I feel mortified about this going to my GP. Would you feel the same or am I upset over nothing?

[Unisu]

A couple of weeks ago I was very unwell on holiday. I called a private GP through my insurance and they diagnosed the problem and then refused to prescribe antibiotics as I had mentioned having a fever. They then said I needed to be checked in person and go to a walk in. I explained that the nearest walk in was nearly two hours away and I had a baby with me. The temperature was a symptom of the illness thay had themselves just diagnosed (and it was what I had suspected prior to the call as well). They appeared to then latch on to the temperature being potentially high and refused to prescribe the antibiotics and said these would be prescribed at a walk in but better to double check my temperature there.

I was feeling so rubbish by this point and couldn’t drive ten minutes let alone two hours. I said I didn’t think this was reasonable and given the nature of the illness it is actually standard practice to prescribe the medication when 1 out of 3 symptoms show… I had all three. They agreed with that but said they still wanted a walk-in.

Anyway in essence we disagreed and I said I wasn’t happy with this and that if I became more unwell quickly then I would be referring to this conversation in future. I recognise this was a bit of a shitty thing to say but I was despairing and also confused by their insistence they had diagnosed the issue but still wanted me to go to a walk in when very far from one.

Yesterday it came to my attention that the letter had gone to my GP explaining the private appointment I had had… and in it there was the suspected diagnosis, but this doctor had also said I was interrupting, insisting on treatment and they had to conclude the call because of this! This was simply not true. I did express I wanted the treatment but I was not interrupting and the impression given is that I was unpleasant. Aside from the comment above I was perfectly nice and listened entirely and was totally respectful.

I feel really upset by this. I always make a huge effort to be polite and decent to people in all contexts and I feel awful that this correspondence is now with my GP for all to see. Would you feel the same? Would you do anything about it?

I've been given anti antibiotics, anti depressants and temazepam over the phone. It's absolutely standard medical practice.

Yes, well...

I'm not sure where the assumption that the doctor must have been concerned about sepsis has come from. Perhaps they just wanted to check her obs and examine her chest/abdomen/throat, etc. That decision is down to their clinical judgement and is best practice too. There is too much antibiotic prescribing in general and too much being done over the phone. We went backwards in this regard due to the pandemic restrictions.

What did they lie about and how do you know this? We only have the OP's account and even she admits that she essentially threatened the doctor because they were refusing to do what she wanted.

How do you know the Dr lied? How do you know the OP has no history of being rude??

Not at any doctors I’ve ever had. To be diagnosed with a new condition you have to be seen - they don’t let you just ring up and say “I’ve self-diagnosed and I have this condition and need this antibiotic”! Especially as they’re trying to reduce the over-prescribing of antibiotics.

Shock doctors lie.

Husbands consultant wrote in his letter that he had refused a medication for his diabetes when in reality he hadn't been given them and in fact had been given something else that sent his diabetes into meltdown. I was fizzing and want to go with him the next time he goes but husband refuses to let me near him or the GP, or the pharmacist to find out who cocked up.

Personally I don't think they're gods and should be held accountable for the things they say.

How do you know this doctor lied? The OP literally says that she threatened the doctor! Your DH's alleged experience isn't relevant here.

You told them if you got sicker you’d be referring to this appointment and would sue them. Not surprised they are covering their arse with you!!

The OP said they mentioned sepsis in the letter. Given the symptoms the OP was describing over the phone it would be surprising if the doctor hadn’t considered sepsis.

I have had prescribed over the phone before but never with the symptoms the OP described. That has always involved a face to face appointment.

Have you got any medical training OP? Because it sounds like you were unwell, met with a medical professional who could only see you online, they suggested you needed a F2F and you ‘disagreed’.

The manner in which you disagreed is by the by. Of course an online consult will take a v conservative view because they have to. You understand that right and that ‘disagreeing’ with them (nicely or not) was unlikely to result in them going “oh sure! Since you’ve disagreed I will prescribe medication when I haven’t seen you in person etc”.

Now you’re worried what the GP thinks of you. Christ.

