To want to see my GP much sooner?

[GibraltarRocks]

I've been having blood in my urine for two weeks now. It has got worse, and now every time I pass urine, it is bright red. No pain, no itching.

Saw Midwife yesterday, who tested my urine for obvious infections and it came back clear. The blood in urine part of the little strip thingy came back just about as positive as it could. Midwife says there isn't much the Maternity Team can do. She is a bit that there is no pain when passing urine.

Keep trying to ring GP reception for an appointment. Nope, nothing. Every morning I would wait and nothing would be available. Everything booked up. On Friday I did a self assessment form that you do on their website and it said if the GP wanted to see me, reception would ring within 24 hours. They didn't ring.

I called this afternoon to see what was going on. Receptionist said ''Oh, GP wants to see you. Can you make 23rd May?'' I enquired about a closer date and she said thats all that is available and to keep ringing in the mornings as something 'might' pop up.

I am so fed up. Yes, it probably isn't anything serious but it is alarming me. AIBU to want to see my GP much sooner?

For what it's worth, my GP Surgery was in the papers recently for being put under special measures.

Perhaps I am being precious...

No you're not being precious. I would go to a walk in centre etc instead or change doctors. If you phone up in the mornings first thing how are all that days emergency appts gone already?! Sounds mad.

Choc Apparently there is no such thing as emergency appointments within my GP Surgery. Apparently it is a first come, first served basis. However, in addition to this, they also don't know what Drs they have until that day

I know it sounds ridiclous but that's what I have been told by Reception. They don't care what your issue is and say 'go A&E if it is an emergency'

My Midwife told me not to bother with Walk In Centres because they cannot refer you to anyone, they can only prescribe some medications etc/run basic tests there and then.

No definitely not precious. I think in your circumstances I would be waiting outside the GP for as soon as it opened. You would be more likely to get an appointment that day than if you are in a queue over the telephone

And I'd be looking to register at a new GP as well

Xi 9/10 they don't have appointments for that day anyway. I also need to travel to work at that time. What if I don't get an appointment that day? Do I keep waiting outside just before it opens to get an appointment, all to be told there isn't anything and to be turned away by a lost child?

Cannot even change Surgeries because my area of London is so bloody packed and I'm out of the catchment area for a lot/the relatively good ones are full.

*like a lost child. Not by a lost child

Have you tried asking to speak with the practice manager and explaining the situation? Or call 101 and ask their advice and whether it can wait that long and how to get seen if it can't

They might be puzzled by the lack of pain? BUT when I was pregnant I couldn't feel pain down there I had several infections picked up by a dip test I was clueless about

wit Ringing 101 sounds like a good idea. I shall give it a try when I finish at 6.

I've had a similar problem, I had a UTI that spread and I ended up being off work.

They want you to call at 8:30 for emergencies, but you probably won't get an appointment or you can have an appointment in 3-4 weeks for a nurse or random GP (I never my "my" GP).

To make it worse I worked 70 miles away so if I stuck around to be told there are no emergency appointments left I was going to be at least 2 hours late for work every day until I got an appointment.

How hard is it to have a few emergency next day appointments available?

101 is the police so they probably won't offer much advice, try 111.

abbs Midwife did a dip test, as I mentioned in my OP but called it a 'strippy thingy'

My mother in law was advised by 111 to go to A and E when she was passing blood. I think you should go there op if you can't see your doctor. A month is a ridiculous time to wait.

Hells teeth! 23 May???

Reminds me how lucky we are! Live in semi rural area near Peak District. When we need to see GP we just ring between 0800 and 0830hrs and 99.9% of the time get an appointment same day.

23 May blows me away. Dear God, you could be dead by then
That is just awful and I certainly think you have very good reason to be concerned, OP. Do hope you find a much better solution very soon.

How many weeks pregnant are you? I wouldn't be happy with this at all.

Ah you're in London thats why. Round here if you go to a walk in centre they will refer you if needed to a GP at the hospital so you end up seeing a GP but the same day via an immediate hospital referral, great service. At this stage I'd just go to a&e as well OP. You've tried all you can to avoid that but potentially passing blood is very dangerous.

How hard is it to have a few emergency next day appointments available?

Exactly this!

23 May blows me away. Dear God, you could be dead by then

Hope not

It's such a lottery, isn't it? I rang my surgery at 8.30 this morning with far less alarming symptoms, had a call back from the duty GP at 8.45 and an appointment at 10.30. It baffles me that some practices can be great (and mine is a large busy inner city one) and some so poor re appointments.

haveacupoftea I am 10+2 weeks.

I have always been told/know by working in a hospital that you shouldn't use A&E unless your life is in immediate danger. My hospital that I work in even changed their sign to 'EMERGENCY Department' for this very reason.

But I feel as if I have no other option and I have my baby to think about too.

Ooh actually when I couldn't get an appointment I called NHS 111 in the evening (so they couldn't tell me to go to the useless GP) and they said I needed to go to the OOH urgent care and they would send a referral (I ended up not going because no one could drive me, crap public transport, I was tired etc) they said I could also go the next morning.

I also tried to see someone in London but urgent care at the hospital near work filled up 2 hours before closing and they sexual health clinics they said to use were mostly closed or wouldn't see me because I'm not LGBT (fucked me right off that one, I should have lied, how would they even know?)

I'd go to a walk in centre. Sounds like your GPs are one of the many that are failing and can't recruit. It's only going to get worse. We had 6 applicants for a GP job in our practice recently and we were considered lucky. Interviewing tomorrow so fingers crossed. Many practices now get no applicants for the jobs. I'm in Scotland. 7 years ago we had 60 applicants for a job we advertised.

Fresh blood needs to be seen quickly and a lot of GPs in England are just telling patients to go to walk in centres once their appointments are full as they cannot cope with the increased complex needs of the patients.

Did your Midwife send a formal sample off to the lab or just test and throw the urine away? If I were the Midwife I would have rung/ visited your GP to make sure you were going to be assessed. I would ring the surgery again and ask for a telephone consultation and explain to your GP your predicament. If you get know where then I'd ring Maternity Assessment Unit ( or EPU if you're only early On) and seek advise. Do not let this go.

olderthanyouthink I have bad experinces of 111 to be fair, but I suppose it was for an entirely different matter.

What is a LGBT?

Walk in centres can do more than your midwife seems to think.
Try one, they are good at the urgent but not emergency.