In Wondering Why Our Health Service Is So ****

[chinchi]

Ive been in pain now in the left side of my abdomen for 2 weeks. Originally thought the onset of either pregnancy/period, and once I had ruled them out, and the pain continued I went to my GP.

She wanted a urine sample to be sent off for pregnancy testing despite two home tests showing negative. She couldnt diagnose anything and said to wait until results came through.

I ended up at on-call doctor Friday night, and there another sample showed up that there was no infection. I was sent home with paracetamol.

Called NHS Direct Saturday night, and the not so helpful guy on the phone told me it was food poisoning (hmmm I dont think so).

Anyway I hung on until today and went back to GP. She wanted another urine sample to be checked for infection (yet this had been done on Friday). She referred me for an x-ray for suspected kidney stones, but said they wouldnt do the x-ray until pregnancy results were back (7-10 days)- can they not take my word that after 3 tests IM NOT PREGNANT. X-ray results wouldnt be available for at least a fortnight.

I was prescribed Co-Codemol. The instructions inside read 'do not take if experiencing kidney trouble'.

FFS what do we pay our taxes for?

Did it cost you any money to do any of the above? Yes, it isn't perfect, but if you have ever lived anywhere outside the UK you soon realise that it is much better than anywhere else. You can't so much as sneeze without having to pay for it elsewhere!!

It's a damn sight better than the alternative and they were bloody marvellous when I needed them. So, you've had a bad experience with your GP. Don't write off the whole service.

Sorry you have had a tough time, but agree with the others - it's so much better than the alternative, and saw me through an incredibly bad time just wonderfully.

I had a similar pain, was sent for an abdominal x-ray, had done two pregnancy tests (both negative), week later test came back positive and I had weeks of anxiety about what the x-ray might have done to the baby. So, personally, I think YABU, much better to be safe than sorry.

yabu.would you be happier if they made something up?
i had weeks of pain was sent for all types of tests-i had full mot and list of scary things it could be.but was all ok in the end.

theyre doctors not magicians.

I spent three years living in Turkey and I can say that I would have had blood/urine results and any xrays back within the day.
This is a country with a population much much larger than the UK, yet their health service is much more efficient. This is done by paying taxes the same in the UK.

It wasnt just my GP either. I had a 'nurse' tell me on the phone Saturday evening that it sounds like food poisoning? What after two weeks? The on-call doctor said it could be a cyst on my ovaries yet the GP today said the pain was no where near my ovaries?

Im not often an unreasonable person but its not hard to tell that Im being fobbed off somewhere along the line!

YABU

thread title YABU. But I can see why you are dissatisfied - surely they should do a blood test to rule out PG, more accurate than a urine test. Not sure whether the "kidney trouble" in the instructions would include kidney stones. One to ask the pharmacist..

But if you'd had a bad experience in Turkey, and a good experience here you wouldn't think that, so it's not fair to base a description of a health service as efficient or not based solely on your own experience. I do understand that you are stressed and venting, but I don't think it's fair to tar the whole NHS with the same brush. Yes, people make mistakes and get things wrong - happens the world over, and I guess some things are very tricky to diagnose. I do hope you're better soon.

Thanks total chaos.
Yes maybe title was unreasonable, just in the space of 4 days Ive seen 3 different medical people, all of which have told me conflicting things.
Just doesnt help when Im in pain!

Can I ask my GP for a blood test or do they only do it if they feel necessary?

I'd ask - explain that you're not happy. Sometimes you do have to push to get things moving.

Yes you are. I'm very aware it isn't perfect but it's not always bad. It can be fantastic and I've been lucky I guess.

I hope they find out what it is soon.

YABU. They need to do their own tests, not just take your word for it. The fact that you did pregnancy tests at home suggests you may be pregnant, but testing too early or inefficiently, as is the case with many home tests.
You probably know the xrays could damage your foetus so they are just covering themselves.
The GP has examined you and suspects an infection.
I get very protective over the health service!!!!
I know it annoying to wait tho'. If the pain increases go to a & e
I hope everything works out

Worth a try re:asking GP for blood test. Would think no skin off his nose to send you down to the hospital if necessary to get bloods done.

Thanks Habbibu.
Feel better now Ive had my rant and yes it is wrong to tarnish the whole service with the same brush. Im just scared that it will turn into something that could have been prevented by maybe a more efficient service ie. blood test instead of urine sample.

Im going mad wondering what it could be. All I wanted was some reassurance really! Pregnancy is still what springs to mind, and then of course an x-ray would do damage.

Can they refuse to do a blood test?

How long ago did the gp do your pregnancy test chinci?
How overdue are you?

Watch Michael Moore's 'Sicko' - you'll be glad of the NHS after seeing it.

Thats the thing, Im not overdue! I was due on 19th, but AF started 15th, and even though it was only old brown blood, it lasted a week compared to my normal 4 days.

At first I presumed implantation bleeding, but 3 tests show BFN. I did urine sample Friday morning and it was sent off the same day.

Today it was a different GP to the one I saw last week, and despite me saying that my period was different to last time, she dismissed it as anything else but a period.

Must admit, I have little faith in the health service- seen far too many people badly let down by it. I am a vet, and I really think sometimes that our patients get a FAR superior service .Ok, I know they are paying for it, but I only make a fraction of what a GP makes, you'd think they could spend the time to take a proper history and do a full clinical exam when you visit!Had you been a dog, you would have appt, full clinical, blood tests, xrays and results in one day. I can't help but judge the NHS on our standards, and find them lacking. I KNOW they are underfunded etc etc, but there are a lot of basic things that seem to go undone.

Oh, poor thing. I think you have to be firm - is there a GP you like/trust in the practice? I have a couple I always go to. Say you're not happy and ask for blood test - see where you go from there.

You can requast the pervious GP and therefore have continuation without explaining everything all over again.
Or ask for a different one if both of them seem unsuitable!!
You can experience bleeding if you are pregnant
I would pregnancy test again this week if you can't wait for the GP results- you may have tested too early.

Thanks for all of your replies and I must apologise if my rant seemed OTT or selfish.

Ill push for a blood test and hopefully that will make things more clear.

Chinchi as a medical professional I would say that the GP did exactly the right thing. The hormone they test for (BHCG) is not always evident if you are just pregnant and it is possible to have symptoms of ectopic pregnancy before getting a positive home test.
If it is missed then it can result in the rupture of the fallopian tube.
YABVU.
Paracetamol is perfectly acceptable pain relief for a kidney infection, just not with chronic kidney problems where there is long term damage and long term pain management needed.
If you did a urine test on friday night they could not possibly have said that there was no infection, as the sample must be sent to the lab for cultivating- this takes at least 48hrs for bacterial growth to show. What you probably had was a dipstick to check for protein, which can indicate infection, but not always.

Thanks Tori for your reply, and yes I admit I was being unreasonable in my original message.
The paracetamol havnt helped at all, and Ive also tried heat relief which hasnt worked much either.
It just feels like somebody is pulling at me from the inside. I feel like I constantly want to grab my side to stop the pain!
Yes the doctor did use a dip-stick, and so I just took his word that the urine was clear and infection free.

Chinchi the problem with any abdominal pain is that in women it can be kidneys, ovarian, pregnancy, abdominal such as appendix............each one needs to be ruled out and then move on to the next possible explanation. Although you have left sided pain it can be referred pain from the appendix on the right.