Hello Everyone. I was just wondering how people are faring with their GP Surgery? Mine all the GPs have left except for one. It has become very difficult. The surgery insisted on some blood tests. Receptionists rang me said I need to see a doctor as my liver markers were up. Given I'm only 2 weeks post major surgery I wasn't super impressed or worried as I figured the surgeon would not operate if anything is badly out. They do their own blood tests!So the time came for the phone call. GP come on the phone. She asked me why I wanted her to phone me. It wasnt me your practise have insisted. What's it all about says she. Please tell me Says I. I dont know your file says she. Didn't receptionist say. They normally tell the patient. So I said they said something about liver markers. Oh yes said she that's nothing. The labs say retesting s month but I don't think we will bother. I said am not being funny but my liver markers have been raised for several years now and as I have a severe form of vitiligo it is known to known to have a high link to AIH I'd like to be assessed. That's not possible there isn't a test. There is said I but I expect only a specialist can test. Well said she your blood markers have to be 3xs above the range before I can refer. I said I don't want to wait for liver failure I'd like it investigated so it can be nipped in the bud. Whats the point she said.... i said to take action to prevent further damage. I'll go private then.....who works in the field. I dont know she said
She then went onto my thyroid levels which turns out to be low. Ft 4 16 (range to 11- 22) ft3 3.5 (range to 3- 6.1). TSH 0.02 (supressed as on a ndt)They are a bit low says I, I think I should increases. No says she they are perfect. They're not for me said I. Would explain dry skin, increased fatigue weight increase. They're perfect she says. We eill test again in 6 months. We are not increasing. It's not what the specialist advised protest I. What specialist she says. The Endocrinologist. She ignored.
The she tried the statin angle. I've already discussed this said I and have declined as my cholesterol is perfect. Yes said she but your age and the fact your female the computer says you need to be on statins! (PLEASE GIVE ME STRENGTH). No says I. You will get a heart attack in 20yrs if you don't take them now! Based on what says I. Base on what the computer says she. In 20yrs I will be 86yrs! And frankly will have lived a good life and in all honesty more likely breast cancer will have come back & finished me off. So honestly it's not high on my priority list. And I am not taking statins because I'm female and due to my age. Thats a nonsense. I'm already on anticoagulants!! They wont do any good says she. I said so the cardiac specialist who told me I'm 5xs higher risk of a stroke due to my heart condition is wrong then? She went silent. I'll put it down as a refusal. It's already been recorded that said I.
No mention of my op or the UTI that followed that they refused to treat. Frankly they are nothing but trouble. The ignorance of my case knows no bounds. She complained of being on the phone with me for 30mins. Hardly my fault that she hadn't done her homewotk and didn't stay focused.
I'm going to write a letter to the surgery practise manager. And I'm putting ny thyroid meds up a tadge. And will search for a good liver specialist to bottom this! And will ask for a copy of my blood tests for the third time!
Am sorry my take on my gp surgery is that they do more harm than good. They dont help when really needed and the computer programme is doing the doctoring not the doctors. And finally they dont bother to read my file and know my case before ringing me.
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waveylines
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Oh waveylines you couldn't make up the incompetence of most Doctors nowadays! I am also having an ongoing 'discussion' with our GP with regard to my Son's low hormonal readings, so am just about to email them again and upset their Christmas. In the meantime, I am, reluctantly having to consider taking my Son privately. Will also contact Healthwatch after Christmas, as they seem to be quite interested in the health of special needs people.
I rather think you have hit the nail on the head there @Wunderkid! I think they would love to get rid of my son and me altogether, and the way they are going, they very well might. Thank you for your concern.
Waveylines, I'm so sorry you had to go through all that. And when you are recovering from surgery.
From my experience, I think, too, that medical competence is dropping.
Never mind, drs-of-ignorance will be putting all us ill, aged and/or disabled out of our miseries sooner rather than later! [Sarcasm font]
🤣😊😂 not on my watch!! I agree with medical competancy dropping...through the floor where GPs are concerned. And thanks for the sympathy. It's a bit rich tbh. Wouldn't help me with antibiotics that I really needed post op.....mutterings of I'll have to ask if we are allowed (jobs worthy), forcing me to visit the hospital only 5days post op because I got no response, and then interferes in a complex case they know nothing about! Who needs them? 🙈
Marz, I agree with the basic principle of the further away you live from a Dr, the longer you will live.
Perhaps from a slightly different perspective.
Experienced living 55km from the nearest dr where people didn't go to the gp unless serious. But then took a real risk if admitted into this local hospital.
And then, if it was very, very serious, they were flown out 250kms away to a major hospital, and all its risks.
It was like the Darwin theory: Only the tough/physically blessed survived.
