how do i get the doctor to listen?

[purplepidjin]

I have a dx of ptsd, anxiety and depression. Since reducing my medication I am, mentally, feeling loads better. However I have a load of physical symptoms. I have no idea if it's side effects of the meds that I didn't notice because of the fog I was in, or if there's something physically wrong, or if I'm a total hypochondriac!

I had a blood test which has come back clear. When I had the appointment where the doc ordered the blood test, he said if it was clear we would need to discuss my lifestyle. As one of my symptoms is weight gain the implication was that I'm eating too much. I have since done an online food diary and found I'm way under even a weightloss amount of food so I've upped my fruit and veg intake to provide the extra energy with no discernible effect.

I'm wondering now if I'm asking the wrong questions or providing the wrong information. If you've been kind enough to read this far, please may I have some advice? Thank you

What physical symptoms do you have?

Thank yo for reading it all!

Water retention fingers and toes. Fluey aches. Hot flushed but no high temperature. Tightness around my chest. No energy. Sleeping loads but badly iyswim?

These sound similar to my symptoms after a traumatic op that went wrong. I started having panic attacks, bad anxiety and then the physical symptoms came. Weight gain, unrefreshing sleep (woke up feeling I'd done ten rounds with Mike Tyson), pain in my joints, swollen fingers/ankles, chest pain and more. GP said it was all anxiety related but I knew it wasn't. Turns out it is fibromyalgia, common after a trauma and thyroid illness, which I have.

There is no blood test, more a case of ruling out other things first, like athritis/thryoid and so on.

Sorry, didn't answer your question atall!

Meant to say, I felt fobbed off for over a year. I was really at the end of my rope and felt like a pensioner, had so many aches and pains. I eventually sat down in the surgery with the GP and told him if I had a gun I would have put it to my head by now, that he wasn't helping me get to the root of my health troubles and this was his job. I basically told him I wouldn't leave the room until he helped me. But the main thing was I researched online and gave him the ideas of what I felt could be wrong, seeing as there was nothing coming from his end. It's all very well telling you what you don't have, but he now needs to find out what you do.

Sadly, doesn't mean there is always a cure for it, but treatments are out there to feel better than this.

Thank you, that gives me something to rule out! Thyroid would have showed up on blood test but i will google fibromyalgia and try not to terrify myself

I really just need reassurance from them that I'm not imaginig things iyswim?

Sorry can't offer any solution other than keep pushing for a reason from your gp.

If you know that something isn't right then you have to go back.

Any suggestions as to how I talk to them? Should I write a list? Babble uncontrollably normal procedure? Be business like? Cry???

If it helps you keep your thoughts clear take a list, but it's your aide memoire rather than a shopping list or formal agenda! Take your food diary too, sounds like it may be useful - maybe you're missing out on some vitamin/mineral that will show on something like this.

Try to keep calm and business-like. Crying/babbling will just mean you get through less in your appointment, so try to keep on track. If there's a lot to cover ask the receptionist for a double appointment (as you would for a smear etc) so you have time not to rush.

Don't do so much googling that you scare yourself or convince yourself you have a specific thing - let the doc have a go at diagnosis first, then google for things you can do to manage whatever it is - there's loads of stuff on nhs direct's website etc but loads of rubbish on the web too, so get some direction and don't believe everything you read.

Is there another GP at the practice? Sometimes a fresh look at the problem/symptoms can help. I had a problem lasting nearly 2 years that was driving me mad, I saw a new doctor at the surgery who looked at the same info and said ' I think you may have XXXXXXX, lets try this medication.' It worked and I was sorted within a week!!!!

Could it be hormone related maybe? They do funny things to us women, those hormones, not nice things either! Not sure of your age, and don't mean to be rude..could it be related to menopause?
Did he specify what the blood tests were for? Maybe you could ask what he tested for exactly? Not one blood bottle shows up all parts of the body. Thyroid? Anaemia? Kidneys? Liver? infection markers? etc.

Go back and explain what you want and if they can look into it further for you. Can't be nice to live with

Good luck and hope you feel better soon

I don't think I fit fibromyalgia as its more fluey aches than actual pain iyswim?

I hate googling medical stuff it comes up with so many scare stories and I don't always trust the websites

I work shifts so don't see the same doc very often

I wrote a list of symptoms yesterday. Half a side of lined a4! Will take it to dr tomorrow and get dp to be nice and firm for me (I tend to babble)

Thank you