Hello everybody,
Can anyone enlighten me please. I have just received my copy of the GP letter from the Royal Free-Dictated and approved electronically to avoid delay. Then typed and posted, arghhhh!
Can anyone enlighten me as to what ‘please initiate treatment such as ARII blocker’ actually means?
Thanks🌼
could it be this. i just googled it. hope it helps.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angio... this link didnt work so iv added another.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angio...
Grace,
Thanks for that one, I am not a fan of Wikipedia. I figured it was something heart/bp related but needed some reassurance. I was supposed to go to Cardio on Monday, a 5 hour round trip. The bloke earning over £150k, running the RMT, scuppered that. Agreed reschedule for January on the phone, the appointment letter told me end February. Now trying to reschedule, Vivaldi’s four seasons anyone?
Kindest regards,
Mark 💐
Mark.
Forget Vivaldi, I can still remember Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons back in the 60's.
Wouldn’t mind a choice Richard, why oh why is it always Vivaldi????
Hi snoutie , do you have high blood pressure if so the letter may be asking the dr to start treatment for it, a similar letter was sent to my gp when my blood pressure was consistently raised, 🙂
Kate,
155/90, so not on the life thread side but on the high side, nonetheless. Pre-transplant I was 130/80. Tried the NHS sites but couldn’t find much.
Thanks,
Mark
Hi Snoutie. Your BP is about the same as mine. I've just been put on amlodipine 1 x 5mg a day. Alf
Thanks Alf, did yours go up after transplant too? Let’s see what Dr Sarah pulls out of the tool box. I think we are a novelty to GP’s, I’ll give her a shopping list!🛒
Mine was consistently very low in the last year pre transplant. It had been higher before. I was still on BP tabs at assessment but obviously shouldn't have been. They had to stop the heart stress test because my BP went through the floor. I thought that my chances of being on the TP list were gone. After explaining about the low BP( usually about 110/65) and still being on BP tabs they obviously took all that into consideration and I went on the list and now I'm still here to tell the tale but BP climbing again now. My BP now is higher than it was at any point pre transplant. I have to have the 12 hour monitor again sometime soon and my present BP meds may be increased.
Alf, after the drinking stopped, all nice and steady. I have issues with my heart rate which goes up to 130, normally settles at 90. The BP happened on the ward and hasn’t really settled back. ⛄️
Shame that your cardio app. has been put back. It doesn't help your BP or heart rate when you are stressed waiting for an appointment. Hope you can manage to get it brought forward. Alf
Trying Alf, even tried to sort it when I was in my last Liver clinic, same clinic, no 6 on first floor. Clinic computer couldn’t compute?? Got called when I replied to the text, we agreed January. Now when I call the number on the letter, Vivaldi’s four seasons, big sigh 😔, won’t stress. Seeing liver consultant this side of Xmas, and will try and get a GP appointment in under 3 weeks. Hopefully she’ll have read the letter by tomorrow. All courtesy of the appropriately named Mick Cash 💰, leader of the RMT.
At my GP's it's difficult to get an appointment that is less than 2 or 3 weeks away but if you ring at 8.30 in the morning they have some emergency appointment slots for the current day. I don't like to do this unless I have to but I will if I consider that my appointment is important enough. When you consider that some people will ring in and book an emergency appointment for things like a common cold or a wart on their finger then I think my actions are completely justified. Maybe your GP surgery have a similar system and you could get seen fairly quickly. Alf
Alf, the same system, I’ve used it twice since the transplant. Last time it was with an unknown Dr. but Dr Sarah intervened (my usual) and made sure she saw me herself. A nice lady and as mentioned, we are a novelty. I must ask her next time if she has seen a liver transplantee before? It will all get sorted, I am confident.
The only issue I have is if you want an emergency appointment the receptionist insists on knowing why, GDPR cuts no ice!
My GP surgery have never dealt with a liver transplantee before, neither had the district nurses that called a couple of times each week to re-dress my op wound. Yes, it's annoying when the receptionist sees reason to ask why you want to see the doc. It makes me feel like going through every tiny health issue I have leading up to the bigger ones and in doing so drive the receptionist into such boredom and despair that she will in future just slot me straight into an appointment without question!! Worth a try!! lol
I managed to crawl to the surgery to get the dressing done, thrice weekly. District nurse, round here that’ll be VirginHealth Care, well Dickie is a local lad....nein danke.
Mine was supposed to be seen to thrice weekly but district nurses are thin on the ground now. Got 2 here covering an area that used to be covered by 7. My wife often saw to it in between their visits because it continued to bleed for 11 weeks and sometimes it could be a bit whiffy and that's not a good thing!!
Alf, arghhhh, thought I might follow your ‘go through the minutiae of your condition with the receptionist and bore them into submission’ - avoid! I gave her the full works and bored myself. The reply was no emergency as this is ongoing, you can see your Doctor, December 27th. Explained that I needed my blood pressure taken and ARII blocker treatment instigated. Well I can get a doctor to call you or you can have a 19:15 appointment at Fairlands, where on earth is that and I am not driving in the local traffic nightmare in the dark and rain. How is the Doctor going to take my blood pressure on the phone 📞?, I just need to see someone. OK, I’ll hand you over to the deputy practice manager, come across him before, f*^kwit. So, you are refusing treatment??? No, I just want to see a doctor, within walking distance. Lost the will to carry on with this Orwellian nonsense and said I would accept the call. I then spoke to the transplant coordinators, they were unhappy and said turn up at 8-30 tomorrow and insist on an appointment, OK, I’ll try that one but I’ll also phone the practice manager. Also tried Primary Care, call 999 or speak to the practice again......
OK everyone, next time tell them you have a compromised immune system combined with what looks like an infection on your ingrown toenail.