Love that Wunderkid. My Dad used to say the very same thing. I've got to say I agree......except if you happen to get a very knowledgeable experienced sensible specialist - can be very helpful. They are rare as hens teeth though!
Life chucks what it's going to chuck...
This idea of living an extended life suffering with wrotten side effects of drugs that big pharma peddle is such a load of tosh. By extended - what do they mean....a couple of months? I say live well for as long as you can then hope (well I do) that its a quick snuff out with minimal fuss, pain or intervention....I think they call it a good death.
A very dear friend of mine at 77 fell over a low wall, broke his hip & snapped the head of his femur. Had to have a total hip replacement plus a new head of his femur. Now on the road to recovery. He's fit and agile for his age. Now that's a good intervention and I hope he has a smooth recovery.
I had a very long, very scary sermon from my osteoporosis nurse about the survival rate of the elderly after a hip operation. My grandmother tripped over the Labrador and broke her hip when she was in her late seventies. She had a spell in hospital then a spell in a convalescent hospital - remember them? they were intended for people requiring little medical intervention but not quite fit enough to go home and fend for themselves. There was no ‘bed blocking’ back in those days! Then when I finished college for the holidays I went to look after her at home. She was back on her feet making jam later in the year and eventually died when she was 90. On the other hand my aunt took bisphosphonates and carried on crumbling - spine but not hip until she was on oxygen. What a choice eh.
My dad put off having a double hip replacement for years. His quality of life was abysmal because the pain level was so high and mobility low He is now evangelical about his friends having hip replacements done when they need them because his own op was so successful. Hip replacements are more likely to be successful than knee replacements and the implants last a long time, too. I think it’s one of those ops that can result in a fantastic result and a result that has improved a lot over the last 10-20 years, but of course like all ops it carries a risk.
So agree with you. As for my dear friend. He is home and doing well. Up on his feet. Start physio next week. Of course there is always the risk of a blood clot post op..... but no doubt he is clad in surgical stockings & is feeling totally insulted by it all. 🤣
Ahhh good point Martz. You're probably right. Aha! That's reassuring....my Vitiligo has been the cause of so much I thought here we go again!! I was sooo annoyed...I thought there was a strong enough case on file already not to meddle with my thyroid meds or me! 🤣.....but she didn't know my case but thought she could meddle. No way! They're low because in the heatwave I was a tadge over range on the ft3 (though I do think the levels can vary quite widely, depending on time of day, level of activity, stress etc) but I lowered. However I did put it back up come the cold weather so was surprised. Amazing the NHS did all 3 thyroid tests.....that's a new one on me!! I think the labs are a law to themselves!
🤣😂 very likely Martz. Labs didn't suggest lowering it was GP action all on her little own. Couldn't give me any sensible logic or research behind her illogical reasoning throughout my so called 'consultation!' LOL
Sorry been laid up for a bit. I have b12 injectionss daily so doubt it's a b12 iissue.i take Thornes Basic B. I think it due to the change in weather.....GP insisted I lowered in the summer.
Well it's not surprising waveylines, I to feel like gps are sherking their responsibility to patience, my gp and 3 endos have ignored me since 2020 when my calcium went over range and my parathyroid hormones went over range, 2 endos saying it looks like I have primary hyperparathiyroidism, but dragged their heels on this, even though my blood work looks like I definitely have a parathyroid problem, my son paid for me to see a specialist parathyroid surgeon in bambry 18th November this year, he found a nodule between 6/7 mm on the left side of my neck, the very place I've been telling my gp and endos where the pain is.. The specialist surgeon also said my bloods look like I actually have normocalcemic hyperparathiyroidism, my son paid £320 for the scan, something my gp and endos refused to do, saying there is nothing wrong with me,... Yeah right!! This specialist surgeon wrote a report to my gp stating I need further bloods and a 24 hour urine calcium test and a pet chlorine scan, I received the report via email about 3 weeks ago and yet my surgery say they have no such report as yet!!!, honestly I have no faith in my gp or endos... And that's very sad as we rely on them to help us... 🤦♀️🤦♀️
That's shocking treatment of you, birkie. I wonder if your gp originally wrote dismissive referrals to the endos colouring their views/treatments? Still, no excuse whatsoever for all their neglect. I feel for you.
How did you manage to get the dr's referral for the specialist surgeon?
You must have a wonderful son, not only paying for specialist and scan but for believing you -that's worth so much.
I'm on a parathyroid site, hyperparathyroidism action 4 change, we have a couple of thyroid/parathyroid surgeon's on our medical site, this particular surgeon saw my blood work and sent me a private message saying my bloods definitely indicate a parathyroid problem.
Unfortunately the NHS have strict guidelines for both thyroid/parathyroid levels, in that we as people suffering symptoms of either hyper or hypo or parathyroid have to meet certain clinical guidelines.
