AIBU to be upset about this text from my doctor?

[Pinkwellyboots3]

Since my dad suddenly died in June I have been constantly unwell, I think it’s the stress and grief and the doctors have assured me this is a normal reaction.

I have had a constant cycle of mastitis, tonsilitis, chest infection and utis. It’s been HORRIFIC. I’ve had more antibiotics in the last months than I’ve had in my entire life and I’m sick to death of it and worried.

Once again, I’ve woken up with a throat covered in yellow puss, can’t swallow, temperature and feel disgusting, I filled out my form this morning and explained my symptoms and added a photo of my throat. I said I wanted to avoided antibiotics at all cost unless I really needed them as I’ve had several courses recently. I received a message back saying ‘as requested your antibiotics have been sent’ well, I didn’t request them. That I can get over. It’s the best part that got me.

FYI: You had 10 contacts with the practice since start of Sept, the average across the UK is 8 over the entire year.
All the best

isn’t that just so patronising? How can I help that I have been unwell so many times. Yes, that is a high number but I have genuinely and helplessly been unwell, 2 of those appointments were with the asthma nurse as I’ve recently been diagnosed with asthma too. Every appointment they have identified a bacterial infection which required treatment. I just feel so upset by it and it just feels so patronising. Am I being too sensitive? I feel like that’s just not professional… I am going to a doctor to literally do their job.

No, you're not being unreasonable.
That would really annoy me, too.
I'm sorry you've been so unwell lately.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had a nasty response from him. I’m worried because I have 2 small children and I’m worried sick he will refer me to social services over my appointments! He’s made me feel like an absolute nutter. Next time I’m just not going to ask for help when I’m unwell. I feel like my head is going to explode 😭

Forward your message and his response to the practice manage explaining you're upset at the insinuation that you're wasting their time, and with a request for which of the 10 contacts were inappropriate and why so that you know what to not contact the GP for next time. See if you can register with someone else. Don't worry about social services, you're fine in that regard, that's just the anxiety making you panic.

But if you didn’t want antibiotics from the doctor why did you contact him?

Maybe it's just something that have to do once it hits a threshold that might be their policy?

I wouldn't take it personally if that was the case it's literally just a numbers/prodecural thing

I agree with what has already been said, and please continue to seek help when you need it. Also, if the average is 8 across the year and a significant quantity of people don’t contact their doctor at all in a typical year (in our family, we’ve all gone years without seeing the doctor…) some people have to be seeing a doctor far more than you are!

I think I'd respond with something like "Thank you for acknowledging that I have been ill multiple times with recurring infections. Now this is established as a pattern and you seem to indicate that this is more the average person has to see the GP, please can you advise on what the long term solution is and advise on preventative actions. I would highly appreciate this as the infections have made me very poorly and I feel very low". (or similar).

To me that's a weird comment from the doctor. It seems if you go for what they think is too many time they don't like it, if you don't go enough time (or what they think is enough), they will also be a bit weird - I've had the latter situation myself. I recently got the opposite of your message which was that as I hadn't attended the surgery for 8 years I would be no longer on their patient list unless I attended for a check up. Actually I can never get an appointment in a reasonable time frame so I always go to the private GP. I've told them that very clearly.

I wouldn’t be happy and would be replying to the surgery asking how making you feel guilty for being unwell is going to help you feel better?

I know they get frustrated by time wasters but if you have a high temp and they’re prescribing antibiotics then you’re contacting them appropriately!

when I had recurring tonsillitis, I decided to just have a full week off work in bed, driving fluids and let my body fight it. That was the turning point and I haven’t had tonsillitis that bad since. But, you do need to be careful you don’t deteriorate and end up with sepsis so I did speak to my gp for advice before choosing that option.

I would definitely respond or complain about his response.

I was thinking the same.

Inflamed tonsils with yellow pus sometimes needs antibiotics, but sometimes your own immune system fights it off. You didn’t wait to find out. You sent a request for GP input within a few hours of developing symptoms. It’s a Friday and you’ve contacted the surgery. They’ll be hellishly busy and will have sent you antibiotics because it’s the quickest thing to do, and because they’ll be assuming it’s what you want. Because why else would you consult them within hours of getting symptoms. Would you have been happier if the reply had been “see how it goes over the weekend, and call on Monday if it’s getting worse”?

The comment about contact frequency is probably an automated response. If not then it was poorly timed, but I imagine whichever clinician is taking the emergency questions today is drowning in work, and perhaps doesn’t have time to check your recent history and see what else has been happening in your life.

