To expect my doctor to see me.

[Vedaisawesome]

I have Lupus, lupus nephritis, arthritis and also suffer from avascular necrosis. I have been fairly stable medically wise for the past few years but recently things are starting to go wrong. I am losing my hair, in copious amounts, which in my case, is a trigger for a very serious flare. I cannot get to see my consultant due to isolating, but AIBU to at least expect my GP to see me somehow and adjust/ give new treatment with perhaps consulting my consultant by video. I can't get an appointment at all with anyone. I am very worried which isn't helping. Last time I had a major flare I almost died. It is not something I want to risk again but all I can do at present is try to self manage,which having had Lupus for over 35 years I'm pretty good at. But now I can just about manage pain and am using what drugs I have to control symptoms but I need professional help. Also if anyone knows anything to do to prevent hair loss, please share as nothing I'm doing is working.

You need the telephone appointment first - its a triage system. I think this will last beyond C-19 - it's a sensible way to weed out the 'I've had a bit of cold for a week please prescribe antibiotics' timewasters.

Labs doing blood tests here and GPS both ordering them and organising for them to happen at practice. Hospital clinics doing phone appointments and in person appointments where appropriate.

Just to add even if you are isolating ( which all my patients are as I work in cancer ) you still are meant to attend Hospitals / surgery’s for appointments. The importance of the telephone triage first is so that patients do not come in when they could be dealt with over the phone. It is a balance of risk. Patients who need to be seen still attend hospital despite isolation rules.

Labs are still doing bloods. The poster that said they aren't is wrong. My son had his done a few weeks ago and my mum has hers done every week.

You need to phone back to your GP to get a telephone consultation. I will say though that if your medication is prescribed through your consultant [ even if you collect from GP ] it is unlikely that the GP will prescribe you anything else apart from steroids. My son is under the consultant at hospital and if his condition flares we have to contact the hospital as GP doesn't know enough about the condition or what the best thing is to prescribe.
Try to get hold of the secretary for the consultant. Appointments are still going ahead at hospitals where required.

Can you phone your consultants secretary?

@Toomboom I'm just going from a conversation with my own gp last week in which he told me that the local hospital was not analysing his cancer patients blood samples plus a conversation with my friend who is an endoscopy sister. My GP said he had ordered bloods and then discovered they had sat there unanalysed due to Covid. So I guess it depends where you are in the country as ever!

Why on earth don't you make a telephone appointment with your GP so that they can decide whether to see you and order a blood test? They are not going to let people make face-to-face appointments without deciding whether it is necessary at the moment as all face-to-face contact carries a risk of infection.

I'm just going from a conversation with my own gp last week in which he told me that the local hospital was not analysing his cancer patients blood samples plus a conversation with my friend who is an endoscopy sister. My GP said he had ordered bloods and then discovered they had sat there unanalysed due to Covid. So I guess it depends where you are in the country as ever!

That's very worrying! For most conditions they have reduced the frequency of blood tests in stable patients in order to reduce face-to-face contact but they should still be doing some blood tests! In my area the phlebotomy services have moved away from the hospital but they are still running.

If you think lupus/lupus nephritis is flaring And you previously nearly died, you need the hospital consultant and not GP. They are definitely open for business. Do you have a clinical nurse specialist in renal or rheumatology that you can telephone? Or phone a hospital secretary to ask for a telephone appointment with secretary.

^TC with consultant

I see a few options here. If you absolutely can’t get through the receptionist I’d call 111. They’ll likely say that you need to be seen by a GP within so many days/hours. They usually communicate this into your GP surgery which should make it easier to get an appointment. As other posters have said you will need a telephone call first. Who knows perhaps they’d even take bloods in the same day.

In the past with chronic health conditions which were turning dangerous and not being managed or investigated by my GP I have presented at A&E. This can jump start the process of receiving vital scans/bloods which can be hard to access through the GP. I’m not particularly proud of this strategy but I also understand how frustrating it can be when you just aren’t being listened to and you can feel your body deteriorating.

