Grey cloud - self pity depression ville! but what can we do about all the rubbish Doctor's out there

is it just me or is there a lot of us suffering at the hands of poor doctor's.

im sick of feeling sorry for myself and having to research all the little things out there that could help me and then having to go to my doctor and beg for that new nasal spray or something.

Isn't there something we can do to ensure our Doctor's are qualified to treat people like me with difficult asthma and not call it brittle without a second opinion. We should be able to do something like maybe create a new auk 'hit' list where individual gp's are named confidentially of course and then visited by one of the brilliant auk nurses and assessed.

my surgery invites a asthma Doctor in from a local hospital and trust me that's the doctor that's kept me alive - the others gave me the most unusual combinations that would shock the auk nurses when i called them up!

i currently feel like a black cloud is following me everywhere i go until flare up seven happens because until that my Doctor's won't refer me to a chest specialist!

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It's a crap situation all round, isn't it?

Problem is, it's not just asthma that some GPs are rubbish with. I know from first hand experience, for example, that there are many, many drs who are terrible at dealing with mental health stuff.

While GPs are, by definition used to treating a wide range of conditions, up to a point, some GPs have what is called a ""special interest"" - a branch of medicine that, because they are particularly interested in it, they are more eqiupped to deal with, they receive extra training etc. E.g. the GP I see about my bipolar has a special interest in mental health. I've just checked the practice website, and apparently the GP I've seen about my asthma the last couple of times has a special interest in respiratory medicine, and another one at our practice has a special interest specifically in asthma. Glad to know who's who!

Anyway I may have got off track there, but if you can find out this kind of info, and you have a GP in the asthma field, you *might* get better treatment.

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I agree with Piglet - there is poor practise in all fields, not just asthma. I could tell some real horror stories concerning cancer, geriatrics, orthoepedics (spelling?) and mental health. Even doctors who are supposed to have a special interest in a subject can be a bit ropey. When our nice GP retired he recommended I register my asthmatic son with another young GP because he had extra training in paediatrics. Well, I took son to 2 appointments (for his asthma as usual) and this GP was useless, he did the usual 'chest is clear, no wheezing' and wouldnt give son anything. As a result (and I knew it would happen) son got worse and was off school another week. We saw another GP and he was straight on to antibiotics/steroids. Needless to say, I now give that young GP a wide berth.

On the flip side we have had some lovely doctors and very good treatment. When my father in law had a heart attack and died a few months ago, all the staff were so kind and nice, we couldnt have asked for more. We have a very good GP and a lovely consultant. Have to say it is now me going to them with suggestions on treating son's asthma (mostly gleaned from this excellent forum!) but they always listen.

Don't be too down hearted Confused. I know you have no confidence in your present GP but I am sure you will get sorted eventually xx

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Im snapping myself out of this depression mode and trying to make sense of why i had to suffer so much. why i had to do so much work and pretty much self diagnose all the way.

why should we have to suffer from the stress that the gp's put us though as well as this illness.

i had to go in this morning for the Theophylline levels blood test and dawned on me that's its been three years this all started and three years of suffering! we should be able to do something to highlight these issues.

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i really feel for you as ive come across some terrible doctors in the past but i am lucky enough to have 2 very good doctors in my surgery (also another one who is a fantastic doctor apparently but his bed side manner is awful and im very intimidated by him so i dont see him unless i have a limb hanging off).im not sure that a list would work but more asthma teams that can work with local gp's might.

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I know, as with anything you get the good and the bad. But I have to say the doctors I see (apart from one which I don't go to now) are absolutely amazing. They are on hand whenever I need them and I have mobile phone access to my consultants and my nurses in the hospital whatever time it may be. They have definitely kept me alive and feeling well. It's difficult to realise just how difficult it is for a GP who rarely sees difficult to control/severe atopic/brittle asthma and then to manage it. My current doctor says she has never met anyone as difficult to control as me and that is the problem- if they haven't how will they know what to do?

I understand the cloud that follows you but unless you can get out from under it, everything is more difficult to deal with. Keep on keeping on and when you find a doctor that you like and who has time to listen to you stick with them. They are worth their weight in gold.

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hi jay, that's would do wonders. i would not have chronic asthma now if one gp was re-trained in my practice it took a visiting doctor from a local hospital to flag up my record to the practice doctor.

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the strangest thought that keeps me worried is the worried reaction i got from the visiting doctor from the hospital. she must see so many cases of brittle asthma - but she mentioned a referal to brompton when i saw my Gp that was not considered and now im getting over a sinus flare up. wss i need your gp as my lot are terrible!