NHS On The Ball As Ever, Not.

[Sparklingsunshine]

I recently wrote that at the end of February I spent the day in the emergency dept due to shortness of breath, I'd been advised to go there by the GP surgery. Anyway it was decided after lots of tests it was an exacerbation of my asthma, I was treated with a nebuliser, steroids and a stronger inhaler and released.

Fast forward to this week and I got a phone call from the surgery inviting me for an asthma review, something I havent had in years. I assumed they'd finally received correspondence from the hospital about my attack.

Out of curiosity I read the official guidelines which said an asthma review should be carried out by GP within 2 days of an attack which led to emergency treatment.

Here we are at the end of March, the appointment I was offered was for mid April 🤦‍♀️. I'm not feeling much of a sense of urgency here.

[HealthStarDust]

I haven’t had one, I have previously after an attack. But, I know not everyone had it like that in the first place.

[DippyDame]

Was referred to Urology a couple of weeks ago... marked urgent....asked GP about waiting time...he just sighed and shook his head... so I don't expect to be seen this side of Christmas!!!

[arTistapple]

I have noticed no sense of urgency whatsoever from my surgery. Not much feedback either on the occasions I have been in A&E. I now realise medical staff are looking at ‘horses’ in there. helvella I caught a tiny bit of ‘Casualty’ last night on TV where the adage you put on the forum a few weeks ago was used. No zebra spotted until it was too late. So I understand that.

Anything beyond horses ought to be getting guidance from GP or if serious enough should be referred to a specialist. Unless off course you are hypothyroid (a dead zone). Last (very few) visits to surgery (blood tests only) it was empty. Must be running on phone consultations, everyone in their own consulting rooms. Any better for patients?

Most importantly there is a better system in place (online triage) at my surgery but it’s certainly not speeding up actual or telephone appointments. Still, grateful for the possible improvement in all round efficiency.

Anyone remember ‘home visits by GPs’?

[Sparklingsunshine in reply to arTistapple]

Yes I'm old enough to remember our wonderful family doctor when I was a child, who did home visits as well when required. The good old days.

[DippyDame in reply to arTistapple]

My husband and I were talking about home visits only yesterday.

Good old family doctors who in some cases had brought their patients into the world... like my husband....at home!!

During my father's last days our then GP once called in well after midnight to check on him...because he saw lights on in the house as he passed....the GP was returning home from a social event!

We are old enough to remember these things!

Those were the days!

[FancyPants54 in reply to arTistapple]

GP came to visit my elderly mum at home (she lives with us) not long after Christmas because we needed to check that the horrible pain really was sciatica. I know the surgery sends 1 GP out on home visits every day. But we are lucky out here.

[arTistapple in reply to FancyPants54]

You certainly are.

[Thalia56]

Sorry to hear about this, and I hope your asthma exacerbation has eased. My sister had three months off work on high doses of steroids due to asthma exacerbation post-covid and has been waiting more than a year for a follow-up lung function test. It’s just as well it’s not for anything urgent or important, like breathing.

[Sparklingsunshine in reply to Thalia56]

Yes breathing is optional, apparently.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

Or even to be discouraged as it emits CO2

[wimpyshrog]

Hi Sparklingsunshine, sounds like a carbon copy of my surgery. Spent £7 million quid on flashy new building, can't get to see a doctor unless you are on death's door then the phone message tells you to dial 911 if you have a life threatening emergency. I had a wonky ankle. Had to wait 3 weeks to get an Xray, turns out I had a fractured fibula. It's been over a week after, nothing from surgery. Consultant at hospital suggested I needed to get bone density tests done. I'm not going to hold my breath.

[Sparklingsunshine in reply to wimpyshrog]

Mine haven't even got the excuse of forking out 7 million on a new building. Mind you the hospital must share some of the blame as it took them a month to contact my GP about my asthma. I thought everything was done electronically these days. Not by telegram 🤷‍♀️.

[Sharoosz in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

Sounds like they did that by snail 'express' or smoke signals. God help us.

[serenfach]

About 5 months ago I had a nasty reaction to a new blood pressure tablet - felt totally drunk but could think clearly. I phoned the surgery who suggested I drove in - I could not get out the door without crashing into things! A GP called to the house (which scared me!) and said she thought I had had a brain bleed. I suggested it was the new BP tablets but she said no. She said she would contact the hospital and an ambulance would pick me up. I slowly packed clean knickers and my NDT tablets.

She did contact the hospital as I have seen the notes. After a week I got an appointment in the post for Ophthalmology... I am still waiting for the ambulance. Two days without taking the BP tablets and things were back to normal.

No follow up checks by the GP.

[Sparklingsunshine in reply to serenfach]

Its unbelievable, I had a similar reaction to Nortriptyline, I was prescribed it as a migraine preventative but only got to 30mgs and the side effects were awful. Racing heartbeat, shaking and ironically a constant headache.

The locum GP I saw was convinced it was overmedication on thyroid meds, having recently had a private test which showed all was in range I was equally convinced it was not. He insisted on booking me in for bloods, I told him I was stopping the Nortriptyline regardless.

Lo and behold 2 days after stopping it I was OK again. I did take more satisfaction than I should have of informing the surgery that my symptoms had resolved and I wouldn't be taking up the blood tests. I find GP's are often very ignorant about medication side effects.

[humanbean in reply to Sparklingsunshine]

I got the racing heart beat from both amitriptyline (150 beats per minute) and nortriptyline (135 beats per minute). They are from the same family of drugs. Tachycardia is one of the known side effects of both drugs and it is mentioned on the Patient Information Leaflet.

My problem with tachycardia was first triggered by amitriptyline, and although I haven't taken it, or nortriptyline, for years, the tachycardia, once triggered, never went away.

I now take a beta blocker to control my heart rate practically every day.

[Sparklingsunshine in reply to humanbean]

I was also given propranolol for migraine prevention, even though I'm asthmatic and its contra indicated. Sorry to hear about your experiences, and how unlucky you've been, as normally a lot of drug side effects remedy themselves once you are off them.

[arTistapple in reply to humanbean]

I have experienced similar and withdrawal was extremely difficult. I find I am so wary now of doctors and their protocols I question everything, which they off course HATE. Even the ones who genuinely want to help have let me down due this strict protocol stuff. Horses and zebras. But it’s often too late by the time they think zebra and lasting damage has been done.

Even questioning them is pointless because the get out clause is “It’s your decision”. They are ‘covered’ and you the patient are not!

In Scotland we have a saying “It’s arse for elbow” when it’s clear no-one knows what’s going on.

[arTistapple in reply to humanbean]

Human bean just been reading your direction to Malcolm McKendrick. He really is fab and probably disliked and underrated by medics generally. Good quality down to Earth thinking. I always love his take. Many years ago it was he who made me thoroughly sceptical about statins. If I had gone on taking them I would be in a worse state than I already am. An excellent read.

[humanbean in reply to arTistapple]

This is another Kendrick blog post that is well worth reading, if you haven't already done so. :

drmalcolmkendrick.org/2012/...

[arTistapple in reply to humanbean]

I think he is Scottish. I will keep calling him McKendrick when it’s just Kendrick. Fab reference (again). Wish he was my GP.

[humanbean in reply to arTistapple]

He has a Scottish accent on videos I've seen him talking on.