This parathyroid specialist surgeon told me the NHS would only treat thyroid conditions and parathyroid conditions if our blood work show over or under range TSH over or under range T3,T4 or over range calcium and over range parathyroid hormone in hyperparathyroidism on at least 3 occasions.
He himself does not go by these out dated guidelines he focuses on symptoms and does scans and his own blood tests.
He asked me if I would like to see him in his private clinic, I jumped at the chance my son very kindly paying for it as he'd had enough of seeing me look and feeling so ill.
He did the scan and found the nodule, looked over my blood work for the last year and concluded I have normocalcaemic hyperparathyroidism.
I'm hoping to see a lady at Liverpool for a pet chlorine scan next year, all thanks to this wonderful parathyroid surgeon 💓💓👍👍👍
Definitely Wunderkind if I'd waited as I did with my thyroid for the NHS to do anything I'd be getting nowhere...and I lost my thyroid to my incompetent GP who couldn't diagnose hyper symptoms 🤦🤦🤦🤦
If you have hyperparathyroidism get checked out for osteoporosis - it’s one of the causes of osteoporosis and one that can be fixed! Unlike some of the other causes.
I had the DEXA it came back as ostiopein in total spine and in left thigh bone, the lady doing the scan who I knew said it was teetering on ostioporosis, but specialist put ostiopein, also suffered with kidney stones from 2004 when I got my first diagnosis of primary hyperparathiyroidism, but nothing was done as they said my calcium was only 2.67..(range 2.10..2.60) mildly over range and my pth was mildly over range, 3 times😳 wish I knew then what I know now about parathyroid problems, I would have kicked the endos ass.. 😠 Nearly 18 years with intermittent high calciums (in my records) ,some as high as 2.89 then get the diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome, fibro, the private specialist I saw in nov thinks I've had a parathyroid problem since 2004😳😳😳
Thats the trouble isn’t it - they all treat their own part of you in isolation - it’s criminal really. I’ve got a few ass… I’d love to kick. How can they (in my case endos and rheumatologists plus GPs who dole out PPIs willy nilly) prescribe meds that can cause things like osteoporosis and not at least warn you! Hopefully you can get your parathyroid sorted out - if you haven’t done so already take a look on the HU Bone Health site or look up hyperparathyroidism on the Royal Osteoporosis website.
Its dreadful but I can easily believe you’ve had hyperparathyroidism since 2004.
Am so sorry to gear this Birkie. That's a disgrace. I suggest you ask younprivate endo if he could arrange to email them across (if they haven't already) due to all the postal strikes. Sigh..... Hope you don't have to wait much longer now surely. 🤞🤞
Spot on - and your story about statins was classic! As Ive mentioned before on here following other similar post(s), GPs shouldnt just be replaced imo! That's firefighting, not healthcare management.
Instead, totally review/overall h/c. That should include adding Nutritional Therapists to any existing GPs. The reduction in the billions spent by NHS on drugs (many unnecessary) would more than cover that. Oh and healthcare would improve enormously!
STATINS!!!! Honestly do GPS and specialist get some kind of insentive for prescribing these???
My story with statins or should I say without statins started in around late 2014 when my heart went nuts beating out of my chest, this was on and off and at times frightened me.
I eventually saw my GP who dismissed them as the menupause, I did see a endo who sent a report to my GP saying I had subclinical hyperthyroidism ( I never saw this report until 2020 when I requested my medical records 😠) GP did nothing about the report,but instead sent me to a heart specialist who immediately prescribed STATINS!! ..I asked " why do I need those"? He said to prevent a heart attack, I said "am I a candidate for a heart attack" his answer prevention better than the cure🙄 I said no thanks!!! Turns out my fast heartbeat was hyperthyroidism....so some heart specialist wanted me on statins because my heart was racing because of hyperthyroidism (graves) not even interested WHY it was racing 😠 just another specialist pill popper who probably has shares in a pharmaceutical company 🙄🙄
Drs have tried pushing statins onto me, too. Makes it appear as if all the pushing is for kickbacks or mindless acceptance of the latest fashion in the pharma drug world.
Actually I feel sorry for the "specialist" as he somehow seems to have lost his way at med training! Also I'd have asked him for scientific evidence supporting his claim as there is none (only benefit is if you'd had a heart attack when they can provide stability). He needs to speak with renowned cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra (amongst others).
I joke that one day statins will be said to raise the dead. They crop up as a ‘cure’ for so many conditions it’s about the only thing left that I’ve not heard they can fix but who knows.
I tried them once - years ago when I was younger and more innocent - stopped them very soon after starting them because I could barely walk 100 yards and also I felt really depressed which was weird as we were on holiday in Provence - what’s to be depressed about down there?
