New gp reduced me to tears

[Extremelygrumpy]

Hi new here found it today from the ibs website. Ihave had fibro for years and ibs and rib neck and shoulder pain. Went to my new gp today first and last visit he reduced me to tears. I am having a flare up of fibro and ibs neck and shoulders have been in spasm since Sunday.. He didn't even check me over .. Gave me two new meds for ibs and told me to de stress and my body would have been better being male....I was speechless and left in tears. Anyone else been treated like they Are mad not fibromyalgic?

[Gessy]

OMG ! How disgraceful,even I wouldn't go back to him.I have Fibro also IBS that is a part of the fibro package with your neck & shoulder pain BUT your back is a different matter,I have back pain & spasm's when I'm stressed out....like last week when I got my letter from ATOS to fill in,now my back was breaking had to go to out of hours GP,but a couple of strong painkillers & some valium helped.But I do have a back injury from work,faulthy disc,narrowing of my spinal canel,weakness down my left side etc etc..

I have heard of some GP's been nasty to patients & telling them its all in our heads, but some doctor has told you you have Fibro..its should be a doctor that specialise's in Arthritis as Fibro,Underactive Thyroid & Arthritis are all to do with the immune system..or in my case no immune system !!..

Depression is also part of fibro.......No its not all in our head...we just don't understand where or how we got it !!

I do hope you are now feeling better ,do check out if there is any doctors in your area who understands Fibromyalgia. I take it you are on "the main land" as in England,if so Sorry I can't help but maybe one of the other members can....I live in Northern Ireland( for now )

but from Birmingham .......

Wishing you all the very best.

Gessy .

[Celticmoon]

Gentle hugs to you my dear Verygrumpy - let's hope he never gets ill with an "invisible" illness as he then may just find that he reaps what he has sown!! Terrible lack of empathy or indeed interest in helping you. Hope you soon find someone a lot more caring and in tune with your needs.

xx

[Extremelygrumpy]

Thank you both so much ... My old dr retired but he was wonderful, this is his replacement, so I was automatically transferred to him ... Will be asking to move to one of the other gps at the practice on Monday 2 are women so hoping for some empathy and help

Xx

[Hidden]

Hello VG, welcome to the forum. Unfortunately your experience is fairly common I think. Too many GPs fail to recognise that we know our own bodies best! If you still feel strongly about the way that you were treated, you could put in a complaint with the practice manager. But it is probably easier to find a different doctor that does recognise and understand your symptoms for what they are. I have found that female GPs do tend to have more empathy and tend to be more thorough than their male counterparts (sorry, I know that sounds unforgivably sexist but in my experience it really is true).

Anyway, I do hope that your health issues get resolved as much as possible as quickly as possible. Take care and all best wishes. Jane x

[Hidden]

Thats terrible sending gentle hugs Annex

[Homer]

That's disgusting, please change your doctor, because u may start too suffer due to fear of going to docs, there are lovely doctors out there, I'm so blessed with a smashing doctor who used to work for the mineral clinic who specializes in fibro, arthritis etc so I am very lucky and I never forget that after reading dreadful stories like yours, chin up hun and find yourself a good un

Nicki xxxxxxx

[Hidden]

im sorry but this is disgusting i think you should make a complaint against him.he has no right.im having to not tell our old doctors we have moved as are now of the area and with a appeal in 2 weeks we cant afford to find a new doctor and then screw this appeal up.so we are having to look but worry about getting another good one.i feel for you and am very sorry.go back and see another doctor and explain this isnt good enough.x

[charlottepoppins26]

hi verygrumpy,

i'm new here too - everyone is so lovley and kind and can really help.

i've been through exactly what you have been through and got passed to pillar to post. after three years of been in pain having should neck and lower spine problems no doctor would listen to me. i even had to go see a specialist for putting a claim in and he said it wasn't fibro. i got diagnosed with ibs when i was 16 and recently got diagnosed with fibro. when the doctor finally listened to me, i got told that they didn't a) think it was fibro b) the specialist ruled it off so doctor didn't take no notice c) i'm 26 but everyone think i look younger and took that into account and d) i was a student at the time and they thought it was stress!!

i don't trust doctors anymore, apart from my pill injection i prefer not to go there anymore. thats where i found this sight and people who have listed herbal remedies or things which have helped them. so far gluten has been cut out completley, taken up swimming three times a week and being happy in life, which is more said then done.

if you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to contact. charlotte :-))

[Extremelygrumpy]

Oh wow am amazed and delighted at this response thank you all so very much this has made me feel so much better... I am deffinately going to change gp on Monday.. You have made me feel it wasn't just me over reacting

Xxx

[Mdaisy]

Hi ya,

Just a little bit of advice ...that may help a little x

I recently changed my GP due to problems such as what you have described. I would also advise that you go armed with knowledge and your rights as a patient.

