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 ?

@Neurodiversitydoctor

The naproxen was making my kidneys bleed a few weeks ago

what the hell are they playing at giving people drugs that damage their organs ? And then telling me I have recovered and can take the poison again ?

There is a range of pain medications including non opiod analgesics and steroids. But I don't want drugs long term it is surely a temporary thing

You may be very correct

I'm sorry my anger isn't aimed at you that just came out of you. It's just this narrative that the doctors care and are being responsible for our safety. But he truth is the government couldn't care less about us

out of Me this app doesn't let me edit

Sorry if I missed this but have you said what condition your chronic pain is due to?
I had longstanding nerve pain and was treated very effectively with appropriate meds.
I currently have chronic pain due to a different condition and have appropriate, entirely different painkillers for that.
Pain management is complex and needs different meds for different things.
Can you ask for referral to a pain clinic?

@endofthelinefinally it isn't chronic. It's been 6 or 8 weeks. I didn't know there was a pain clinic. I don't know if it's just this practice that's like this. Everytime I go there I will see a queue of 20 or 30 people just standing queuing there waiting about for ages. There isn't a time when this isn't happening. If you phone there will be a queue for an hour or more and sometimes there is no availability to queue, or the phone rings and they don't answer, then they say they only will take emergency appointments on a day to day basis. So I don't know if its just to do with money but if it is it would be easier to understand if they would just say that

Have you tried calling 111? They can get you an appointment.

It might be the problem that you haven't had the pain investigated and have a diagnosis, maybe you need to speak to them about that?

I had a referral to a neurologist for my post shingles pain and they suggested some meds. Now the GPs refer to that and prescribe me some options.

Re back pain- if it's lower back I find putting an ice pack on freezes and numbs the pain so you are able to move about easier. Found heat made it much worse. Nothing worse that back pain, you can also self refer to physio at our local surgery and that can help also. Hope you can fix the pain so you no longer need sleeping tablets or pain medication x

I think I am turning a corner with the pain. I've only had two doses a day of cocodamol for the past couple of days and using ibuprofen gel. I'm just lying in bed most of the day and trying to keep my back straight. I hope the physio appointment won't take too long because there is still a bulge at the top of my spine.

And I can't seem to sit for too long or use a computer or it gets worse. The GP actually said he had been seeing more of this because people are hunched over looking at phones all the time. I have a refill of the cocodamol so I'm not going to buy any more codeine just now and I will see how it goes.

My sister pointed out that I am always in pain with something and it is actually true. I don't know. I just want to get better. I have bought good sleeping pills privately but I have actually been able to sleep the last 2 nights without any, it just takes about 4 hours more than it should, if I take melatonin. Which is an improvement for me. So I might try reducing the days I use sleeping pills

It would be nice not to be so dependant on drugs. It's just either a hassle or expensive to need them