Hey guys! I am hopeful self medicating is going to work for me, but I need a plan for if it doesn’t.
I’m aware of a guy in Oxford but understand he requires a GP referral in order to see him.
I can’t get past level one with this particular game as my Dr has said they won’t refer with my results and so has the surgery receptionist.
My question is this, if I can find a private Dr who is also a GP (according to his website) can he refer me (wave bye bye to a months disposable income lol) or must the referral come from MY GP?
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cazmania7
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Hey scrumbler. A member on here got in touch with his secretary and asked if she could self refer and she said no. So sadly I know this one does require it...
No. You can get private treatment from a consultant or specialist without being referred by your GP.
and
A referral is also needed by many private practitioners
and
Your GP will only refer you to a specialist if they believe that specialist assessment or treatment is necessary. If they do not think it is, they do not have to refer you – either privately or on the NHS.
So either my brain isn't working properly today and I'm missing the point, or I need a coffee!
Many years ago I asked my GP for a referral letter to, I think, Dr Skinner (but there were a couple of others I saw over the years so could have been another). Her letter stated something along the lines of
"For some reason this patient wishes to be referred to you".
She was obviously not impressed that I was seeking help elsewhere, despite the fact that she knew I was getting worse under her care, but I think the letter could have been a bit more helpful that that (but at least I gone one)
And she was the best GP in the surgery! Actually I got on quite well with her but as with all of them she was massively hopeless when it came to the thyroid. She was quite happy to keep increasing my Levo until my FT4 went to 131% of range but never questioned why I would need that much Levo or why my FT4 was so high. Of course FT3 was never tested. I didn't know much back then, I've learned an awful lot since! Shame she took early retirement, I think I could have discussed with her what I've learned and the fact that I need T3, I'd probably confess that I self source it which I wouldn't do with the current doctors.
Blimey. Says a lot doesn’t it. I’m scared about my next routine blood test as I’ll get called in and put on the naughty step. Them mucking about with my prescription will be worst case scenario. I just want to feel well!
Hi scrumbler. I’m self medicating and my TSH is suppressed and T3 upper range. T4 is a bit low as I reduced and maybe didn’t need to, so am increasing that over the next 8 weeks then I’ll review it all. I’m just a bit worried as not feeling any benefit yet and expected to if only a little... my results are on my last post.
I read that if T3 doesn’t work it could be iron or cortisol causing a problem. My iron is good so could be cortisol. I’ve got the saliva test ready to go so might get round to doing that
It is very unusual for a GP to refuse a private referral and incredibly controlling. You might want to see if this endos secretary will speak to your doctor for you. If it is the endo I am thinking of he is very well respected by both camps. You can pay for private GP to write private referral but if you want to save money ignore receptionist and try another doctor in the practice. Doctors are not usually supportive of each other decisions. Just go in an explain and have a bit of a moan about your usual doctor and they will refer you to get one over.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply scrumbler. I am starting to wonder if T3 is the answer for me, but I will give it some time and will think carefully about my next steps.
I think cortisol could be an issue for me...I can be on high alert quite a lot and react to things in a dramatic fashion lol. I have the test but just been putting off doing it.
Today is an especially challenging day and I feel pretty awful. I won’t give up trying to get better though!
I have a persistent headache and the fatigue is pretty severe. I am breathless from doing nothing. I don’t have hair loss and I don’t feel cold like some people do. I just feel as though I’m coming down with a cold ALL the time. I have brain fog and memory loss. It’s no fun but I know some people are way worse
Yes it is and other people have no idea how it feels. I have actually wished my husband would get something like I have just so he knows how ill I have felt in the past. He would say things like "Why don't you try and make an effort for a change?" When I hadn't got the energy to even have a bath or get dressed.
That’s very upsetting. I’m sorry that he doesn’t always understand.
I used to go to the gym a lot, jogging, spinning classes so my colleagues should know that I know how to exercise yet one guy said to me that there is no “can’t” only “won’t” ......I thought actually, I literally can’t but it’s pointless trying to convince people that you physically can’t. Anyway sorry to moan!! I know others have it worse than me.
Bless you. You just have to go through life pretending that you’re ok when you’re really not. Work places a lot of value and importance in being positive at work so that can be exhausting. It’s a hard knock life lol
Just had a read of your profile. We are so similar! You have definitely had it worse though. I’m so sorry. I had no idea there was so much suffering until I visited this forum.
No of course not! I appreciate the advice but really hope I do just need a bit of thyroid support lol. If it isn’t thyroid it could be literally anything 😂😫
Hi I am just wondering what are your autoimmune disorders as I have autoimmune thyroid disease hashis and ME/ CFS and fibro and I am going bk to the gp to ask for a referral to rule out RA. How did you manage to get the GP to send you to a neurologist I did go for an MRI as I too was suffering neuro symptoms but the specialist just ruled out MS and that was the end of it so never got investigated further.
I had one tell me your bloods are ok so I asked to see them and she repeated I said they were ok. So I said "Sorry I didn't realise you were a Doctor as well as a receptionist?" She got really uppity with me then because there was a queue of people behind me. lol
I have said this before but I used to work on reception in a busy A & E and I was classed as clerical and I did not pretend to be otherwise. Some of these Doctor receptionists annoy me when they pretend to know about certain conditions. The only reason I know how to read Thyroid blood results is by learning from other thyroid sufferers in the UK and the USA when I joined support sites. I am not an expert but I will pass on my experience of thyroid disease and what I have learnt over the last 10 years.
They do ... I stood infront of the clinically obese receptionist at my surgery and said I had coughed up blood and I needed to see a GP as soon as possible she offered me an appointment across town for 2pm that day. I asked if there was an earlier appointment and she told me to call an ambulance if I felt any worse. So I went home lay down on my bed and then forced myself to drive across a busy town to the other surgery. The GP there then told me I needed to go to A & E straight away and she would call an ambulance for me. I told her I would ring my son who luckily was at home on a day off to take me because I didn't want to use an ambulance that might be needed for someone more seriously ill than me.
Yes the doctor at the hospital gave a course of prednisolone for my chest because I had been coughing for nearly 6 weeks and I was in a lot of pain. Looking back I should have got my son to drive me to the surgery but I didn't want to spoil his day off.
I think it would be quite an easy job you wouldn't get abusive drunks at a GP surgery unlike when I worked in A & E. I couldn't do that job now because I would find it too distressing. I had to deal with people whose relatives had been brought in critically ill and it was horrible if it was a young child. There was a few men and women who had objects stuck in certain intimate places. One man said he had accidentally sat on a coke bottle ... this is true I am afraid. I better not disclose anything else incase I get in trouble. lol
The worst was something to do with a teapot the whole department was talking about it for days . I did wonder why on earth you would do such a thing to yourself.
Just thought I'd mention that I'm quite religious and your Moses up the mountain comment made me choke on my tea, LOL, I'm borrowing that one. I have a really vivid picture of it and the joke is repeating...hilarious.
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