AIBU to expect healthy life advice from GP?

[abstractplantpot]

I finally got through to my GP surgery this morning after a record breaking 68 attempts (usually well over that) i explained i'd like a triage call from GP. Receptionist asked what issue was I said i just joined a gym and due to terrible breathlessness i just wanted a quick check and some advice on Healthy heart etc.

To my utter shock she was hesitant to give me the slot. She reminded me how busy docs are and did i think this warranted a call? I said given my father died of a Heart attack at 67 i thought it did. She reluctantly put me on the list.

Morning surgery is now over and I didn't get a call. Do I assume there will be no call now as the afternoon surgery is kept for appointments made by GP's? If so was I wrong to ask to speak to GP? Where else can I get this advice?
Thanks x

Your family history might be significant regardless of the breathlessness, but did your dad smoke or drink heavily or was he diabetic which are huge risk factors for cardiovascular disease?
If not, book yourself in for a health check if over 40 with the nurse. This will check your lipids, BP, sugar etc and will calculate your risk.
If under 40 get a BP machine and check it at home.
If you think your shortness of breath is abnormal for someone your age relative to the amount of exertion, then yes, get a routine GP appointment face to face. You might be anaemic for example.
Sadly, GP's don't really have the time for basic lifestyle advice which most of can be found on the internet.

The PT is legally covering their arse by trying to put it on the doctor rather than adapting the regime to your level of fitness. I would see another PT. GPs don't have time to examine and give personalised fitness advice to every new year gym starter.

This.

Pharmacies can check BP now (and of course you can also buy a machine).
Is your bp currently under control?
Is it your bp you are concerned about or the breathlessness? Asthma review?
I am not surprised you didn't get a call back on the info in your op

honestly this sounds like something you could research online by yourself? Ideally everyone could get GP appointments, but as there are so few in the UK these days I’d probably just do my own research, loads of resources available.

Asthma causes wheezing. Exercise causes breathlessness. Breathlessness is not a medical problem. Wheezing is a medical problem. Either way, you know what’s causing your wheezing and how to fix it so don’t need to see a GP.

It sounds like your personal trainer wants to get rid of you to be honest. There’s no such thing as an unusually long time to be breathless that requires a doctor - you’re just unusually unfit.

Now you've said you're asthmatic I would suggest an asthma review first. How often do you use your reliever and do you use it prior to exercise?

Bit of a drip feed but I’d still suggest the Asthma nurse for this rather than a GP.

Yabu. How long, before you joined the gym, was the last time you did any real exercise? It sounds like you are just unfit.

To be honest, you don't need a gp appt for that. Your PT is just covering themselves.

If your bmi is above 25, reduce your calorie intake a little. Buy some decent trainers. Start speed walking every other lunchtime so you are breathing too hard to chat. Keep your inhaler with you. Build up your time and distance gradually through the summer. Consider couch to5k in the autumn if you haven't encountered any problems.

I had breathlessness and low tolerance for exercise - was diagnosed with Graves' Disease and told not to do any form of exercise at all until it was under control.

I had a whole raft of blood tests to find that out, but might be dead by now if it hadn't been diagnosed.

So I don't think you are unreasonable in wanting to get it checked out.

It's not wonder people with genuine issues can't get appointments. You're unfit and you're out of breath because you exercised. Build up your fitness gradually, take rests and don't overdo it. There I've given you some health advice, you can cancel your appointment to the GP.

I work in a GP practice in a clinical role and you're having a laugh if you think GPs have time for this.

If you haven't already, I would book in for your NHS healthcheck which is a good ave to start. It will usually be conducted by a trained HCA, TNA or nurse. Within that, you can then express your concerns about your breathlessness and it will be taken from there for review.

Oh Keez i feel like a bit of a dick now. I'm obviously being unreasonable. I genuinely thought giving healthy living advice was part of a GP remit. It certainly used to be. My BP is under control and Asthma is reviewed regularly and well controlled. I'm in the "overweight" part of the BMI graph but don't look fat. i've lost a fair bit of weight on the last year and have been walking. the gym was to try and tone up a bit so not really cardio.
Thanks for all your advice i do appreciate it.

Yeah well done for wasting the NHS's time

Well actually I've been asking for an appointment for breathlessness for months as I've been feeling so unwell and yesterday I had a heart attack. I had an undiagnosed heart problem and GP and surgery have not been impressed with the symptoms I have been having since summer last year.

Pretty much what the receptionist said to me before I collapsed with a heart attack.

Oh my! I am sorry. Are you ok?

I really hope you're okay, and recovering

You can’t possibly think that’s the same thing. It’s equivalent to “I shit when I’m supposed to” and “I shit uncontrollably” - one is normal and one needs a GP. Months of breathlessness for no reason is obviously not normal, breathlessness when exercising when you’re unfit is completely normal.

I don’t think you were being unreasonable.

you explained to the GP receptionist. If they thought a GP appt wasn’t appropriate they should have signposted you elsewhere.

like pp said, easy enough to say it doesn’t warrant a GP appt but how about I get you booked in with the practice nurse for your wellness check and take it from there. Or even say it’ll be quicker if you pop to the pharmacy and get them to run some standard obs.

or even bring forward your asthma review. Lots of alternatives.

it’s not on to just ignore a patient worried about breathlessness and exercise intolerance in an asthma patient.

you can blame patients all you like for overloading GP services. But GP’s have set up various methods to relieve this and it’s as much their own fault if their staff aren’t trained to direct patients to the most appropriate service.

Then your PT needs to be looking at what exercise they are recommending to build up your strength and resilience not expecting you to be fit enough from the start of the programme. And if you have both asthma and high BP I assume you are getting regular medication reviews with a practise nurse, pharmacist or GP which is when you should be bringing up your anxiety about heart health.

PT is covering themselves incase something were to happen.

get a well woman appointment at the doctors, as others have said get a HRM preferably one with a strap www.amazon.co.uk/Kinetik-Wellbeing-Heart-Rate-Monitor/dp/B07NVCBRLR/ref=asc_df_B07NVCBRLR/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=345549524824&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7839577194555498867&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007201&hvtargid=pla-755426997022&th=1

and keep a check on your heart rate and also the time it takes to return to normal

what are you doing in the way of exercise at the gym? when was the last time you did physical exercise?

Go slow. I started with 10 mins on a spin bike and felt like I was dying!
11 months later and I can do 90 min spin classes so it builds up quickly

I genuinely thought giving healthy living advice was part of a GP remit. It certainly used to be.

But then the Internet was invented

I had the same symptoms as OP. I thought it was because I was unfit. It wasn't. My heart defect was missed time and again because my GP thought I was being ridiculous.