GP's....

[Sticks95]

Hey everyone, i feel quite deflated actually, does anyone else feel like their GP doesn't fully listen to what you have to say? I often come out of their office feeling like i dont have all my answers or reassurance etc, also feel like i live there! Anyway.. Diazepam isn't great so im gunna stop that (bad dreams and dizziness) didn't really do anything for my migraine anyway. Should be having an appointment with my specialist some time in december for another nerve block and to discuss where to go next! Hope everyone isn't feeling too bad.. xx

[Cat00]

Hello Sticks95,

I particularly dislike GP's for the reasons you describe. Every so often you get a good GP who really seems to take what you say on board and acts like someone should act when you describe to them the intense pain and distress caused by migraine, unfortunately I've only had two like this, the first retired and the second keeps going on maternity leave! In my experience GP's know next to nothing about migraines......

[Frodo]

Yes, I agree. Unless a GP has personal experience of chronic severe migraine, even the best of them are disinterested and unsympathetic. I always feel very depressed after seeing mine, for days afterwards. They aren't interested in the bad side effects from medication either, you just feel like they are immediately writing 'non-compliant' on the notes. One GP told me she had migraine herself, but then couldn't understand why I needed to use ice during an attack, or why I was unable to work and found travel a huge problem: the implication was that I was exaggerating and had health anxiety. She said 'you're not really ill, you know' during one appointment (and I had other symptoms as well as migraine).

The worst doctor I saw was a neurologist who basically said 'it's migraine, take a painkiller.'

The best were a GP who had very bad migraine herself, so did her children, and a headache specialist - even with them, the GP dismissed me when I was unable to take the betablockers she recommended, and the specialist refused to take a long standing neck problem on board and sanction a test for that.

Maybe I'm just not assertive enough.

[Sticks95 in reply to Frodo]

Thank you for your replies that really is shocking, im fortunate enough to not have had GP's as rude as they have been to you so im sorry to hear that! I am very assertive when it comes to gp's because this is my heath and my life and i want them to take it seriously! Migraines are no joke and are complete debilitating and take over your life and the sooner people realise this the better!

[Honkyjayne in reply to Sticks95]

I read you're reply and agree no one knows how you feel or what you're going through unless you know someone who has migrain I have a migrain for at least 7 days then arura docs ask me all the time how many migrains a month and I try to explain that it's not like that you can have one for 7 days couple days without then another and the couple of days without you are trying to recoup with constant arura I loose my sight for days vomit it all to much I'm on injection s now

[asbas in reply to Frodo]

Gosh its hard to be assertive when you are feeling unwell and are vulnerable. The medical system and GPs should cater for that. also being anxious about a debilitating and unpredictable condition is fairly normal response. I say this because this is exactly what happened to me - my migraines started after a bad concussion - my favorite response was 'you have to ask yourself how well do you want to get'.

[Sticks95 in reply to asbas]

It is very difficult when your unwell i completely understand that but i was close to losing my job because my doctor wasn't doing his job properly and gave me incorrect medication which was for a completely different condition. Its shocking! Im sorry to hear you've had an awful time too i send love x

[asbas in reply to Sticks95]

That is shocking - is there no accountability ? You can't even report them - nothing will happen. They get a slap on the wrist and that's it . But I think if enough people started to report / complaint, maybe the medical body will have to pay attention.

[Sticks95]

I dont think anything will change

[Kathybishop]

The problem is nobody knows the answers ! The last GP I saw was only interested in reducing the cost s to her practice and put me on cheaper triptans she never even asked how I was ! It can be very depressing, but after four years of reading as much as I can I feel better informed. I don't, however see a future free of drugs, sadly , which is my goal.

[Oliverj102]

I feel your pain. My first migraine was a year ago while having tonsillitis, was 4 days of no watching, sleeping, light or unrequired sound.

A year later to the day almost I got sick again, this time with sinusitis and again, migraine attack. Each one only lasts for 3-4 hours before dulling down but 2 a day is common, even forming while I sleep and waking me up.

I suspect everyone's pain is different, mine is an intense throbbing in my head and a sensation like my brain is floating in a bubble of water, banging into my skull. I also loose all desire to eat, as well as develop a stupidly high sensitivity to light and sound. With young children this is a real issue..:

I tried going to The doctor and was put on dihydrocodeine, but it had no effects at all, what was as worse was as I got them Friday night I rang out of hours GP and they said double my dose.... so I did, no effect.. I may as well have had chalk tablets. I went back on Monday and was told I've probably develop d resistance to them, 1 pill resistance development must be a good record! Was put on a triptan variant but that didn't affect me either. I know different variants might work but after 2 weeks on continual attacks you just loose all desire to be ant to go back to doctors when you feel like your version of "intense pain" is put on the same scale as a headache and take paraetomol.

Hope yours is better now, I find heat, dark and silence eases the pain and then you just have to wait it out, telling yourself it won't last for ever "it's all in your head" which is technically true, but a nail in your skull is also all in it your head too, bet that gets a different response!