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Original poster

Fobbed off by doctor what should I go back and ask for?

28 replies

SnarkyBag · 17/02/2023 12:25

Have been having bad lower abdominal and lower back pain for three weeks. Spoke to doctor over the phone three weeks ago and they said to have blood tests and said they didn’t need to see me in person. Tests back all normal this week (including one for ovarian cancer markers)

Phoned again yesterday as back and abdomen pain still bad. Another phone consultation and doctor just said the back sounds muscular skeletal and to self refer for physio and advised I go to the pharmacy and buy buccastem? I have no nausea or sickness so am a bit baffled by this.

I feel I need to phone back and insist on a face to face appointment but want to know what I’m insisting on when I do if that makes sense? I can’t do much at the minute and I’m going to struggle working next week if the pain stays at this level.

OP posts:
Orangesandlemons77 · 20/02/2023 21:11

It sounds like they are focusing on the back when you also have abdo pain, or possibly pain referred into the back?

I would call first thing and ask for a call back same day and emphasize the abdo pain, in particular if it is coming from a certain area. This might focus them a bit more.

Say it has been going on a while, also about the tiredness and being unable to function / work.

Hopefully then they will examine you and refer for an ultrasound or more tests.

Or if it gets really bad go to A&E. I have had bowel obstructions and they have been subacute (so not too bad) then got really bad and needed hospital treatment.

If you have had previous surgery adhesions are a common cause of abdo pain. Or could be anything - you need examined really.

I hope all goes OK.

MissLucyEyelesbarrow · 20/02/2023 21:32

2022again · 20/02/2023 19:31

I can more than understand this and think its disgraceful the workloads put on GP's but this person has still had to take up a phlebotomists time for blood tests, lab time for processing tests and a GP's time for looking at the results and feeding back to the patient...when you have potential outcomes that range from something that may have been super easy for a GP to diagnose face-to-face eg. constipation/gut irritation due to analgesia or a patient who may be reading far more into a situation due to anxiety and actually needs reassurance , why is face to face de-prioritised to this extent? it only creates extra work for other people within the health system and ultimately leads to mistakes, misdiagnoses and worse patient outcomes. I confess to being prejudiced as having worked in palliative care you do see the people who suffer the worst case scenario because of missed opportunities for diagnosis but I still can't see how a blood test is appropriate in this instance as first line of action (I concede the OP may well have other aspects of her history that may have influenced this decision). I am with a different GP practice to my husband and they are like chalk and cheese with availability of face to face appointments and ease of contacting the GP so I disagree that all GP's are working in this way because of necessity.

Show quote history

I bet you won't find a single patient with abdominal pain in A&E (I am also an A&E doctor), a medical/surgical admission unit, or medical or surgical outpatients who doesn't have blood tests done. Not sure why general practice would be different?

Can you give me some examples of abdominal/gynae diagnoses that you would feel confident to make on abdominal examination alone? Are you suggesting that, the next time I think a woman with abdo pain may be getting it because of anxiety, I just assume I'm right and don't do any investigations to rule out other causes?

I agree that abdo symptoms may have a psychological cause, but it's dangerous to assume that, without excluding other causes. How many women have been fobbed off as having IBS, only to find it's something more serious?

2022again · 21/02/2023 09:38

MissLucyEyelesbarrow · 20/02/2023 21:32

I bet you won't find a single patient with abdominal pain in A&E (I am also an A&E doctor), a medical/surgical admission unit, or medical or surgical outpatients who doesn't have blood tests done. Not sure why general practice would be different?

Can you give me some examples of abdominal/gynae diagnoses that you would feel confident to make on abdominal examination alone? Are you suggesting that, the next time I think a woman with abdo pain may be getting it because of anxiety, I just assume I'm right and don't do any investigations to rule out other causes?

I agree that abdo symptoms may have a psychological cause, but it's dangerous to assume that, without excluding other causes. How many women have been fobbed off as having IBS, only to find it's something more serious?

Show quote history

because the GP had not even seen or examined the patient !! that is why!! i'm hardly advocating not carrying out any other tests ,its the lack of face to face assessment i'm highlighting. A patient attending A& E or any of the other settings you have mentioned for abdo pain is seen and physically assessed as well as ordering bloods ....or do you now not bother to actually see a patient physically when they attend A&E? the whole point is that making a diagnosis over the phone leads to presumptions about cause, these may well be spot on but this person has now had 2 phone call appointments (=GP time) and despite significant pain continuing for 3 wks ,has still not been offered a face to face review (plus person hadn't even heard correctly the medication the GP had advised to try the first time). The first phone contact you may be able to justify but what about the second?

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