Be Proactive about your health issues

SueDonim , I don't know where your doctors surgery is, but that was definitely not the case with mine. I also think you have to be very wary of diagnosing yourself. People can also Google stuff, it then causes them alot of anxiety.

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Interesting SueDonim

On the contrary, Franberg, today's doctor love that patients get involved with their own condition by looking up their problem. Very often the patient is correct in their self-diagnosis. My dd is a medical student and that is the model they are given. There are barmy websites out there, yes, but if you go via the NHS and other sites recommended by your GP, you'll find good information, often far more than a GP will know. Doctors use exactly the same websites as their patients will look at.

Knowing your own body well is of course very good. Having a list of symptoms when you go makes communication much clearer. 80-90% of a diagnosis is made on the patient's case history as given to the doctor, not by examination.

When I needed some gynae work I asked my doctor who would he send his wife to for a consultation with possible surgery to follow, and was well treated with fewest possible side effects/long term effects.

Our surgery has a triage system too, but when I phoned on a Friday with an asthma attack which had suddenly become bad, and needed a prescription for steroids quickly from either an asthma nurse or the nurse practitioner or a GP, which would only take 5 minutes, (if that) the triage nurse (who sounded about 12) told me to phone 111 or go to A&E because there were no appointments at all, not even a telephone appointment, for 3 weeks. I didn't need an appointment, just the steroid prescription which I have had before.

Clearly he didn't realise that asthma can quickly be fatal with any sort of delay.

However, much as I wanted to report him, I dare not complain in case I am blacklisted.

I would not advocate 'looking things up on 'Dr Google'. Can well understand and sympathise with any GP or any other Doctor getting fed up with being told by patients that their computer says they have such and such, etc.
Being pro-active does NOT mean this, it means knowing and understanding your own body and this will give you a good understanding of when things are not going right. Then writing down symptoms, etc if necessary keeping food/weight diary, and taking that to GP. The more good information you can give your GP the better it is for them to make an appropriate diagnosis. Yes, it does cost your GP practice for you to be referred to hospital and for scans etc. and these should not be treated lightly or as first recourse.
I was quite okay with having anti-biotics for four weeks, only then was I able to deduce that whatever was wrong was not responding to these and by writing everything down, clearly and concisely, the GP was happy to make an urgent referral to hospital.
I find myself very concerned about people who keep looking things up on the Net, so much of the information out there is totally inaccurate and often downright false.

thats kind of you Gonegirl

I can understand her not wanting any hassle. Not easy when you get older. I hope she picks up soon.

Whilst I respect my Mums feelings.

I would say to anyone who isn't happy with any diagnosis, to pursue things further. We think Docs are right all the time, but lets face it, they can also get a lot of things wrong.

thankyou Gonegirl my mum is very independent likes to sort things herself etc. Over last few weeks she has felt nauseous/bilious . I said I would go to the docs with her on Thursday last week ( only day I had free) but what does she do rings me up on Tuesday saying I decided to go docs this morning, he gave me some anti sickness tabs.

I think my mum thinks if we see this certain Doc I will say something! Because I did say "and when we go Docs I wont! be fobbed off with Paracetamol"! She cant do with any hassle right now. But I do feel angry.

Bikergran that is truly awful. Do you feel up to complaining? Surely you would have a case. I wish your poor mum all the best.

My mum now 84 been fit healthy all her life.

Over the last maybe 2 yrs she always seem to have this dry cough that would never permanently go away.

On the few occasions she went to the docs (they normally sent for her) not the other way round, she would mention this cough!

Doc (same one) would say ohh don't worry just take Paracetamol which she did.

Moving on to about 10/12 months I mentioned to my mum she sounded bit out of breath when chatting on the phone.

Over last 10 months her weight has dropped, her cough still there and breathlessness.

Because the swimming baths were closed this certain morning she though Oh I will go Docs with this cough (also she had been struggling to swim)

To cut long story short she saw a DIFFERENT DOCTOR who sent her straight away for x ray, asked was she in pain etc.

Turned out she had fluid on her lung!
went in and had 2 litres drained (very painful)

The had to go in again to have further 2 litres drained and biopsies (again very painful for an 84 year let alone anyone else)

The outcome!!!

My mum has MESOTHELIOMA Cancer in the lining of her lung.(this diseases takes years and years to show itself)

Whilst even if this may have been caught earlier there is no cure, I am fuming that the Doc kept sending pissing her off with Paracetamol!

My mum went downhill not eating etc etc but hopefully now picking up a little.

They did send her for scan which also picked up and Aneurysm 7 cms long and 4.2 cm wide!!! if they had sent her for scan earlier then maybe they would have done something about the Anerysm I don't know.so now we don't just have the cancer but also a ticking time bomb!

We know our own bodies and Doctors should stop! fobbing us off, if you think there is something wrong they have a duty! that's what they are paid for to look after us! to look after our! health.

Take someone with you Dottydots

Tillybelle sounds like you disagree with the majority on this thread and don’t agree we should be proactive ?

Yes, Whitewave, I think you are right and that I must push and pay for a consultation. The trouble is I'm not very assertive and will probably be walked all over again.

When I suspected breast cancer I had to visit the doctor 3 times to convince them that it needed further investigation.

Persist!

dotty ask for a referral. Or if he won’t play ball say that you will pay for a consultation. £150 would be worth it if you can resolve your distress

I have had bad headaches for months and feel they are connected to my stomach, where I am having problems. It's the same old story, though, that the doctor will only talk about one thing on each visit. I despair. How am I going to ever get a diagnosis? Again, I left the surgery in tears, with a prescription for more pain killers.

Anja I didn't know that about Jeremy Hunt, but I'm not surprised. He probably resented that anyone actually used the Health Service. I take issue with his complaint saying people should "look things up". For a non-medically trained person to have to do this about their symptoms, it leads to unnecessary worry. Not everyone has access to the internet or the right books either. It is a terrible thing to say and most irresponsible. But then I am not surprised, given his views on most things.

BlueSapphire. Oh Blue! I am so sorry.

I only got my cancer diagnosis after making an appointment at a private hospital and paying for investigations and procedures. GP treated me for IBS and piles and just dismissed my concerns.
Scans are brilliant but do not always show everything, my scan did not show the full extent of the tumour. Fortunately my surgeon was very thorough and I am here to tell the tale.

Our surgery has the triage system, 9 doctors most work part time . If you want to see a doctor quickly the receptionist decides how urgent your need is.

I had a home visit in July, a very nice GP, his mobile kept bleeping so asking questions was very difficult.

I went and saw a locum, I had two issues and when I went to discuss the second one I was told I would have to make another appointment, one issue per 10 minute slot!! Another one would not examine me when I went with rectal bleeding, (he said it was not very pleasant for either of us an told me to buy some ointment for piles!). I hope he didn't make it as a doctor! My normal GP's are not like this I hasten to add and have always listened, they are excellent.

Sorry to read that BlueSapphire

I’m heartened and quite surprised at the trend of this thread. I remember when Jeremy Hunt made a similar suggestion that the discussion on GN was quite anti looking things up and taking responsibility for your own health. Perhaps an understandable backlash again him as Health Minister.