to think this wait is cruel?

[inthedarkx]

Can you demand a GP surgery see you sooner than 2 weeks ?

I had am MRI last week and They've sent me a text

'Could you please book a routine appointment to discuss MRI scan results'

But they don't an appointment for 2 weeks so I've got tl worry for 2 weeks and there could be something seriously wrong ! Why make me wait 2 weeks to give me results??

I've looked on my NHS app no results are showing

I think its cruel to cause someone anxiety like this

Theyre reported in medical lingo, not layman's speak

Thanks everyone
The thing is the results are not even on my NHS app no documents showing the results or anything no notes about it
No referrals being made at all there is a reggeral left on there from ages ago for ear nose and throat when I was diagnosed with acid reflux ( constant mucus in my throat) but nothing else. Shouldn't it be in my NHS app account as it is my results and are entitled to see them?

It’s probably literally to tell you all looks fine, but if it’s going to concern you then I would either ring reception if they are amenable to that, or submit some kind of econsult or online query asking if you can get a phone call.

Honestly wouldn’t worry, my relative recently had a scan and was told his GP would be in touch, but then was called a few hours after he left the hospital to say a consultant would be ringing him first thing in the morning so be by phone. Obviously an anxious night but the consultant said just calling to say all normal!!

Do you have any mental health support in real life @inthedarkx

It says make a routine appointment.

If there was a problem the hospital would contact you or your GP directly.

Thanks. I have my sister. She tries to reassure me best She can

My friend has to wait minimum 4 weeks to find out if her cancer has returned every single time she has an MRI (which is every 6 months) 2 weeks is good by NHS standards

How to you know the results are ready? When I had a cancer scan I had to wait more than 6 weeks once (6 weeks was standard but I chased it up when it exceeded 6 weeks). They said the radiographer hadn't even looked at them yet so they couldn't give me the results.
Often there was a big backlog. They told me there weren't enough radiographers to look at all the hundreds of scan images which is why it took weeks to get results.

Your sister sounds amazing! I'm glad you have support network
X

Routine means just that, routine. The GPs know how long the wait is for an appointment so they have deemed that 2 weeks is fine to discuss your result.

I know how worrying it is for patients but surgeries are under immense pressure and they have to prioritise. They simply can't offer everyone an appt within 2 or 4 days.

I sympathise but please feel reassured that your result has been looked at and they just want to discuss it with you, but there is nothing sinister there, probably just lifestyle changes or similar.

It’s not about backbone or decency. If there are no GP appts, what do you want them to do? Cancel someone else’s appt??

@Ansion given my best friend is a GP and I know stays late to make calls in these circumstances then I guess that’s what I consider to be having a backbone with some sense of decency.

@inthedarkx i still think it’s worth calling and asking them to just give you the headline as you’re worried. But I do agree with others that it sounds like all is fine if it’s a routine appointment. No harm in calling again.

Yes. A few of my friends at medical school are now senior GPs. Not all surgeries have the same setup or workloads you know. If the result is normal, then it won’t be a priority. It’s not ideal of course but it’s the shit resources we have currently.

And a lot of these GPs have families who need them home too. Ignoring your own family to stay at work is not decent behaviour either.

And what do you mean by ‘backbone’ in this scenario anyway?

I don’t think being anxious during the wait necessarily implies any anxiety disorder, it is normal. But just out of interest are you usually quite troubled with health anxiety OP?

I use this app and find it totally hit and miss about what goes into it.

The fact they have marked it routine almost certainly means it’s ok. They marked a cancer follow up for my DH ‘serious’ making us panic the cancer was back. In fact it was something else, non trivial but not cancer. Apparently the labelling escalates from routine to serious to urgent.

I had this just recently just tell them ur coming to collectca printed copy of results before ur appointment it's your info and u have a right to know it x

@inthedarkx i think the key word here is ‘routine’ appointment. Anything that was seen of concern would not say this. I understand it’s natural to worry and two weeks will feel like a long time, but it really isn’t for something that isn’t urgent.

Sorry you have the long wait but please feel reassured if it was anything urgent they would have rung you. Xx

If it's a routine appointment it means the MRI has shown something that is not time sensitive. If you telephone and say you've been asked to make an appointment, they will often find one for you. If it can wait two weeks it can wait.

I had it the other way around. Had a scan on Monday, and a phone call on Tuesday making an appointment for Friday. I was petrified. It was nothing serious, and I actually told the doctor that I had been without sleep because of the way it was handled.

Hi Inthedarkx, I have had exactly the same thing happen last week after internal scan ! I missed the call from my Gp to discuss, and couldn’t believe when I rang back they would only give me a telephoned appointment 4 days away! I spent a sleepless night filled with anxiety before ringing them back next day to try again. The receptionist assured me she’d taken my worries back to the GP who told her to pass on the messsge that there was nothing to worry about & it was just to discuss what happens next. Lots of googling by my DH makes us deduce that if it was anything at all to really worry about, GP would be contacting me urgently. Endometrial cells build up maybe, (for me), change of hrt maybe (for me) My phone consultation is on Monday. I am sure yours will be a routine results discussion. 🤗

I had the exact same thing recently, luckily the scan results came through on my NHS app before the appointment, so keep checking back there. My scan had picked up some 'incidental findings' which are very common with an MRI. GP appointment said 'it could be something or nothing' and several months later I'm still waiting for a neurology appointment date.