To think this is what happens when receptionists are the ones who decide whether or not you actually *see* a GP? (Ear infection)

[lCantHearYou]

Wednesday last week- woke up with an intense pain in my left ear, and assume I’ve just jammed my ear plug in a bit too far, but over an hour later the pain is still there and I can’t hear out of that ear, so I ring the GP surgery.

The receptionist, based on no medical expertise whatsoever, asks what the problem is and unilaterally decides that all I need is a telephone appointment. The GP she’s scheduled the call with is well known in our community for not doing face to face appointments if she can help it and generally having the attitude of just wanting to get you off the phone as quickly as possible.

Later that morning, GP call. I explain that I’ve been having this very intense pain for several hours now that paracetamol isn’t really touching, my ear is ringing very loudly and all external sound is very muffled and barely audible.

She decides over the course of the 3 minute call that since I’m recovering from a cold I’m probably just a bit congested, tells me to take some Sudafed/other decongestant and paracetamol and it should right itself in a few days.

I start alternating pseudoephedrine, paracetamol and ibuprofen, but the pain wakes me in the night every night.

Thursday evening DH, the DC and I travel up to PILs house.

Friday morning, DH and I leave for a long weekend abroad (on the Eurostar, thank god we didn’t fly or I’d probably have at least one ruptured ear drum).

By Friday evening the pain and hearing loss has now spread into the right ear as well. Spend the whole weekend in pain and practically deaf, which kind of spoils things somewhat.

Monday evening, we all get home. 3:00 am I wake up in so much pain I can’t keep still, DH wakes to the sight of me sitting upright, rocking back and forth with my hands clamped over the back of my head. He calls 111 who schedule a phonecall with a Dr… who rings back 3 and a half hours later and says, sounds like an infection, I can prescribe antibiotics or you can just wait and see your own GP. I opt to see my own GP, so 111 Dr puts in notes that I need a face to face appointment.

So we’re back on the phone to the surgery, to the receptionist who’s halfway through saying “I can schedule a phonecall…” when I tell her about 111 Dr’s advice to seek a face to face appointment. Then she relents and schedules one with a different GP to the one I spoke to the week before. At the actual appointment, this GP barely needs to glance in my ears before saying it’s a severe infection, inner ears are very sore and red, lots of pus and gunk and, in her words, “looks incredibly painful”.

I’ve now been on amoxicillin and cocodamol (which I’m alternating with ibuprofen) for 5 days now. I can still barely hear a thing beyond the very loud ringing and the sound of my own pulse throbbing in my ears. All external sound is very muffled and distorted. If I wait too long between taking pain meds I fucking know about it… I’ve taken to sleeping with the cocodamol under my pillow so that when (not if) the pain wakes me in the night I don’t have to grope around on my bedside table to find them. Part of my job involves being on the phone, sometimes for hours at a time, so I have to jam my earphones right into my ears and turn the volume up full, and by the end of my shift (I work very late at night) I’m doubly exhausted from the effort of straining to hear anything.

AIBU to think that if, on that first day, the receptionist or indeed the GP had paused for a moment and thought “hmmm, intense inner ear pain, badly affected hearing, maybe get her in so we can see if there’s an infection”, then I could have started on antibiotics that day and at the very least the infection would likely have been contained to one ear and might even be starting to get better? As it is the receptionist didn’t bother, the GP didn’t bother, and instead of getting better it got considerably worse, the antibiotics are making fuck all difference and I’ve now had almost two weeks of intense pain and hearing loss for no good reason? And AIBU to be pretty pissed off about it?

Sorry for the twilight rant… I’ve just woken up feeling like the back of my skull is being squeezed. Again.

@HiveBee Disgusting isn't it?

I hope your pain is beginning to ease. Ear infections are definitely up there with tooth ache and child birth.

I agree your initial experience was poor and I'd definitely have insisted on a face to face appointment but why on earth didn't you push and follow it up? If the pain isn't eased with paracetamol, it isn't going to improve on its own. I'd have called again or gone to out of hours. I certainly wouldn't ever leave it, knowing I'm going away. Also if out of hours offer antibiotics, get them started sooner rather than later.

You need to push and look after yourself. From experience, if you don't, doctors aren't forthcoming.

Get well soon!

I have horrendous tales, but from decades ago, there have always been doctors, nurses and receptionists who not only make the wrong call, but do so from a point of not believing the patient, or assuming the least probable outcome.

I ended up on a drip in hospital for 5 days once, because of a sore throat. The GP saw me 3 times over 10 days, and each time said I was making a fuss.

I collapsed on the forecourt of emergency dept once, paramedics scooped me up onto a trolley, and as I came round I heard the nursing manager say - oh, she’s obviously drunk, put her in there…

I was 10 days postpartum, breastfeeding, and had been vomiting for 24 hours.

These things stay with you.

I also understand why algorithms etc are used for choosing new admin staff, but in my bitter experience (as someone who then has to work with them) it does not produce the best employees for the job.

