To be pissed off at the difference in GP care for my parents

[Iheartmysmart]

I’ve just got back from hospital having taken my mum for her neurology appointment. After going backwards and forwards to her GP for over four years she has finally been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

Her GP has fobbed her off for years with ‘it’s stress’ or it’s your age’ yet when my dad saw the same GP with the same symptoms he was referred straight away for further tests. Dad didn’t have Parkinson’s but was immediately believed, mum was told it’s all in her head.

My lovely mum could have started treatment years ago had she been taken seriously. I am eternally grateful that a locum at her surgery wasn’t happy with her symptoms and has done something about it but this should never have happened.

YANBU. I’m sorry for you and your Mum.

Yes I’ve seen this first hand too. It’s absolutely outrageous and deeply painful to see. I’m sorry for you.

My lovely mum was the most dedicated nurse yet at the end of her life nobody gave a damn. She was constantly fobbed off - was stuck on a dementia ward when she actually had heart failure. I am the most proactive person and confident with it, and even I couldn’t get access to basics like an echocardiogram.

I tell everybody to get PoA when their parents hit their seventies and manage their medical care as much as possible. Although despite doing all this myself, I still couldn’t save her.

It’s utterly demoralizing to realise how differently some doctors treat women and men. Sorry to hear about your mum’s diagnosis. Is it worth trying to find a different GP?

Many years ago as a teen I went to a GP with symptoms of an illness. I was dismissed. My brother best friend went to the same GP two week laters with lesser but similar symptoms. He was referred for tests and rang to tell me what tests he was referred for. I went back to GP and asked why I was not referred and was told my GP that in his experience women tended to be Neurotic so he referred males faster for test/intervention etc sooner than females regardless of symptoms. He still tried to dismiss me until I told him I was reporting him to Medical Council. About the only time in my teens I really stood up for myself

Got referred for same tests as my brother's friend after a battle. I had the illness that I was showing symptoms of.

Thank you everyone for your kind words. And sorry to all of you who have experienced similar issues. Misogyny is still rife as far as health services go unfortunately.