Anyone else feel fobbed off at the GP?

[Rockclimber12]

I wondered if anyone else had had a right faff with the gp.
Had constant brain fog and feeling tired, off food, not feeling positive, and struggling with making decisions (what to do for dinner, and then bursting into tears). Things getting a bit easier at home with baby sleeping through most nights. But I'm still exhausted - and not driving anywhere in case I nodded off.
At the gp this morning, and hoping to see if blood tests or thyroid might be explored. She asked about the DCs and how I'm coping with them - and they are doing really well.
She said that it could be depression or something else but she has to focus on patients who have longer term depression, families in need, or have social services involved, or those feeling suicidal.
So I've left with referral for a smear test (overdue) and nothing else.

I'm feeling like I've just wasted her time, but still feel like rubbish. Not looking for sympathy but wondered if anyone has had a similar experience.

That is ridiculous. If you have depression, surely best to treat it early before it gets worse. So will she not treat you if you are not under SS or a family in need. So wrong

Do you have the online service? When you book an appointment online you can specifically request a blood test appointment - could this be an option?

You don't mention how old your children are but these symptoms do seem consistent with having young children & not getting enough sleep yourself - even if they are sleeping through. Getting enough sleep is so fundamental to everything else.

I would start with this rather than jumping to thyroid etc - it wouldn't have occurred to me to ask! I generally trust the Dr's medical judgement and I'm quite pleased when I don't get given medicine but am told whatever it is will go away. Unfortunately I'm getting to an age now when they are more likely to suggest meds :(

Do you have a partner who could share care of the children more? Or if a SP friends who you can share mutual help?

That is crap. I went to the GP with similar symptoms recently and was sent for a whole host of blood tests.

You say that you the baby is now sleeping through so I'm assuming that you still have a health visitor. Try speaking to her.

Your GP is shite unless there's something massive you're leaving out. Get another GP and make sure you complain to PALS, that's shockingly bad care.

Why didn't you ask for these tests?!! Make another appointment and tell your GP you want blood work done.

They work on a what's-most-likely basis depending on the conversation you have.

What did GP suggest you do?

Yes, I have had a right faff with the GP, as you put it. I won't go into minute detail but in my case it was two years of misdiagnoses, failure to connect various symptoms to an overriding disease, misinterpreting blood test results and flat-out refusal to refer me to any specialist… other than a psychiatrist.
Needless to say they got it wrong and I don't trust any GP now.

… incidentally, when I finally did see a consultant she said I was a textbook case and that her first-year medical students had correctly diagnosed my condition based on my symptoms.

This is very poor! She could’ve at least booked you in for the usual “tired all the time” bloods to exclude common cause (anaemia, vitamin deficiencies, thyroid dysfunction, diabetes etc). Her speech about those most at need is quite offensive actually... (and this is coming from an overworked, over stretch health care professional). I’d be fuming if my GP spoke to me like that!

Book in to see another GP.

I have to agree with @ocelot7, if you have young children who haven’t slept well you are likely to feel like crap most of the time, and your symptoms are much more likely to be due to lack of sleep and stress than thyroid issues. I imagine your GP is holding off on doing tests because now your child is starting to sleep better you may find your symptoms improve, the NHS simply hasn’t got the money to do multiple tests on every new parent who feels a bit tired and emotional unfortunately. And the provisions for MH are even worse off, and you feeling down and emotional goes hand in hand with sleep deprivation. I have been depressed before I had DD, and the low feelings I’ve had since having her (and I haven’t had more than 3 hours sleep in a row for over two years) are not in the same league at all, it is totally down to the tiredness imo. I’m sorry you felt fobbed off but I don’t think your GP was in the wrong, clearly you live in an area where there simply isn’t enough funding for the number of people who need help, and it makes sense that the help available goes to those worst off. If you think you may be low on Vit B or D, or you think you may be anemic there is nothing stopping you buying a multivitamin/iron tablets to see if this improves how you feel, no need for a blood test at all. If it continues after you are getting more sleep by all means go back to the GP but I don’t think from what you have said that all the tests would be needed at all.

A friend of mine felt like this and thought it was just due to having a baby. Turned out she had Hashimotos.

Like others have said, I would expect the doctor to have ordered some basic 'exhausted' blood tests.

I got fobbed off like this by my gps for 7 years. Told what did I expect, as I had a small child. After 7 years, a gp finally ordered tests - and surprise, surprise, quite badly hypothyroid.

The post-natal period is a classic time for thyroid problems to surface. If all new mothers are ignored because tiredness comes with having a baby, how are any with thyroid problems ever going to be detected?

