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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be cross with my GP?

37 replies

goldilocksandmylittlebear · 23/11/2008 11:19

My GP is single glam 'I don't really like children' type.

I took my 12 month old to see her after a few visits this month as he has been continually unwell. He had a high temp and sure another she found red ears, red throat and high temp.

She looked at me as if to say "not you again" and said this was all part of growing up, you don't need antibiotics and off you go. "Try to relex"

The next day his temp was 104 after a day of calpol and nurofen every 2 hours. His eyes were rolling, he was floppy and being very sick. We took him to A&E and he was admitted and put on antibiotics straight away.

She missed he had broncalitis last year when he was 10 days old and we ended up in hospital for 10 days on oxygen!

I want to take him back to make sure antiobotics have worked but she always makes me feel like I'm over the top and a time waster.

AIBU - or over the top?

OP posts:
TheButterflyEffect · 23/11/2008 11:21

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missingtheaction · 23/11/2008 11:22

time to change gp. surely there is a choice? would also consider a letter to the manager of the practice.

although do you really need to take him back -if he is now fit and well then presumably the antibiotics have done their job? Maybe a trip to the health visitor instead?

SoupDragon · 23/11/2008 11:22

Yes, change GPs. Clearly this one doesn't suit you.

IAteMakkaPakka · 23/11/2008 11:22

I don't think taking him back to see if the antibiotics have worked will gain much - if he seems happier then he's probably on the mend. If he isn't better then absolutely you need to go back.

You sound like you haven't got much faith in her though - have you thought about changing practice or just seeing a different doctor next time?

Marne · 23/11/2008 11:23

YNBU

She should have given your dd antibiotics, our GP is the other way and gave my dd antibiotics when she didn't need them. My GP says if ever you are worried about a child, bring them in, how ever small the problem is.

I hope your lo is feeling better now.

lulumama · 23/11/2008 11:23

YANBU

it is not good if your child has been very unwell twice and the GP missed the change to give medication that oculd have helped.

if you do not trust your GP to listen to you then you should see a different one

although antibiotics should not be handed out every time to every ill child, and i have no issue with that. but a child with high temp and red ears and throat sounds like a child who needs them...

Marne · 23/11/2008 11:23

sorry 'ds'

TheGreatScootini · 23/11/2008 11:26

YANBU.My Dr is the same.Very dismissive and says everything is viral!

If you are not confident in him, and if he's missed pretty big stuff then you wont be and rightly so, then I would change Drs..

Too many GP's are too quick to say 'its just an over reacting Mum'.But IMO its better to be cautious and they should take everything seriously as possible.For every panicky mum there are probably ones whose kids are actually ill.It would be dreadful if the Dr was so dismissive that people were reluctant to go and as a result someone got seriously ill.

Original poster
goldilocksandmylittlebear · 23/11/2008 11:26

Thanks fokes. He is much better in himself. It was just horribel to see him so ill.

I guess I would be taking back for the wrong reasons.........just to make a point.

Would she even know he had been admitted? I did hand in the paper work but I guess it just gets filled?

We live in a small village so no choice of other surgery, I feel like I'd open up a can of worms if I changed doctors.........lots of gossip etc.

OP posts:
IAteMakkaPakka · 23/11/2008 11:29

I live in a small town and have changed doctors before now, and have also done this while living in a small village. It's none of anyone else's business and why would anyone gossip about it anyway?

Original poster
goldilocksandmylittlebear · 23/11/2008 11:33

Your right I should change, would they ask why?

OP posts:
babymt · 23/11/2008 12:32

Can't you just ask to see a different dr when you ring up? At my surgery (also in small village) they ask who your gp is and I say "dr so and so but I don't want to see her" and they are fine with that and have never questioned me. I highly doubt the receptionists would tell the gp. And I don't think my gp would think it weird if she saw me at the surgery but not seeing her.

StewieGriffinsMom · 23/11/2008 13:05

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littleboyblue · 23/11/2008 13:10

I'd change doctors. I'd also demand to see the practise manager about it, it's no small thing that your dc was admitted to hospital for something gp missed.
YANBU

If some parents want to steer clear of A/B for as long as poss, that s down to the parents to refuse treatment, not for the gp to decide not to prescribe imo.

Absolutely shocking.

MrsWeasley · 23/11/2008 13:11

I would write her a letter telling her what happened to your DS.

