Stomach bloated three years

[Uglyduckling1585]

I've had a bloated looking stomach for about three years now, it makes me look about six months pregnant, I've been very slim my whole life and this looks awful. I've been house and bed bound for almost four years and can't eat much so I don't know why I have this awful gut. I'm 58. Before this I was just under ten stone now I'm over eleven, it seems the weight has gone straight to my stomach. Would post a picture but can't get the hang of doing a selfie pic.

So phone again.

Is this perhaps why you have been in this situation for so many years as you are not pushing for help.

Be insistent. If they don't call you back, call again.

Stop being so passive. If you really want help, then you have to start being more assertive about it.

I agree that you need to keep contacting the surgery to get the help you need.

This is really concerning. Unfortunately you need to be really pushy and pro active in trying to get the help you need- I have severe and complex rare autoimmune issues, I’m on the longest and highest award of PIP long term to give you some idea of the severity. If the doctors aren’t calling you back you need to keep ringing - several times a day if necessary. Speak to your local council and ask for a social care assessment. If you’re housebound and your husband has just had surgery they should provide a carers assessment which should lead to more advice and support. Don’t just accept a no or if they don’t call back don’t just think “oh that’s that then”. It took me years of battling to get the support I have now with my health needs.

You should call 111 and explain your problem. That call will be logged with your surgery, which together with your request for a phone consultation should trigger someone to contact you. But you need to approach that phone consultation in a much more positive attitude towards the help that your doctor can offer you. You seem to have adopted a belief that for some reason no one wants to help you. It sounds as if you have complex needs, some of which may be urgent, some may be physical, some may even be emotional. You need to be honest about this with whoever does contact you and accept the help that they can offer.

Can you get to the hospital when they refer you though?

@Uglyduckling1585 has your partner come home from hospital yet? And have you been able to contact anyone about your health concerns? I hope all is well with you.

My partner was released from the hospital yesterday and is staying with his mum for several days, I haven't seen him for nearly two weeks. I have finally managed to get in contact with the surgery and originally they gave me an appointment for 28th April but when I said the symptoms were quite concerning they changed it to next Friday (phone appointment). Thank you for your concern, hopefully it's nothing serious, I saw my sister in law last weekend and showed her and she seemed to think it was normal for my age and the fact I haven't been mobile hardly at all for three years.

Good luck with your appointment @Uglyduckling1585

Thank you, I missed it by a second so will have to contact them again for another appointment.

How are you @Uglyduckling1585 ?
I hope you managed to talk to a GP.

I asked for a GP but got palmed off with a nurse. Had about eight minutes to talk and she was doing other things as was on speaker phone and kept fading in and out. I didn't have a chance to tell her all my symptoms. She didn't seem concerned and asked several times if I have to wee a lot, I said no it's hardly at all, sometimes once in 24 hours. She did mention something about a blood test but don't know when that would be. I'm thinking of contacting a private GP, hopefully they would have time and let you talk.

That doesn't sound right.
I wonder if you are struggling to articulate your symptoms on the phone because what you have written here clearly shows that something isn't right.

Doesn't your GP practice have an online portal where you can write your smptoms down? You could write it all on a word document and have time to edit it and think clearly what points you want to put across. Then you could copy and paste it into the portal.

Is your husband out of hospital yet? Could he help you write it?

I had all my points written down but as soon as I tried to speak I got tongue tied and she interrupted me so that threw me off completely. I've always hated using the phone and she was clearly busy doing things while talking to me as she faded in and out and was clattering things. I don't think it's too much to ask to have ten minutes of someones attention when you have health worries.

I've no idea if the surgery has an online portal, I'm terrible with technology so wouldn't know how to go about it. My fiancé is back home and has three months off work to recover, but he's just as hopeless with technology as I am 🙄😂