Why flu to GP?

I think that some people may over visit their GPs but equally some don’t go soon enough. I had what I thought was a very odd but bad cold but felt genuinely dreadful, and worried about a secondary infection, so went to the GPs (trying to hide in the waiting room away from other people) and was roundly told off by him as I had double preonia (his diagnosis confirmed by X-ray).

I have heard of a few people who have had terrible symptoms for up to ten weeks but haven’t seen a doctor and who, in my opinion, need def to see one to eliminate a worse diagnosis.

?

PS We didn't use the antibiotic. The combined painkillers worked and the infection cleared up.

How many other people have been given this (and other similar) useful information, I wonder? And if not, why not?

PS for clarity, the GP thought I was too ill to have come to the surgery and should have rung for a home visit! But having been brought up in the ‘soldier on and don’t complain way’ I just thought I was being pathetic about a bad cold. ?

If one can survive something for ten weeks without seeing a doc I presume one thinks it'll get better eventually and that during those ten weeks one was able to carry on at least basically normally. There's ill and there's ILL. We should be able to tell the difference most of the time, I feel.

Ninny charging people would stop the very poorest accessing treatment! Even £10 is a lot if your income is tiny!

If I had to pay a fee I wouldn’t be able to go it’s a hard choice somedays do I buy food or gas .
I have worked since age of 14 and paid in over 40 yrs but still can’t get my pension until I am 66
!!! Another 3 yrs can’t get PIP they say I can work even though some days I can’t see .Was retired from work after working for them for over 20 yrs because they couldn’t support me in my illness due to the fact I was a danger to myself and others .
No pension tax credit because no pension .
Because I can’t get to job club no money .
Wellcome to 5th richest country.So glad I paid in for others to come and live here get pension etc when paid in nothing .Rant over

Sussexgirl60 you are spot on re the unwittingly abdicating responsibility for our health due to having a national health service. It's almost as if the nation's health is the responsibility of the GP from birth (not everyone thinks like that of course).

Bathsheba. You were prescribed Ventolin to keep your airways open .It was/is a precaution.You had a virus, you had a cough which could have developed into something more serious.

I am not sure that all hospitals are so strict on your health before an operation, the place I am going to a private provider who provide for the NHS. They do knees, hips and eyes and the physio needed. They also want everyone to have spinal block (epidural) instead a general. Horrors! Their reason being that they have no intensive care. Well they are in for a shock I am going to a general there is no way I am going to be awake, even under sedation, while they saw and drill my knee! Must say though they are efficient, no delays, free car parking and tv.

ML54 I think one of the reasons patients try for 'their' doctor is in the hope that they might get a bit of continuity in diagnosis. The quick flash through a patient's history is not remotely as good as personal memory and a link to something that previously may have occurred. However, I no longer even know who 'my' doctor is in our local practice. They change so regularly. Last time I even had to ask if the one I was allotted was male or female. As to 'time wasters! Who are we to decide? I'm of the old brigade who was taught not to 'bother' the doctor. A couple of years ago I went when I felt I wasn't making progress. I was severely chided for not coming sooner and was whisked into hospital straight from the doctor's surgery.
There's the trade-off: a quick perhaps unnecessary visit to the doctor or a costly and inconvenient stay in hospital. I sure don't know the answer but seems to me the regular and often inaccurate statistics thrown out by the media certainly doesn't help.

I have worked in both GP Surgeries and A&E Departments and it never failed to amazed me just what people would insist on being seen for.

People shouldn’t go to work either, but how many employers expect people to soldier on regardless? Maybe they NEED a doctor’s certificate. Same with dangerous weather conditions: police may tell people not to travel but millions of people will have their pay docked if they don’t get to work.

I have had both knees done, and wanted a general anaesthetic when I had the first one done. Was talked into having a spinal block. Went to sleep shortly after going into theatre and woke up in bed afterwards without any problems. Much better than a general. Same with the second op. It's much less dangerous than a general, especially if you are elderly, and I would recommend it.

But on the other hand I had a friend who died from cancer. She never went to the doc on principle (was proud of it) and it was only when she collapsed in great pain and her friend called an ambulance that she saw a doctor. She had had symptoms for some time and had she seen a gp earlier it could have saved her life. Extreme case I know, but to say don t bother gp or charge for appointments is just wrong.

My thoughts exactly, if you can get to a GP you don’t have flu, I struggled to get to the loo when I had it. There is so much ignorance over it, you hear people all the time saying they have flu when really they have a cold.

I had a cold a couple of weeks before xmas and the cough has only just gone, one of my ears was blocked for a couple of weeks but I didn’t bother the GP, I just had to wait for it to go. Obviously if people start having trouble breathing or get chest pain it needs to be checked. But a cough following a cold is par for the course. I think some people just panic because of the media banging on about it.

And unfortunately, living in an age-restricted complex the older generation use the doctors as if it was private healthcare. ie I cannot sleep and call an ambulance!

In the Country where I live, firstly you cant get through on the phone, then when you do if you are lucky to get through before the phone time has expired, you need to press so many buttons to be then told they will ring you back at a certain time, and then if lucky you get an appointment in a few days/ weeks, if you dont turn up you still have to pay! it costs £10 for each visit to your GP, no just popping in and spreading your cough cold flu etc.

Re payment at the point of treatment/connection, although I hope we don't go down that path, I do wonder how poorer people manage in other European countries where charges are made up front.

I think this culture of visiting the GP for every little thing has become ingrained in some people on the back of every little piece of advice regarding health matters in the media is ALWAYS followed by the immortal words "check with your GP". Is this genuine concern for us or just covering their backs against any compensation culture claims? In any case, it seems to have an infantilising effect on those who can't or won't think for and take responsibility for themselves. I'm a fervent believer in the NHS and think we all have to be aware that we might lose this most precious of resources if there isnt a shift in attitude to see the NHS as a precious resource rather than a commercial customer service.

Working people - after 7 days they have to provide a GP note for their employer.

Retired - possibly the only person they will talk to that day that will listen to them and make them feel “special”

Hey barmyoldbat. I've had both knees replaced with epidural and highly recommend it. You won't remember a thing and your recovery is much quicker

We have lost touch with all those ancient remedies, been encouraged to use medicine from the drug companies...

I've also noticed in most if not all articles you read that if you don't improve within a week go to the doctor. Of course in some cases it is imperative you don't hang around. However sinus related problems and other obvious problems are not going to clear up within a week. People need to use their common!

As has been pointed out, if you have the real 'flu' you cannot even get your head off the pillow, but again, if you are elderly or susceptible to breathing problems, you need keeping an eye on - but it's all down to common sense.

Coco51 totally agree if a sick note is necessary you need to see a doctor as some of us are still expected to work and made to feel guilty if we can't get in also jenwren hit the nail on the head many of the older generation do treat it like private health care I worked in a surgery and for many a visit to the doctors fills in some time and was a bit of an outing

Jenpax yes perhaps £10 too much but perhaps a nominal amount and a fine if you do not keep the appointment. I used to work in a hospital and you wouldn't believe the number of people who didn't turn up for their appointments. It probably wouldn't work if Conservatives brought this in then at the next election Labour would say they would cancel it. I'm only on state pension myself.
Antheacarol rant on I feel your pain I had to wait for my pension and I agree others come to Britain who have paid in nothing and seem to have everything handed to them on a plate including health care.