National Institute of Clinical Excellence has guidelines for treating M.E patients ~ no such guidelines for FMS as yet. However the basis of these guidelines can be applied to FMS

Especially the GP guidance to 'ACKNOWLEDGE THE REALITY AND IMPACT OF THE CONDITION AND SYMPTOMS'

nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/...

I would be aware of recent articles about FMS & medication therapy to discuss with the GP.

Please look at this information and the so called 'Anchor Drugs' used for FMS

scientiacme.org/pdfs/Boomer...

I would also go in with a written plan & questions

I hope you have a better experience with a different GP. However all GP's should treat us properly at all times ...

Gentle hugs & virtual support

Mdaisy

[julieevh]

That Dr is vile. I mean we would all like to destress - take Fibro away and for many it would be a doddle.

Changing to one of the other Doctors in the practice is a good idea; I keep flirting with the idea of changing doctor's practice but am worried about jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire; I really need a system for interviewing doctors before making the jump!

Julie xx

[Hidden]

Bless you, that is so awful, no wonder you were in tears! Absolutely disgraceful! As Julie says we would all love to de-stress, if only it were that easy, ignorant person!

It's easy if you belong to a health centre where there are a few Doctors and you can specifically ask to see or not to see someone. However if you belong to a single practice with only one Doctor, the only way is to change surgeries.

You definitely need to see someone else, it's so difficult isn't it when you don't feel well having to even think about changing Doctors. When you feel up to it, have a think about it, see how you feel about the idea.

Other than that, you could ask for a referral to a Rheumatologist or Neurologist for a second opinion, or even ask for a second opinion at the Doctor's practice if there is another GP there?!

We are here for you and we do understand, many of us have been through the same, unfortunately some medical professionals are Fibro ignorant and don't seem to acknowledge the condition at all. Take care and please let us know what you decide and how you get along. Here's a hug for you (((x)))

[Jeannie]

Hi how awful I have had similar I think doctors are often very very clever people but have no social skills/empathy. I have noticed recently that doctors can be overworked and totally stressed out although that doesn't make it right for one moment. I actually dread going the doctors - makes me feel like a vulnerable little girl when I'm actually 53 Don't give up and make sure you've got all the medication possible. You can find out what people are on using this site.

Gentle hugs

Jeannie

[Sthandra]

When you make an appointment you should be able to express that you don't want that. Particular Doc I can at my Docs surgery good luck you probably could report him the credo is first do no harm and if I may say he harmed you even if he didn't lay a fooinger on you ,,forrgivve the spellingg I'm using my black berry phone and my fffinggers have got the twitchess .gentle huggs . Sithy

[Ginsing]

Morning, what a rough day you had I would suggest you ask for different Doc. They do not all have good manners and some seem unable to judge weather what they are saying will hurt someone or not.

Do not let him stress you out ( it makes matters worse) if you are still not happy you can complain!

You have had good advice from every one so now I send a gentle hug dont let him get you down x gins

[fibro]

I've met GPs who are just a rude, luckily now I have a lovely one but not sure he is that up on fibro, but at least he listens and helps me when I need it.

this prev one, he said if he set light to my trousers he bet I'd be running out the surgery. I was naive and well before I'd even heard of fibro but i was born with problems which prevented me walking properly anyway, so straight away I knew he wasn't going to care. I was taking tramadol at the time, this was about 13 yrs ago and he said to me you aren't having them, they are too expensive and he wont be prescribing them, although my prev gp didn't have a problem. I asnt been on them long before I moved... now all surgeries seem to give them, but after a serious operation a year or so later I chaned meds, but not before having to change GPs again, after only meeting that one for the first time.....

but he should think twice that GP who is sexist, i wonder whatbhe would say to this man I met today, don't even know his name and he didn't know I had fibro, but he was telling me he had this thing called Fibromyalgia and no one seems to know about it, and he said some days it makes him just sit and cry in pain. well I am 50 and he was older than me. I felt so sorry for him. he has also battled with benefits and tribunals and I really did feel for him. it's about time all GPs were lued up on how fibro effects different people in different ways. we can't cross the T's and dot the I's I guess they think we can!!

I didn't get a chance to tell this man. about the site, but I hope some day he finds us xx