Really frustrated with the NHS

[BabyCatMama]

They keep asking if things are an emergency or I can't get an appointment. Well one thing that isn't an emergency is I have had a fungal infection covering my feet for years last year. Nothing at the pharmacy helps. My skin is bleeding and cracking. When you try to tell the doctor all of your health problems they say they don't have time for all this. I've lots of issues that I just ignore because I only get time for serious things.

I just say I'm in agonising pain and there's no appointments left. Today they did say someone will call me in a few days. But I'm on weak sleeping pills that don't work and I don't know if I will be able to be awake at the time they call me. I told my psychiatrist these ones don't work and he said lets just see. Why don't they listen to you ?

The pain medication I'm on isn't strong enough and I've seen several doctors and they refuse to prescribe anything stronger. And I'm taking paracetamol with codeine every day and it's making me ill. Like it's burning my stomach so they gave me something to coat my stomach but I just think if it's doing that to my stomach how is my liver taking it ?

My psychiatrist office just doesn't answer the phone. They just send letters that I can't attend he appointment because my sleeping pills aren't working. Then they wrote to me saying they were taking me off the patient list for not attending appointments even though I had phoned and left messages on the answering machine. I have a psychotic illness and can't take the meds I was last prescribed because of horrible side effects.

I can't call the GP to repeat my prescription I have to have in a form every month and it is on the other side of town from me and I can't always afford to travel there and back every month.

I bought a private prescription for pain meds last month but it was a hundred pounds. I can't afford it this month. I have bought meds online for half the price but I can't really afford it and I'm worried about being poisoned.

I'm thinking about going to see a private GP next month they charge £50 an appointment. But a private psychiatrist would be 2 or 300 hundred. This is why people aren't working. They are staying unwell because of this. I don't know is it this bad for everyone ? If it is how is this allowed for go on. Why has no one sued them ?

OP is demanding stronger pain medication, not attending appointments and hee answer to everything is "I can't do xyz". But sure, none of this is her responsibility, none at all and it's all the mean GP's fault for not giving her stronger painkillers.

And LOL that a solicitor would be prepared to write a ranty letter at all for £50, or that it would get the OP what she wants.

My ASD daughter has waited 4 years for the NHS to take a damaged tooth out (needs general). The nerve is exposed now so I am today paying a grand for private sedation that I don’t think she will tolerate in a desperate attempt to stop her pain. Mine and her dentists repeat follow ups as her pain has worsened finally got us to the top of the list and they can see her to assess her… end of next month. Who knows when they’ll actually treat her.

@2025NewUserName I actually think my sleep disorder contributed to me developing psychotic symptoms in the first place. It came out of nowhere at the start of the pandemic when I was already past the age of 30. I hadn't actually spoken to another adult in about 6 weeks.

And it was at a time where I wasn't regularly medicated for it at all, (the insomnia) so I was staying up for 3, 4 nights at a time. I think over time that must damage the brain. I was studying as well, constantly and the work was really difficult.

I had been up for 4 days when I got my first symptom. I was using social media and suddenly I thought everyone talking to each other were talking to and about me ! I thought there was spyware on my phone and laptop.

I came out of the episode eventually naturally but I didn't realise for a long time that I was ill and I genuinely thought this had happened to me

@SpringleDingle that is so awful. This is what I'm talking about there is serious medical neglect going on across the country

I have had sedation for tooth extraction. It makes time seem to pass really fast and it makes you not care about what is happening at all. I think it is a good option. I hope they will treat her quickly after the consultation

What are you already doing to treat your feet?
You could start by buying some sterilising tablets or milton solution.
Make it up as directed on the packaging and put enough in a washing up bowl to soak your feet for 5 minutes morning and evening. It bleaches everything so be careful where you do this and use an old towel to dry them.
Apply antifungal cream and clean cotton socks.
Sprinkle or spray antifungal powder into your shoes every day.
Wear clean flip flops and no socks indoors as much as possible.
It is worth giving this a good shot because antifungal meds can be very tricky wrt to drug interactions and side effects.
However, there is a possibility of a problem with your immune system and that should be investigated if the above regimen doesn't help.

Codeine is physically addictive. It does sound like you are addicted. It all sounds very overwhelming and like you are in a spiral of a lot of problems.

Take small steps.

1/ Contact Mind about getting a mental health advocate. If they can't help maybe they can sign post you to correct places.

2/ Contact mental health nurses, set reminders and alarms for any appointments as soon as you get them. Ask a responsible family member or friend to come around and make sure you keep appointment. Or maybe an advocate can help with this.

3/ down load the nhs app if you don't have it.

• go to services
• go to contact your gp about a health problem.
• when you get to list of conditions scroll down to reviews.
• click on chronic mental health review.
• complete questions.
• highlight that you are concerned about addiction. Can they refer you for help with this.

I have found the nhs app works very well and you can choose how your gp contacts you back. It's a lot easier for me to contact my surgery this way, it seems impossible to contact most healthcare by phone now!

4/ Go and see a podiatrist privately if you can afford it. Check it's one who can prescribe.

5/ contact any addiction services in your area and ask for help.

6/ in lots of areas you can self refer to an nhs physio, my husband did this and was seen very quickly. Maybe not an option everywhere though.

If you have anyone who is willing to support you share this with them. Just try and arrange/ contact one service per day.
I realise that it's very hard but prioritise your appointments. Ask for help with addiction, hopefully things will get better for you.

