Strange appointment with GP - should I have said I'm pregnant (again)?

[Blankel]

I had a GP appointment today for a UTI, I'm 36 weeks pregnant (so I'm very pregnant). I was asked to provide a urine sample on arrival. I said to the GP that I'm 36 weeks pregnant and I also said that my midwife had tested my urine and said there are nitrates and protein in there and that she had sent me to them for antibiotics. Then the GP asked for my symptoms and I told her. She then asked me to get on the scales, which I did and it said I'm 70.2kg, which she calculated as a BMI of 28 and told me my BMI is overweight. She then asked to measure my waist, which I said ok to, and it was 99cm. She told me my height to waist ratio was very high (my waist is just under 2/3 of my height) and that I should "work on that", recommending that I try to go for a daily walk and work on my diet to improve it - and that it might ease my symptoms. She then said to wait for the urine sample results and I'd get a phone call if I need antibiotics.

I feel a bit confused. I'm very clearly heavily pregnant so surely the whole issue of having a skewed height to waist ratio isn't a problem? Or am I missing something? Should I have reiterated that I'm pregnant? I didn't want to sound like an idiot...it was really obvious that I'm pregnant - she literally was measuring my waist so can't have missed my bump! Should I be trying to lose weight?

Dear OP,
I would suggest you contact maternity triage at the hospital you are booked at tonight. There are a couple of issues - you could have an untreated UTI but more importantly with persistent protein in your urine they need to urgently rule out pre-eclampsia which is a risk to you and your baby. The triage number should be on your hand held maternity notes.

Unfortunately I’m not surprised OP.

My dd had to take baby for a gp baby chk and baby has a cast for talipes.
I told dd to ensure the gp supported baby’s leg if she held him.
Dd said she was sure a gp knows what they’re doing.
I replied that actually you’d be surprised at what they don’t know.

Gp remarked to dd that they couldn’t weigh baby because of the cast. Dd said don’t worry they weighed him at hospital last week. She then told gp the weight.
Gp. But that’s not accurate, how do they know what the cast weighs?
Dd. They weigh him after they’ve removed the old cast and before putting on the new cast.

I laughed when dd told me but I wasn’t surprised.

I had similar when I was heavily, and obviously pregnant- went to Gp for something or other and got cornered by some nurse or health worker asking to a health check, she measured my waist, not as a pregnant woman but as though I wasn’t pregnant! Weird, she just needed her quota I guess

Have they done a sample to send off but not given you antibiotics? I’m pretty sure the guideline is to give antibiotics to pregnant women experiencing UTI symptoms without waiting for the sample.

cks.nice.org.uk/topics/urinary-tract-infection-lower-women/management/uti-in-pregnancy-no-visible-haematuria/

see ‘offer an immediate antibiotic prescription’. Most peculiar clinical appointment I’ve heard of for ages - I would speak to the practice manager (or even the CCG if you can be bothered) about the GP. I would call the practice tomorrow am and quote the NICE guidelines above. X

can you speak to your midwife tomorrow ( if you have and I’ve missed that, sorry)
your gp sounds like she’s been playing at the bottom of the garden with the faeries for too long!!! 😂

I would get seen again by a doctor with actual knowledge of the human body asap. You've had piss poor treatment by a complete imbecile. If this doctor does prescribe antibiotics make sure they know you are pregnant just in case they should be prescribing you a different sort. But definitely get seen by someone else to be on the safe side and make sure that a pregnancy complication hasn't been missed.

Can’t stop laughing 🤣🤣🤣

😂😂 how could they not realise?! Go back in a month and show off at how much weight you’ve lost! my sister once got a call from the doctors to go in and she found it really strange. She was worrying they had bad news to give her or something when she hadn’t even been in recently at all. When she got there she said the nurse looked so relieved that she wasn’t dangerously obese. They’d put the decimal point in her weight at the wrong place🙈 so it made her bmi something ridiculous

Oh dear...

Bizarre !

I recently had a uti, I called 111, described symptoms to a dr and got a prescription for antibiotics.
i think your GP is mental that they cannot identify a pregnant women. I wouldn’t see her again.

So the midwife said you should go to the hospital as you needed antibiotics FIVE days ago??? If I was you I’d ring 111 now and they’d send me to the OOH GP at the hospital and theyd give me antibiotics tonight. Can you do that where you are?

Honestly the NHS is becoming quite frightening. Was it a locum?

First reaction is to find the funny side but bloody hell this GP could kill someone. The sort that tells you you have indigestion when you're having a heart attack. I'm not usually one to suggest reporting but does this need flagging to someone higher?

she's not much of a diagnostician is she

I'd make a big deal of reporting this to the practice manager, if she can't spot a pregnancy - when you told her - what else she missing

OP I would get in touch with your maternity unit for two reasons 1, an untreated UTI can be awful when not pregnant, but should be treated urgently when pregnant. 2, protein in urine can also be an indication of pre-eclampsia and needs to be ruled out asap. Had experience of both, first time with a uti, I was hospitalised for IV antibiotics, second time I was emergency induced due to pre-eclampsia when I had been been showing symptoms of a UTI for weeks. Don’t be scared to ask for a second opinion.

When I was newly pg 25 years ago, I had a uti. Went to the gp, peed in a pot and he stuck in a paper tab and said phew, I'm glad you made an emergency appointment with this. Assured me AB's were safe at about 5.5 weeks pg, and sent me on my way.

How far backwards have things gone?

I'm not medically training but I believe a UTI can bring on premature labour so I think you should go to hospital. The GP sounds... well... not with it!

Your GP does sound daft. Antibiotics in pregnancy is quite dangerous and it's important that the right ones are given and only really necessary. Some guides pain and pelvic pain can be mistaken for UTI and can actually be prolapse and other pelvic issues.
Do contact your women's physio too.

Thanks everyone - I started this thread as I was a bit bemused and didn't expect to actually end up quite worried. I'm thinking I should call the hospital but DH thinks I shouldn't (he says he feels unwell too so we probably just have the same bug 🙄). I'll keep trying to figure it out - thanks again.

She MUST have not registered that you are pregnant because they would not tell a 36 weeks pregnant woman to lose her belly! Very odd.

I had a UTI whilst pregnant and midwife told me to head to the hospital maternity wing and they would happily give me antibiotics as GP were too busy to see me.
UTI in pregnancy is very dangerous.

I would be making a complaint! You went in there with a UTI, at what point does a UTI warrant a weight and bmi check ffs!!?? Completely uncalled for.

I don’t understand why you didn’t say, in reply to the waist measurement/overweight comment, ‘Er, you do realise that I’m pregnant? 36 weeks?’