Absolutely fucked off with DRS

[Mumoftwo95]

Would I be unreasonable to complain about treatment by my doctor..

I have been in and out of the doctors for the last 5 months. Memory problems/permanent fog, constant chest pains, rapid heart beat,palpitations, headaches, severe exhaustion, pains all over my body. I have been fobbed off several times over the last 5 months, I'm 28 and have genuinely started to worry that this is just how you start to feel as you hit your late 20's! I have been told I was just run down and over stressed.. no tests ran until when I went in on Friday last week, I've since had a phone call to say I need to take folic acid as my levels are 1.2 when my norm should be between 3.9 and 29! From what I've read being deficient for so long can cause some major problems. This doctor was also so rude especially on my last visit, it was quite clear to see that I am feeling really unwell. I had to bring my two little ones along as I had no one to watch them, my heart rate was 120, temperature over 39, sky high blood pressure.. basically if he couldn't tell just from looking at me - my obs said it all. He was so rude and unforgiving, constantly making digs - "get them to sit on that chair and stay on it" (they're 23+35 months so near on impossible). He was getting increasingly more angry and making me feel so uncomfortable. I understand it would've been much more practical to have left them at home but what did he expect me to do.. leave them in the dog cage as he quite clearly seems to think they're on the same level as an animal.. tell them to sit and stay and they'll obay 🙄 anyway.. I'm rambling 🫣 absolutely livid!

So to round it all up if he had actually taken the time to do a basic blood test I most likely wouldn't have gotten this bad. It has literally got to the point that I feel so weak that even getting up off the sofa is a struggle, there seems to be no end in sight as I've been told it can take months for my levels to actually rise High enough to make me feel better.

If anyone else has ever had a folate deficiency please tell me it gets better quick!

Have you had your iron levels tested?

have you also had iron levels tested? B12, thyroid?

@Fountainsixty @spottedinthewilds
I'm unsure, They just kept saying everything else was normal so I guess they would've checked for those too?

Reading just the first part of your post and I thought, ooooo that sounds like me before I found out I had a folate deficiency! I'm now about 9 weeks into the 16 week treatment. I think things have improved a little bit, it's taken the 9 weeks to feel that way though. I was hoping it would kick in quick but it didn't. I'm less drained but still out of breath at times and forget my words a lot still! I've just emailed to arrange my follow up blood test, interested to see what my levels were before and what they're at now.
Interestingly, I had a blood test done by my consultant about 3 weeks before as id been complaining of just feeling so drained and it didn't pick up on my deficiency, it definitely would have been there though! Perhaps some blood tests don't identify everything? Hope you start to feel better soon anyway

@JustPickleRick oh bless you.. while pregnant too! 🥺 it's absolutely awful isn't it?! Did you take folic acid while ttc at all? I know I was told before trying for our first to take it for a couple of months before starting.

I really hope you're feeling back to full health soon (if that's even possible while pregnant) 😂 I was awful with my two!

Thank you x

Sympathies OP.

It took me 4 years to get hypothyroidism diagnosed and treated. It got to the point where I was intimidated by my GP. Eventually a locum sorted it in 5 minutes.

Ask to see a different doctor and be honest with receptionist about the previous appointment. Not confrontational, just explain you'd like to see a female GP. There's a chance he might be a known dickhead amongst the staff.

Anyway, persist - and good luck.

I’d call the surgery and ask for a copy of your blood results. Make sure they have checked B12, iron, ferritin and thyroid. These can go hand in hand and the way you feel is how my daughter was with severe B12 deficiency and low folate and ferritin. Sorry you were treated like shit - hope you feel better soon but do make sure the other things were checked.

OP, I can't see anything in @JustPickleRick's post that says she's pregnant. Is this brain fog in action? 😄

If you have the NHS app it might show your results on there.

My previous GP was like that and they wouldn’t let you see someone else unless he was off. I ended up having anxiety attacks every time I had to go and see him. Luckily I was able to change surgeries.

@Isittimeformynapyet oh my god 🤦‍♀️yeah.. that would be the fog.. I'm sorry @JustPickleRick 😂

@HÆLTHEPAIN I've just checked my NHS app.. no results. I'll phone up again on Monday to try to get the others.

