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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Not being taken seriously by doctor

29 replies

QueenietheCutie · 23/06/2020 11:38

I first spoke to my doctors on 11th May about crippling pains in my lower left hand side. First I spoke to a locum who gave me morphine and antibiotics. The next week I phoned again and spoke to different doctor. He said stop with the morphine but continue with antibiotics and gave me some lactulose, despite me saying I wasn't constipated.
This continued for 3 weeks till I requested a different doctor.
Different doctor finally took me off the antibiotics and prescribed tablets for bowel spasms and some senna, again despite me saying I am not constipated.
Last week I had blood taken and gave poo samples.
However, all this time the crippling pain has continued. It occurs every few days and really floors me. I can't function properly when it hurts so much. All I can do is take codeine, use a hot water bottle and take a warm bath. But I can't keep this up indefinitely, it's exhausting me and messing up my life as I don't know from one day to the next if I am going to be in pain.
The pain is also making me irritable (poor DH) and unable to work.
My boss and HR have been sympathetic so far, i was signed off for 2 weeks when this first started but not since. Currently working from home and work accept that I work as and when I can.
But this can't carry on, what do I do?
Doctor just says no point referring me as wait is so long, but I would be 6 weeks in to that if they had referred in the first place! I feel helpless and fobbed off. All but one appointment with doctor has been over the phone, which really doesn't help either. But I don't seem to be able to make them see how bad this is and how much it is impacting me.
Am I being unreasonable to feel fobbed off?

OP posts:
relievedlady · 23/06/2020 11:56

Can you present at the hospital op?if your being given morphine for a sudden pain and different gps are not referring I would go to the hospital myself.
Doctors are reluctant to refer etc at the moment bur our local city hospital is quiet in the non COVID dept and the nurses and drs were saying they were concerned people were staying away when they should be seen.

I've had similar experience but not with pain as such.

Saw three diff doctors and got nowhere.
I got so bad I presented at the hospital and within three hours had been diagnosed with a life threatening condition and Booked for a surgery.

Go with your instinct op.

Bloops · 23/06/2020 12:12

I'd be inclined to go to A&E the next time it happens.
Hope you feel okay soon x

Floatyboat · 23/06/2020 12:14

It doesn't appear to be an accident or an emergency though!

Maybe ask the gp if they can book any other investigations?

StillCounting123 · 23/06/2020 12:16

I have ovarian cysts and the sudden onset of the pain cripples me in the same way. Best get checked over, OP.

Plancina · 23/06/2020 12:18

Go to A and E - this happened to me, was fobbed off for 9 months, lost 2 stone and was really really unwell before finally being taken seriously, given a scan and diagnosed with a life-threatening condition which required emergency major abdominal surgery and 8 days being fed on a drip. NHS failed me completely - I would be dead if I hadn’t had private scan.

crispysausagerolls · 23/06/2020 12:26

I just want to say that even if you are pooping every day, you can indeed be constipated, and it can cause absolutely crippling agony! You need a scan of your bowels

LittleOgres · 23/06/2020 12:38

Floatyboat how on earth can you diagnose if it is an emergency or not? Are you medically trained?
Abdo pain so severe that she needed morphine? To be honest,I'm amazed the GP gave you morphine with no diagnosis or follow up.
I agree, A&E next time it happens OP. You have tried the GP repeatedly.

mrsjoyfulprizeforraffiawork · 23/06/2020 12:51

The pain sounds too low down for renal pain (i.e. stone/infection) but I assume your urine is normal (did GP test it?) and not giving cause for alarm. I agree with others possibly ovarian cyst. I also agree that you should go straight to A&E next time. At least they would be able to scan you if they felt it warranted so they might get an idea of what is going on.

michelle1504 · 23/06/2020 13:17

I'm very surprised at the doctor giving you morphine as the first lie painkiller. However I wasn''t there and don't know your history/presentation so can't really comment. Nor am I a doctor!

I would talk to the GP again and say that you would like it investigated properly. Also, you can still be constipated even though you are managing to go. The senna/lactulose; did you actually take these or did you just write them off because you thought you're not constipated? If you didn't take them, I would start and stick with them for a bit.

Floatyboat · 23/06/2020 13:23

Floatyboat how on earth can you diagnose if it is an emergency or not?

Well it's an ongoing issue that has been seen by doctors so doesn't sound like an emergency. Might be serious, but not an emergency.

QuestionableMouse · 23/06/2020 13:26

@Floatyboat

Of course sudden onset, severe and unexplained pain is an emergency.

You could kill someone with this rubbish!

Goosefoot · 23/06/2020 13:34

GPs are in a difficult position at the moment because the system is not working the way it should, and they are also getting the message that they should discourage people from coming in. It may be that they are not fobbing you off but they really think you won't be seen in good time at the moment, or will be at greater risk in the hospital.

