Nice People 13: Nice Save

LydiaJ

lostinrates wrote: »

They failed to put that script up last evening. Its not there this morning. The pharmacist said she'd call/text as soon as its arrived.

The alternatives are extremely limited and I doubt better. ( I have had some really bad gp's over the years....its just you are hearing the journey of this one....my last GP was a shining star). I have extremely limited faith in doctors, most particularly GPs for a reason. I describe it as a phobia, and it suppose it is, but phobias are irrational, and I feel mine is very strongly based in experience and lack of faith, plus an unhealthy dose of prejudice and paranoia. When I actually see this one he is very nice, agrees with me. On the phone last time he said he would sort out what needed sorting.

I appreciate all the time there are more pressing patients, because for all my grumbles I do linger on . I'd always rather if someone is occupying any extra thought its someone who is in acute need at a crucial moment. All I want is for them to do their job on the minutes I see them...the sending things To the RIGHT places, answer my questions frankly and honestly and let me make decisions.

One of the difficulties is now I have become extremely edgy again. I have missed two blood tests because I am so wary. I'm not wary of the blood tests, just the whole issue of 'doctors' and my lack of trust surfacing. I feel like this whole thing is a merry dance in which I am not being given whole Information. This is making me stressed which is not helping my health really.

Fwiw I feel much better today. I don't know what to make for supper though. Fir has been living off cereal and fish eggs, so I have to make him real food.

You have had terribly bad luck with GPs and I understand that that colours your opinions and expectations of them, but, with respect, they are not all like the ones it has been your misfortune to deal with. I have had many GPs over the course of several moves around the country, and every single one of them has been able to do the job competently, which your current practice is not. Your "shining star" former GP is not the only one in the country. I do know there are useless ones out there too - my SIL had one - but I really don't believe that it's the norm.

Also, to suggest that it's OK for them to keep neglecting you because they must be dealing with more pressing cases is frankly ridiculous. You have much more significant health problems than most people, and your issues have potential long term consequences if they are not treated promptly and correctly. If they are going to prioritise the people whose care really matters, then you are one of the people they should be prioritising. Furthermore, however nice the GP is when you finally get to talk to them, it's useless if they then do not actually do what they have said they would do.

In your situation I would have moved practices long ago, or else threatened a formal complaint. My experience with a coroner who was not doing his job properly was that great results can be obtained by not actually making a complaint but merely threatening one in a letter saying "Here is a quote from a policy that tells me what I should be able to expect from you. I am not getting it because [details]. If you do not do X thing by Y date then I will be making a formal complaint to Z regulatory body." I understand that it's difficult to complain robustly about a GP with whom you want to maintain a constructive therapeutic relationship, but IT IS NOT OK for things to carry on as they are.

Note to NP and lurkers - I am not suggesting being the kind of nuisance who threatens to complain at every little slip up, but just for gross failures to do what they are supposed to do that are sustained over a long time. In the example of the coroner, it was when a meeting that was supposed to be arranged within 4 months still had no date set for it some 18 months later.

lostinrates

LydiaJ wrote: »

You have had terribly bad luck with GPs and I understand that that colours your opinions and expectations of them, but, with respect, they are not all like the ones it has been your misfortune to deal with. I have had many GPs over the course of several moves around the country, and every single one of them has been able to do the job competently, which your current practice is not. Your "shining star" former GP is not the only one in the country. I do know there are useless ones out there too - my SIL had one - but I really don't believe that it's the norm.

Tbf, I am complicated. I'm sure if I had, I dunno, what's a straightforward thing.....diabetes? Something straightforward and routine, they would be more routinely able to deal with it.

The very truth of the matter is that the majority of Gps are going to be average. Averagely competent with average patients with average requirements. Shrug.


And in a practise different Gps do things differently. Another GP there a couple of years ago was the one who said that in his opinion it was time to go to a rheumatologist.

Of the majority are averagely competent, you'll get the odd star like my last one and then the odd incompetent. I think because my health care is complicated, so many consultants etc, its more likely to hit the bumps in the road and find the incompetences. I also hate b*****t answers. I am not a particularly likeable patient. ( shruggy smiley) I'm polite and stuff. I just like to know and understand what's going on and I make my own decisions. That's my right. They don't like that.


We made a complaint at a previous practise. ( this was in response to a drug that was causing side effects that said see your GP immediately if you get them, so we did and the GP said he couldn't see them, and then proceeded to chat about Italy with DH. ( his son had an Italian gf/ fianc! or wife...cannot remember, they are married now though, and he wanted to chat about it) His refusal to take this side effect seriously had some pretty bloody consequences and I ended up in a and e. IMO the complaint served me very poorly. Ranks were closed and I felt I was branded as hysterical. As a fault I get slightly hysterical.

