You were picked up by ambulance from a bar; it was called by people who believed that you had been drinking. 4 vodkas on an empty stomach is a lot. Dr would have mentioned it as being factor in the fainting and hospital would have taken it in to account. Reasonable to assume shock in the first visit if the hospital had done all relevant tests. Dr should have reacted to second time though.

Change GP, start again and move forwards. Get it sorted out. Hope you recover. My DP lost his sense of smell and taste. Life was less pleasant because of it. Miserable. Some of it has returned.

CaspoFungin · 18/09/2016 21:30

So your GP told you you fractured your skull? You didn't have a scan to confirm?

notapizzaeater · 18/09/2016 21:46

I lost my taste and smell with a really bad cold once for about 3 weeks, life wa hell ! I hated it, can't believe you're only now chasing him,

I'd ask for a copy of all the records and get them amended if possible.

galaxygirl45 · 18/09/2016 21:47

I had a head injury, and saw my GP initially who sent me into A & E. When I went back to my GP a few weeks later still suffering, he was less than sympathetic but when I looked online, our local hospital had a minor head injury clinic that you could self refer to as long as you'd been seen in the hospital at some point. They saw me immediately, and I was under them for around 18 months with physio and a fab pyschologist who really helped me understand why I was feeling like i did. Incidentally, my taste was altered and my sense of smell - as well as my ability to fall asleep, read, concentrate. It was a horrid time because although I looked well, I didn't feel it. I get still some effects nearly 8 years on, but when I see how some others were affected, I was one of the lucky ones. Does your hospital offer something similar or what about Headway/similar groups??

AnotherPrickInTheWall · 18/09/2016 21:48

Gosh, you must complain!
I have a friend who has no sense of smell and her GP said it wasn't important. WTF? A gas leak or fire and you cant smell it.???
They are working to budgets simple as.
I need an operation ( carpel tunnel) was told by GP they are no longer performing this op and advised me against getting it done privately.
My case is quite bad ( had been tested in hospital) and yet two of my friends have had the op in the last few months.
Change doctors.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 18/09/2016 22:34

Another I don't think that's the issue. The OP's GP has referred her to a specialist. It's not like he's refusing her treatment.

The only issue is that he didn't record that she'd mentioned that she'd lost her sense of smell before. While it is important, I'm not sure it's worth changing GPs over.