Hi, I don't post on MN very often these days but after my appt with the gp this morning I could really do with some advice.
I have suffered with various MH issues over the years, mainly depression. I have been suffering anxiety attacks on and off for years but they are usually only one or two days and connected with my cycle so I just wait them out, I've never been to the gp about them. The last couple of weeks though I have really been suffering and consequently, so have my family. So I got back from the schoolrun and made an appt. They had a cancellation so I took it although it was with a gp who is not very tactful or supportive, I took as I thought if I don't do this now I will end up putting it off again.
On the walk up I went over (and over) in my head what I would say so I wouldn't mess up and miss the point. I got called for my appt, went in, sat down and said I had been suffering with anxiety a lot lately and needed some help.
GP started asking what had caused it, said I wasn't sure but I was finding it hard to tolerate loud noises, short tempered with kids when they argued etc. He asked if I was a single parent, I said no. He asked if my relationship with my partner was ok, I said no and that he hasn't been very supportive. He asked about my sex life, I said it hadn't been very good.
Then it got weird. He started telling me to talk to my dh and come to an arrangement to meet his needs and suggested that I should probably not have sex if I didn't feel like it but how about a hand-job or other little treats for him? Then at least my dh would stop getting annoyed with me for having anxiety.
He then went on to talk about my son's aspergers, money worries, and told me to consider stopping my son's supplements as they were costing a lot of money and anyway children grow out of aspergers...
He prescribed me diazepam and told me to come back in 2 weeks.
On the walk home it dawned on me just how out of line he was. I literally walked the whole 15 mins open-mouthed at what he had said. I had gone in to deal with a MH issue and had been told to service my huband to gain his support or at least keep him quiet.
So I phoned the practise to make a complaint. The practise manager told me to put it in writing and said it would be dealt with within practise (the gp is a partner). I was just getting started on my letter when the phone rang. It was the GP - he was ringing to apologise for us getting our wires crossed, he hadn't meant what I thought, it had all come out wrong blah blah blah. I had hime on the phone justifying himself for 10 mins!
I have had the most strange morning, I suppose at least now I'm angry and not anxious but ... I was right to make a complaint wasn't I?!