Evening all, been a while since I’ve posted, long story short Monday 18th I went to my surgery to ask for a script for my Levo, I’d had a chest infection so forgot to apply the 4 days before mine ended.... rude woman said ‘nothing I can do sorry Doctors need to ok it’ anyway my daughter then got sick on the Wednesday and I didn’t leave gone, Saturday morning rung chemist to help for my prescription and It was closed! So basically I’ve gone 10 days without my Levo, started taking it 27 th but I feel like I’ve been hit by a bus I’m so nauseous and could sleep all day every day! Is this because I missed the Levo? Or just something else, taken it last 2 nights but feeling no better 😢😢
Annoyed at Doctors receptionist : Evening all... - Thyroid UK
Annoyed at Doctors receptionist
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Natj123
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helvellaAdministrator
Natj123,
If ever you find yourself without levothyroxine, you have the option of asking your pharmacy (or, indeed, any pharmacy) if they will let you have a few tablets. It is perfectly legal for them to supply you.
I seem to remember that this has become more difficult recently but it is worth asking.
Ten days without any levothyroxine is, in my view, a long time.
Hi helvella! I did!
The pharmacy is next to the surgery and they will only issue if surgery is closed, I got upset on the Monday as I’d already missed one dose!!! But they wouldn’t help while surgery was open, the unhelpful receptionist told me nothing they could do I left crying!!!
Natj123,
Receptionist rightly told you a doctor would have to sign off a prescription.
Symptoms are probably due to lack of Levothyroxine. You'll have less than half of your normal dose in your system after 10 days without Levothyroxine. It will take 7-10 days to absorb the Levothyroxine now you've resumed taking it and up to six weeks to feel the full impact of the dose.
Thank you clutter, the Doctors were all at the surgery I feel she could have been more helpful.
Natj123,
It's not her fault you forgot to renew your prescription. Receptionists are not supposed to interrupt GP consultations with patients to get prescriptions signed.
There wasn’t any consultations , I’d have waited until the following day, I actually told her I’d been without them! I think she could have been more helpful, surgery had finished for the day but the nurse was signing off scripts and taking them to the doctor,
I agree it isn't the receptionist's fault that Natj123 forgot to renew her prescription. But the receptionist could have given some more constructive advice than she did, which seems to have boiled down to "get stuffed".
Patients are human beings and have memory failures at times.
HB,
Receptionists are human beings too and ‘nothing I can do sorry Doctors need to ok it’ is nothing like "get stuffed"!
Okay, I overstated the case.
I cannot see that Natj123 was given practical advice on how she could overcome her problem, which is surely what was required.
Humanbean, she was rude, I asked what she suggest I do and she shrugged her shoulders while looking at the computer screen, she didn’t care, I did feel like I was being told to ‘get stuffed’
Maybe I should’ve rung and rung and rung to make an emergency appointment but I suppose that would’ve been wrong! Or rung to speak to a doctor, but that probably would’ve been wrong, if I hadn’t a sick child I’d have had them before the Christmas close down.
Couldn't agree more.
Some people react extremely severely to such a long time without Levothyroxine
You will need to be gentle on yourself while you recover
Thank you slow dragon, it’s the nausea affecting me more 😢
shawsAdministrator
I'd do as helvella suggests and speak to pharmacist. Due to Xmas holidays they may give you half a pack.
I’ve had them now shaws thank you but the pharmacy wouldn’t help at all while surgery was open because the doctors were available to sign .
At least you will now be relieved you have levo again.
Thank you, I’m annoyed it left me without my own fault, but the things that happened just totally went out of my head , my daughter had a stomach virus I COULDNT leave the house with her and couldn’t leave her alone! X
As you have internet access you should be able to sign up to do repeat prescriptions online with your GP surgery.
Some surgeries then send the prescription to one or more pharmacies so you can pick it up from the pharmacy straight away.
While you still have to give them 2 working days notice at least you don't have to leave the house to do anything except pick up the filled prescription from the pharmacy.
You will have occasions when the online system will say you have to be reviewed by a GP to get a new job lot of prescriptions.
I can’t find any way to do that! X
In my surgery you had to sign up both online and in person at the surgery. They then sent you something in the post.
Some are OK and of course some are not. First time I wanted a repeat prescription I rang the Doctors as I wasn't sure of the process, the receptionist who took the call told me I had to fill in the torn of part of a previous prescription or request it in writing and drop off at the surgery but she said she'd do it for me as it was my first time although she shouldn't do.
