Changed GP Three times in 12Months

[Itsmedi]

Another GP Surgery, Same old Treatment, Uninterested, Lack of Understanding, Made to feel I was wasting his time! Fobbed off with the "well if you lost weight you`d be well! " I Give up!

[Shedevil_kt]

Ha my last doctor said hey it's only fibromyalgia get over it what a joke. And talking of saying its weight issue when I got referred to professor Rodney Grahame the idiot social led specialist said that he thought my knee issue was due to me being too heavy. Proved him wrong idiots they really are I feel your pain I just started at a new doctors I have not been to one in ages I stopped going to see them .but fingers crossed new one seems quite good. Sorry to have dabbled on a bit.

Katie.

[LindseyMid]

It is often the case with Fibro that the patient needs to become expert so that they can lead the relationship with the GP and educate them. Obviously that doesn't work with all GPs - I have had GPs myself in the past who refuse point blank to do things or who even say they are doing things when they're not. But if you really can become an expert patient, it's a lot harder for GPs to fob you off, particularly if you work on how to talk to doctors.

If you can go into the GP and sensitively demand certain tests or referrals or treatments and then have enough knowledge to make them try to explain if they say no, it can lead to a better outcome.

The whole silly weight issue (Fibro is not caused by being overweight - many people who get it were very fit when they did get it and only put on weight afterwards!) is a good example actually.

GP says:

"Well if you lost weight you`d be well"

Expert patient says:

"I am getting increased pain when I exercise. Could you refer me to physiotherapy so that they can show me how to best exercise without causing a flare-up?

I have also read on the NHS website and on the website of a Department of Health Information Standard accredited national charity that there is a lot of evidence that hydrotherapy can benefit Fibro. Could you also refer me for hydrotherapy as this will also help me control my weight or is this something that physiotherapists would do in this area?

I am currently taking amitriptyline and I feel that this has not helped my weight gain and has increased my craving for sweet foods. I understand that this is a common side effect. Could we discuss alternative medications I could take if I came off the amitriptyline or could you refer me to a pain management clinic/Fibro clinic at XYZ Hospital/local rheumatologist with an interest in Fibromyalgia so that I could discuss this with them"

If they say no, ask them to explain why they do not think such a referral is appropriate. GPs have to refer if they are not confident in managing a patient's problem. It's in the modern version of the Hippocractic Oath.

If they still point blank refuse (which would be rare when approached in the right way) then you can ask them to log on your records that they said you need to lose weight, you asked for referrals to physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and a specialist clinic to help you achieve this goal and improve your symptom management and they have refused to do this. You can then bring this up with the practice manager and PALS (it would rarely get to this point as GPs really shouldn't do this!).

In an ideal world, all doctors would be well educated about all the problems we may have and they would support their patients through all aspects of their care. That hardly ever happens though, especially within the NHS, so patients need to become expert patients and take control themselves.

The Becoming An Expert patient articles that I wrote on the page below are now quite old but are still mostly valid:

fibroaction.org/Pages/learn...

[Itsmedi]

Its no wonder Fibro sufferers end up with Depression! Whatever happened to patient care, concern & Responsibility? You babble on as much as you want love, All us fibromyalgia sufferers need half the time is for someone to listen.

Diane x

[MichelleF66]

Not changed GP's but if I had a £5 for every time in the last 13 years I was told "you'll feel better if you lost weight". It makes my blood boil... It's the medication that caused the weight gain and frankly NO it does not make me feel better when the weight is off. Would they tell someone who has mental health problems to ' pull yourself together', I think not! They just see you are overweight and assume you eat lots, they forget that with Fibro comes arrested mobility as well as medication causing fluctuations in weight. So I understand exactly where you are coming from. Hope you find a GP with empathy and knowledge on Fibro.

[Mercion]

My GP ignored me when I told him that losing weight might give me a little of my energy back. So now I'm sat in a waiting list for gall bladder removal, miserable with my shape and feeling like there's no hope.

[Ruth14]

I had read in American reports that thyroid problems were also part of fibro. Although thyroid reading results are normal. I took this to one gp who agreed to try me on thyroxin. Ended up having the thyroxin raised 4 times as tests kept coming back as border-line. What a surprise after years of being told my thyroid was 'normal'!!! Am now on 200mcg a day and up it when my energy levels start falling again. (gradual over months). It has made a big difference to me..... can get out of bed most days now Still have awful days if I have done too much physically tho.

[LindseyMid]

Hypothyroidism is one of the things that can be mis-diagnosed as Fibro. Many GPs are unaware of how many conditions there are that they can test for, but that might not show up in blood tests in the early years.

[joyous]

hi there yes some docs do not even understand what Fm entails .I had the same doc for years my daughter sort out a doc on the web for me i changed and wow what a dif to my life with the right meds and i was sent to a pain clinic at a hospital I am not cured not by a long way but my pain is controlled up to a certain degree ,i now suffer with sacro iliac joint dysfunctional wondering if any of you have this complaint xxxx

[joyous]

christine i was relieved to get an official name to what i was going through .Like you i was sent to hospital to see a rhumy haha he certainly found all the pressure points told me it was Fm gave me a leaflet and told me ring the number when i got home ,I did ring this number and an older man came on to chat to me 40 mins later i was still no better off all he talked about was himself and i had to pay for that pleasure Never again xxxxxx

[KEH85]

I joined our local Support Group and asked the Chairman if she could recommend a good doctor and have never looked back. I f the GP is up to date with all aspects of FM/CFS/ME etc. then you can get the compassion and understanding you need.