I just wanted to share this... as it can be quite daunting when a medical professional is telling you "its all in your head." I have recently paid to have a print out of my full medical history from my GP. It's a folder full of information. Having had a read through it I can see that I have probably been suffering from a gradual underactive thyroid for about 15 years. (though my diagnoses was only made last year by a private endo, and the NHS endo still believes that I do not have a thyroid issue) There are repeated visits to the doctor over the years with the same complaints about energy loss, hair loss, pain etc. Reading through my blood results there are stamps to report them as 'Normal' when in fact my Vit D, B12, Folate and Ferritin have been consistently low for 15 years as have my T4 levels at one point they all dropped out of the bottom range, and still there is a stamp for the receptionist to tell me "all A ok". Repeated bouts of bladder infections and abdominal pain. Every single GP has had access to this file. And not one of them took a moment and thought, 'yes this is odd, this person has been having the same recurrent issues persist for a long time and it only seems to be getting worse.' I do not have any faith left in GP's when it comes to my health and well-being. It is all there in black and white. It is really useful to have this file, though! I will be sharing it with my next Integrative doctor, to try and get to the root cause of it all. Please don't misunderstand my post. I am very grateful for the NHS and the access to health care that we enjoy in this country. I just believe that when it comes to lifelong ailments the NHS has and continues to fail us patients.
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Rhsana
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I would be sooooooooo tempted to make an appointment with the GP I've seen most, take the file along with all those below range results highlighted, etc., and ask why nothing was done.
Just saying......................
I hate my doctors too. There are three, two fairly new, the best one has retired and is sorely missed. The new ones don't care, if it's not a simple 'Here's a prescription, now go away' then you've had it.
I get on OKish with the older GP who I go to for my lung problems, but I've had to work really hard at it. I have had to arm myself with knowledge and challenge or suggest to get things done. If I know I should have a blood test because the permanent antibiotic I am on can affect the liver, and mention it to him and ask, then I get the blood test, if I didn't know I'd never get it. It was the same with the ECG which, again, should have been done before going on the antibiotic and never was. I just happened to find out about it, mentioned that I knew this fact and was told to make an appointment straight away for an ECG! This is why I now arm myself with as much knowledge as possible, they don't like it but at the end of the day it's my health.
My dog gets better treatment than me from her vet, they listen and don't rush you. But I do have to pay a consultation fee of £20. If ever they bring in consultation fees for visiting an NHS GP I hope all mine get sacked and replaced with kind, respectful doctors who actually listen.
"I would be sooooooooo tempted to make an appointment with the GP I've seen most, take the file along with all those below range results highlighted, etc., and ask why nothing was done."
"It's your fault for not asking for the test results."
Oh and having read some other posters and knowing other people personally who ended up in A&E - it will be recorded on your notes that they sent a letter/tried to contact you on the phone.
Thank you Rhsana for bringing this to the attention of members and can certainly appreciate how distressing it must have been for you to read your records.
I believe everyone should do this, yes it could cost up to a maximum of £50 but if nothing else it makes us realise that the NHS is far from perfect and that NHS doctors simply should not be trusted with our health.
I'm tempted, I really am, but I think I'd cry . I already know that one of my entries says "Had a chat with patient"!!! Now how is that any help to anyone??? Flippin' donkeys, the lot of them! I don't even remember what it was to do with. I only found out because it was on a form used for a referral to a lung consultant and I only got to see it because I asked to take it myself rather than it be sent off and I opened the envelope
Hi Rsana love your picture at top of post, would love to see what my GPS have to say on my medical records, how do you do that?. Its unbelievable what GPS don't bother to tell you.
Hi Raventhorpe , you can call your surgery and find out their procedure. I was able to email their admin team and put the request in writing. I also sent it in letter form. It is a simple letter. Something along the lines of;
Dear Dr blank,
I wish to make an application for copies of my medical records under the Data Protection Act 1988 as I will be moving soon and would like my medical records to hand.
I would like to see all my records in both digital and hard copies.
Please could you let me know what the fee will be and if you need any further information from myself. Many thanks in advance.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
It cost a total of £20 pounds and it was ready within a week or so.
I bought a full copy of my medical records a couple of years ago. I have never regretted it.
I had been telling doctors for years that certain things had happened to me medically in the past and they just rolled their eyes at me. I couldn't understand why they didn't believe me because there had to be evidence in my notes (I hoped).
If you think of how many times someone with certain ailments sees a doctor in a lifetime, you have to realise that they (doctors) don't read it all, it would be impossible. Instead they read a summary of some kind. It is essential that when people buy their records that they get a copy of the patient summary - sorry, can't remember what it is called.
I found that lots of things that had happened to me in the past were not mentioned. I found the relevant letters in my notes, copied them, and wrote a letter to my GP pointing out the stuff that had been missed out of the summary.
Look I don't believe it's the NHS per se but doctors attitudes (worldwide) as a whole.
Stories like ours; doctors using gaslighting techniques aren't unique to the NHS. Look at our American cousins and other European members' tales of shoddy treatment.
I don't think I am brave enough to ever get my medical records. I know I've been written off and unless there was recourse to change the records - which there isn't, then it would just sit and simmer with me forever. I would feel vengeful tbh and that's not good for :0)
I think I would rather set the record straight everytime I go in and I tell them exactly why I'm "anxious" i.e. it's a Hashi's flair you ignorant c*ckwomble!
Hi VulpusVulpus , I feel I should clarify.. my only experience so far has been limited to the NHS. So I really can't comment on doctors attitudes worldwide. But yes it would appear from this forum and other sources that there is and has been an issue with "doctors attitudes (worldwide) as a whole". I just do not have any experience with it myself. From what I have personally experienced I would say that the NHS as an organisation can and does often dismiss symptoms of underlying problems and chronic illness. In other area's they are all over it... I have only every experienced amazing emergency care for example... the same with cancer prevention.
But yes I would agree that there seems to be a much wider problem here, and I can't pretend to know what the root of that is but I would guess it would have to start with how the doctors are being educated. Very little time is spent on nutrition, which we now know to be a huge factor in many illnesses. Also, the way the system is set out means that you have a different 'specialist' for different areas of the body/system. So the patient isn't looked at as a whole and how the different areas can affect each other. Anyway, I'll stop there. I think I am now just procrastinating at work
Mine too to be fair. I just read a lot and the vast majority of books are written by American women who have had a crap time with their doctors and the weird thing is, is the attitudes and knowledge gap seem incredibly similar.
I think there's a bit of snobbery involved with medical school training and nutrition: but if they pulled their heads out of their backsides for one moment and put together the pieces of the puzzle, they might just learn something. It was the sea captains that linked fruit to the reduction of scurvy - not the onboard doctor.
Doctors are rarely holistic, you are so right on that point.
Hope you had a good day at work or at least that you're nearly due to go home! :0) x
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. I already know that one of my entries says "Had a chat with patient"!!! Now how is that any help to anyone??? Flippin' donkeys, the lot of them! I don't even remember what it was to do with. I only found out because it was on a form used for a referral to a lung consultant and I only got to see it because I asked to take it myself rather than it be sent off and I opened the envelope 
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