Doctors!

You can ask for a second opinion on the nhs, I think. Might be worth pursuing that first off.

How annoying that the person who is there to look after your health and wellbeing didn't want to even look at your xrays.
I can't imagine a chiropractor would recommend surgery for something that wasn't necessary, as it wouldn't benefit them in any way.

It makes it difficult for you to know who is right, and in the meantime you're suffering.
I think you need another opinion, so I would keep the private one, but try to keep in mind what has been said.

A bit harsh response re private consultant. I ended up having a private consultation re my knee and I was kept completely informed. There was no question of 'just going ahead as its money in their pocket'. I was shown the X rays. I could see clearly the degeneration. It made sense of the pain for me. I'd thought I'd just need exercises. GP with a chip on his shoulder? My most recent surgeon told me, sadly, that he and all his colleagues had private medical insurance. Not a ringing endorsement of NHS orthopaedics I'm afraid.
Others please note the private work was done outwith NHS working hours.

A dexa scan shows osteoporosis, doesn't it?
Could you ask for one?

I get the definite impression from GP that he won't refer me for anything except nhs physio, for which there is a six week wait. We don't have medical insurance but because I am prepared to pay from savings GP seems to think I have more money than sense so why should he bother?

But maybe it's just that this debilitating pain is warping my world view!

Thanks for your support, consultant is next week so will see what he says.

I have at least just managed to stand for long enough to chop an onion!!

Think I’d ask to see the practice manager and register a complaint then see a different GP. Having an x-Ray already should save NHS money. When referred for physio for osteoarthritis two years ago the physio wouldn't treat without seeing an x-Ray. I was told first step is always physio then consultant if needed. There’s no reason you should have to pay for this, please complain and persevere.

I would keep the Physiotherapy appointment , they are very good at sending scathing letters to GP and will want to see X-ray and scans

I had a similar issue with my knees needing replacement, kept being told only slight degeneration, so why was I in so much pain? Happened to bring my knees up in conversation with my auto immune specialist as the degeneration was caused by my condition. She referred me to a trauma specialist at guys, I was seen quickly xrayed and Mri'd and informed I had zero cartilage left in my knees, given date for operation. Saw my gp who tried to dismiss her view as her being young and gung ho etc because he's worried for me, I know that but I'm in agony so decided to go ahead. Trouble was life intervened and i was admitted to hospital in August with internal bleeding so the Operation due in September had to be postponed. You can and should ask for a referral to an orthopedic surgeon and let them decide. GP's are trying to protect their budgets as well as treat you and conservative treatment is their preferred option. Persevere with it and insist they help you.

My friend could almost have written the first post. She helped a relative move house and thereafter was in acute pain. Was fobbed off by GP for some months but eventually got an appointment with a consultant who booked her in for a hip replacement within three weeks. Such a transformation! Worth persevering.

My GP insisted I had bursitis and gave me Anti-inflammatories , which ended up with bleeding internally , limped on with Paracetamol and every one but me could see I needed help . DD1 dragged me to see GP and it was a temporary Doctor , she sent me for assessment and I was put on the emergency list . I can't tell you how it changed my life . At my last review I was told I did have bursitis but it doesn't bother me since I got my new hip . The x-ray showed my hip was non existent

My friend was told she needed a hip replacement by her gp a few months ago.
She left things, but the pain has been terrible again.
She saw a different gp who says he thinks she has a hernia, and definitely not a dodgy hip.

The first step in getting any replacement joint around here (Norfolk) is always a course of treatment with the physio. I believe its done to weed out the non-urgent cases. It doesn’t work of course, the pain is still there and back to the doctor you go to say the pain is still bad, the painkillers aren’t strong enough and you want a referral to a consultant please.

There is a lot of pressure on the NHS for replacement joints and it does seem that doctors will try to postpone operations for as long as possible. I would say persevere. Do the physio - it won’t make any difference but keeps them happy - then keep going back and be a nuisance!

Complain to practice manager. After complaint acknowledged, state you want to see another of the GPs in the practice. Then ask them to look at the x rays taken, and either repeat the investigations, or refer you to the hospital.

If the "diagnosis" is wrong, you need to know that, and if it is correct or seemingly correct, you need to have your function and pain assessed to make a decision on how your condition will be managed going forwards.

Physio is also the first line of referral here for those with suspected hip problems. You used to be referred to orthopaedic consultant, but not now! If you have an arthritic hip it just delays the inevitable. Many hip problems can present with pain in the groin initially, and not in the back at all. To satisfy the criteria for referral here you also have to score high enough on the Oxford Score for knees and hips. You can check this on line, and they also keep moving the goal posts on that here, to save money.