OP you havent even tried. You're just assuming.
All the GP is doing is triage..
Like most GPs.. normally do. Even before this.

Just call them and describe your symptoms. You're worried it's a flare up. Can you get a blood test.

You can't write a subject title like this.. when you havent even tried.

I’m a GP, we are seeing patients but we are triaging first. Once we have triaged we might do a video call or arrange a face to face appointment. If we just need bloods we arrange the bloods. The normal services are there but the way you access them is different as we need to reduce the risk to both ourselves and to our other patients. You need to agree to the phone call first because I assure you we’re here, and we’re seeing patients if they need to be seen. Our reception team are not refusing anyone a phone call

I'm not sure why you haven't accepted a telephone appointment. Just do that first, and take it from there. Instead of telling them what you need to happen, just talk to your GP and let her make the decision about next steps. Video appointments and blood tests can certainly be arranged, just not as a first step.

If you think lupus/lupus nephritis is flaring And you previously nearly died, you need the hospital consultant and not GP.

It depends on who normally manages OP's condition. For my condition ,I would always phone the hospital and speak to a nurse specialist because that is what I have been told to do and I have their number. Presumably OP hasn't and would normally consult her doctor.

Call the consultants sec. My daughter had a long and kind chat with an eye consultant last week about a minor but unpleasant problem and the promise of a face to face in around 3 months. Consultant can change meds and GP prescribe, all remotely. As for bloods, they decide if you need them and those services are still totally happening in our area as are necessary face to face GP appts triaged first by phone. But it's reasonable for all medical staff to want to avoid face to face if at all possible

I work in the NHS they are going out to see nobody.
I've requested a home visit for one severly ill person several times and have been refused, in the end the relatives had to lug him into the surgery which was about 5 minutes before I'd decided to risk it and send him into hospital because I was desperate.
You will have to go into the surgery.

Does your surgery have the ability to send in an eConsult? If so do that meanwhile phone your consultants secretary or specialist nurse

I work in the NHS they are going out to see nobody

That's not universal. My mother's GP went to visit her, for instance.

You need to insist on a telephone appointment with your GP (have you even done that l?) Explain to the receptionist you have several underlying conditions and the last time you had these symptoms you almost died.
Your gp will then speak to you and arrange blood tests.

It depends on who normally manages OP's condition. For my condition ,I would always phone the hospital and speak to a nurse specialist because that is what I have been told to do and I have their number. Presumably OP hasn't and would normally consult her doctor.

If theOP has lupus her care will be through a hospital consultant.

If you have consultant, can you not get in touch with them via phone? My son has chronic illness, and of course the apps are cancelled but replaced by phone consultation by doctors. They are still working, just not seeing patients in person.

My dad had a phone appointment with his GP last week, who then arranged a blood test for him. Dad to to wait in his car until the nurse came to the door in full PPE to wave him in. He then went into the empty surgery with the nurse for the blood test. I believe some GP's are following up phone appointments with video ones and will see patients in person if required but the phone appointment is the first step so please keep trying

I cannot get to see my consultant due to isolating

What’s the difference between seeing GP & consultant. Why do you think it’s safer to see the GP who, if they see anyone, will be seeing patients that aren’t SI. Your consultant will only be seeing people, like you, who are SI.

Phone the consultants secretary. It’s not a GP you need to speak to it’s your consultant.

There’s a lot of unhelpful misinformation here, people are getting agitated over things that aren’t actually happening.

OP, you need the GP phone consultation and then your GP will take it all from there and order whatever bloods and make whatever referrals are necessary. I know that seems like an unnecessary extra step for you, as someone who knows their condition very well, but this is how it works at the moment for very sensible reasons. You will get the care you need and I’m sorry that you’re experiencing a flare up now, it must be a very anxious time.