Would you google?

Don't bother with googling at least until after your upcoming consultation, but here is a link to PALS

Definitely make clear notes of everything that has gone wrong and complain when you are feeling well enough.

Gabriella the first doc made sure she had my phone and mobile number. All my other letters came correctly but this hospital is in a different board so I don't understand it. My son thinks their IT systems are not modernised.

I probably would Google as I do about almost everything.

Yes, I would Google and then read the research papers!

I wouldn't choose a consultant till I have Googled them and read up on their special interests etc. And I'd rather travel to a consultant I'm confident about than just go locally.

I have a link on my desktop to Google Scholar, so yes, I would always, always, definitely Google!

NHS admin locally is appalling. DH had emergency admittance (heart problems) a couple of years ago. It was only after he was eventually discharged that I read his discharge docs which had incorrect medical history and next of kin/emergency contact numbers meaning if things took a turn for the worse I could not have been contacted.

Yes, I google a lot. You need to find out things and be prepared ! Good luck x

Be very careful what you search for, health-wise! Some years ago, DH had an infected knee (requiring surgery ) and I made the mistake of doing a Google search for: "streptococcal infection". Oh dear me - never again! (DH made a full recovery and was/is fine.)

My husband had a complicated procedure in hospital a few months ago and the only way I could get any info was to Google NHS sites, very useful.

great

NHS is often poor at communication. My sil has just been told that his G.P. Should have dpescribed pain relief in April. G.P. Surgery deny any notification, set appointment for end of April!

We had the same experience with the pain clinic for my poor old mum.

Waiting, waiting, waiting for an appointment, patiently hoping against hope that it may be able to at least reduce her pain a little.

Months and months went by, but we didn't make a fuss, as we knew it was overrun with others in the same situation.

Then were informed that as we had 'ignored' 2 previous letters, she would have to be referred by her gp and go to the bottom of the queue again.

I Google everything.

With regard to the missed appointments, my husband was sent 2 letters accusing him of missing appointments along with a list of how much it cost the NHS.

However he hadn't missed the appoiments at all.

I was also asked to make an appt for annual blood test /blood pressure which I duly did.

2 weeks later I'm getting another phone call asking me to make an appointment. Even though I'd just been.

I tend to google as I don't like being ignorant - I prefer to find out about my enemy, as it were so that I feel it can't take me unawares. Each to their own.

All these stories are making me very, very thankful that I am in the French health service.

Yes, annifrance. I would love to have similar health care that the rest of Europe has.

The NHS is brilliant if you've had a crash, broken a limb, having a baby.

But for other things we are lagging behind somewhat

As with regards to missed appointments, updating your records in your health authority does not mean every department will know about it. In our Community hospital, the records are on a different system to our Emergency Hospital. They do not seem to be able to cooperate or talk. Worse still, it does not seem that there is any will to change things.
Oopsminty, even having a baby does not mean that you will get brilliant service. It really depends on which hospital you go to. As a Grandmother of a stillborn where the signs were well and truly there that there was likely to be a problem, I can tell you that Southampton have an entirely different system for these things compared to other much more modern places. If my grandaughter had been cared for in Oxford, she would have lived to tell the tale instead of being dismissed as just vastly different measurements down to different midwives.

No, no and no. I would never google any medical condition, nor look it up in a medical dictionary.

Doing so would only make me focus on the worst possible diagnosis.

I hope your appointment is now safely over and that nothing serious is wrong.

It's appalling to hear of such inefficiency leading to suffering and even death.
icanhandthemback that is truly terrible.

kircubbin2000, I hope it went well for you.

I was diagnosed with an abdominal aneurism by a young, overworked doctor when I was in A&E for a stomach bleed. The nurse told me not to Google under any circumstances. It turned out to be a mis-diagnosis so I saved myself a lot of unnecessary worry.

kircubbin2000
He's probably right. No money to update software.
I do hope all goes well with your new private appointment ?but I'm amazed that the hospital didn't take your explanation into account.
Take care ☘ (no idea why it hasn't the required 4 leaves for luck) ?

NotSpaghetti
In this country (UK) you don't get to choose a consultant unless you pay for a private consultation who are, in the main, the same ones who work for the NHS on a part-time basis.

It is where I live FarNorth

Don’t think you can call the official NHS website ‘mendacious woo’ ...try that!

I googled and diagnosed myself from internet when I was called in by consultant I said I think I know what you are going to say I’ve got, I told him n he confirmed I was right

Appointment went well. She is going to watch and wait and was very reassuring.