The reason I did this is because my usual GP told me to get it documented every single time I have these symptoms because if I hit a certain number of infections, I can be referred to ent

I haven’t started taking any antibiotics yet, I am desperately trying to soothe them with salt water rinses, I really want to avoid them. If it wasn’t Friday, I most likely would of waited another day but I have 2 small children and no childcare so if I became very unwell this weekend I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it!

It's automated, not personal.

I suspect it's either auto generated, or it may be that it's gently saying (without trying to scare people) that maybe you need to be aware, if this is unusual, that there could be something underlying.

My favourite on that one was my friend from i think it was AA, or it might have been RAC. She'd called them out 3 times in three months (1 run out of petrol, one tyre blown and one other) which she'd never called them before in ten years. The letter telling her she'd reached her max call outs for the period had at the bottom: "Ps. Have you thought about buying a new car."

Sorry you're feeling so rubbish.
Don't worry about the message. It's an average. I haven't seen a doctor for probably 10 years. DD had been so many times in the last year she's had my 8, her 8 and probably a few other peoples. She's been unwell and needed it, I haven't. That's how the system is supposed to work surely.

Thank you.
my husband went to the doctors for the first time in the 16 years we have been together last week. I was very shocked. On the other hand I was joking with the receptionist who called me earlier that I should be at their Christmas party this year haha

Also I should of added, I had the yellow puss yesterday too and a sore throat, however I didn’t think too much of it because they felt more like tonsil stones, then today you could see it was actually puss. So I did wait over 24 hour and at that point I’d had a high fever all night again

I’m more shocked that the average is 8!! No wonder you can never get an appointment.

That feels like a very passive aggressive comment to put to a patient in my opinion. I can definitely empathise with you and how it makes you feel like the GP is saying that you are contacting them unnecessarily. It's an awful thing to send to someone who believes that they need treatment, even IF they don't in the GP opinion. How would it help? Surely it would be better to talk to the person about the situation and reassure them that they aren't needing help, or assist with their underlying anxiety, if it is unnecessary? However it might be something that the practice or health authority is requested for the doctor to do and it's automatically done and it doesn't mean what it feels like it does to you?

While I've not lost someone close to me, I have a severe disability and chronic illness and I know that sometimes you can get ground down and your immune system overwhelmed. It lead to me having sepsis and then septic shock, which I barely survived. So please don't let it stop you from going to the GP or getting medical treatment if you need it. I would be asking for clarification on why they put that as a response and if you don't feel cared for after those answers, consider getting a different named go or go to a different practice.

As I say, it might not mean anything at all and not be targeted towards you, so a polite request for clarification could resolve it. Best wishes and hope you feel better soon.

I got a text from my local Hospital yesterday - after my querying an ‘abnormal’ blood test result - telling me to call the MacMillan Cancer Navigation team. And no, I don’t have cancer. But I only found that out over an hour later. They deal with general Haematology clinical enquiries too. Minor nervous breakdown averted. Eventually.

I'd be ranting to all and sundry about that comment! Inspain suggestion is good, you're having multiple severe infections, it's not right.

I don't go to the GP 8 times a year but my son did more than that for a few years for recurrent strep and tonsillitis. I'd have been absolutely raging if I'd gotten that comment for him.

Ridiculous of them to say that last part. And it sounds like they didn't even read it. Though I guess the photo made it look obviously infected.

It's as if they are saying you're in contact for no reason! I'd say you should say something.

I’m sorry that you’ve been so unwell. To non-medical me, it sounds like you may need to have your tonsils removed. I had recurring tonsillitis as a child and had them taken out, no ENT problems since. Of course you’re run down after losing your Dad, it’s an awful time and I agree that the doctor’s “note” was very unsympathetic-it likely was automated but there’s been valid reasons for your frequent visits. Hope you feel better soon. 💐

Perhaps if the doctor had investigated thoroughly and put an appropriate treatment plan in place earlier you might not have needed so many contacts? You’re not growing pus on your tonsils just for shits and giggles are you?

That's clearly automatically generated. A lot of people do see the GP for social problems or trivial symptoms. It would pointless and unpleasant to direct a sarcastic response to that specific doctor - there are a whole load of management initiatives at my work (NHS) that I disagree with - there's no point hassling me about it, I already told management it was stupid and they didn't listen. Complain to the practice but don't blame the individual doctor.