Ain’t that a kick in the teeth -Part 2

[aFibber55]

In my earlier post I rambled on about raised BNP, possible heart failure etc etc. I promised to keep you updated, so here I am - with absolutely nothing to tell, as I am still waiting for my echocardiogram.

I did however have a chat with a Dr, let’s call her Dr X.

Phone call went like this

Hello Mrs K, I am Dr X. Am I phoning you about your bloodtest results?

I expect you are.

Your locum Dr (third one in 12mths) has gone travelling and we don’t expect her to return. As you GP is on maternity leave until August, you might as well talk to me.

Your tests were are all normal (all classed abnormal in my notes), except BNP, so I am going to refer you for a echocardiogram. By the way, they will tell you that the results will be available from your GP the next day. It’s more like a week, so don’t call us.

Should I go back to my usual 5mg twice a day Bisoprolol while waiting for further tests rather than reducing as discussed with the locum Dr.

You might as well.

Oh, by the way, have you been diagnosed with any heart problems in the past ?

At this juncture, I just gave up the will to live and felt like saying that I am medicated for Afib just for fun and read my notes as you might find some clues there.

Next week I skip to the chemist to get my usual bag of goodies and find that my prescription is still for the reduced dosage. The surgery receptionist tells me to talk to the dispensary, they tell me they can’t do anything without the doctor’s say.

Week later off to the chemist again. Noting for me. Surgery - receptionist - dispensary…. Apparently Dr X written a note, don’t increase as no letter. What letter from whom?? They don’t know, they will ask the doctor. Next day message tells there’s a new prescription for 10mg in the chemist, only my usual dosage is 5mg twice a day, not 10mg once a day.

I have a pill cutter and now looking to make my own 🤣🤣🤣

I am well, I did mange to bag a phone call with a Dr, I will get my echocardiogram, I am grateful for the NHS and understand they are under great pressure, but this is not an isolated incident, it’s happening not just in my area and it’s so frustrating for all concerned. Such a pity as 99% of NHS staff I have actually managed get to see face to face for the last couple of years have been really professional, helpful and pleasant to deal with, but there seem to be a lot of unhappiness, confusion and staff shortages at the very portal to all the wonderful things NHS can do for us.

[wilsond]

Yes at times I've not known whether to bang my head up the wall or theirs ! Understand the situation is very hectic but was hoping to see improvement now Covid crisis is abating. Possibly a perfect storm with staff leaving,Brexit influence on staff from abroad etc.It's so frustrating isn't it,at times I've felt quite nervy about similar to what you describe. A quick look at notes would help indeed,and the medication (🙄)

I had a letter from my EP telling me to decrease flecanide. Next script from GPs had me on double flecanide dose. Fast forward three weeks to sort it out.

As a fairly compos mentis person so I've been told ,although I did put the milk away in the food cupboard not fridge yesterday, I can challenge but for some people that might not be the same.

Hope you get somewhere soon.

[Bagrat]

Really feel for you in all this. About 30 yrs ago I did a "management course". I only remember one remark- " issues usually occur at the interface". That is management speak for "every time you hand over responsibility for a task to someone else, there is the potential for things to go wrong". As all managers should know this it is their job to have systems in place to stop it. The constant cry to nurses is " if you haven't documented it, it may as well not have been done".

We had one GP who always ran very late (now sadly retired). She had always read your notes before you went in.

[belindalore]

So sorry to hear you're dealing with this. I find too many Drs don't read our files and don't communicate with each other or us patients. And too many really don't seem to care. If you keep up with what's happening in the USA, you will see we have a severe shortage of Drs and nurses and it is predicted to get worse. We are hiring lots of foreign Drs. Hard to understand them if they have a thick accent and they get mad if you tell them you can't understand them. Healthcare is in a crises.Hope you will get all resolved soon.

[DawnTX]

Well okay now. maybe I will stop complaining. Between seeing someone waiting a year for an ablation to reading your comedy of errors I feel quite spoiled now. Actually until I moved to another state and had to pick and choose doctors and change insurance I was quite blessed. This took longer however I have learned that the doctor I was referred to is top shelf. He is also down to earth when he speaks to you and he does speak to you not at you. My waiting time for my new procedure could have been less than three weeks because of my request it was up to five again I feel blessed. Not thrilled with his PN who when she knew I had pressure and could not walk and was in pain simply told me to take a fluid pill . I tried to explain that end of things was not an issue. In fact I was fighting dehydration and body cramps everywhere in my body. She also never checked back so I’m not very impressed with her.

LOL don’t you love stupid questions such as have you had heart problems. I had similar conversation the other day with the person that gets the reports for my implanted loop monitor. Long story short he asked me if I ever had a fib before. Now the reason I had spoken to him was the fact that they were not getting reports from the company that monitors me. I had already told this guy that there was something wrong because of the severity of my a fib pains etc. and that I had just had surgery and continue to have very bad pain and he still had no reports? I could barely breathe or walk 2 feet. so for him to ask if I had any heart issues all I can say is DUH

Hang in there and thank you for sharing with some humor

[Nigel2000]

So, imagine the same story but add in co-pays, knowing your (for profit) insurance company has the final say over your care, and having to double-check whether the best doctor for you will be covered by insurance. Both systems can be nightmarish.

[aFibber55 in reply to Nigel2000]

I wonder if we all expect more than can be delivered by our health systems, whether it’s NHS in England or medical insurance in US or halfway system that they have in Finland for instance, where all health service and medication is payable, but some can be claimed back.

More and more people are proactive nowadays and we feel short changed when we can’t discuss options and small but important tweaks to our care. More severely ill patients live longer and will naturally need extra care and funds. Treatments are getting more and more expensive, shortage of carehome places mean that patients can’t be discharged, it’s hard to get home help and it’s hard to recruit nurses and doctors etc etc.

The new technology also brings its pro and cons. We are able to access our own records, we can potentially (😱🤣)make appointments online, we can have phone appointments with doctors and specialists, order medication on line, there is 111 helpline (which in my experience actually makes everything more long winded) and we can be kept informed by text and by apps. But ther is always a but and this is a big one - telephone contact can be difficult for many (language problems, hearing problems) there can be a lack of privacy as well as the call-back timing can’t be pinpointed and you might be at work or even supermarket talking about your piles and so much can be missed without face to face consultation.

There must be a fundamental problem within the system if we can’t recruit or keep GPs and most only work part-time. It’s a great leap for women to have the flexible working while children are small, but it has more or less ended the idea or a family doctor and must be equally frustrating for both the patient and the doctors as they are not able to see the cases through from diagnosis to treatment.

I don’t think just throwing money at it will be the answer and these problems are universal. A great deal of consultation needs to be done to find an answer, if there is one to be had. Perhaps we are living through a kind of transition at the moment and those of us in our later years feel the problems more acutely as we are the most “frequent flyers”.

[Nigel2000]

I think you’re right!