GP's have lost my letter..!! :-(

[LauraB_04]

I am, to say the least SO angry with my GP right now! I saw my Gynaecologist (general) at the end of August for a follow-up, at which time he agreed that I need to be passed on to a BSGE Centre, so he duly wrote me a letter with my accompanying Laparoscopy pictures to pass to my GP for the referral.

Initially I had intended on waiting until I move to Suffolk when I get a new GP to get the letter sorted, but decided to just go for it & ask my current GP to start the referral... He said this was no problem, just drop the letter in... So last Monday I did this, thinking all was well & good on the way. When I chased it up yesterday the secretary said she would look into it, as she couldn't see anything on the system..... Called back later... GP hasn't seen the letter.... she'd look for it..... Call back this afternoon... still can't find the letter... OK so I'll ask my previous hospital for a new copy... but my notes are off-site now, so they'll have to request them back!!!! And the GP secretary still can't find it....

Is it just me, or is this totally unacceptable practise - for a Surgery to loose a patients notes which is personal information?! I told her I was really unhappy & upset, and she reassures me she will keep looking & I mustn't get upset about it...!

Sorry for the rant.... it's so frustrating when every day brings pain & you try and do something to speed it up... only to be back at square one! :'-(

L x

[Little-e]

I sympathise as I too seem to have that sort of luck but your Gynae should have sent the information direct to your GP not get you to take it in but you should still be able to phone your Gynae and tell them to send a copy across direct,, your Gynae could have also referred you himself in August to the BSGE. It seems to me they are passing the buck and as a consequence wasting time, Had he have referred you direct in August you most likely would have had an appointment through by now to see the BSGE Gynae. Hope you get it sorted, Good Luck😊

[LauraB_04 in reply to Little-e]

Hi Little-e!

I understand what you say about the Gynae, BUT... the reason he did it in this way is because I am getting married & moving to Suffolk (currently in Devon!), so we decided it would make more sense to do the referral from my GP up there when I got one.... Probably my fault for deciding to get the ball rolling down here with my current GP Surgery in a way, but it's so hard when you're in pain all the time & I wanted to try and get things moving quicker

Unfortunately the problem is my notes are now off-site from my old Gynae Hospital, hence the added frustration that they will first have to request them back before I can even get a copy to my GP Surgery.. Grrrr!

Thanks for your reply x

[Blossom79]

I too am furious with my Gynecologist consultant, I have had lower left abdo pain since December 17th last year, and i have since gone through a barrage of tests and procedures, i was referred for an investigatory Laparoscapy. However, when i arrived (the op was on my birthday so you can imagine i wanted this to be sorted out) the gyne consultant doing the op tried to talk me out of having it, her reasons ? because i had had a laparoscopy before, (sterilisation) I explained that my gp wanted to rule out adhesions and Endo and she carried on trying to get me to not have the op. I remained adament i was to have it... any way I had the op, no adhesions or endo, but I did have a whopping great hole in the wall of my muscle, which she sewed up as it could have caused a hernia.

While in recovery, she told me i had a huge amount of "enlarged blood vessels and I want to try you on a temporary menopause to see if it helps your symptoms I will see you in 12 weeks!" long story shorter... 12 weeks on i see her and she shows me pics of my inside and there are FILSHIE CLIPS on my fallopian tubes.... I had been told i was given the "cut and tied" method, my doctor had wanted me to have a MRIS scan at one point but fortunately for me it had been postponed.

Fast forward another 3 months and i have the appointment to discuss the injection for the temporary menopause, i see a different consultant whom i ask about Post tubal ligation syndrome in case it was a possibility that it was causing my pain, she said "Its just a name they give to pain that cant be explained!" Im like oh ok so the women who have the op reversed (have the clips taken off) and say they are no longer in pain are lying, all 50,000 of them riiiight!

Anyway she said your clips arent on your fallopian tubes anyway! she showed me the pictures (completely different to the ones before and my husband (who had come with me) said... "So where are they? and why werent they found during the op?" she just said its fine sometimes they stay on and other times they come off and they just become inert, but they could also embed themselves into any soft tissue in there too!!

So I ponder this and i speak to my GP who immediately thinks they have shown me the wrong pictures, - i had assumed that the first consultant had shown me pics of just after the sterilisation op. So now i get a snotty letter from the first gyne because i have requested to seeMY notes. Im sick of it.

[Blossom79 in reply to Blossom79]

Oh i forgot to mention I am having an X-Ray today to confirm (albeit in 2D) where they are, it should be quite clear if they are in about the right place. because i dont trust the consultants to give me the truth, my GP even sent me to a different hospital because I think he is on the back foot with the hospital too. I trust him far more than the consultants. Lets face it SOMEONE showed me the wrong pictures but they were definitely in my file so i dont know what the hells going on!

[LauraB_04 in reply to Blossom79]

Hi Blossom79,

So sorry you're being given such a hard time!! It really isn't fair to be treated like that, but at least your GP is on your side - that's a big help!

The frustration for me is also in the my GP Surgery has all changed around & my 2 previous Dr's who knew me really well & would have done anything for me are no longer at the practise Really gutting as I know there is no way in the world this would have happened with them!

My most recent Gynae isn't the one at fault - if only it was it could pretty easily be fixed by a visit to the Dr referring me elsewhere... It was my Gynae that suggested the BSGE, so he has his head screwed on the right way round

I really hope a different hospital helps you - It's so horrible not knowing what is causing the pain! Hope today goes well for you - keep fighting! x

[Blossom79 in reply to LauraB_04]

Hi,

So i had the X-Ray done and the guy showed me it straight away and its terrifying to see the filshie clips in relation to your insides they are HUGE. They are however in about the right place, so it might be one of them hurting it might not, but one thing is clear i was shown the wrong photographs.

So i have drafted a letter to my gynecologist explaining why i was so upset and added i dont know if i am to apologise or the doctor who scared me witless with the photos that werent even mine!

[Stellauk]

Very infuriating ! At least you called to chase up otherwise more time would be wasted! My NHS GP is also completely useless. When I had a wound infection post operation they won't give me an appointment for 10days!

However, I did receive excellent care from BSGE centre. You may have to travel for this as there is no BSGE centre in Suffolk. Hopefully you will get sorted soon.

[LauraB_04 in reply to Stellauk]

Thanks for your reply

10 days for for infection! That's shocking! Glad I pestered them, but almost scared to call again!

Yes, my nearest centre will be Colchester, so could be worse! My fiancé is willing to do anything to help though, bless him x can't wait to get an appointment and hopefully some more help

Did you have a lap with BSGE centre? x

[Stellauk in reply to LauraB_04]

Yes, but was referred to one in London.