Where can I go if the GP will not help me?

[foxinsocks]

I won't bore everyone with the full tedious health story but none the less, for about a year, every since I suffered a nasty reaction to the mirena coil, I have suffered from terrible nausea, migraines, headaches, minor rashes on my knees and elbows and occasionally joint pain.

I must have been to the doctor (in the last year) around 6 times. I have never managed to see the same doctor twice - it's virtually impossible because you have to book on the day and take your chances. The last two visits they have run blood tests which have come back showing mild anaemia and a slightly low white blood count. One doctor thought I might be suffering from an auto-immune condition but they never tested for anything other than an ANA test for lupus which came back normal (and they ruled out the rheumatoid ones).

All along they have told me it's a virus but it can't be because it keeps coming back. This is really starting to get me down now so I went back last week and the doctor 'accused' me of being depressed and then went on to say that all my symptoms could fit under the umbrella of depression.

But the problem is, I am not depressed, I may be going that way but it's only because I've been ill for SO long and they do not seem to think there's anything wrong! Because my mum has pyschiatric problems, they seem to think this all fits perfectly and I am now completely stuck .

I maganed to convince them to give me Imigran (the migraine pill) but they have told me to have more blood tests done (same ones again grrr, iron and blood count) and when I go back in 6 weeks time they will consider putting me on anti-depressants if I'm not better.

foxinsocks how grim
can you ask specifically to se another doctor? (the one who thought about the auto immune condition). Be firm with the receptionaists - I appreciate they have rules but they must be able to make exceptions if you say you have personal and specific reasons NOT to see the same doctor again.
or you could change GP practice?
or is it possible to have a private consultation? through your employer?
or go back with a list of "things you want" - and don't be fobbed off....

I feel like I am losing the will to fight . The last time I went, I nearly burst into tears because she asked me what was wrong and then told me to go back to the beginning and asked loads of questions about the family history and I feel like I'm doing this EVERY time I go. The last 2 doctors have left the practice so it's new people each time .

I just wonder if I pay for a private GP consultation that any further tests they do will have to be paid for aswell.

how really really horrible for you fis
is there anyone you could take with you for support?

Re advance booking - that's a pain, I'm pretty sure they are required to allow you to book in advance. If you know which primary care trust you come under, I'm happy to try and ferret out their policy for you?

usually if you see a GP privately i think you have to pay for tests too but I'd strongly recommend that you ask. Again, happy to do some ringing up for you if you know a local private hospital or private GP you would like to use.

I would try to get a better service from yrou current pratice first, then change to another if that doenst work. If you go private you will have to pay for everything - so only do thsi if you have loads of ££££

What about writing down all your questions and what you want befroe you go. eg referral to a consultant? I think general physicians are meant to be best at checking out a whole range of unexplained symptoms?

Could you take a calm friend with you?

I'm not a doctor but it woudl seem to me that it woudl be normal to get depressed if you were ill for a year and had no dx or treatment yet. But is feeling down and fed up the same as clincal depression? And is it cause or effect, as you say?

you can book in advance but only for a certain time limit (think it is a week or 2 weeks) and every time I call to get an appointment with one of the partners (there are 3 - 1 is a woman who is v nice, 1 is a bloke who is completely unsympathetic and 1 is another bloke who is also not fantastic) - the woman doctor's slots seem to be completely full. I think she does a lot of family planning/pregnancy/new born appointments and they can book these first.

I could change GP practices but I'm not sure it'll get me any further because the other one around here doesn't have a great reputation anyway.

I could take dh with me I suppose. Part of me just feels completely foolish. I've never really been ill before and I'm not sick enough to be floored, I can manage to carry on, I just feel lousy.

fis, many sympathies. Giving the history time and time again is something I dread (I have to do it for dh as he finds it too upsetting). It might help to have it written down, so that instead of repeating it all endlessly, you can hand it over and then they can read it and only ask relevant questions. (One hopes).

It's hard to know what to do if you can't get past the GP stage, a private GP consultation might be worthwhile - when dh has had blood tests ordered privately, we've basically been told just to go to the hospital and have the blood taken there, saving ourselves the cost of a private nurse drawing it instead. It certainly wouldn't hurt to phone BUPA/Nuffield and discuss that with them.

A virus could keep recurring though, couldn't it? Equally I don't think that just shoving you onto ADs is very responsible. Lots of things have the same symptoms as depression, that's not a reason just to bung a label on it and not bother investigating.

I agree with HC, is there anyone who could go with you? I know how awful and frustrating it is when it feels like no-one is taking you seriously. Dh and I used regularly to come back from the GPs in tears (now we have just lowered our expectations to the point where if anything remotely positive happens it counts as a win).

Thinking of you.

I should also say that alot of the doctors do part time work so the woman partner is only in for 2 and a half days and she is well known round here for being the most sympathetic and clued up doctor so everyone tries to see her!

