Medication query

[Lizangellus]

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia approx 8 months ago after a lengthy process of elimination. To date I've had 1 appointment with a rheumatologist who asked me a few questions, manipulated my knee joints and then confirmed I don't have rheumatoid arthritis at the moment although my rheumatoid factor level is high, the issue is with soft tissue. I heard nothing back, no action plan, no review etc so after waiting for the report to be sent, as advised by the specialist, i contacted my gp 6 weeks later who had no idea I'd even saw the specialist and hadn't yet looked at the paperwork. Basically, she then sent me a prescription for 100 Zapain pills, to take x2 tablets 4times a day to be reviewed after 6 weeks. My gp will only renew this prescription every 28 days which clearly, when you do the maths, is not enough for daily use. My symptoms are worsening if anything and the pain relief is barely touching it. I'm constantly clock watching to take my next dose and get very anxious when I start to run low as its all I have to help me through. I'm taking max dose of ibuprofen alongside the Zapain but I'm still waking up every night in pain, I can't be on my feet for more than 30 mins without developing a noticeable limp. I ring my gp's at 8am every day for an appointment for the review but according to the receptionist there just aren't any slots available for it. I'm at a loss as to what to do. Surely there is something more that can be done? I'm shielding at the moment for other health reasons but at the end of Feb I have to return to work where I can't imagine I'll be able to be on my feet for the whole 8-9 hours each shift

[Yassytina FMA UK Volunteer]

Hello, yes getting past the receptionest that can be a tough one, I would ring back and say I have rung every day and surgery is full so I am requesting a call back from my doctor /or even duty doctor please, most surgeries doctors have a list to ring patients back at the end of the morning, if they dont play ball and help ask to speak to your practice manager , your suffering in a lot of pain and your down to just over 2 weeks before you go back to work, are you due to see the rheumatologist any more ? Xx

[Lizangellus in reply to Yassytina]

As far as I'm aware, the rheumatology appointment was a one time thing mostly to elimate the possibility of rheumatoid arthritis. My g.p still isn't doing face to face appointments so you have to ring at 8am to book a telephone consultation that could be anytime that day between 9am and 6pm. If you don't answer the call within a couple of rings you lose the appointment. I'm home schooling 4 children at the moment which is stressful enough in itself but the one time I actually managed to book in I got cut off within seconds and have been unsuccessful since. I've emailed the practise manager to explain but she only replied with I need to speak to my gp so to keep trying.

[Yassytina FMA UK Volunteer in reply to Lizangellus]

Hats off to you doing the home schooling with 4 children , doing an odd day with our grandson aged 6 can be wearing as not in the classroom environment they find it hard to switch on , you seem as if you have tried everything then, our surgery cannot handle the size of our town and can be hard to get hold of your own doc at the best of times😂we have a couple of practioner nurses they are brilliant and handle some of the call backs. I do hope you get it sorted very soon.

[Lizangellus in reply to Yassytina]

Thanks very much for your understanding. Its a constant struggle to function atm. One battle after another 🤷🏼‍♀️

[Dinkie]

Can I suggest you put your concerns in a letter addressed to the GP that way it will bypass the receptionist and form part of your notes. Follow it up with a telephone consult (if you can get past the receptionist - the letter should help). It's the only way to get a response. I had to do it after verbally requesting several times a referral to Guy's and St Thomas's fibro clinic, only to have it ignored. One letter and a meltdown on the phone gave me the desired results. Worth a try.

[Lizangellus in reply to Dinkie]

Thankyou. I've sent a detailed email, I've accessed my medical files online and can see its been made part of my notes. The practise manager replied telling me to phone for an appointment 🙄 and so it continues.

[LoneEra in reply to Lizangellus]

Oh, it’s making me cross just reading this! Can’t believe they are treating you like this. I’ve got a similarly useless GP and am in the middle of looking for a new surgery.

I know this option isn’t available to everyone, but you could pay to speak to a rheumatologist privately. They should be able to assist you with an action plan and also give your GP a kick up the bum. You may only need one private consultation - which is likely to cost £200 - £250.

You could also sign up to a plan like Benenden Health, which gives you 24/7 access to a GP helpline and mental health helpline for £11.50 a month. The GPs on the service will write to your NHS GP after any consultation and again, give them a nudge!

I really hope you can get something sorted soon x

[rosewine]

So sorry to read your post as to have little relief from pain is an awful feeling. Unfortunately, Zapain, as it contains Codeine Phosphate, is classed as a controlled drug for dispensing purposes so before I was allowed three months supply, now I am only allowed one month. Often a GP will start by prescribing Co-codamol often Zapain which is 30mg of codeine and 500 mg of paracetamol to see whether that controls the pain bringing it down to an acceptable level and if it doesn't on its own they might add an additional drug which in my case as I had a lot of burning, shooting pains Pregabalin was added.

I can imagine you are now at the end of your tether with this the only thing I can think of is you ask for an emergency appointment to see whether this will get you up the list. My heart goes out to you. Just a thought are you asking to speak to a named GP or to any GP. If you are asking for someone specific perhaps try to see if you can get an appointment with one of the other doctors and explain your situation that you are returning to work soon and want to but know this would be impossible because of the amount of pain you are in. I know standing for an hour kills me so the thought of doing a long shift like that on my fee would be a no-no. Let us know what happens.

[Lizangellus in reply to rosewine]

Thanks so much for your kind words. Im still trying to get an appointment but ill update as and when 🤞

[Mathex]

Sorry you going through such. Not sure with your surgery but most surgeries now you can get through easily via e-consult, you fill in the details of your problem online and it gets sent to your GP who will then call you back. This way you can put down everything from how you feeling and what you want doing. Been doing this since September last year it’s hassle free. You you get the help that you deserve x

[Lizangellus in reply to Mathex]

Thanks for the tip. That's such a good idea. I've had a look but unfortunately it's not a service offered by my surgery 🙄. It's quite a small practice, only 2 Dr's, 1 Nurse, 1 Health care assistant. So I phone every morning at 7.58am hoping to beat the rush at 8am. Actually got through this morning at 8.07am but there were already no appointments left, as per usual. I've been trying every single morning so far this year. Honestly, you couldn't script it x

[slugjackson89]

I had similar problems with my gp i then used a private gp service called healthsteer who were able to help me out. I hope this is useful for you 🙂

[Lizangellus in reply to slugjackson89]

Thank you. I will definitely look into this. 🤞