My brother was admitted to hospital and put on a ventilator for 10 days, 2 hours earlier the gp told him to pull himself together as he only had man flu! This was after her seeing the blood he was coughing up and the fact if he sat up he couldn?t breathe.

wonderstuff · 23/11/2008 13:12

IME changing drs isn't that easy, could you just make appts with other drs in the practice, I would write a letter to practice manager about her missing diagnosis leading to your ds going into hospital twice, not acceptable, YANBU

littleboyblue · 23/11/2008 13:17

8 weeks after ds was born, I went to gp as couldn't breathe. I had to put ds back in cot as I was afraid I'd colapse and fall on him so put him back knowing at least he'd be safe if I died (that's how bad I was) called dp home from work and he drove me to gp, she said I had chest infection.
Went to A&E a few hours later as was really scarred, they told me I had pnemonia (can't spell but you know what I mean).
I took my medical card to another surgery and registered there as simple as that, no questions asked.
If you have a larger surgery can you just refuse to see one particular dr?

mytetherisending · 23/11/2008 13:34

I would change Drs and register with another in the practice if I were you. I would also put in a written complaint to the PCT. Not OTT in my opinion. I hardly ever see my own GP for the same reason, he is crap, so always make an appt with the other ones in the practice.

edam · 23/11/2008 13:41

Do write to the GP and the practice manager (and senior partner, if your GP isn't) telling them what has happened. Hospitals are crap at passing discharge summaries onto practices so the surgery may well not know what happened to your son. (Sometimes the summaries take a year to reach the practice - one hospital didn't bother telling the GP the patient had been admitted after a suicide attempt even though the GP had been treating for depression.)

It is possible, I suppose, that your son didn't need antibiotics when you saw the GP but his condition deteriorated. She should have told you to bring him back if that happened, though. Equally it's possible she was useless and misdiagnosed him.

juicyjolly · 23/11/2008 13:42

Agree with everyone elses advice
Its definitely not in your families best interests to stay at this practice.

My friend dd died after doctor continualy telling her that her dd was only suffering with growing pains...in her stomach...turned out she a tumour.

The gp was 84yrs old at the time!

My friend was a 17yr old mother.

Blondeshavemorefun · 23/11/2008 15:52

i would chnage doctors ans write a letter of complaint/what happened

my ex doctor miss diagnoised me 2 years ago when i had leg pains, i kept going back saying it hurt and had swolllen up, i even took pics

she said it was nothing

just after christmas 2 years ago, i had dreadful chest pains, couldnt breathe and i got rushed into hospital and stayed there for over a week (crappy NY in there) as the pain i had was actually a blood clot in my leg and it went to my lung and collasped it, and was told if i hadnt been sent in by another doctor i would have died NYE - gone to sleep and not woken up as the clot would have gone to my brain!!

i complained about my ex doctor, and REFUSE to see her anymore - she said somehow she missed it, and never even crossed her mind it could be a clot as im not over weight and i hadnt flown anywhere for 6 mths - even after i said could it be a dvt and she said no

sorry for woffle,glad A&E took notice of your ds and glad he is now ok and DEF chnage doctors xx

littleboyblue · 23/11/2008 16:00

How awfal for your friend juicy. It makes me sick.
Just shows it's really not worth taking any chances.

Weegle · 23/11/2008 18:54

juicy how terrible

I have changed GP's within the practice after I lost faith in my original one when she refused to take me seriously over a problem that started during pregnancy. To start with it was "pregnancy related will go after birth", then it was "hormonal, it will go when you stop breastfeeding", then it was "postnatal it will go within a year and I won't refer you until then" - so I got a private referral (fortunately DH has insurance through work) and the day I was seen by a specialist I was see urgently by another consultant to be told I had an aggressive form of arthritis which has caused significant damage to my pelvis. Obviously after that I was never going to trust my GP again and so wrote a letter to the practice asking to change and explaining why. They assigned me one of the senior practice GP's and the care I've had since has been absolutely fantastic. Please change if you have lost faith in your assigned GP - it was easy - wrote the letter, got told by the surgery who my new GP was, received new NHS card in the post.

Original poster
goldilocksandmylittlebear · 23/11/2008 20:17

Its just shocking what goes on!

I'm not sure if all doctors agree you should give antibiotics for throat and ear infections, but as he had both I'm shocked she didn't. What also worries me is that the hospital straight away gave them to him, no discussion, they felt he really needed them which highlights my gp's error (?) even more doesn't it? How much can things change in 24h?

If I had taken my GP's advise and have kept giving him calpol and nurofen what could have happened? I was so scared he would have a fit with such a high temp. She said he would be ill for a week and to get on with it. What would have happened?

Its so hard to know if you should go to GP, hospital, out of hours??

A friend of mine took her son to A&E as he was really struggling to breath withn Asthma. She was told off by A&E as she was meant to go to Out of hours.........the next day he was in intensive care!

How are you meant to know what to do and where to go? Your made to feel like a mad parent either way!

OP posts:
hotbot · 23/11/2008 20:36

personally i would ignore the comments - out of hrs is a waste of time imvho, a.e has all the facilities and a fast track to a ward should it be required. And nhs workers are there to provide a service - ie deal with ill people i should know i am one.