@endofthelinefinally I was using miconazole nitrate but it seems to have made things worse. The skin has now dried and thickened to the point I can peel pieces of the outer layer off and there's no sensation and my skin had been cracking and tearing open I had a two inch open wound for a while. I have taken a break from using it after that.

I have Milton in my kitchen cupboard for some reason so I will try that. I actually think this started around the same time I was on antibiotics for a long time. It made me really ill and since then I've also developed cystic acne on my face I don't know if these things are related but you've just made me think

If you can afford about £40 you could see a podiatrist or chiropodist privately for advice. It sounds awful and must be very painful. I must google which foot HCP is the best one. I can never remember.

@Wells37 I am on the waiting list for physio. I don't think I can use NHS online service because I tried to register before and it said I need to upload a passport which I don't have.

I do understand that codeine can be addictive that's apparent when using it but I don't believe I am addicted to it. I am not having any withdrawal effects after running out of dihydrocodeine and now taking only a low cocodamol dose or craving it

I am just in pain every day

It sounds more serious than a simple fungal infection.
Can you do an econsult and attach photos?
GPs generally will only allow you to mention one problem per appointment.
I have used the econsult for a skin problem amd got an immediate face to face appointment. It is a good way of getting past the receptionist.

You seem to be missing a couple of key things:

You don’t need to be enjoying something to be addicted to it.

You think you’re not addicted because you’re ok while taking cocodamol daily. That’s got codeine in it.

You say that’s not a problem on being dependent, because there’s no other issues beyond pain.

Except you’re behaving irrationally in seeking more opiod based pain killers, and the cocodamol isn’t working. Almost certainly because you’ve become tolerant of it.

Ask for pain management support. Then you’ve got a better chance of a useful engagement. Rather than hitting every opiod painkiller dependency red flag.

That pain management is likely to be wider than drugs. Eg. Gentle exercise, vitamins etc.

@MeanMrMustardSeed thank you that is kind of you to say. A few years ago I thought I was going to be some kind of scientist and then this mental illness hit me and it just ruined everything, now I'm just nothing.

I have thought about going back when I can get stabilised on the right medication/s, but I don't know I don't know if I have it in me to try again. It was so difficult, and I'm tired

But then I think of all the years I have left to live and I don't want to just waste them

Sorry. Cross posted. I am sure I didn't have to upload my passport. But I did my online access process about 8 years ago so I can't remember.

@endofthelinefinally someone recommended a cheap online private GP service so I think I will use that next month when I have more money. I have a GP calling me me today but I don't think I'm going to have time to mention it. I already have three things I really need to talk about. It's always like this. They rush you off the phone. And I don't think I can make a separate appointment unless it's "an emergency"

What are you thinking it is ? It has calmed down after I stopped using that spray and is just very thick weird skin. Like it's all layers and layers of dead skin

Are you taking your vitamin D supplements that everyone should be taking during the winter months? We really need it for so many things.

@ScaryM0nster I'm not necessarily wanting stronger opioids I have suggested gabapentin and I know topical steroids can be used but I feel like I've just been left to deal with it for weeks and weeks. The cocodamol wasn't the right dose to begin with for the pain level

Use online pharmacy for meds, I find pharmacy 2 u great, saves time traveling etc.

I think it needs a professional to look at it. It must be a very deeply entrenched infection.

@endofthelinefinally no and my diet is not very good. I used to take a good multivitamin and was planning on starting it again

OP I had similar, I couldn't sleep with pain due to a condition which needed surgery and developed psychosis, now I have a diagnosis of a psychotic depression but think it was a lot to do with lack of sleep.

I was told any severe physical or mental stress can trigger it in anyone and we all have different limits.

Have they tried you with one of the more sedating antidepressants such as mirtazapine? To start with they put me on that with olanzapine and I just slept and slept. I did start to feel better though with time.

Yes, I had low vitamin D found after my episode and it can be linked with depression, also low ferritin, my GP checked these for me.

@BabyCatMama you can access the nhs app with no id. Just ask your gp for a form, once you've completed it they will provide you with the 3 codes/details you need to apply.
Once you have it, it really does make things easier to access. I know it probably seems like a bit of a faff but it's definitely worth it.

help.login.nhs.uk/provewhoyouare/withoutid#how-to-register-for-your-gp-surgerys-online-services

@Wells37 ah ok I will go in and ask them thanks

So I again spoke to a nurse rather than a GP. She refused to prescribe anything other than cocodamol and also tried to prescribe me Naproxen again. I said I have kidney damage from taking that. She said oh yes, ok your blood test shows your kidneys are ok now so you can have it again. I obviously declined... I asked her why are other people receiving effective pain relief and I m not ? And she said well all you have said is your back is sore

I then said well it is extremely painful and co codamol doesn't work. She had no real response so I told her I am not receiving the treatment I need from the practice and will go to the hospital from now on if I need help

In my experience they are actually a lot better than the GP. Maybe it's something to do with the doctors being young and possibly having more compassion before they get tired of dealing with people in pain etc

I felt like she was talking to me like I was a child

She told me off for taking two of the weak sleeping pills to get to sleep and treating me like I am irresponsible and acting dangerously so they can't prescribe that to me. I really felt like she had a weird confrontational attitude again and assuming a position of higher knowledge than me.

It is honestly a curse how I am so polite to people. But at the same time I am just very honest.

I will go to the hospital if I end up in agony again maybe things will turn out better but I am going to take better control of the situation and stop depending on the useless NHS

The GP's pratice is clearly trying very hard not to perscribe you stronger opiate medication. Why not try the naproxen ?

I really don't have a good feeling about this at all...