Consideration from GP

My husband has had a telephone appointment with his dermatology consultant which was fine can you ring your consultants secretary and ask for one ? Also shouldn’t you be entitled to telephone bereavement counselling? Surely there must be such a thing? No wonder your struggling at this time xx

I have had 2 telephone consultations with my GP since lockdown began, both very helpful and no problems. My GP's receptionist also phoned last week to check if my husband (who has some health problems) and I were coping. She even asked if we had been getting groceries ok and gave me a helpline number, just in case.

So sorry for your loss. Have you tried writing down pros and cons for having treatment this might help, I don't feel they would be encouraging you to come into hospital at present unless they felt it necessary. Remember you can change your mind right up to last moment if unhappy. Doctors must be under so much stress as well at the moment , all we can do is care. Good luck

My GP gave me my flu jab without even looking at me , he knew it was me from my odd name , but he never asked how I was since Jim’s death . I felt as if I had had a slap in the face
I would keep the hospital appointment , they take great care , and are probably kinder than that Doctor

The question really is. Can your hospital treatment be delayed. If you don’t mind. Then let the hospital know that you would rather wait. No one can make that decision for you.
I’ve had three hospital appointments during lockdown all which have been done by phone. You need to speak to the department that is going to provide the treatment and discuss your options with them. I’m really sorry your gp was not helpful. But she is probably not the right person to speak to.

Sorry to say this, but I am not too sure that your GP even realised who she was talking to when she didn't make any comment about your OH.
I saw my GP after I was seriously ill and hospitalized , first of all weekly, then monthly for a year. 6 months later I went back for yet another check up to find that he really had no idea who I was! He spent most of my consultation reading through my notes on his computer screen before a "carry on as you have been" dismissal after my 10 minutes was up.
You are no longer stuck with having to see the same doctor if there is more than one in the practice - next time , see someone else.
Try contacting the hospital and even if you can't speak to your consultant, I'm sure that one of his nursing staff will be able to give you the advice and reassurance you need.

Our GP practise is closed . They are not busy . In fact I have it on very good authority that they are taking turns doing a few telephone appointments .

Perhaps you could speak to yr specialist nurse and explain to her the GP conversation you had. Ultimately though it will be yr decision with regard to treatment. GP’s are under extreme pressure themselves. Going forward you could in future see a different GP. These time are difficult for everyone.
Good luck with yr treatment.

Personally I would write to the Surgery and say how upset you were, with both the 1st receptionist and then the Dr. I would of course make reference to the stresses and strains of current ongoing problems, but even so, you should not be left feeling so upset by someone who is basically there to help you.

I am also wondering what the doctors, consultants , anaesthetists, physiotherapists ........etc. Are all doing at the moment . They can’t all be treating the CV patients can they?

Sorry to hear this Luckygirl. Yes, all Frontliners are mega busy, but they are now asking us to keep up with our medical needs, so that we all come out of this as well as can be. In fact, they are worried that we are keeping things too much to ourselves. You should not have been treated like that. Your idea to try a different doctor is wise. Before you phone, have a list ready of everything you want/need to ask. We can't help with your medical issue, but are all behind you, wishing you good luck. I have to say that was a welcome description from the GN who posted what it was like to go into hospital just now for an appointment.

I’m so sorry Lucky but I don’t think there are many proper caring GP’s left. Most of us are just a number and a computer record.

The GPs & their staff in my area are not very busy with visiting patients but dealing with many phone call enquiries. My GP neighbour said over 3 weeks ago that it was bizarre how appointment requests had almost stopped and he was concerned that many patients would be suffering in silence with heart problems, stroke & undiagnosed cancers etc. He has recently been seconded for 2 days a week to one of the nearby hospitals.
Thinking of you Lucky. I hope you find a more sympathetic GP to talk to.

To Luckygirl - February isn't that long ago, and you need all the emotional help you can get (I've been through this, and I know.) I eventually joined something called WayUp, and found it helpful because we were all struggling with the loss of the most important person in our lives. Cruse and Samaritans are helpful, too, but might well be overloaded at present.

There is at least one online GP service called Babylon - check it out. You can find out a lot about your condition online if you're selective about what you look at, which you obviously would be. Sending you a big warm virtual hug xx

So sorry for your loss and regarding your appointment, I would give the gp surgery a last try, if there is another doctor there that you can speak to. Ring them and say that you’ve been advised to talk to a gp and the first call didn’t help you resolve the problem. If that doesn’t work out, and you can postpone your hospital treatment without any serious detriment to your health, I would do so. You have enough to deal with, without this as well.