Anyway - what did they tell you about what they think the problem is? There aren't a lot of options on the lower left side, pretty much ovaries and bowel. They should have checked your ovaries to rule that out, it sounds like they decided it was the bowel based on the antibiotics - they may suspect diverticulitis. This is an inflammation in the intestine caused by small pockets and is pretty common. Usually they also suggest a clear liquid diet for a few days and then no-fibre for a few weeks to try and clear things out, but it can take a while for the pain to stop.

But it sounds like they aren't telling you much about what they are thinking?

yikesanotherbooboo · 23/06/2020 13:47

I don't think you are not being taken seriously ; you have had several consultations, a face to face consultation , blood and stool tests. Doctors work on two strategems ie what is most likely and is this something dangerous. At the moment access to investigation and out patient services is severely restricted.
Don't go to a& e;. Keep a dialogue going with your GP as to what is helping and what makes it worse so that they can narrow down the options and treat you appropriately. When will your results be back? Make sure that you have a telephone appointment set up for the next day so that you can discuss the results and what has to happen next. If possible stick to the doctor that you have the most rapport with over this.

RandomMess · 23/06/2020 13:59

My friend had this, lots of gynae checks, bowel cancer checks - turned out it was fall stones!!! 4 years and suffered for.

Read up on gall stones see if there is any link between what you eat and when the pain occurs...

I do agree though A&E should be visited.

AdoptAdaptImprove · 23/06/2020 14:07

Gallbladder is in your upper right quadrant, so about as far away from where the OP describes her pain as possible.

If think if your GP surgery is failing you, and it’s bad enough to need morphine, then present at A&E during the next attack, so someone can see you and feel your abdomen while the pain is present.

RandomMess · 23/06/2020 14:10

@AdoptAdaptImprove yes I know where the gallbladder is and this is why it wasn't diagnosed in my friend for so long - she has surgery to check her ovaries out!!! The. After 4 years the pain spread from from its original place so it covered her lower and upper abdomen.

Gallbladder out no bowel/ovary pain ever again and having read up again on it referred paid from gall bladder is not that uncommon!

Nartl0ngNow · 23/06/2020 14:19

There's a different thread with very similar symptoms to you under AIBU.
I don't know how to link but I think the title is should I complain about my GP.
Wonder if it might be helpful.

pooopypants · 23/06/2020 14:33

A&E. If your pain is severe enough to warrant morphine then it's an emergency.

Roomba · 23/06/2020 15:55

I agree that anything which is that painful is a job for A&E.

My sister had exactly the same symptoms and was fobbed off by her GP for 3 months last year. She was finally referred for a scan after 2.5 months of going back and forth to the surgery every week. The massive ovarian cyst she had finally twisted so much that it cut off circulation and her ovary died. She had emergency surgery to remove it after the worst 36 hours of her life in A&E - Dr said it was one of the worst he had seen and it was on the verge of gangrenous meanwhile her GP was saying pain was common and normal and he doubted a scan would show anything wrong!

HUCKMUCK · 23/06/2020 16:03

I'd say A&E too - I wouldn't under normal circumstances but at the moment, there is not much chance of your GP making the referrals you need and A&E are more likely to get a scan done.

Original poster
QueenietheCutie · 23/06/2020 19:52

Thank you all for your comments, to answer some questions... Yes I have religiously taken all the meds prescribed by each doctor.

The similar previous thread may have been mine as I posted a couple of weeks ago about asking for a 2nd opinion, I wasn't sure I was confident enough to go to do so or indeed how to do so.
The pain was so bad earlier that my DH wanted to take me to the hospital, in the end he phoned the doctors who said that the doctor I have been dealing with has me first on his list to call tomorrow as there is something in my test results that he needs to talk to me about... partly worried that that sounds ominous but partly relieved that it may be sounds like progress.

The receptionist offered me a different doctor to speak to this afternoon but it seems sensible to me to stick with the current one (plus the one offered was the one I had been speaking to when I requested a 2nd opinion)
Your comments have stopped me feel like I am just making a fuss and encouraged me to continue with the doctor currently exploring options. I am hopeless at standing up for myself so will work on that for the conversation tomorrow morning!

I do realise the extreme pressure doctors are under at the moment and the peculiar circumstances especially in relation to what might be a normal referral.

Thanks all for the advice

OP posts:
Davincitoad · 23/06/2020 19:54

Sudden pain = A and E

Floatyboat · 23/06/2020 20:29

It's a recurrent pain that 3 doctors have been informed about and not advised to attend a&e. Im glad Mumsnet has such a host of experts that we can just follow their advice instead of trained doctors!

Original poster
QueenietheCutie · 23/06/2020 20:29

Forgot to also say that the first 2 doctors thought it was diverticular disease, current one thinks unlikely as I had a colonoscopy 3 years ago for IBS related problems and no diverticular were present...

OP posts:
Floatyboat · 23/06/2020 20:30

Can they not just book an ultra sound?