No results from my GP

[shirlthegirl]

Went for a appointment to see my GP today to get my results on my Xrays and blood results, So that i can start my meds, But unfortunately she hadn't received them,To be honest i wasn't surprised, after knowing the problems some of you have had on this site,

She tried to contract the rheumy department, but was unable to speak to someone so she left a message, She was not impressed at all, She also apologized for the NHS for the length of time i had to wait for my first rheumy appointment,

So i now have to wait, She is on holiday next week, so she has given me the number to contract them myself until she returns........

She also mentioned about me returning to work on the 3rd December, But as i haven't started my meds yet, and to be honest she expected a better result on the steroid injection,

she decided that i would not be fit enough to return at present, And to be honest being my job is very demanding and physical i don't feel that i could at the moment , So basically she has said when i get my next steroid injection i should have a better result,..........

I am now really gutted as i was looking forward to returning soon, i am now of work again for another month, only because of all the delays of the NHS, i have now been of work since the middle of July,Its a joke,.................. I know i have been really lucky with having a great rheumy appointment and GP, But it does really annoy me when all i want is for this pain to stop and return to work,

Never mind what can i do but wait and think how lucky i am for there is people worse than me out there, Well that's my moan for today.

Hope you are all as well as can be. Xxxx

[cathie]

I'm so sorry! Not just for the pain and being off work but also the damage it's doing on your joints etc. Are you well enough to stir up a stink? Blood results should be available within a day or two and get emailed i think (at least they do here). Many years ago I complained to my mp who was then in the cabinet ( previous government) and he took up the chaotic appointments and lack of privacy with the management of the hospital. Things really changed after that. And more recently I had to write to the rheumy to challenge something she decided. The nras gave me some helpful advice on how to go about this constructively.

Good luck and I hope they get you back on your feet soon

C

[shirlthegirl]

Yes i will keep fighting, unfortunately that's what we have to do, x

[cris1728]

Hi Shirley sorry to hear you have not got your results yet and have a delay in starting your treatment lets hope its just a blip as you seem to have had a positive experience this last week. I have found that the steroid injection is still working although I still have some niggles. Seem to forget what I couldn't do a month ago and try to remind myself that I couldnt even open a bottle of milk but can now. I hope you get similar response from the steroid injection.

Hope you get some good news next week.

cris xx

[shirlthegirl in reply to cris1728]

Hi Cris thanks, Maybe i was expecting to much from this steroid injection, Yes i no what you mean considering what i was like last week, i am a lot better, and can open a tin of peas and peel potatoes ha ha, That's the way i will have to look at it from now on,

U see i had a steroid injection in my shoulders in June, before i good diagnosed, and within two days i felt great, and with my rheumy telling me i can go back to work, and go and enjoy it, i thought well, that sounds perfect,

Never mind i will have to be more patient thanks x

[Hidden]

Hi Shirl - I think it's all about secretarial shortages and probably the same thing with the blood results and x-rays. My anti-CCP test (the one the rheumy has to instruct) didn't come back - or my consultant didn't write to my GP about it for about 2 months. And my consultant's first letter (inconclusive) didn't arrive with my GP for a month - which meant that it was actually 4 more months until I was diagnosed with RA and put onto MTX. My GP sits on our area health board and he did some investigating (because of other patients of his having same problem with delays all round) and it was because they had laid off so many of the secretarial staff in Aberdeen (and same this end) that the consultant's letters were in an enormous backlog and there was nothing my GP or my consultant could do about it. I do hope you get somewhere though because it's horrible at this stage when you know you need treatment but you can't get the necessary information first. If you ever get put on a new drug when you see the consultant you should ask him or her to write down instructions about the drug then and there as I did this time a year ago (a year ago today) with MTX at his suggestion - "no time like the present" he said! Tilda x

[earthwitch]

My rheumatologist gave me a note for the GP to get started on meds quickly, but the baseline blood test results never actually got through to the GP. Luckily I had had similar tests done by GP not too far before so she just wrote the script. It does take ages though for paperwork to go through, and not just NHS. When I saw a private rheumie it took a full two weeks before the letter got to GP by the time it was typed and signed and sent.