Love Dr Makhotra’s book but I suspect if he isn’t careful he could well go the way of Dr Skinner.
Remind me what happened to Dr Skinner? My dad also tried statins for ~9m after being coerced by medics aware of his concerns about family history of CVD.
He had no known side effects but later discovered his bilirubin had doubled so liver damage could've ensued had he not come to his senses first and stopped statins. Bilirubin then came right back!
I’m very glad to hear that your dad got sorted out after he stopped the statins. I knew nothing about them when I took them about 15-20 years ago so there was nothing to influence me other than the side effects I experienced for myself. Once I started to look into them I discovered my experience wasn’t unusual.
Dr Skinner - helped an enormous number of thyroid patients but he got right up the nose of the ‘establishment’
Wow. .....some heart specialist! Oh no my heart beat is faster due to damage from cancer treatment......am due an appointment t with my cardiologist. Really hope he doesn't start harping in about statins!!
Am not sure I'd call it fire fighting....more like bullying!! Don't need the statins....cholesterol levels are perfect! Clearly this GP doesn't know what statins do and their purpose & neither does their computer programme!!
Sorry my reference to firefighting was about the general recruitment issues in the NHS. The response to losing overseas medics (sadly often incomprehensible!) is to try to replace them with something similar, practising the same drug therapy before they then leave. Instead they could replace with UK Nutritional Therapists for a more stable, better heathcare system...and save OUR £s!!But I totally agree with your negativity about statins. And the above NTs would resolve most situations like cholesterol with root-cause, drug-free solutions. No brainer!
Awww no problem....maybe I misread the thread as was catching up on 7days worth of posts. Lol. My GP is definitely English with a very comprehensive command of the English language - shame her medical skills don't match!! 🤣 If they paid decent wages they wouldn't have a mass exit of staff from the NHS....causing horrendous working conditions for those who stay. Same with Dentists. Our NHS has heen dismantled in all but name.
My Gastroenterologist referred me to a nutrionlist- that was 2 years ago....still not heard anything. Luckily I figured out what I needed to do re diet during the 9month wait to see the Gastroenterologist! 🙄 I did try looking for one privately. There was only one in my area. I rang her.....what she talked about sounded like management of IBS which I don't have so I didnt folke her up. I'm gluten intolerant, probably coeliac said my specialistas I have the gene. A GF diet resolved all my symptoms and everything settled. It would be good to know if a GF diet has any nutrional implications. There are lots of GF products now so my diet is varied and wide.
Re digestive/gastro, I effectively cured a GERD sufferer via natural treatment in just 1 student clinic earlier this year. That followed several years being "treated" by NHS medics with PPIs!!When I start practising next year, I plan to specialise in weight management but digestive is a 2nd option later. Stay well.
Awww well done u. We need skilled practitioners like u. PPIs are so often misused....long termly. A dear friend of mine told me not long ago that she'd been on them 20yrs due to ulcer history. Her b12 was through the floor and am sure other nutrients won't be great either. She was experiencibg symptoms typical of low B12. She was upset as her new GP wanted her to come off them. GPs right but coming off after 20yrs can't be as straightforward as just stopping. She was in agony when she tried so went straight back to them. Sadly no one at the time investigated the cause of her ulcer.... People like her would be excellent clients for you.
Think that might be a tadge insulting to 3yr olds!! 😂🤣 lol...She clearly did t like me declining.....
Hi There, I have just read your post it's terrible This sounds a lot like my surgery but being as its a walk away I've stuck with it and I've had more guidance n help looking on here many of my neighbours have left the surgery but tbh all Gps in my area are rated 1 or 2 lucky if it's 3 star then you can't get app for weeks we have 3 doctors in our small surgery only one is so so but even she never looks up file notes I have to tell her and she knows me only too well I try to just get on with things if there's any real probs I'll email her there's also far too many receptionist all part timers and it's hard getting past them the many questions they ask before hand is very annoying also they are still playing the ansaphone message from the very first start of lockdown 🙄
So sorry to hear you have similar problems. Poor you. Yes am told if I move it will be no better.....but now given all the current GPs are new except one who I avoid (he told me he wasn't worried by a resting heart rate of over 140, that had not abated for weeks, months ge was never concerned!) I feel I now have little to loose by switching.....except my nhs NDT script so will need to negotiate that first.
There isn't an email I can email the surgery, let alone a doctor. The Practise manager also doesn't give her email out....her words. You have no option but to join a long queue on the phone or use snail mail...... And yes multiple part time receptionists....to be fair I would not like that job - dealing with a constant stream of poorly people chasing appointments, scripts and the rest. Horrible job..
I don't have a sense that patients count much tbh these days.....
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