Seriously, people in any position of power, whether its a doctor, or even just your power as a family member I suppose, its a dangerous thing. What is five minutes of your day can stay with someone else for life.

ivyleaf

Doozergirl wrote: »

Yodel.

Bizarre twitter conversation where it seems normal that I should be tramping the perimeter of my land in dark and snow for a parcel which was left in the 'back porch' I don't own, while someone was in the house.

No card, just a self-congratulatory email telling me they'd left my parcel somewhere safe - and dropped a card in. So safe, I cannot find it.

And I thought mine was bad - I had them deliver a parcel into my hands, and then got an email telling me that as I was out, my parcel had been left with my next-door neighbour, Debra.

I don't have a next door neighbour called Debra, and even if I had, she wouldn't have had my parcel, because I had it.

Bizarre indeed.

vivatifosi

I've remembered another Yodelism.

They asked me to take in a parcel for my next door neighbour.

When I looked at the parcel, it had my next door neighbours house number,but a different street. So I delivered it to that house.

When my neighbours got home, they came round with their card saying a parcel had been left with us. I had to explain that it wasn't fine them and I'd taken it to the other house.

Thankfully we get on well with our neighbours, and they don't think we stole their parcel. But that is then sort of thing neighbours fall out over.

If it happened again, we'd hold on to the parcel long enough to show the neighbours that it wasn't theirs.

PasturesNew

zagubov wrote: »

... scissored remains of The Morning Star with the errors cut out.

LOL/errors.

lostinrates

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/67598533#Comment_67598533

Timely thread. I'm not particularly ' interested' in personal experience of posters, ( I cannot think of a way to sayi that ATM that sounds less rude) but more the stats someone posted about how people feel about complaints about GPs.

Generali

lostinrates wrote: »

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/67598533#Comment_67598533

Timely thread. I'm not particularly ' interested' in personal experience of posters, ( I cannot think of a way to sayi that ATM that sounds less rude) but more the stats someone posted about how people feel about complaints about GPs.

I know that the plural of anecdote isn't data but I don't get treated anything like that by an urban GP in Aus. The reason? I get to go to see whichever one I want and they get paid as a result of me seeing them.

If they annoy me then I find a new GP and the old GP stops getting paid.

lostinrates

Generali wrote: »

I know that the plural of anecdote isn't data but I don't get treated anything like that by an urban GP in Aus. The reason? I get to go to see whichever one I want and they get paid as a result of me seeing them.

If they annoy me then I find a new GP and the old GP stops getting paid.

No, and I've had no 'personal' issues with gp's in other countries where the questioning thing is more expected. ( although I didn't have a huge amount of medical care as a kid I had some....and one of my parents , and of course my sibling, are not British so I have this different cultural expectation which is difficult too.

But tbf, the attitude does go through private sector here too, because it goes with the role. Do tors who work with international patients privately as bread and butter are often very different ( my private GP in London was one of those......was still as scary as hell though :rotfl:)

SingleSue

James struggles to find doctors who understand his condition. He went up last week (after months of me nagging him), to just be palmed off at the doctors. It was blatently obvious the GP didn't understand EDS and all its associated problems and the doctor's only suggestion was to take Nytol for his sleeping difficulties. He completely ignored the bit about his heart and the need for him to refer him for his echo (required check due to issues there), his joint problems, his anxiety, stomach issues, POTS issues or anything else.

Now going to take me many more months of nagging to get him to try again, all the while, he is getting more and more ill and suffering more and more worrying cardiac signs.

Generali

SingleSue wrote: »

James struggles to find doctors who understand his condition. He went up last week (after months of me nagging him), to just be palmed off at the doctors. It was blatently obvious the GP didn't understand EDS and all its associated problems and the doctor's only suggestion was to take Nytol for his sleeping difficulties. He completely ignored the bit about his heart and the need for him to refer him for his echo (required check due to issues there), his joint problems, his anxiety, stomach issues, POTS issues or anything else.

Now going to take me many more months of nagging to get him to try again, all the while, he is getting more and more ill and suffering more and more worrying cardiac signs.

I don't recall James's age but if he saw a Doctor over here he'd pretty much be asked which diagnosis service(s) he wanted to have provided or you would be. If he had a few dollars at his disposal (tens of dollars normally although it can be more) he could go to a private diagnostician. If he didn't he'd be seen by the public system in due course. Private insurance isn't allowed to cover this, either you pay or you wait.

If you get an answer you don't like you see another GP. Obviously there are good and bad things in that but ultimately the number of GPs are finite so if you insist you have an ailment you clearly don't you'll end up in a private clinic that will waste their time and yours at $100/visit, a doctor that will play to your need to be sick rather than your sickness.

There is no perfect health care system, just different flaws IMHO.