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Original poster

Why can't GPs diagnose?

27 replies

ilovemyhens · 08/03/2011 21:54

Every time I visit the GP, he/she fails to diagnose what's wrong with me and it's then up to me to try and find out what's wrong Sad

One failed to spot that I had a uti even though I told them that I did. Then, one gave me the wrong antibiotics and I had to see another one and point out to her that the ones I had been given weren't suitable for the problem that I had Hmm She seemed totally nonplussed and asked where I'd learned this. She then wrote out another script and these seem to be working.

There have also been other things too and I find it so annoying. It makes me worry about what would happen if something really serious were to happen to any of my family.

They just seem too vague and clueless these days, or is it just me?

OP posts:
JarethTheGoblinKing · 08/03/2011 21:57

Sounds like you need to change practice... Confused

Mine are bloody brilliant, and fighting being amalgamated into one giant surgery for the town. I think I'm the only person I know who has her own GP, who I can request to see whenever I want, and generallt see them same day for an emergency, or within a week for standard stuff. They're not all the same, but yours sounds pretty crap tbh

mercibucket · 08/03/2011 21:57

rather obviously you need to find a better gp. are you seeing a lot of different ones because you go to out of hours or are you in a large practice? ask the nurse who she would recommend (you can get a lot of gossip this way Smile ) or keep trying til you find a good one. and you can always google gpnotebook in the consultation to double check Grin

Original poster
ilovemyhens · 08/03/2011 22:03

I'm in a medium sized practice and I've seen about 8 of the GPs there and they all seem the same Sad The head of the practice seems competent, but you can't get to see him for love nor money because he's so popular.

This practice also told my late dh that he had a viral infection when in fact he had cancer. I accompanied him to the first appointment and politely asked the GP if dh should be experiencing neurological symptoms and he was really snotty with me Hmm 24 hours later, dh was becoming rapidly paralysed and the same GP rushed to our house and was shitting himself (and far more communicative with me) as a result of his lousy diagnosis.

How do you find a decent practice with competent doctors? You would think that somebody with a medical degree and X years of experience/further education would be able to inspire some confidence.

OP posts:
lisad123isasnuttyasaboxoffrogs · 08/03/2011 22:08

same here. Ours missed dh cancer for over a year and then was poohing himself when discovered and called to explain (worm his way out) why he could never had seen it was cancer.
He also missed my gall stones and kidney failure :(
TBH I do believe they go with the more likely dx than think out of the box.

KatyMac · 08/03/2011 22:10

I think it's often diagnosis by exclusion

Try this
Didn't work
Try this
Didn't work
Try this
Didn't work
Oh it's all in your mind

I have had excellent GPs; 3 of them

Original poster
ilovemyhens · 08/03/2011 22:13

Missed gallstone and kidney failure? Sheesh, they're basic Sad That's bad.

Sorry about your husband's cancer. My dh's family has the aggressive type of prostate cancer that can run in families and I worry about him as he gets older. Don't know how to approach it with the GP though because you can't trust them. One said that you'd just have to wait until he developed symptoms Hmm He didn't even seem to realise that there are two different types of prostate cancer - one is slow growing and the other is very aggressive and kills fairly quickly.

OP posts:
Joolyjoolyjoo · 08/03/2011 22:24

I think there are some really really good GPs out there (but everyone knows who they are, and so you can't get an appointment with them for love or money!) and there are some not-very-good ones.

I've said it before on here and I don't care if I'm repeating myself. As a vet, I know that making the absolute spot-on diagnosis first time you see a patient isn't always realistic. Things CAN get missed, even after taking a full clinical history and carrying out a full physical examination. But when GPs don't take full history/ do full clinical exam (and let's face it, very few do), I don't feel they have a leg to stand on if things get missed. If you do it as routine (as it is absolutely drummed into us at vet school) it takes 7-10 minutes, and it's amazing how many times I've found something unexpected just from taking the time to listen/ found something I wasn't expecting on a routine exam.

My mum was ill for many years, and ended up in hospitals all over the place, where we met some fab doctors and some God-awful ones. I got used to learning everything I could about her condition, and questioning lots of things. OK, easier for me, as a vet with some medical training (which a few doctors sneered at!) But it meant when they diagnosed gastro-enteritis having put her, with her compromised renal function, onto digoxin a week before, I politely asked them to check her digoxin levels (which turned out to be high enough to kill her!!)

I think people need to have less blind faith, and push for a second opinion/ referral if they feel things are not right.

KatyMac · 08/03/2011 22:29

I have just been diagnosed with 'something viral' - which should go soon

Which would be fine if it wasn't for the fact that I was previously diagnosed for the same 'something viral' in 2005 & I have visited the GP at least 5 times in between times when I was told it's depression

A brief medical history would have sorted that out

How long has this been going on? says GP

Oh 5 or 6 years says Katymac, I've been before about it

Joolyjoolyjoo · 08/03/2011 22:31

THat's exactly what I mean, KatyMac!! It takes minutes to scroll through a history before a patient comes in, minutes! (and it stops you looking like a tit! Grin)

KatyMac · 08/03/2011 22:35

I will admit to being a bad patient; I focus on the wrong things, forget to ask questions, forget symptoms but I try.

