Second appointment today to educate my Dr in the trials and tribulations of PMR using the Parker Modules.
The surgery called me yesterday to say my Dr was not available would I see another one. Bearing in mind it was this Dr who said its best if I stick with the same person for continuity. No problem I said (we are in the early stages of negotiation). It as an amazing reason why the Dr wasnt going to be there but I wont go in to detail. So I saw different Dr and
I explained I had a flare up and that I was on 20mg Pred to manage it. He tried to interupt to say you should only go up in 1s til you get the right level. If he had read the notes first he would have seen the discussion I had 4 weeks ago with my trainee at the time of the flare up. I interjected to correct him with the course of action we had agreed on and to explain why I was here. I then went on to say how it was going to be, with the agreed tapering off plan and the to timescales to get to 10mg. I only want another prescription for Pred to take me through to my next appointment when I will have a blood test and an assessment of where I am at. Couldn’t find the last one I had in March so he checked last October’s. At this point he was staring at me with a slight tick developing over his right eye. He asked to do my blood pressure as I am at risk of Diabetes as well as high blood pressure. I said its the plague of steroids. I was only 10st when this started. (I wasnt but he didnt check to see anyway I was just checking to see he was actively listening to me). Then my hip needed replacing due to arthritis and the additional damage done by steroids. I was house bound for a year waiting for an operation. I am in Physio now to get strong enough to move more but the fatigue and muscle pain is a barrier. Not to mention my mental state due to not being able to sleep as another side effect of steroids. I lost my job and all my friends to become a day time TV addict. I have hardly seen my grandkids for the last 18 months either because I cant cope with them. I feel like a recluse. On top of all that I am enormous!! You should try walking a mile in my shoes after being so active and never been off sick in 40 years of working. Its really hard.
So he asks when do I take the steroids? 6am in the morning why? Because when you take them at night it stops you sleeping. I know that? Your adrenal glands kick in first thing to get you out of bed and ready for the day? Mine dont as I have PMR and the steroids do that for me so I take them in the morning like I was told to. Well I wont prescribe sleeping tables as they are addictive. Good I dont want anymore drugs its only about another 3 years till the PMR might go away. I can sleep after then. Now can you take off those three things on prescription that are pointless, mainly the paracetamol as it doesnt touch arthritis pain and I need a new sick note for DWP too. In my head I was saying its ok I can get most things I need off the Dark Web but he may emerge from his state if indifference and actually hear me so I didnt take that chance.
My time was up now as he was ushering me towards the door putting the script and sick note in my hands. I think there may be some forethought before engaging with me the next time. He is not a bad Dr just too busy and thinks we gain the font of all our knowledge from Google not personal experience or focus groups and forums. I do appreciate 7 years training and how ever many years practice Dr have to do but we are all different and need treating accordingly. Just to be heard is medicine in itself.
4 weeks till my next appointment. Hopefully a herd of Wildebest will not be rampaging through my Dr's village and he will be able to make it to the surgery to continue our training sessions.
Written by
Estellemac
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Ahh yes..to be treated as an individual would be nice! But unfortunately we're just a list of symptoms and illnesses to many! Not all, but too many.
Plus. of course time is a factor, as I said in another post my GP (very good) is talking early retirement because he's fed up with paper pushing, targets et al! In his words "not what I signed up for" -fortunately his talents won't be lost he's going to continue to volunteer for the Ambulance Service where his experiences will be used.
I've been watching Hospital on the Tele and it has opened my eyes to the challenges doctors, surgeons and trust administrators are up against. It's not just the patients who suffers from lack of resources and funding. I should be more considerate but it's the attitude of the Dr when confronted with a different opinion or approach to treatment. I like to think I am good at reading people and their body language due to the experiences I have had in my working life. The people I worked with had loads of different issues that were a barrier to living and an active healthy life. Nice to see your Dr is staying in the community to make a difference to those who need it and probably what he signed up for in the beginning. Gives us all hope and belief in humanity.
Hi Estellemac, I know it's not one bit funny, but I was laughing while reading this... We just could not make this shite up!!!! We couldn't!!!!
Did he really ask, "...when do I take the steroids?" ...and then proceed to tell you that if you take them at night they'll keep you awake???? Hahahahaha.
Just want to add I love your blogs and rants. They release my inner Grumpy Troll without any effort on my part. 🧟♀️🧙🏿♂️A good rant calms mind and soothes the soul.
Thanks Estellemac! I am so happy to hear that my rants, help to release your "Grumpy Troll." How wonderful!!!! Yes, I guess everyone is okay at something... I guess, I "RANT" well!!!! Hahaha. Thank you so much for reading and for supporting me!
Thank you for your training modul, will be following with interest. Thanks also for the laugh, it’s good to know you haven’t lost your sense of humour. 😂
I'm so sorry you have all that on your shoulders (probably literally!) but you did make me laugh! And WELL DONE for trying to teach that GP what's what!
“It as an amazing reason why the Dr wasnt going to be there but I wont go in to detail. ”
“Hopefully a herd of Wildebest will not be rampaging through my Dr's village and he will be able to make it to the surgery”
You’ve not let your hippopotami out of the paddock have you? Holding the poor student to ransom?
Hope the GP’s nervous tic abates, if not I’m sure you could recommend some medication for him, and the time to take it....about half an hour before your next appointment! 🤣
I did take my Hippo with me for back up. He was having a good day and performed well. Tired easily though and flobbed down under a tree once we got back to the meadow with his mates to ponder the true meaning of life the universe and everything.
A perfect seminar in how to manage a disengaged GP. Well done Estellemac. I rarely go these days because of the variable uselessness I encounter. The last one was a bright young woman doing her GP training year and who had a friend with PMR. What a difference. No interference or adding in stress, just facilitated what I already do to manage the condition.
What a refreshing change. I only know people with PMR from here. I get so stressed before an appointment going over everything in my head so I don’t miss anything or have to go back. It’s the Pred discussion and how you should be off it by now or at least down to minimal. That’s a dream something we all are working towards that is we all want. Surely no one would take it if they didn’t have to? Then the Tapering!!! Each one has there own version. Well mine works thanks to you, DL and PMRpro to name a few wise sages on here.
What a shame the herd of Wildebeast got in the way of the second session for your student. My advice would be to take on one pupil at a time and refuse to see any others until you are happy the first one is competent to graduate from Parker's Academy with 1st Class Honours. I adopt this practice, having excluded one student for not doing his homework!
I am hoping my (very good) GP doesn't follow DorsetLady's into early retirement, even though I wouldn't blame him.
I think I was a bit ambitious taking on the second trainse after a poor excuse to avoid me by the first one. I have a small booklet on excuses from trainees as to why attendance was not possible. Always something new. I am back on his case now and he will be my sole project for the foreseeable. I hope to train him to such a standard that he can do a PGCE. He then share his skills teaching those less interested in the human condition but turn up anyway as they get paid and don't know how to do anything else even though extremely disillusioned.
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Doctors appointment today (update) 
