are they lazy?

[beaker]

l'm being to feel as if Doctors and RA nurses are becoming less n less bother or am l just going thru a bad patch as apponitments are getting longer between each one and you wait for 21days in the waiting room(ok maybe 21 mins or more) than your out in 60scs,and their favorite saying is" mm mr bebb you could do with losing a bit of wieght " as if that is the magic cure ,l do really think nhs is great but l do wonder if l could aford it what sort of treatment ld get if l pay for it. and its acheeky when they say lose weight have you seen some of the doctors lolo

[Hidden]

I agree. They do have a tendency to keep appointments short if they can. I seem to wait for months to see them and hope they have some magic to perform, then it's all over too soon, and no magic after all!

These days I write a list of things I want to mention, and keep the conversation going till I have covered everything.

And the weight issue! It is so easy for them to say "lose weight" but they don't have any magic tricks for that either do they? It's not as if I can go for a run, or take up weight training!! Or give up chocolate.Ooops!

[Hidden]

Well I've only had three consultations with rheumy but he's never kept me waiting yet although he only comes here for 2 days every 4 months and I'm not even getting my appt this time round because of backlog so think he's probably pretty overworked and doesn't seem lazy at all - just brisk with about enough charm and sympathy to stop me feeling like a waste of space! One GP is always incredibly late unless I can get the first appt of the day with her but again that's not lazy it's because she refuses to rush patients who need her so invariably that makes her run into overtime pretty quickly. The other one is brilliant at steering patients out without being rude - he just does it with body language so I usually go to him well prepared and not with too many questions if I can help it.

They are all under a lot of pressure these days and they probably do get compassion fatigue - but no one ever told me I was overweight and needed to lose 5 stone even when I blatantly did! I think I'd rather have been told and got on with it sooner rather than just hiding my head in the sand - but it's no use them telling you unless they can also provide some way or help you access support i.e physio, exercise, weight clinic etc. TTx

[helixhelix]

Well I think if I worked in the NHS at the moment I'd probably be feeling like throwing in the towel, so I'm pretty amazed that any of them still have any compassion left at all. It must be horrid to work in an area where everything in the papers about you is negative or ctritical, when probably most of them are trying to do the best job they can.

[tiger in reply to helixhelix]

You have hit the nail on the head. I worked in the NHS for 28 years and in 2007 the stress was getting too much, so we threw in the towel and moved to France with no jobs (both nurses). Thankfully I found a nursing job in an old peoples home and my husband a district nurse job, something we would never have considered in the UK but we are happy and that is the main thing.

[sylvi]

I was told by the surgeon who stitched my ligaments back that i should lose 2st by xmas this was in about sept/oct how the hell did he expect me to do that when the joint was put in wrong in the first place.

However my rheumy medics are great and they do have time for me. My relation with my consultant is so good that i hug him when i see him. He even had time for me when i was at another hospital where he is based when i went for pre-op to correct my knee.

I don't have much faith in the knee specialist at my regular hospital and if/when i have to have my other knee done i will go back ther for treatment.

sylvi.xx

[Jetblack]

They had a news articles on London Tonight a few weeks ago, a few ladies were waiting for knee and hip replacements etc, they were told to lose two to three stone in a matter of weeks. It seems to be NHS policy these days. It is like somking etc too, same thing give up before you can have treatment. It is all about health living and lifestyles. uNDERneath, it is about saving money. Cuts. It is a crying shame,unfortunately there it is.

[lisak]

My Rheumy has just retired and quite often I would wait at least 20 mins over my appointment time to see him but I never minded as I knew he was taking his time with the patient who was in his room with him. He never rushed me and listen and took every concern seriously , his replacement is a good enough doctor but very quick to get his patients in and out as quick as possible

[Samantha-Jayne]

I can only go on my own experience and having been visiting Rheumy departments for over 20 yrs now - things are definately getting worse. I have great respect for most of the doctors and nurses who work in the nhs but no repsect for the people who manage these departments.

my recent experiences are - having to wait longer and longer between appointments because the clinics are so busy - if my doc says see you in 6 months - i ask them to write 4 months on the sheet i give to the receptionist because i know it will take the extra time to get an apointment thro.

Then - when you get an appointment it's at stupid o'clock - i work for a living but the clinic i attend at the moment only runs between 2 and 4pm on Tuesdays afternoons which means me taking a full afternoon off without pay. I used to attend the Tuesday morning clinic and could usually ask for a 9'oclock appointment, even if it meant delaying it for a few weeks, that way i would be first in and could usually be back at work by 10.30. With the afternoon clinic it doesn't seem to matter what time the appointment is - they're already running late - last time, i got into my appointment almost 90 minutes late and was in there for a maximum of 15 minutes!

I wondered how they could always run so late when you were only in there for such a short amount of time - then i found out - one of the doctors came and shouted someone's name to go down, she came back 2 minutes later and said to another guy sat waiting - i'm really sorry - i have you both booked in for the same time but he got here first - i will see you next!! I wonder how many people they have to book at the same time??

The other thing that really annoys me - while i'm ranting - is the fact that you never seem to see the same doc twice and when you do go in, they haven't had chance to read your notes so you have to briefly tell them your history, they ask how you are - don't examine you unless you really complain about the pain - if you say your'e ok, you're in and out like a shot!! Prime example - on more than one occasion and to more than one doc, i have expressed a need to see a surgeon regarding having my right knee replaced due to the pain and the fact it is becoming increasingly dificult to walk on - the response is - you're far too young for that - until i reply by saying - my left knee was replaced 15 years ago, when i was 29!! They don't seem to have a answer to that!

Don't get me started on the weight issue!!

Oh well - rant over, feel a bit better now - thanks for reading!