Can you say more than one problem at a doctors appointment?!

[EssJayyCee]

I have left things for too long and I now have alot of issues that i want to address.

Is this allowed? I feel like the doctor will get annoyed with me for listing.

@MorriseysGladioli

😂😂😂

What you can do is make another appointment for the following week (double if needs be). Then tell the Dr the list of things, say that you know they can't all be covered now but you have another appointment soon, and ask which sound the most urgent for today? If by some miracle you get through them all then cancel the next appointment then and there.

My GP practice is great. Never been told I can only mention one issue. It would seem less efficient for a patient to book three appointments for three issues rather than quickly mentioning them all if they are minor. I do sometimes start by saying ‘there are three things I quickly want to ask you about’, and then I’m to the point for each one. With those GPs who only let you discuss one problem, how do they know that the one you’re not allowed to mention isn’t the most serious - unbeknown to the patient?

@SeaViewBliss

Case in point. I am currently in the waiting room at my GP. My appointment time was 70 minutes ago. Only three people have give in before me and they’ve all taken at least 20 minutes.

I’m not annoyed (I am hungry though) but if every person takes this long, the Doctor is never going home!!!

Bless you - I am a GP and sometimes feel like this. Sometimes I have people say at the end of appointment that they have found a breast lump, or have chest pain or are suicidal - you have to deal with that. I once told someone they had terminal cancer and the next woman complained I was running late “ my time is important” - she had a cold.

Hope your appointment goes well.

Yes I agree. Tell doctor up front you have more than one thing, writing down is good - gives dr a feeling for what may be linked. Tell the dr what is most important to you but be prepared for them to say I am not worried too much about your sprained ankle today but we need to talk about your rectal bleeding...

I'm over the moon today.
I phoned the doctors to ask about my last few blood test results, and they want to speak to me.
Almost 2 years, 2 knee xrays and a tube of canestan later!

@MorriseysGladioli. Well done. And remember, grab on to that seat and don't move off it, even if they drag the chair into the corridor. 😉 Hope it all goes well.

Could you use the e-consult service? Most GP surgeries use them now. Then you could do an e-consult for each issue.

Remember GPs are allocated 10 minutes for an appointment, so if you bring up multiple separate issues they cannot all be properly addressed in that time. If you have several things going on ask for a double appointment, and tell the GP at the beginning of the appointment what your list of problems is. They may not be able to work through your entire list even in a double appointment, but at least you can agree between you which is the priority to deal with first, and what can wait until another day.

This is so ridiculous. How are patients supposed to know that their digestive problems and sleep disorder may be part of the same problem. Ridiculous medical practice.

My surgery doesn't have that.
I checked a while back.
I'm hoping I'll get somewhere now.

@moonbedazzled, it's a phone appointment, but I'm living in hope of getting some semblance of my life back on the strength of it.
Fingers crossed!

@pbdr

Remember GPs are allocated 10 minutes for an appointment, so if you bring up multiple separate issues they cannot all be properly addressed in that time. If you have several things going on ask for a double appointment, and tell the GP at the beginning of the appointment what your list of problems is. They may not be able to work through your entire list even in a double appointment, but at least you can agree between you which is the priority to deal with first, and what can wait until another day.

Really none of it can wait. I had to stop my neighbour phoning an ambulance for me on Saturday. I can barely get about, barely breathe, am losing weight, covered in a rash, sore eyes, going bald and swollen up with fluid. Legs, arms, neck... all pitting when pressed. Doc seems to pick the easiest thing. Oh, a rash. There you go. Cream. Thank you!

@Dawsonforehead

GPs do not appreciate lists! In the 10 minutes there is just about enough time to discuss one problem properly, and examine you if needed. It's not good practice for GPs to skim over multiple problems as none of them will be covered properly, so my advice would be to lead with the problem causing you most concern. I hope your appointment goes well, book further appointments if needed.

And what if, for instance, your several separate issues/symptoms are relatively trivial in isolation, but when put together they point to a serious condition which might go undiagnosed?

Like my late mother's anaemia, her tiredness, her stomach bloating and her constipation. Her GP didn't join the dots with that one, and she died.

Mine wasn't a list when I first went.
It's become a list as the months have passed, since the first issue has never been resolved, and others have happened along the way.