Personally I'd go ,there are less patients at the hospitals now and you will probably get treated quicker when you are in there ,they've got handwash and precautions more people will die through not getting treatment than will of the virus ,maybe they are already and that's what is bumping up the figures,especially in nursing homes

I am sorry to hear about your experience with the GP Luckygirl. I don’t think GPS are very busy. When I asked for an appointment I was told that the GP would ring me in half an hour.

I completely understand your sensitivity and at a time when you needed a little help and kindness it wasn’t there! It’s sad to say a lot of GP’s (and I’m not saying all of them by any means) have lost that personal touch. Of course they are all under pressure at the moment but this has been happening for a long while. We are extremely lucky as one of the older GPS at our surgery is lovely. I wish you well.

just picking up a little additional comments here, re. recent bereavement and GP`s....
my dh died in November, I had to see a GP (not mine we have not choice at our surgery) as I had had a bad fall, this was just a couple of weeks after my dh had died.. the doc didn`t even examine me,, I had hurt my shoulder very badly... didn`t take my bp. (I have bp medication) so how would he have known that I was recently bereaved? just wondering from some of the comments above, that some of you seem to think the GP would know?

I could rant here... now on the tv. some doc telling us that no one is visiting A&E or gp`s and want us to! don`t they recall that just before this virus we couldn`t get a docs appt!!! many people couldn`t even get through to surgery to make appt!

they have trained us well.. keep away, we don`t care, we don`t want you.. now... oh dear! come, come , come!
sorry for the rant!

so Luckygirl.. please talk to us some more, if anyone else`s opinion helps, I find just talking helps me to make a decision on some things... hope you feel a little better now
and you are not alone Luckygirl HUGS

Sorry for your loss, Lucky. Bereavement is difficult even in better times, let alone now, when our friends and relations can't visit us.
My son is a doctor and is under a lot of stress at the moment. He told me he is certain he will catch the virus. They do not have enough PPE. His wife is also a doctor in the same practice. They have 2 adult children still at home and one has asthma, so I am worried that if the parents catch it and take it home she will be very at risk.

the thing is, a gp can't make decisions for you They lay facts out and you have to decide. The silences were for you to way up things! A very upsetting time for you.

Lucky girl,
I am so very sorry to hear of your awful experience and that you are so sad and upset .
Please dont misunderstand me if I say a little on behalf of your GP .
I am a retired GP so I know what it can be like . I also know how terrible it is for all doctors at the moment. My daughter is a GP and is often ringing me in tears at the terrible situation
I know your doctor should have done her best to be polite and considerate to you despite the circumstances... but you do not know what had happened the same morning. Apart from dealing with umpteen patients she may just have been informed that her patient she sent to hospital last week with Covid-19 has died . She may have a parent who is in ICU or even died recently....doctors tend not ot take time off for things like family death. I was back at work a week after losing my lovely Mum 2 years ago ... and not a single patient asked me how I was ( it works both ways !)
She may be feeling poorly herself .
Doctors are human .
These are difficult , difficult times .
While I am , again sorry you felt she was rude and off hand please bear in mind what the NHS is dealing with.
These are unprecedented days . Everyone is doing their best not to collapse.
Your doctor probably went home that night and cried, like so many NHS workers are doing .
Please forgive her. If she has been your doctor for a long time she must have had some good points.
When this is over , why dont you go and talk with her. She will probably be pleased to see you and may well feel able to discuss how she was feeling .
I hope I haven't upset you but saying this .
I just know how hard it is , even after years of experience, dealing with some problems when there are much bigger ones to deal with xx

Our hospital is issuing conflicting information. We had a text saying that we would be contacted before appointments to advose whether to attend. The website says to attend as normal unless in the vulnerable groups. DS has an apointment in 2 weeks, hes in the vulnerable group (i.e the same as fhe over 70s) so Im not prepared to risk it for a routine annual appointment with rheumatology.

This has made me so angry. Where is the compassion especially at a time like this when lots of people are isolated in their homes. Of course Luckygirl you have to make an informed decision and your GP should have been more helpful and no receptionist should have refused to give you a consultation with your dr. However, you still have to decide what to do so if you can I would ask to speak to another dr ,do not take no for an answer. I used to be a gp receptionist and I know that drs give the most attention to the patient who shouts the loudest. If you don’t get what you need then write a strongly worded letter to your local health authority. I’m so sorry for your recent loss but please don’t bring this back to you being sensitive. It should be on your notes you had a recent bereavement. GP’s are not busy and are taking nothing to do with virus patients , hospitals are dealing with that. Good luck and sending positive thoughts to you.

I am so sorry. One time you needed a bit of support - can understand that the GP can’t make up your mind for you BUT she could have been a bit more understanding and gone through the pro’s and con’s of having it / not having it done. You must have felt totally let down - bless you