I write it all down & use that

Joolyjoolyjoo · 08/03/2011 22:40

You're not a bad patient! My patients can't tell me anything, and it often takes some (sometimes frustrating!) probing to get an answer from owners! The thing is, the clinician should be asking the relevant questions, you should only need to answer them honestly. People who aren't medically trained often don't know what symptoms can be significant. Often a throwaway comment can set alarn bells ringing for me.

It is the clinician's job to probe- all the patient needs to do is answer honestly!

KatyMac · 08/03/2011 22:47

would you like to diagnose me

Thanks

Joolyjoolyjoo · 08/03/2011 22:51
Grin
KatyMac · 08/03/2011 22:53

I'm sure cats/cows get it

Original poster
ilovemyhens · 09/03/2011 09:34

I have far more faith in my vet than I do in any of those gps. My husband jokes that if I feel ill I should pop along to the vets instead of the local gp surgery Hmm

My gp had written the script for the uti before I even had the time to explain that my kidneys were involved. I wasted over £7 on a script that was wrong and several more days of feeling unwell.

It's not good enough.

OP posts:
BookFairy · 09/03/2011 10:04

Jack of all trades, master of none.

Celibin · 04/04/2011 22:33

If Gps/doctors are so good why are there so many people on this blog asking each other questions about their health????

larrygrylls · 05/04/2011 08:10

I think that is a very good question. It would be really useful if GPs actually explained what they do and what they don't do. It seems they have little interest in seeing young children quickly which excludes all serious illness. What they seem really good at is totting up points which buy prizes (increase their payments). They are meticulous about vaccinations, health checks etc but are really uninterested in making diagnoses or seeing sick patients. Generally they advise you go straight to A&E if you have any serious concerns about your or your childrens' health.

Diagnosis is, of course, not an exact science, and seeing how a patient responds to a treatment is, in itself, a diagnostic tool. Also, your average NHS GP only gets 5-10 minutes per patient which is far too little to take a proper history and to do an examination. I do also feel that a lot of people do waste GPs time, increasing the pressure on them. Having said that, I feel that over the last 30 years or so, Gps have got worse in attitude and competence, rather than better, which is a sad indictment of the government policy towards the NHS.

lilyliz · 05/04/2011 20:09

my DH was told for 6 weeks he had a virus which would go away in it's own time,turned out to be cancer,now late DH.

MaureenMLove · 05/04/2011 20:15

DH has had problems with ours too. He was told for 5 years, that he had IBS (which in itself is a get out for stomach problems, imho) Kept getting prescribed pain killers and anti-flam tablets, until the pain was so unbearable, he insisted I called an ambulance.

Had 10 cms of his colon removed, because he had diverticular disease...

LauraNorder · 05/04/2011 20:21

Well I think GP's are great. They've always been there when I've needed them. When I was 18 I was admitted with severe abdominal pain by my GP. Hospital kept me in for 3 days and sent me home with a diagnosis of constipation Hmm GP was not happy with this and pushed for a ultrasound scan (had a very loud conversation with SHO on the phone) turned out I have a huge ovarian cyst which was slowly turning on itself and causing the pain.

Since then I have used them for various different ailments and very time they have come up trumps so I'm waving my solitary GP supporters flag over here!

LauraNorder · 05/04/2011 20:22

I had a huge ovarian cyst - it's gone now thank goodness!

MayDayChild · 05/04/2011 20:47

I complained about One of mine, DH took DD because she had gunky eye and nursery wouldn't let her back until gp confirmed it wasn't conjunctivitis.
He didn't check any functions, temp, throat or ear exam and then prescribed penicillin. He told DH to simply buy golden eye over counter at chemist for eyes.
Pharmacist refused to sell eye cream as she was under 2.
I didn't let her have penicillin as she wasn't ill.

She obviously would have benefitted from the eye cream yet he didn't see need to give a prescription which would be free.

I got a personal written apology for his lack of judgement though!

Can we start a thread about the MISERABLE witches called receptionists? Just what is their problem? Hehhe

boxoftricks · 05/04/2011 20:58

ah MAYDAY I have the opposite with receptionists....
I had tonsilitis that progressed to sinusitis and had been ill over the week that I had moved house. Because I had just moved I wasn't registered anywhere. I rang the first practice at 8.30am, and was told that all appts had gone and advised to ring another practice.
2nd practice said that they didnt have any appts and advised to ring the practice i had already rung... queue me in slight sobs on the phone trying to explain what had happened and the lovely lovely receptionist saying she would sort it for me.
When I walked in, I nearly fainted at the desk giving my details, and she made me sweet tea and gave me some biscuits while I was waiting to see the dr!

Celibin · 06/04/2011 21:12

Larrygrylis , Lets be honest a gp is just that a General Practioner It would be wrong totally wrong to expect them to know everything .But what they should know is you, their patient.Patients need to keep them up todate as well with the important things but there is a tendency for a few people to go running with the slightest small thing.The gp role has been massively scaled down in some other European countries,In Germany 30 years ago a lady going for any gynae would be seen by a Specialist in his/her own practice and a skin patient would receive all their treatment including UV therapy and minor surgery again by a Specialist in a small practice so no trailing down to the hospital.Also you had a choice between several Specialists. Cost, then was 11 to 15% of salary like our NI .Also huge preventative work done and tests given for everything ; not like here when they only appear to be able to do one thing at a time >Anyway, this was my rant Still know some cracking good GPs though A good one is priceless

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