I then had to ring back because I'd forgotten to include some eye drops with the first request and I got another receptionist and she went ballistic, "you can't do that, it's against our procedures" well I didn't really, it was your mate what broke the procedure, i was just asking her what the procedure was". Well I was in my element then as this turned into a table tennis type argument which I eventually obviously won when she started jabbering. Silly really, jobsworths.
If I could have rung it through I would have but I was so poorly, then my daughter so I was stuck !! X
Sign up for online at GP surgery. You may even be able to get blood tests results online then (most can't yet, but it was also supposed to be available online by April 2016 at every GP practice
Most can
Book appointments online and reorder prescriptions
I will definately look into this!! Thank you!!!
Go along ask to register for online access. It takes few days. They have to post you some paperwork at home ;I think)
You may need to request enhanced access to get blood test results (if available)
I can get my blood test results online, however the thing I find most annoying is that you have to put the dates into a search box.
If you can’t remember the dates of tests you had over previous years it’s impossible, unless you enter dates for every week over and over again until you come across it...yawn!
As if!!! I’d never remember!!! X
How utterly ridiculous
I hate to be at the mercy of pharmacists. My local one is very bad, and I'd often be left without tablets even when jumping through all the hoops.
I just started ordering my repeat prescription a few days early until I'd stockpiled several weeks of pills. That way you don't end up in trouble with every little hiccup in the system.
My pharmacist is pretty good luckily, but they couldn’t help which I understood! But Doctors receptionist get on my nerves x
Natj123 I ended up with a burst ear drum because of an officious receptionist playing god I have never forgiven that woman and never will. It was totally out of order. I was lucky my old univ health centre were able to see me and stop me loosing my hearing. They were disgusted. Some people get a kick out of being unkind to people they could help but choose not to, and in my opinion they should not be working as a Doctors receptionist. Luckily most I have encountered have been jolly decent.
There are a few very good ones there, she said 3/4 days sorry nothing else I can do and totally dismissed me, could’ve been handled better! Very glad your ear is ok ! Lucky to get seen!! It’s disgusting x
I use boots the chemists for my thyroid prescription and they just reorder it for me from the doctors each month, I just tick the box on the prescription form and it is waiting for me next month. Does your chemist do anything like that. Hope you feel better soon.
I need to do this I think!!! Thank you Elwins x
You can usually sign up for a repeat prescription service with most pharmacies.
Boots is quite efficient as they do it on your behalf. Others you have to ask the pharmacy to request it which sort of defeats the purpose- but least it saves you a trip to the doctors!
I do agree that it’s not the professionals fault when customers/patients don’t follow procedure but also there are times when there are genuine reasons/lapses and for the sake of stopping someone suffering a little leniency and warning for next time might be more appropriate.
To be completely honest knowing they would be closed for Christmas they could’ve helped me more, my fault also but I’m feeling terrible and think it’s because I haven’t taken them x
Unfortunately some people regardless of the job they do don't give a damn.
At least you are aware now that this particular receptionist knows SFA about any medical condition, so if that one asks you why you want to see the doctor you can simply point out their previous behaviour illustrates they aren't medically trained and you aren't telling them.
Natj123 always kept a stash back just in case! I was forever loosing my prescriptions and going and getting a new one to replace the one I lost then I’d find the old one loose the tablets use the new one and then find the old tablets so end up with some extra thyroxine. I was hopelessly disorganised! I am a bit better now.
Talking about being closed for Christmas, I had to ring my surgery and the answer phone said it was closed for Christmas, what they didn’t say was when it would re-open. That would have been useful to know.
If you had your old packet or some kind of proof of what dosage you have you can go to any pharmacy and ask for a emergency supply. They do charge but it normally isn’t much. Your regular pharmacy should have really offered that to you if they weren’t going to give a ‘loan’.
Sometimes just to p**s of the surgery I call 111 as then they have to help you . Naughty i know but it’s ridiculous how we have to fight for everything .
Don’t know if it’s the same at all surgeries but ours let’s you put in for your repeat prescription two weeks early. That way over the months you can build up a stash.
Di
We used to have a receptionist like that, but I haven't seen her for a while, thank goodness !
On a positive note, I phoned once saying I had no blood pressure tablets left, my fault but could they do anything. She said request online or fax a request.
I replied that I was in the car heading to Norfolk, mum was poorly, has dementia and had a hospital appointment the next day, Friday, and I couldn't get home till 9pm tomorrow. No internet connection at mum's.
How will you get the prescription then, she asked. I said I would have to get up early to collect Sat am - they are open for a couple of hours. She laughed and said my prescription would be waiting. Very understanding lady.
Thinking back a little I can remember not noticing I was due for a review and the receptionist said that she was allowed to sanction another but I must arrange an appointment for the review there and then which seems a sensible ruling.
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