Sorry. I hadn't read that post. It is mentioned but we don't know the context.
I think a face to face appointment is more than reasonable from the limited information. I also sounds as if the OP was very unpleasant to the doctor because she didn't do as the OP wanted.

It was the fact the diagnosis was clear, it starts from a rash which was very very clear. There was no need to jump to sepsis especially when my temperature had settled 24 hours prior.

I personally find it ridiculous how much arse covering there is which often leads to the need to be pushy to get appropriate care. However, it is not in my nature to be unpleasant to someone and I think the characterisation of me in the letter was wrong.

Its almost impossible to see NHS doctors quickly these days so that was an added stress when I had contacted them privately and then essentially referred back

One persons pushy is another’s unpleasant.

How many times do you walk away from an interaction with someone being pushy towards you, and think ‘weren’t they pleasant’.

Especially if that person is refusing to accept the procedures and policies of your employer and expecting you to bypass those.

You weren’t necessarily being unreasonable in your desires, but you were in expecting someone to bypass their protocols.

(and for future reference, sepsis is an evolution of an infection, so anything that merits antibiotics definitely requires consideration for sepsis or other intermediary escalations from the original infection. That consideration may only take a few moments if you can see the patient in front of you and check their pulse, temp and blood pressure. But those don’t work remotely).

My GP thinks I'm a right nutter because my child had impetigo that wouldn't go away and I wouldn't stop calling demanding oral antibiotics instead of a useless cream. In the end he needed two lots of oral antibiotics.
Sometimes you have to advocate for yourself at the price of seeming like an emotional woman/mother. You won't be the first.

I personally find it ridiculous how much arse covering there is which often leads to the need to be pushy to get appropriate care

Do you not think that appropriate care, when a medical professional suspects sepsis, is to be seen?

The doctor only had your word about the temperature, and they have a duty of care towards their patients. If they suspect that something more serious is going on, they are going to want you to be seen.

You wouldn't find it ridiculous if you were the doctor being investigated and potentially losing their job because they'd prescribed you something inappropriate for your actual needs, you'd become seriously unwell, and then made a complaint.

The GP was suggesting appropriate care. They suggested that you were properly assessed. You didn't want this and were unpleasant to them.

Why do you think HCPs need to 'arse cover' as you call it, in a dismissive, rude way?

"Clearly it wasn't sepsis"? There's no "clearly" about it in a situation like this. They have to be sure, not breathe a sigh of relief in hindsight. If it had been sepsis (for example; other killers exist), and you had died because you hadn't taken their advice, they would still be liable, even though it would be because you refused to act on that advice. They have to be clear in their report what did and didn't happen. They advised you that they couldn't prescribe unless you were assessed face to face. You refused to be seen face to face. You continued to argue unreasonably with them about it and that has to be covered in the report too to emphasise that you refused to cooperate. You are absolutely concentrating on the wrong thing. They have presented the facts to your GP, that is all.

There’s no clearly about it. I had sepsis with pretty much the symptoms you describe in your OP. The only way the doctor had of ruling it out was to see you face to face. He would have been negligent to have done anything else. And legally responsible.

If my GP had done what you wanted this one to do I wouldn’t be typing this right now. A GP over the phone has no way of telling if it isn’t sepsis without doing a range of other observations.

@RafaistheKingofClay i do understand to some extent, but the condition was clearly identified, by the GP, at the outset. Due to the location of where I was it was further evidence to support the fact that it was this condition. They even said if I hadn’t mentioned a temperature then they would have prescribed the AB…even though a raised temperature is in keeping with the condition. I do think sometimes a more sensible approach needs to be given to the context of the illness.

So what IS your medical background OP?

How do you know the opposite? The poster is taking the OP at face value

That’s sort of my point. If I hadn’t mentioned the temperature I would have just been given antibiotics too. As I have been for the same infection previously over the phone without a temp. And as I have for the same infection but with a temp and a face to face appointment.

She literally admits that she threatened the doctor! If she admits to this, it seems likely that the truth was worse rather than better.

'Anyway in essence we disagreed and I said I wasn’t happy with this and that if I became more unwell quickly then I would be referring to this conversation in future'

It’s a massive character flaw and you should work on it. I genuinely cannot imagine caring about this.