Lazigirl - thank you for the pointer to Oxford scale. Have just done this and scored in the severe category so have saved page to show the GP as further ammunition. The thought of being this crippled for the next six weeks before I can even see the physio is filling me with gloom.

This is quite a common attitude among a few GPS. I had exactly the same thing with one at my own GP surgery. I felt I wanted to shout at him he was so ‘off’ and could understand how a less controlled and more physical individual might have reacted violently.

Do what I did. See a more sympathetic GP. Generally I find woman make much better doctors.

My brother had a similar issue. He had been in hospital for a week on a morphine drip and sent home with codiene and oramorph for the pain with sciatica. When he came home he was sent to physio via his GP. The physio said he couldn't work with him as he was in too much pain and he wrote a letter to the GP advising a MRI scan to find out what was causing the problem.When my brother went to see his GP she refused to send him for a MRI and just handed him a script for more codiene pain relief.!!!

The only other alternative is to pay. This is what I had to do for my first knee replacement as deformity meant the x-ray didn’t show much arthritis, I have a high pain threshold and I could more or less walk a little way (on the flat, no slopes, no stairs and no distance with a stick). Worse examples and people who shouted louder were leapfrogging me in the consultant queue so I never got to see one.

I paid £150 initially to see the consultant privately and get his opinion. That’s worth it alone. It was then my decision to take the leap and use my “dementia fund” for a new knee in a couple of weeks rather than wait six months. I was very fortunate to have the savings to allow me to do this. It gave me a summer I wouldn’t have had otherwise and my choice of surgeon for my second knee. (I asked my GP for a Named Referral.). That was done this year on the NHS so I count it as a BOGOF!

Physio is a "hoop" you have to jump through here before you can get NEAR an orthopaedic surgeon.

I would go, bring your xray, and ask the physio to re refer you to the surgeons.

The surgeons here basically use the physios as a triage service.
It must be SO frustrating for the physios but thats the way it is at the mo. You have to fail at physio before you can get an initial appointment with the surgeons. So GPs are sending people to the physios who are not physio candidates! (and people who DO need physio can barely get seen due to physios inflated workload!)

Definitely get a second opinion before paying to go private, I was also dismissed by my GP initially and sent to our local hospital for physio when I went to see her about my painful knees.
It was awful as the things the physio was recommending were impossible for me to do and caused me more harm than good!
Second GP I saw was much more understanding and referred me to a specialist who initially did X Rays then an MRI which diagnosed me with severe arthritis which no amount of physio was ever going to cure!

With the correct management now including steroid injections which have been so helpful I am coping much better, I know eventually a knee replacement is on the cards but for now I can function and am happy to have been taken seriously, I have an open appointment next to go back to the specialist if I feel things are deteriorating further.

I had to fight to be heard but it’s well worth making a fuss when you know there is something serious going on, good luck X

I said I was going to go for a private referral to a consultant and GO just shrugged and said if I was prepared to pay of course consultant would say that new hip would sort the pain as it was money in his pocket
Mrs JamJam that’s a disgraceful, unethical and totally unprofessional remark by that GP.
I agree with muffin that you should complain. And then don’t see that GP again.

I am so sorry to hear about all those who are being fobbed off when they are in pain.
I think if you can afford it, it’s well worth seeing a consultant privately because you will get an honest opinion, unfettered by NICE guidelines, which, it is becoming increasingly clear, are nothing to do with ‘clinical excellence’ and everything to do with clinical rationing.
MrA was fortunate to have a hip replacement on the NHS 3 years ago, after forceful badgering of his GP for a referral.
The consultant said that early intervention would be best, so that the pain on the affected side wouldn’t lead to abuse of the ‘good’ side, which could lead to unnecessary damage and the need for subsequent surgery on the other side. The physio he had seen completely agreed with this approach. DH has been able to resume all his walking, cycling, tennis etc & surely that is healthier, and saving the NHS money in the long run, than becoming increasingly immobile and sedentary.

MrsJJ I hope you get on ok with the consultant next week and you can agree the way forward. Good luck

You can get trapped going private ad its not always possible to switch back to NHS without going back to the start of the referral process.

I dont think you should go private anyway. I think you need to "work the system". Go see the physio, go for second opinons, go back and back and back until you do meet the criteria

See a different GP - definitely do not go back and battle with the same one. She/he needs to look at the x-ray results and act on that.

I do not think private consultants do unnecessary surgery - they would soon be sussed if that was what they were doing. And orthopaedic surgeons are not short of hip customers!