You need to have a brain, but to not assume anything, just because you’ve seen 20 patients who’ve had the same complaint (mind you, same could be said of doctors……).

Hope you feel better soon OP. I agree,the service at a lot of GP surgeries at the moment is crap. I can understand why they went over to telephone consultations at the height of the pandemic,but I am at a loss as to understand why they haven't gone back to face-to-face appointments now. This is the exact reason why,a couple of months ago,I kept putting off making an appointment about a sore eye that I had for 6 weeks. Felt like I permanently had a piece of grit in it and it was watering profusely. I knew that I would be fobbed off with a phone consultation,which in my opinion,wouldn't be sufficient. Thankfully,it cleared up in its own and is fine now. But it shouldn't have to be like this!

After reading the last few posts I have gone back and read the original post. Maybe the receptionist had not decided that all is required is a telephone call but that is the standard protocol at the surgery. The problem is with the GP deciding that it is not necessary to see the OP.

To reiterate my earlier post receptionists are following the instructions of the GPs and management of the surgery and are usually being paid minimum wage or just over.

This is the exact reason why,a couple of months ago,I kept putting off making an appointment about a sore eye that I had for 6 weeks. Felt like I permanently had a piece of grit in it and it was watering profusely. I knew that I would be fobbed off with a phone consultation,which in my opinion,wouldn't be sufficient

for eyes you’re better going to an optician. They have the proper tools, can prescribe basic eye antib’s, and can usually refer you on if necessary. Some hospitals have eye “A&e” where in an emergency you can walk in.

so here a GP wouldn’t have been appropriate. If you’d have rung maybe the GP receptionist could have told you that 😂. You’d probably have thought you were being “fobbed off” though 🙄

Someone assumes theyll be "fobbed off" so fobs themselves out of an appointment for definite 😂 You couldn't write it!

Re GP salary ours has pay all the practise costs out of that staff rent, utilities, stationery ,postage etc. Out TV that is used to call patients in has broken, we have to buy another so at the moment our GPs and nurses have to walk out to the waiting area, call a patient in, usually several times....

Our GP does a call within hours (not possible for everyone face to face), then says on the call if we need to go in or not. Not everything needs to be seen, but why on earth would people think they need a face to face with GP for any reason, have a call with a GP, and not actually just ask the GP if they can come in to be seen? And if your GP won't see you when you ask on the call, then why not accept it is the GP making that decision and not the receptionist.

Yes, that is how private businesses work. You bring in money by providing a service/selling something and use that money to pay overheads then take home your share of the profits. Salaried GPs won’t need to contribute to overheads out of their salaries though, only the GPs who are profit-sharing partners would need to do this. Which is perhaps why they are reluctant to buy another TV.

They are not a private business in the same way that a car shop is. This is just another load of BS intended to demonise them. They are heavily regulated by government bodies in the same way that a hospital is. They are paid chunks of money (usually not enough) per patient and extra to provide certain services. They can be somewhat selective about which of these services they undertake. They can't basically decide how much they charge for, say, an appointment or a minor operation. It's worlds apart from being a business.

Ngh be careful with that. I had one really bad infection that apparently trying to self treat early on made worse (I was on holiday and away from my own doctors and clearly making terrible life decisions at the time) Doctor said the ear drops had basically carried the infection further into the ear. Ended up being unable to open my mouth more than a few millimetres for a few days until the horse pill antibiotics kicked in. Ears are funny things. Self treatment is fine right up until it's terrible.

They absolutely are private businesses, mostly limits liability partnerships these days. Why should that demonise them? What is wrong with being a business? They fall into the same category as dentists, pharmacists and opticians. Would you deny that your high street pharmacist is a business because it is heavily regulated?

Yup the receptionist sometimes get too big for their boots. Few years back I called and asked to talk to a Dr and the receptionist tried to get me a repeat prescription for a medication I had not taken in years without knowing what meds I am taking now. I argued and argued and argued with her till she put me on the duty Dr's list, now I should point I had to get blood tests etc done before I was put the meds I am on now because they can be fatal under the wrong circumstances. So Dr calls me and tells me I have made a stir so I asked if I was wrong and I wasn't, no way should I ever be put on the meds the receptionist suggested. If I had listened and taken them it could have killed me. Never accept when you disagree, argue yer point and make them see you.

This is utterly bizarre. Our receptionists have only ever asked about repeat medication so that they can clarify if I'm able to provide blood pressure figures or need help with that, possibly they also prompt about online renewal depending on the meds. Either you've misunderstood the purpose behind their question "are you renewing X?", or it should have been reported to the practice manager.

I didn't misunderstand what she was saying as I didn't request any repeat prescription, I explained I needed to talk to the Dr due to symptoms and because I had these tablets previously and to most they are not harmful, only to me due to the meds I am on. I should have reported it I was just so relieved the Dr listened and had lots of medical stuff to delay woth that I didn't report it but I totally see I should have