APPOINTMENTS

[Jude1]

Dear All

Hope this post finds you moderately well but at least happy. I write some months back not really myself infact miserable but with the responds I got felt I wasn't alone. Now since that post have visited my G.P twice both appointments ok. I rang a secretary at my local hospital asking for an app sooner rather then later, she was very apologetic saying she would try but with no hope at all. Phone my G.P surgery and left a message with receptionist for my doctor. A few days later a letter from the hospital popped through my door saying I had an app sooner in fact not that long a couple of weeks (this was July) the evening before app a phone from hospital my app had been cancelled NO DOCTOR (haven't worked that one out yet). Mean while got another letter saying an app had been made for October what a hoot my a reginal app was Sept.

Since all this happened have seen a dietician very helpful and he thinks its my gallbladder which I kind of agree.

Today I have had two letters from the hospital saying my app in Oct has be cancelled to January 2019 the second letter from the hospital has cancelled my app in January it is ow February 2019. You can all laugh at this point because crying will not help. So come Monday I'm going to see my GP and ask if I can have a private app to get this pain under control. I know I shouldn't go private and part of me thinks its wrong but having the pain on a daily basis is getting really unbearable and making me feel desperate. I can cope with the PBC, having stones in gallbladder, having a hiatus hernia the tiredness etc etc blah blah but pain no gone on too long.

Thanks for listening I would love to hear from you back.

Jude1

[butterflyEi]

Hi Jude1

I think most of us would agree that we cope with life the best we can but constant and unrelenting pain is intolerable.

You say you should not go private but sometimes it seems we have to. My story is: after presenting with symtoms it took 10 years to get a diagnosis after 3 or4 years I was dismissed to the care of my surgery which meant I had no care and no blood controls. After a very stressful event in my life the so called itch of PBC went ballistic none of the GPs had the knowledge to help other than to prescribe a variety of anti histamines to try until I eventually asked to be referred back to the hospital. With an interminable wait ahead of me I booked a private consultation with a hepatologist who is truly the best doctor I have EVER found. As I do not have health insurance he suggested starting me on a treatment and putting me on his list at the NHS. He also lined up an endoscopy which found a hiatus hernia and gall stones, I had an ultra sound and a full blood panel taken. I have not been called to see him this year and I feel whilst he has me balanced and I can cope with what I currently have to cope with and I know that if I get desperate I can telephone his secretary and get some help. I don't remember how much the private consultation cost but it was over £200 but it was the best £200+ that I have ever spent.

If you google your local hospitals to find a hepatologist perhaps you can find an alternative specialist and ask the GP for recommendations and referral.

If it is gall stones causing you pain can the GP prescribe something that will help disolve them such as cholestyramine - it may be worth asking however my experience with doctors is they do not like to be told so nowadays I ask what they think about something.

Hope this is of some help.

[Jude1 in reply to butterflyEi]

Thanks butterflyEi

I think my GP will write and get me to have a endoscope and scan first then a referral to go private at least I will know that something is being done.

I will let you know what happens,

Jude1