THE Prepping thread - a new beginning :)

jk0

Flaming gallstones eh? As you guys know, I had my own little episode 18 months ago.

I mentioned to my mother afterwards that it seems very odd that the human body has that particular little problem just waiting to crop up in your 40's.

Now I know how to avoid the pain, touch wood I've been okay. Imagine you were an ancient Roman though. Goodness knows what the quacks of the era would have put you through to try to cure them.

GreyQueen

They'd've probably killed your Roman equivalent with their treatments, jk0. The old grim joke is that doctors bury their mistakes. Not a profession I would care to be in, presupposing I'd had the intellectual makings, which I don't. Lots of responsibility.

Despite having two chronic illnesses, one of which requires constant drug therapy to prevent my dying, I rarely go to the GP and mostly go from one year's end to the other without darkening their door other than flu vacination. Indeed, I was once baffled to receive a mild ticking off from a GP at the previous practice for not going more often.

Couldn't work that one out as I wasn't raised to go whinging about every little wing and ding. I do see my consultant every other year for about 5 minutes, and the specialist nursing sister on the opposite year for about 20 minutes. It's plenty.

milasavesmoney

As for scarcity of doctors, the US is seeing the rise of nurse practitioners taking the place of general practitioner MD's. They receive a lot less training but have all the authority to diagnose and manage illness. prescribe meds, do minor procedures, see patients of all ages...just like a GP. They also get paid by insurance the same amount as a physician. Are nurse practioners common in the UK?

jk0

milasavesmoney wrote: »

As for scarcity of doctors, the US is seeing the rise of nurse practitioners taking the place of general practitioner MD's. They receive a lot less training but have all the authority to diagnose and manage illness. prescribe meds, do minor procedures, see patients of all ages...just like a GP. They also get paid by insurance the same amount as a physician. Are nurse practioners common in the UK?

Yeah. I think I see the NP about half the time I visit. I see it's cheaper also in Jersey.

moneyistooshorttomention

milasavesmoney wrote: »

As for scarcity of doctors, the US is seeing the rise of nurse practitioners taking the place of general practitioner MD's. They receive a lot less training but have all the authority to diagnose and manage illness. prescribe meds, do minor procedures, see patients of all ages...just like a GP. They also get paid by insurance the same amount as a physician. Are nurse practioners common in the UK?

Yes in a word.

It's a word that had never crossed my mind until recent years - never heard of them. But - in recent years - it is one of the fallback positions of an NHS increasingly under siege - ie "You expect/need to see the doctor and get a nurse practitioner instead:(". It's one of the cover-ups we have here for no longer having the Full Deal we used to have from the NHS...

Probably pretty common to get fobbed off with one of them where one is expecting to see a doctor by now I guess...and I know I've personally been fobbed-off with one of them recently where I was expecting to see a consultant (and refused treatment - cue for subsequent visit to private hospital instead afterwards to get the treatment....).

cbrown372

milasavesmoney wrote: »

As for scarcity of doctors, the US is seeing the rise of nurse practitioners taking the place of general practitioner MD's. They receive a lot less training but have all the authority to diagnose and manage illness. prescribe meds, do minor procedures, see patients of all ages...just like a GP. They also get paid by insurance the same amount as a physician. Are nurse practioners common in the UK?

Yes, I've twice asked for an appt with NP for minor problems, once a deep scratch treated with a honey dressing and the NP gave me a Tetnus jab as the scratch was caused by new kitten (by accident I must add!)

GreyQueen

My GP practice has two NPs and if I think whatever ails me doesn't need a GP's attn, I will ask to see one of them. Did come a very slight cropper when one of them misdiagnosed excema as psoriasis, something the GP later corrected, but it's easily done with skin rashes.

Last July, when I had sap-caused blistering on my hands, the NP was baffled but gave me some generic soothing ointment. I had a LBM the following day and googled for images and lists of culprit plants and realised I'd got photo-dematitis caused by parsnip sap. Never going to get that again, hurts like billy-oh and is very disfiguring for a few weeks. Even 12 months later, I can still see a slight pinkening of the skin where the worst burn was.

jk0

I really can't fault my NP. She seems to have more time than the GP, and both times has 'cured' what I went in with.

ivyleaf

Very good to see you back NewShadow. Unfortunately there are some folk it's pointless trying to reason with

Cappella

I can't fault any of the healthcare professionals who dealt with my heart attack last year. All were exceptionally hard working, caring and equally superb practioners.
But I do remember now why I left this thread.
MITSTM.
Such a shame that you are such a negative, judgemental, racist, individual.
Should I have paid for my medical treatment, as it was a genetic issue which caused the heart failure? No doubt you will think that I should. Possibly you think that my parents, whose parents died young of heart failure, should not have had children, in which case the cost would have been non- existent?
I try, very hard, to be a positive, non-judgemental individual, but in your case I'll make an exception.
Karma, my sweet. And where you're concerned all I can say is I hope that throughout the rest of your life you continue to be treated exactly as you seem to wish to treat others.
I'm deleting my account later. I thought I'd come back to post, but I think I'd better leave in high dudgeon and a taxi before I say something I might really regret.