To think the doctor could do more for my mother?

[MadameFantabulosa]

She’s been in pain for about three months now. Severe pain, that makes her cry, in her left side and back. The doctor - who would only do a phone consultation - kept telling her she had pulled a muscle and it would get better on its own. Finally agreed she could have an x ray as it wasn’t getting any better. X ray showed she had pleurisy, so she was prescribed antibiotics, a 5 day course of steroids and Tramadol.

She finished all of these tablets a week ago, and the pain is no better. She managed to get another phone consultation with the doctor yesterday, who has told her to take 8 paracetamol a day (obviously spaced out). My Mum has been taking paracetamol since the Tramadol ran out, and they’ve had no effect on the pain at all. The doctor told her just to carry on taking them. She’s just phoned me, crying in pain, and saying she can’t go on like this. I don’t know what to suggest. She said that the doctor said that perhaps the ribs that she broke eight years ago hadn’t healed properly, and this might be contributing to the pain. My Mum told her not to be so stupid!

Where can she go from here? She’s nearly 90, and feels like she is constantly being fobbed off, and no-one is interested. I live overseas, and am coming back to see her in a few weeks, but I don’t know what else, if anything, I can do to help her. But surely they can do something about the pain?

All of this.

Sounds like they need to check if the pleurisy infection has gone as it if she's still in pain it doesn't sound like it has. I had it a couple of years ago and left it for a while as thought I'd just pulled my back and it took three weeks of antibiotics and 2 weeks of steroids for it clear. If GP won't speak to you I'd get her to call them tomorrow and just said she needs to be seen as she doesn't feel any better and wants her cheat listening to again. I completely sympathise with both of you the pain is horrible! X

She needs a proper, physical examination, bloods & urine tests etc, not just fobbing off like she's a nuisance.

I'm Sorry. A nurse stole her money and a gold chain ?? Really?

Wouldn't she need a diagnosis for them to manage her pain correctly though? Surely it's a different treatment for broken ribs than, let's just say, pancreatitis or kidney stones?

OP, she needs to go to hospital. It really is that simple. GPs aren't equipped with the tools needed to diagnose severe, internal pain. They can refer for blood tests/X-rays but have no other options for exploration. If she goes to A&E, explains what's going on, they'll check her over.
The waiting lists through NHS GPs are a joke at the moment too, so if she carries on that route it'll take months!

What painkillers do you want her to have? The dr will be cautious due to her age/fragility about prescribing for home use. I really think A&E is the answer here.

Paramedic here. I would be happy to be called out to assess her and try and work out together what we can get sorted to help move things forward. If an elderly woman is crying in pain and alone I want to be called. It wouldn’t necessarily mean taking her to hospital (it might) but after a physical examination and consultation I would be able to discuss my findings and the most appropriate response with the GP and advocate if needed.

I would be inclined to go down the 111 route and ask for an ambulance to attend your mum. GPs often won't talk to relatives, my mother's wouldn't and she had a severe illness he didn't pick up. I would be more direct these days. It's shocking that pleurisy wasn't picked up for three months. I've had it and it's very painful and she may need further treatment for it. If you can take it out of your mothers hands with her agreement, I would do that.

I haven't read through the whole thread so apologies if this has already been covered. I went through something similar several years ago with pleuresy and pneumonia. I went through 6+ doses of different antibiotics as I had developed pneumonia and was in severe pain (lungs and back). The antibiotics were not working which was why I went through so many different types, before they found some that worked for me. I don't know why the usual antibiotics didn't work, but it took a few weeks to sort the problem out and I was in absolute agony during that time. It sounds from your original post that the antibiotics have not worked and her lungs have worsened. I would take her to A&E or even call an ambulance and bypass the GP completely. I had to go to hospital in the end to get the right treatment (and was close to being hospitalised).

@zafferana she didn’t have much choice about her jewellery. She was taken in an ambulance after a fall. I reported the theft of her gold chain and the £40 from her purse to the ward sister and was told “My girls would never steal from a patient. Your mother must be mistaken.”

If the GP won’t help, I will tell her she should go to A & E, or stop complaining. I had hoped that once she had a diagnosis of pleurisy that they could treat it. Perhaps she needs another course of antibiotics?

@Tigerlilyxx I wouldn’t say she was particularly frail. Before this started, I had to go and get someone to check that she was alright as she wasn’t answering the phone. They found her up a ladder clearing out the gutters…

First thing is to get her to see a private GP. Second is legal action against the NHS gp. What a bitch.

It’s so difficult when you can’t be there with them - I remember listening to my mum with the GP and was horrified at how confusing and humble she was in explaining what was wrong and advocating for herself. I could suddenly see how she’d not been treated effectively for her gastric problems and felt quite sorry for the GP.

In the end mum moved 200 miles to live close to us - it was a wrench for her at over 90 but all her friends had gone one way or another, and it meant we could care for her. She was anything but frail too, but wrangling the modern world alone was just too much for her.

That said, you do need to complain to her GP - they know they’ve already missed one diagnosis but are still fobbing her off with more painkillers.

Honestly having pneumonia and (on a separate occasion) pleurisy were worse than childbirth. No wonder she is crying in pain.
Someone needs to listen to her chest.
Can you call the gp on her behalf and insist on an in person appt?
This is shocking.

Thank you all for your help. I’m emailing the GP surgery this morning (although she doesn’t want me to “cause a fuss”). If they don’t do anything or she is no better by the time I come home, I’ll take her to the excellent private GP near me in London.

Does she have a smart phone and know how to use it? You could buy her a private GP appt, by phone if she can’t do video

Unfortunately she has an old person’s brick! She is resolutely against technology!

they offer phone appointments though, would she talk to them?

But you're not coming home for a few weeks. I think both of you need a gentle shake! She is 90 and in very severe pain - she needs to go to A&E. she will probably be admitted and for good reason.

Definitely need in person.
I have frequent chest infections and often need more than one course of antibiotics.
OP - my Mum died of a bacterial infection (strep a) in her 60s.
Earlier antibiotics might have saved her.

Can you go to her and take her to a private gp or a&e today? That level of pain is unbearable and can't be ignored.

There are so many cases of people being fobbed off. A friend of mine has been fobbed off by her gp for weeks, her dh insisted she see a private gp who immediately acted and did tests- she was admitted to hospital there and then with possible cancer (at 35) that could and should have been investigated weeks ago.

My dad and DGM were also told back pain was a pulled muscle/pleurisy/sciatica/any excuse to throw painkillers at them and move on and both turned out to be cancers. In elderly DGMs case she suffered horrific pain for months being ignored by her GP and by the time they agreed to do tests it was too late to do anything. We see a lot of cases just like this too often and I'd rather over do it and go to a&e or go private than wait it out and let someone suffer needlessly.

Does your GP practice do home visits? If they do insist on one. Other than that the only option is an ambulance or A&E.
I get pleurisy a couple of times a year due to having Lupus, it can last a few weeks, not months. I need codeine and steroids.