I'm sorry you had such a crappy experience too, you shouldn't have to worry about trying to get help. I'm the same with anxiety attacks, the low folate doesn't help!

😅 I'm not pregnant, did suffer with low iron when I was pregnant though! I think mine comes from a lack of healthy eating. I'm a very fussy eater. Once this 4 month treatment finishes, I need to speak to the doctor about what I can take to keep my levels up as the suggested food to eat is a no go for me 🤢

I’ve just had this. My B12 levels are on the floor. I’ve been prescribed injections. I’m also taking folic acid as my folate is low. My iron is high and my thyroid is fine. I’m early 30s, please ask for more bloods xx

It took ages for my hypothyroidism to be diagnosed, all my test results came back low but within range, until I looked at my results and they hadn't done an antibodies test, so I demanded one, and guess what it was all over the place. I was also deficient in foliate.

I completely sympathise with how you feel, I remember crying at work I felt so awful, so tired and I was struggling. It did take a few months to improve unfortunately

YABU. You cannot expect a GP to give you their full attention if you take two small children with you to an appointment. A GP surgery is not a safe place for small children to be unsupervised, which they effectively would be if the doctor needed to examine you for example. Your lack of childcare is not the GP's problem. If you want the GP to focus on you and your symptoms you need to attend on your own.

@JustPickleRick oh bless you! I actually eat quite healthy foods, plenty of fruit and veggies and have a very varied diet.. except for fish 😂 I can do tuna but that's where I draw the line!

@As476 ohhh that sounds awful! I hope you're feeling better soon. I will definitely ask for more bloods, I'll also ask for a different doctor xx

@Notsoflirtythirty I'm sorry it took so long to get some clarity, I hope you're feeling better soon. 💜

It's awful. I run my own business while also caring for my children, working 15 hour days three days of the week and about 8 hours for the other two so it is a real struggle! X

What were you kids doing? They do need to be in a buggy or sitting still in a Doctor’s room, they cannot be running around and touching things while the doctor is trying to talk to you.

@Redburnett I have been to several appointments on my own and got nowhere. Arranging childcare is hard. I was given my last appointment with a hours notice. Both sets of grandparents were working and the hubby was particularly busy at work. I had no other option and understand it was far from practical but there was no other option.

@HappyEater They weren't running around touching everything, they just didn't want to sit still on the chair. As stated above I had absolutely no other option after being given just an hours notice. I mentioned on the phone to the receptionist that I had no one to watch them. I no longer have a double buggy as my almost three year old wouldn't fit, he is very tall for his age.

I started a thread just a couple of days ago with very similar symptoms. I know my thyroid is on the blink (I do have low iron and folic as well but that’s because I’m constantly getting a period when my cycle used to be perfectly normal). It’s near impossible to get doctors to take women and thyroid (or any other medical issues) seriously. What is ‘normal’ for one woman is not for another.

As for the children, I do understand. I have two children with asd/adhd and a 3 year oldn. The eldest is usually a star to be fair, but herding sheep comes to mind with the other two. Would your near 3 year old sit with a screen for 5 mins? I’ve long stopped caring how that looks to others 🤣.

Sorry to sidetrack but did you get a hypothyroidism diagnosis just on the antibodies result? My TSH is normal (on the very borderline of too low) but my antibodies are way higher than normal and I was told to wait another year (on top of the one I’ve just waited) to see if I need medical help. They didn’t test my T4 though.

Do people not take a good multi vitamin anymore? Obviously wouldn't help with the hypothyroidism, or if there's an underlying issue causing deficiency, such as pernicious anaemia, but for goodness sake!

If you're feeling tired and run down, would you not at least start with some sort of internet research and self help? Wouldn't your first thought be iron and vitamin B, especially if you've just been pregnant? Your body is bound to be depleted having just grown another human being 🤦🏻

You could well have sorted this yourself 5 months ago without needing to go the GP!

If your temp was 39.0 and a heart rate of 120bpm then you have a some kind of infection, not just a folate problem.