Today being monday would take an act of god to get in to see my doctor.
In oct I go abroad so I've contacted my doctors ( by email) this morning about them giving me a quick going over to see if I'm fit to fly ( this is mainly for my own piece of mind as I go away twice a year and have done so for several years now) Anywho back to my point .I recieved an email back saying this medical would be outside of practice rules and not covered under NGS guidelines so a charge would be implemented, I read email and decided to mull it over, within 30 mins a doctor has phoned me and guess what ? I have an appointment to see a doctor at 3.30 today , lol
If when I walk in my doc has a card reading machine on his desk and is rubbing his hands like fagin from oliver I shall burst out laughing tap my pocket and say " money talks eh doc".
My point being I accept the NHS doesnt cover everything but who has been denighed an appointment by me quick " fitting in" should I feel guilty ? .
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soulboy118
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Thanks sassy, sometimes we can be insensitive to the needs of others especially when it's something we need but I guess that's just human nature ,but we all try and be better .
We do have great copd nurses if its urgent and they will see you the same day or give you a phone consultation but seeing a doctor at short notice is difficult , especially after a weekend
Don't feel guilty but I think that your practice are on a very sticky wicket with what they are doing. They have a duty of care towards you and that includes ensuring that you are fit to fly when you have a known condition and flying may be a risk to you. Saying that it is outside NGS guidelines to carry out this duty towards you is disengenuous to say the least.
I think fitness to fly certificates for what is deemed holiday travel are under Nhs guidelines chargeable items,of course assessments like the hypoxic challenge tests to determine whether you need oxygen to fly and at what rate can be arranged with your consultant free of charge,one of the vagaries of the system i think LP but if you are in general good health it always best to obtain one and it may be be suitable evidence for insurers and others in lieu of a G.P's statement.LP. x
I am pretty sure that you are right about the certificates but soulboy wasn't asking for that. He just wanted a 'look over' to make sure that he was ok for his trip and didn't maybe need a change of med or some abs to take with him. I don't think they should have charged for that. With bronch I don't need a fit to fly cert. The joke is that before I went to the US this time I went to my practice because I have been feeling off it and had blood tests I wanted the results of. Had to see a doc who doesn't know me. She said tests all normal ( they aren't) and suggested I take a multi vitamin! You can't win and frankly I really don't trust and have very little respect left for GPs. I battled on and am still battling on trying to get to the bottom of it without the non interest or help of the GPs. This of course is inevitably costing me money. Oh well, we are all in this little boat together and have to keep helping each other to paddle.
Some years back, when I wanted to fly to the other side of the world, I needed a check to see what injections might be needed and a doctors letter, stating that the meds I would have with me, were required by me and not being smuggled in. Injections were free, and the letters had to be paid for. The NHS has always had the weird divide about what is free and what not. Does not show up so much with doctors, but dentists more obvious.
On my frequent visits to South America i always needed to pay for my yellow fever jabs and any antimalarial medications or basically any jabs that were not specific to healthcare in the UK.
No need to feel guilty. The docs usually leave s9me slots open for V.IP.s!
My surgery keep one or two appointments free every day. You have probably got one of those! I'm going away in October too. I phoned my consultants secretary, he had a look at my notes and said I was fit to fly etc. Have a great time!
Ridiculous your local housing needed a letter off your doc to fix a tap , I can understand a letter if they was going to make a bathroom into a wet room or easy accessible shower but a letter fgs , I hope your proud of your tap lol
I don’t think it is unreasonable to pay for reassurance that you are fit to fly. If you haven’t got such assurance and you are ill on the flight then your travel insurance would probably not cover your expenses. In any case, if you are under the care of a consultant you could probably have had a ‘fit to fly ‘ examination on their instruction. If you are are asking your GP to decide whether you are ok to fly then you are asking for confirmation that you are ‘fit to fly’. Hope you enjoy your trip.
You don't say what level of COPD you are? You sound like you only have mild or moderate level of disease so can fly without supplemental oxygen being prescribed.
I think GPs do not do a 'fit to fly' test themselves but they can tell you your blood oxygen levels (SATS) by using a pulse oximeter, a little gadget that is put on the end of your index finger. If your blood oxygen levels SATS are 95 or below, I think they would refer you to your local COPD team or similar for oxygen assessment which might take weeks.
A blood sample is taken which will give a very accurate reading of your SATS which drop about 15% in flight. From this it can be determined if you need supplemental oxygen to fly, or if you need ambulatory oxygen in daily life for things like walking and exercise.
You can have a much more thorough 'fit to fly' test which you might have to wait months for on the NHS but you can go privately which might cost around £200.
I'm at stage 4 james , luckily my stats are always at 96, 97 ,these stats drop when walking obviously to around 92/93,never had oxygen and I have 18/19% lung capacity left but according to consultant what I do have left works well, at test I'm find but once I get slightly active I become breathless, a lot of my problem with flying is I think stress during the flight and as we know stress and copd are not good bed fellows.
You have good SATS Soulboy. Hard to believe you've only got 19% lung capacity. Maybe a mild sedative would help on the flight. Good luck with the GP and holiday
As we know not everyone with copd is the same , I'm very lucky to not be on oxygen and as I've said my sats at rest are 96 / 97 with a heart rate of between 68 to 75 , I do tai chi every Wednesday, gentle paces on a friday ( with difficulty I might add) and after I return from my hols I'm starting a pul rehab course on a tuesday and thursday , I eat well get 4hrs or more sleep a night ,believe me listening to other people with copd I realise how lucky I am .
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