This will sound odd but the tiredness I feel now is like a long heavy cloud rather than the tiredness I had from broken sleep with one year old. It was the health visitor that suggested I see the gp -and I saw one of the partners because I had heard locally she was meant to be one of the more understanding gps.
I started taking vitamin supplements about 10 weeks ago, B, D and C as well as iron thinking I could be deficient and although I've stayed ok in terms of coughs colds, I haven't noticed a change.
I did suggest I understood there were lots of pressures but could they do the tests anyway, just to rule things out and she said she couldn't justify it if she didn't feel I needed them.
She said the coming warmer weather might help with mood and to stick to a balanced diet and avoid stimulants. (I don't drink or smoke anyway.) Coffee is a necessary evil though.
Sorry for such a long ramble. but how long would you give it before going back. She didn't ask me to come back if it changed at all.

It’s you and your body if you are still concerned please go back. I know the GP’s are under pressure but even so you have been fobbed off they could have said this and ordered blood tests. Write anything you are concerned about down and how long you have felt like this etc and insist on blood tests. The Dr may be right but it could be under active thyroid, anemia (both of which I have) or something else.
I was really tired a few years ago felt like I could sleep standing up when trying to make the tea. DC we’re older than yours but one doc said it might be depression and I didn’t know about it. I was so exhausted I didn’t have the energy to fight on. I am not saying this is you but a couple of months later I was diagnosed with a genuine condition (on top of an underactive thyroid and anemia) and it wasn’t depression at all.
Take care op 💐

That's crap. Your GP is useless! After having a baby is prime time for thyroid issues and the fact that you are describing textbook symptoms, she should be getting you the blood tests FFS.

I also had 9 months of being fobbed off with talk of PND, the aches and pains were just "using muscles I wasn't used to" carrying a baby around and I was merrily given anti-depressants too, after DS1 was born.

I went to see my GP 3 times, each time describing my many textbook symptoms, telling her it felt like when I had Glandular Fever as a teen (which is associated with thyroid problems) that my mum said it sounded like her thyroid problem (Hashimoto's is hereditary) and that I couldn't even walk to the end of my street without stopping in agony, all told while in tears and struggling to get a sentence out - still she didn't test my thyroid

When I had an allergic reaction to the ADs luckily the GP was away and I saw a locum - he ordered thyroid tests and called me in immediately with the results, saying "you must be feeling very poorly indeed" as I had virtually no thyroid function - he was amazed I was still functioning! I just burst into tears.

Been on meds for 18 years now. I dread to think what would have happened if that locum hadn't tested me. I think I'd go private knowing what I know now, but at that time I didn't have the confidence or assertiveness to stand up for myself and insist on anything. I've since had similar with B12 deficiency - had to diagnose it myself online, GP said its unlikely to be that, but eventually tested and lo & behold, it was low.

It's so hard, as it's when you most need to be your own advocate that you least feel able to do it. Could your DH or mum go with you to your next appointment? Sadly I find they listen to men more and if there's a witness to them refusing you tests they will feel much more likely to be sympathetic.

You can order your own blood tests for £30-50 from various places online as a last resort - Medichecks and Blue Horizon spring to mind. You still need your GP to take the results seriously in order to prescribe meds but it could be worth it to get things moving if they won't listen.

I'm sorry you're suffering - hope that whatever it is you get to the bottom of it.

I'm sorry to hear what's been happening to you, OP. I do feel that GPs often take the easy route at times. Most times they're probably right, but that's no good for the person who isn't diagnosed or given the tests or treatment they need.

I can only suggest requesting a double appointment, with another GP if you'd prefer, so you have more time to discuss your symptoms in greater depth.

That's really rubbish. Very minimum is basic blood tests. Your body can get totally out of whack after having children and it could be all sorts of things that are serious.

YES! Had to go to out of hours GP due to unbelievable pain in my legs. Before I went in they asked me to do a urine sample and I questioned it but was told it was standard. So I did it, they tested it and said they found mild traces of signs of an infection and wanted to put me on antibiotics just in case it was an infection. But as for the pain that I actually went in for, there's no "magic pill" to help with my connective tissue disorder but sorting the "infection" would help. I literally have no symptoms of a water infection

Have you been told to take iron supplements?

Too much iron can cause chronic fatigue.

Also, if tested for anaemia and you’re on supplements you won’t get a true reading. You could unwittingly be masking your symptoms by taking supplements. So any bloods taken could effectively be useless.

Sorry you are feeling like this OP. And I agree, sometimes seeing your GP can you make you feel worse, and it shouldn’t be like that.
I know they have a large workload, and depression can often be over-treated in some cases, but to not rule out any physical cause, seems poor. Could you ask to see another doctor?
Whenever I hear things like this, it makes me cross to see programmes like ‘GP behind close doors’, portraying the care and attention and time that is seemingly given to all their patients, as being quite typical, when in fact it is often far removed from that. Our GP places more focus on adhering to the 10minute slot, than actually listening or thinking beyond the box. In fact our daughter was in and out in 6 minutes once, and two hours later was on IV in hospital. If you’re not happy OP, then definitely go back.

Yep- I have eczema which has gone from just my arms to 60% of my body in a year. They don’t care ...’are you moisturising everyday?’ Honey,I moisturise at least 6 times a day and use steroids and it isn’t moving try something else my god!