Also we are OK with co-codermol and codine, good news for teeth 🦷 extraction.
Hi Snoutie. It's disgraceful what you are having to go through to try and get to see a GP. I know that the GP surgeries are overstretched but they ought to see patients when their symptoms have some urgency. You can see why people turn up at A & E or phone for an ambulance! Good luck with it all. Alf
Alf,
Plan B was A&E, I am adverse to go there during the day or evening unless in an Ambulance. Did you follow all the posts? With patience, I got there. Stress = bp increase. NEVER go down the bore them into the submission route. Compromised immune system with an infected toe nail is the way forward. Still laughing at the deputy practice manager, are you refusing treatment, donut 🍩. No I am trying to get treatment, December 27th doesn’t cut it, sorry.
All good, calmly got under control 🤗
Glad you got seen. disgraceful that you had to go through all the stress of it!
But its a privilege and not a right........right?
Yes, I got my treatment, all good. Extremely privileged.🤗
A further question Gizmo, do you think that giving the receptionist articles and paragraphs of current legislation regarding patients rights under current legislation would have got me to a doctor sooner? If you have knowledge and experience of this, I think that it would be useful to us who read this forum?
They told me this is so they can direct you to the best doctor for your condition, don't know if it's a bluff or not
Yuiop,
Bluff me thinks, overstretched. Last emergency appointment I got due to bleeding itching, again all sorted. My GP stepped in and took over the appointment. It’s getting past the b^*+h on the switch. Nothing complicated in a bp and blood test and bp medication. My mistake in that I thought I could bore her into surrender, avoiding any issues for future appointments. Next time just go down the immune/infection route🤕
Hi mark, that’s roughly what mine sits about with treatment but I know the transplant team say they like the bottom figure to be below 90, I think In my case it’s medication related, I never had a problem before transplant either but it just continued to climb post transplant, I’m now on 3 different medications for it, best get it sorted to be on the safe side as it can affect your kidneys, take care 🌸
Yes, they are keeping an eye on my kidney function, pre-transplant they didn’t like the diuretics. BP, definitely post transplant. Onwards and forwards/sidewards not backwards.
Three new meds, just bisposperol at the moment
Thanks Kate 🌷
Kate,
Read the wrong letter, BP is 164/101, if you look at my last post,I can’t get a GP appointment. Transplant Team not impressed. If I make no progress today, A&E early tomorrow morning.
Glad you pointed out they don’t like the bottom number over 90.
Mark.
Wait - what? Your BP is 164/101 and you might be going to the emergency room/department at the hospital???
Snoutie remember the team at the royal free always encourage you to give them a ring if there is something that you don't understand ..so give them a ring and tell them you don't know what it means
Adelou,
Funnily enough that is on my to do list today. I am just waiting for the morning rush to calm down before phoning the GP’s surgery and am going down Alf’s path of boring the receptionist into submission. Trouble is that after 10-15 minutes of Vivaldi’s four seasons, I’ve normally lost the will to speak.
Do you or anyone else know if we are OK with co-codermol? I am also going to ask the coordinators about this. Hospital dentist next week, the soluble stuff seems to be the most effective.🤕
Thanks everyone, all sorted. GP monitoring both both bp and kidney function, picking up meds shortly.
As stated, tell receptionist that you have a compromised immune system and think something is infected.
Just waiting for a call from the practice manager regarding her deputy, are you denying treatment? Err no I’m trying to get some.
Glad you got it sorted
Hi
Glad you are sorted, bet you were worn out by the time you got an appointment. There have been alot of complaints about our surgery but I think I must have been quite lucky. I usually get a taxi to mine so that I'm first in the queue!!, Cos they know me and how many things I've got wrong with me they are very good at fitting me in. Love and hugs Lynne xxxx
Lynn,
Mine is a short walk being going there nearly 30 years. It’s the one particular lady on reception who is the problem, the rest are normally OK. We all know her around here. Someone was groaning the other day, she was eating all through the ‘give as much information as you can’ phone call.
Mark
Hi
Very professional ! Not!!!
How are you this morning? Take care Lynne
Lynn,
No problems, it’s important to not stress and I am happy that everything is being dealt with.
There’s always one!
Look after yourself, and the antihistamines are really doing the trick.
Mark 🌷
We can take paracetamol & codeine which is what is in co-codamol. Just have to be careful with the dosages. I was told I could take both paracetamol & codeine up to 3 times a day (instead of the usual 4) I usually start with paracetamol and then take codeine later if needed. Note that co-codamol comes in 2 strengths. One with 8mg codeine per tablet which you can buy over the counter and one with 30mg codeine which has to be prescibed by your GP. Watch out for constipation as its a common side effect.
Jans,
Thanks for confirming. I actually took the soluble co-codamol after ‘extraction stage 1’ but was nervous, as codine converts to morphine in the Liver. I was on a morphine pump in ICU after being transplanted, but under used it, as I was worried about the constipation, that was foolish.
I did check with the coordinators mind, all OK, they emphasise no Ibuprofen.
Thanks again Jans, wasn’t aware of the actual dosages. Ready for stage 2, soup for Xmas.
Re BP, your local chemist will check it for you. You might have to make an appointment to return later in the day but its better than the 2 week wait to see a GP. Of course they can't prescribe any medication but can reassure/alert you. I have my own BP monitor at home, good investment.
Like you get extremely stressed, annoyed, frustrated with our GP appt systems and it would be so nice to see same doctor rather than different one each time.
Absolutely agree with the appointment system, without being rude, why do you have to get passed a non-medically trained, receptionist to get to see a doctor. Pharmacy next door did the bp yesterday, they know me. Blood tests booked in and pick up new meds on Monday. Royal Free coordinators suggested buying a blood monitor, right off to fight my way through the Xmas shoppers!
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