I'm just worried now that they are going to lump me in as being depressed (because I am irritable and upset) when a year ago when this all started, I was nowhere near to being unhappy at all.

fis, many sympathies. Giving the history time and time again is something I dread (I have to do it for dh as he finds it too upsetting). It might help to have it written down, so that instead of repeating it all endlessly, you can hand it over and then they can read it and only ask relevant questions. (One hopes).

It's hard to know what to do if you can't get past the GP stage, a private GP consultation might be worthwhile - when dh has had blood tests ordered privately, we've basically been told just to go to the hospital and have the blood taken there, saving ourselves the cost of a private nurse drawing it instead. It certainly wouldn't hurt to phone BUPA/Nuffield and discuss that with them.

A virus could keep recurring though, couldn't it? Equally I don't think that just shoving you onto ADs is very responsible. Lots of things have the same symptoms as depression, that's not a reason just to bung a label on it and not bother investigating.

I agree with HC, is there anyone who could go with you? I know how awful and frustrating it is when it feels like no-one is taking you seriously. Dh and I used regularly to come back from the GPs in tears (now we have just lowered our expectations to the point where if anything remotely positive happens it counts as a win).

Thinking of you.

thanks everyone - I think I will take dh with me next time (though he hates doctors so not sure how it will all pan out!).

thanks tribpot - this has really made me feel for you and dh and all your tribulations

dont feel you have to take your Dh if he hates doctors - if he gets angry with them ( only natural I knwo) it wont help. you can take whoever you like - i friend or other relative if you want

if your Dh will be calm and logical it might help - sadly they seem to take men more seriously

Foxinsox - just a thought, but if it could be your coil that is at the root of your problems, could you book an appointment at your local Family Planning Clinic? I did that when I got sick of getting a pill that didnt suit me from my GP and he wouldnt discuss changing it. I found the doctors and nurses there were absolutely lovely and seemed to have time to spend discussing everything, and actually listened to me when I told them things. They sorted my problems out perfectly after about 2 visits.

themoon, they took it out after 12 weeks because the side-effects were so bad. One of my (not so close) friends (who is a GP) has suggested that it has triggered a big sensitivity to progesterone as this would explain the symptoms (like an allergy).

I would call the practise manager, say that you are really unhappy with how your situation has been dealt with & ask if she can help you to make a longer than usual appointment with the GP of your choice.

thanks bugsy, that's a good idea. I might write her a letter because I'm so pissed off, it would probably come across better written down.

I agree with Bugsy - get a longer appointment - with the sympathetic doctor, write down a history of your symptoms - perhaps even include it with your letter to the manager and ask him to pass it to the doctor. Bring a copy with you to the appointment (be prepared that she might not have read it); have a list of specific questions; sound a bit sympathetic to the difficulties of identifying stuff like this but say you'd like a plan of some sort - investigations/tests; management of symptoms; perhaps diet advice to see if there is a diet realted trigger. If you're not doing it already keep a diary of what you eat, how well you sleep, whether you're stressed, and your symptoms.

i took my dh with me once- becuase i needed someone else to verify that i was indeed being articulte enough when explaining myself - i had been to doctors 3 times with sme bug that went on and on and on. i have never been so ill. i was off work for 3 weeks.

i just needed someone to say to me " yes you explained it properly, your not doing anything wrong"

and dh could do that.

foxinsocks. The symptoms you are describing could be ERYTHEMA MULTIFORME. See \link{http://www.aocd.org/skin/dermatologic_diseases/erythema_nodosum.html\here} for description.

Or more likely it sounds to me like what I have which is completely unrelated to the mirena coil (I didn't like mine either and had it removed over a year ago). I too get rash on my knees, elbows (and groin area) and terrible headaches. My doctor here in the usa (and my uk gp) diagnosed it as stress related. And sure enough if I am particularly stressed or busy and don't get enough sleep for a few nights in a row, I wake up with the rash and a stress headache. I take co-codamol for the headache and a clarityn for the rash and make my husband do more around the house for a few days. It generally goes away after a few days. I used to get this when I was a child and then didn't get it through my 20's and most of my 30's. It wasn't until I had my second child at 39 that it started again. It was around the same time as getting the mirena coil, but my mother's very smart obgyn insists that the connection was purely coincidental. And that the change in hormones in the 10 to 15 years leading up to menopause are more likely the cause (along with stress).
I think it's also related to chronic fatigue symptom (i forget what you call that in england).

The depression is probably a symptom rather than a cause. I suspect that a bit of rest and stress reduction will do a much better job of eliminating all the problems than drugs for depression.
Best of luck.

thanks Sofia

not sure my rash looks as widepsread as that but I'll certainly note it down as something else to mention

I went out in the sun yesterday and got a nasty itchy rash on my face - all very unusual especially as I'm not taking any medication (I know that photo sensitive rashes often happen when you're on certain pills).

As someone said further down, I'm now keeping a diary of all my symptoms so that the next time I see them (after the next round of blood tests), I can show them the evidence.

foxinsocks,

you are in Hampton aren't you? Can highly recommend the surgery in Priory Road if that is any help.