Hope you are all doing as well as can be expected,and keeping warm😊😊
Today,I had an awful experience with a new dr at the hospital.
My first visit too🙁
I was confused as to why my old gp had referred me to a consultant,the consultant said it was because I had a chronic cough,(according to the notes he was reading,from back in July),Jesus,I have trouble remembering what occurred yesterday,let alone 5 months ago🙁
Then I remembered that in January last year I had the worst flare of copd.
And most of this year I have indeed had a nasty cough because of it.
So I must have seen my old gp about it.
Plus,as we moved home in April and my old hospital is so far from where we live now,I had to change hospitals so was discharged from queens,and had to wait 18 weeks to be seen here.i was getting very confused at the consultation😩
I've had numerous antibiotics,steroids,this year but nothing touched it.
My new gp's surgery is brilliant.i went for a copd review in October and saw the nurse who was very concerned about my cough,and gave me some doxycycline tabs.you take just one per day,for 7 days.
At first I still had a slight cough,but now it has gone completely.
He did listen to my chest today,and said it's clear.
Had I had any scans etc from my old consultant?
I said I had a chest X-ray in Feb,which I am assuming was normal as I heard nothing.
So,he discharged me back to my gp.
Gave me a form saying I've been discharged,but forgot to mention I was supposed to drop it off in reception,so now I will have to post it😡
I got a very abrupt "goodbye", and that was it.
Why do these docs treat you like that? Don't they understand you are nervous as hell,waiting 30 mins past your appointment time makes it even worse.
Really has upset me.
My husband said I wasn't very clear in my answers to him🙁
So it's his job to make me feel comfortable surely.not act like I'm some kind of idiot.
Rant over.
I hope you all understand what I'm trying to say.
Xx
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Fantasy3
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Not a nice experience Fantasy3! When I'm feeling nervous or my brainfog is bad first thing I say is "I'm sorry but you'll have to be patient with me I'm not firing on all cylinders today". I also have a book which I record every single medical appointment, test, procedure etc in, where and when they were, it's invaluable as like you I can't remember anything.
I write everything down so I don't forget, Especially for the Hospitals I have to go to every 3 months. I always carry a list of meds in my Handbag along with Pink card, Donor card,Ambulance card...Hope you get things cleared up soon, Good Luck xxx
Lol, your brain fog must be bad..... Telling the doc he must be patient indeed. YOU are the patient , he's the doc.
Now, just how long have you had this short-term memory problem?
Thank you, you made me smile, a great way to start my day. 😁
Excellent idea to record everything. I've thought of going in, planting a little voice recorder on desk. It does make anyone think twice about what they say. Haven't had the nerve to do it yet though, seems like I'd be gathering evidence, a bit extreme. I'd rather get along with people, not put them off. Mind you, one or two rude, insensitive ones I know might deserve it 😊
Yeah my brain fog can be very bad as I have lupus too, however I'm never rude, and find that saying this at the very beginning leads to a more productive time for all.
Sorry this has upset you Fantasy. You need to write all your concerns and questions down whenever they occur to you. Then before any appointment, assemble them into a list of points you want to discuss. It really helps - and get your husband to write down any answers or info you are given.
Hi, I saw the consultant with my Mum in May this year for the first and probably only time. I recorded what was said because I knew I would forget and was so disgusted with the lack of care. All I really wanted was for the consultant to explain to Mum what COPD is and what is going to happen.
I swear you can hear the penny dropping in his head towards the end of the appointment when he actually listens to me and realises I am not expecting him to cure my mother, which is what he heard somehow, but asking him to explain to her that if she didn’t start looking after herself then the time she had left will be even shorter.
Just about every medical professional I have spoken to has initially been patronising or rude and treated me like a moron at first.
I would definitely go with a list as suggested and always go with someone else.
I have a suspicion that recording appointments without permission may be slightly er, illegal, though. Sue me.
It's awful the way you get treated isn't it? I always thought the nursing profession was meant to be caring.or don't consultants come under that.
My last consultant at a different hospital was very nice,took the time to listen etc.
My other half came with me.
He wasn't much help,saying I was confusing the bloke🙁,telling him that I do between 6000-10,000 steps per day on my treadmill,when he asked how far I could walk.
I just wanted the bloke to know I don't sit on my butt day in day out.
I hope your mum finds the answers to her questions.
Phil, you do know that "End Stage" COPD doesn't mean what it sounds like? Scared the pants off me when s surgeon I went to see phoned his anaesthetist, while I was there, gave her my details, including COPD, End Stage. I went a bit cold, had never heard it before - and didn't have the courage to ask when he put phone down. Lifelong coward! That was 3 years ago. I did eventually Google it and it's not exactly simple, more that you have all the symptoms, max meds etc and your lifestyle affected. Take a look at healthline.com/health/copd/...
I've been on supplementary oxygen for years, can't walk (for other reasons) have a pair of massive hernias (long past their danger date but my lungs would not survive surgery) a couple of squashed discs - and I've just survived a month in hospital, sent in for a non-existent suspected kidney problem but despite the NHSs best efforts to eliminate me as "natural wastage" making me ten times worse than when I went in, I've survived! Finally being chucked out on Monday. With luck!
So don't despair of scary words. I've no idea when I reached End Stage, we the patient are not told these things as only "professionals" can understand them. We get the pat on the head and told not to worry. Which worries the hell out of me. I just agonise over what do they know that they are not telling me?
I am afraid for an 80 year old diagnosed with COPD 4 years ago and on LTOT for the last 3 years, 2 hospitalisations this year and an FEV1 of around 30% that end stage is pretty much end stage.
Mum is prescribed everything she can be but may be just beginning another flare up so back on steroids.
Strange thing about it is that the symptoms of what is happening change so much, just to keep me off balance I think. Glad I am here to look after her.
Sorry to hear of your bad experience. Ive thankfully always been lucky, drs do need to understand our condition. we live with it and dont need patronising. Hope better luck next time
I'm sorry to hear about your troubles and the unpleasant experience, I believe that many health professionals at that level really really need a refresher course in PR and bedside manner!!...we know they are overworked in the NHS but I'm a retired midwife and I know all about being overworked (wasn't earning a consultants salary either)....it costs nothing to be kind and reassuring.......keep well and I hope your next experience will be an improvement....
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