health check everytime you join new doctors?

kizzie_nikita

coinxoperated wrote: »

My current doctors (absolute WASTE OF SPACE!!) wanted me not only to have a "health check" but also wanted me to produce a urine and poo sample AND have a blood test.

Baring in mind there was nothing wrong with me at the time and no reason for them to request such things. I don't see why they would be bothered about my health anyway, everytime I'm ill I have a 3 week waiting period that I may die in before I get to see a doctor. No wonder so many people don't show up for there appointments. They all keel!

Wow... a poo sample? What? lol

Did go do them? and did you go to it?

Torry_Quine

When I changed doctor recently I was told I had to see a doctor as I was on medication and couldn't get a prescription until then. He did usual basic check of height, weight (which I said I didn't want to know) and BP as well as going over what medicine I was on and brief health issues.


My BP was high (not normally) so I had to go back and get it checked by the nurse and as it was still up a bit had blood tests for kidney function, liver function, diabetes and general tests. These were normal

Gingernutty

kizzie_nikita wrote: »

Wow... a poo sample? What? lol

Did go do them? and did you go to it?

As well as a 'normal' 25ml Sterilin tube (for pee), my GP's receptionist gave me a second tube that had a little shovel fitted to the underside of the lid ( a bit like a mascara brush) - I seriously asked what it was for - it had to be explained to me.

They both had to have fresh samples in them for the 'introductory' appointment......

coinxoperated

Yep the pot with the shovel.

I just outright refused. I said that maybe that could put the costs of the checks into better behaved and more competent receptionists instead

I'm about to leave my doctors. Each time I do book an appointment they outright insist that I book my 'introductory' appointment with the nurse. (which unconviently can only be had between the hours of 9 to 5 monday to friday... i'll be stuffed if I'm using time off work that will have to made up for nothing!)

I always book the introductory appointment after my actual appointment, and just tell them as i'm leaving to cancel it. They know who I am.

I used to be so polite and patient with them, but after a recent episode (last week!!) where I desperatly needed to see a doctor, and the receptionist (who is a doctor? right? no? oh..) said that I wasn't an emergency and would book me in for the 15th, I ended up going to hospital and was told I would of had full blown septecima within the next couple of days if i had left it.

I'm seeing them on the 15th, just as a sort of final 'check I ain't dying', and the putting a formal complaint in.

I went in with stomach ache after sex, and was told that I MIGHT have Aids, Chlamydia, or Cancer. Great. Turns out I had the !!!!!!...

kizzie_nikita

Don't blame you that you're leaving.

Things like this is the reason i dread going to the doctors, which isn't good when they won't even give me birth control without checking my blood pressure every 3 months! Not sure why as it's only the last 2 years they've started doing that.

Going to register with this new one tomorrow, so scared. I mean i hate even stepping into the sugery let alone anything else!

Gingernutty

kizzie_nikita wrote: »

Don't blame you that you're leaving.

Things like this is the reason i dread going to the doctors, which isn't good when they won't even give me birth control without checking my blood pressure every 3 months! Not sure why as it's only the last 2 years they've started doing that.

Going to register with this new one tomorrow, so scared. I mean i hate even stepping into the sugery let alone anything else!

Because doctors are duty bound to help prevent illness where they can.

Hypertension (chronic high blood pressure) can cause strokes, vascular dementia, kidney and heart disease and the contraceptive pill can cause a catastrophic rise in blood pressure in certain individuals.

That's why the doctor checks your blood pressure.

I used to take Dianette for PCOS until my blood pressure rose very sharply - when I came off it, my blood pressure came down.

Edwardia

kizzie_nikita, I am a member of the Patient Reference Group (replacement for Patient Participation Group) at my local surgery. I would advise contacting the Practice Manager and telling her/him that you are really nervous about GP/nurse visits and ask whether the introductory appt is really crucial under the circumstances.

The Practice Manager is also the person to complain to about any of the practice staff. I've been told that receptionists aren't allowed to ask a patient why s/he wants a GP appt but a nurse can because that's triage (prioritising).

The fact that you are overweight will, I'm afraid, make the GP want to take your blood pressure, weigh you and get you to have a blood or urine test to rule out high blood pressure, heart probs, high cholesterol and diabetes.

I was diagnosed with diabetes by chance in 2007, I didn't have any of the classic symptoms and had lost quite a bit of weight as well so I was shocked, especially as I didn't eat junk food, cakes and biscuits.

None of my previous doctors had ever said anything about my weight and maybe if they had given me a blood test and found insulin resistance before I got diabetes, I wouldn't have developed it.

Re: medication reviews, these are to check that the medication you are on isn't giving you silent side effects and is doing the job it's supposed to. It also gives your GP/nurse the chance to ask you about any health niggles, take your blood pressure, and generally check that you're doing OK.

Toothsmith

Regular, simple, low cost health checks would drastically cut down both illness, and the effects of illness within a population.

By doing simple, very minimally invasive routine monitoring problems can be picked up when a simple change, or a low dose cheap tablet, or even stopping a 'habit' medication could prevent a world of suffering, or long term permanent problems.

A simple poo check every few years could catch bowel cancer in the stages where it could be fixed with no long-term consequences. But for the sake of a quick scoop with a little spoon - you'd rather all have a colostomy bag, or worse, for the rest of your (much shortened) lives?

It's called prevention, and if we all embraced it, we could save the country £billions and ourselves a lot of needless medication and surgery.

j.e.j.

kizzie_nikita wrote: »

Don't blame you that you're leaving.

Things like this is the reason i dread going to the doctors, which isn't good when they won't even give me birth control without checking my blood pressure every 3 months! Not sure why as it's only the last 2 years they've started doing that.

Going to register with this new one tomorrow, so scared. I mean i hate even stepping into the sugery let alone anything else!

Good luck with the new surgery.

Just wanted to say, though, they ought to check blood pressure regularly if someone's on the Pill, so not sure why it was only in the past 2 years they started doing that?

IMO A lot of the issues probably stem from the way they (and the patient) handle whatever situation. If they are approachng you in a helpful way about something, then that's going to bring about a less fearful and more positive attitude than if they are finger-wagging and intimidating you into having tests, etc done that you don't want.

kizzie_nikita

Edwardia wrote: »

The fact that you are overweight will, I'm afraid, make the GP want to take your blood pressure, weigh you and get you to have a blood or urine test to rule out high blood pressure, heart probs, high cholesterol and diabetes.

I was diagnosed with diabetes by chance in 2007, I didn't have any of the classic symptoms and had lost quite a bit of weight as well so I was shocked, especially as I didn't eat junk food, cakes and biscuits.

.

I've had my wee, and blood taken and there's nothing wrong with both, my problem is they won't give me my contraceptive pills without going in, when i was on them for 3-4 years prior with my blood pressure only taken once in that entire time.

I don't mind having my blood pressure taken/wee/blood sample, but they will not be weighing me unless it's something i need to have A/Bs or surgery.

I'm sure they can tell I'm overweight, but its not drastic and I've been told I'm fine on the pill unless your BMI is over 40 or something and then you're at a higher risk.

I've spoken to a doctor i know on another forum and she assured me that the weight part is unessecery unless like i stated before, and in fact, a lot of her patients don't turn her for their first medicals as it's not actually compulsory, they just like to do them (some doctors clinics not all) to get your records quicker.

I went to register today and there's no poo sample fortunately. Just a wee sample.