I finally got test results after a 5 month wait and the letter wasn't detailed with the results. Just basically 1 line saying with normal. And then another line saying no more further follow-ups needed?!
Is this normal? Do I not need a consultation to discuss the test results. None of my questions are answered and I'm still not well. Very confused, so I rang up and receptionist said that I've been discharged from clinic. Didn't receive a letter notifying me of this and no more appointments booked for me. Am I right in saying I should be having a consultation with my cardiologist? Feel like I've been dismissed.
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Beccamiles
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I can totally understand why you would feel dismissed but from what has been said they feel everything is ok and now this is what they tend to do
I understand you still do not feel well and as they seem to have handed you back over to your Doctor I would make an appointment and ask if they could explain more about the results and tell them if nothing is wrong why do you feel unwell and what can be done next to check what is making you feel as you do
But know this is how they seem to do things now and it is not you been dismissed but the way they seem to do things nowadays
It does seem abrupt but they are so overloaded now I think when there is nothing wrong that is about all you get but the Doctor possibly will have more and I know 3 weeks seems a long while but it will soon go quick and the results were good enough for them to discharge you so try not to worry even though easier said than done sometimes
It is not correct and not how the process should ever be conducted. All I hear from friends and neighbours the same story. They are under pressure and having to direct resources where needed, BUT if you had been told when the tests were arranged, that if tests are normal you will be referred back to your GP (which takes 2 seconds!) patients wouldn't be left feeling like this, at a frightening time in their lives when they need care and explanation.
It didn't happen in my day!! and I am sorry to hear this is happening to so many patients. Make a face to face appointment with your GP and briefly tell him at the start of appointment that you are upset and worried and would appreciate it if someone can explain results to you and what happens next.
I do not agree that there is always a need to discuss a normal test result with a consultant/GP per se. Tests are often used to rule out conditions as much as to confirm that one exists. For example, temporary loss of consciousness (TLOC) is either heart or brain related. If a GP refers a patient for a brain scan and the result is normal, then the next investigative avenue is cardiological. Clearly, if the OP is still suffering from undiagnosed symptoms then a discussion with a GP is warranted.
With respect, you are conflating two issues. No one should have to wait months for a test result; however, sadly it now happens all too often in my experience. If a patient is still suffering from an undiagnosed condition then he/she should seek further guidance from a medical practitioner. Clearly, in the OP’s case, the cardiologist reviewing the test results does not believe that the symptoms are cardiac related. Given that many patients are waiting months for a cardiac referral, it is not good use of a specialist’s time imho to discuss a normal test result.
FWIW, some consultants are very good at writing detailed letters post every consultation (copied to the patient). Conversely, I can show you a hospital discharge letter post a 5 hour operation to remove a pheochromocytoma that was just a list of abbreviations (eg: POCXR).
A one lined letter with no details seems quite off to the details letters I was getting just for a 24hr Holter monitor test. I also got a consultation 2 weeks later to discuss the results for that which picked up Ectopic beats. But nothing for an ECHO which needs more of an explanation. I would have appreciated what they were looking for, etc. in the letter. Yes, 5 months and 2 months of chasing and now I have to wait another 3 weeks to have my Dr go over the results. I had COVID which has caused health problems and started of bad episodes of palpitations.
Definitely follow it up with your GP. Maybe even chat with the BHF nurses on line or phone call to get some reassurance , they are brilliant and I’m sure you will you great advice and peace of mind.
I went to my GP , after building up the confidence ,, as I was experiencing a fatigue that was wiping me out most afternoons. I found I was working round my small holding then coming in , sitting down for a break and falling asleep and not doing any of my usual weight training routine , just felt absolutely tired . This went on for months. I thought it might be my testosterone levels dropping.. A locum discussed it with me, I had blood tests for thyroid , B12, sugars, testosterone etc ..I got a text to say blood tests were normal . That was it , nothing more .. 6 weeks later I came out of a yoga class and felt very strange.. I then had nstemi heart attack, angiogram showed 3 blocked arteries .. all the medics I spoke to said the fatigue was a big sign of a cardiac issue and that it should have been picked up if other tests were normal. I ended up with quadruple bypass and I did write to my surgery to let them know of the association with fatigue and cardiac problems.
If you have been discharged back to GP care as indicated by the cardiologist's secretary and you are still feeling unwell you should now go back to your GP as others have said to take matters forward, whatever that entails. Your GP may have further information from the hospital concerning your test results and the outcome, in addition to that which you have already received, and you are entitled to receive a copy if you wish as far as I am aware, noting I receive copies of all correspondence between hospital and GP either on the NHS app, or by hard copy. The fact that you have waited 5 months to receive your test results and an effective discharge is really disgraceful, in spite of the rhetoric about the NHS being 'under pressure', and you may feel it necessary to complain, as I would do, although I have to say I would have been chasing them up long before the five months were up.
I chased my results for 2 months and didn't get anywhere. I normally get a detailed letter but this was basically a short sentence. I have questions to ask and was told I'd receive a consultation at the end of my tests.
Unfortunately this seems to happen a lot when nothing unusual is found on investigations and tests.
If you still have the problem/s which took you to your GP in the first place you will need to go back to your GP. But it might help if you monitor yourself and keep a note of your symptoms, how often the happen, how long they last, what helps or makes them worse etc - this will give you some evidence to share with your GP and may help you spot any patterns.
Tests are often fairly specific and only show a limited range of what is happening in your body. Sometimes different tests are needed to show different aspects, but if doctors aren't sure what to look for it can be hard to pick the right test. So sometime more info needs to be gathered before the right tests are used. Sometimes there is no test for identifying a problem so lots of test are done which rule out the obvious (spotable) issues - a sort of reversal of the Sherlock Holmes principle, he ruled out the impossible to leave the highly improbable, the NHS rules out the most likely (or easiest/cheapest to treat) first then moves on to the less likely, more expensive to diagnose/treat.
Unfortunately I can't book a gp appointment at all.Our surgery does urgent appointment on the day after a long wait at 8am.Its so annoying because often these appointments arnt urgent ,we just need to have some questions answered.
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