How to get treatment?

hunters

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Thank you, that is what he is going to do. It is obviously necessary to bow and scrape to get any treatment these days . I would have liked to think it might be the DOCTOR'S idea to refer him, rather than my husbands.

Having said that, any treatment I have had for a condition I have had for years has always been due to me telling the Dr what to do.

Very sad.

Doctors aren't mind readers, up to the patient to tell the Doc exactly what is wrong, how long and how it affects them. I've never had to bow and scrape to get treatment.

seven-day-weekend

My husband told the Doctor what was wrong on at least three occasions. Don't say it is his fault that the Doc didn't examine him properly.

Anyway, he has now managed to get some medication for gastric reflux, hopefully that will do the trick.

Thanks everyone for your comments.

seven-day-weekend

My husband saw a different Dr in the practice today because ours is on holiday. Much more efficient. Actually examined him.

He sent my husband for a chest X-Ray before he makes the referral.

Unfortunately our own Dr is back next week, so will have to see him.

Benenden have said they will help if the wait to see the consultant is too long.

My husband has just spent half an hour retching and choking, it's not funny and we may still go private, once we know who he is being referred to.

Katiehound

Surely to goodness you are entitled to a second opinion- which could be another doctor in the same practice?

In your situation that would be the route I would take

seven-day-weekend

Katiehound wrote: »

Surely to goodness you are entitled to a second opinion- which could be another doctor in the same practice?

In your situation that would be the route I would take

It would be nice to have a first opinion!!!

Private consultation with or without the help of Benenden (if for some reason we don't qualify) is what we are doing next, but are awaiting the result of the x-ray first.

MonkeyDr

Hi OP,

I hope your husband gets somewhere soon. Not knowing what's going on is worrying, as well as thinking that there is no end in sight.

I am not a GP. I just wanted to say though that I suspect the delay in referral to secondary care (be it NHS or private) is that it sounds like it isn't at all easy or clear-cut which specialty the problem should be referred to. I can think of at least 3, maybe 4, who might end up being relevant (and in which case the rest irrelevant). I think that GPs have referral pathways and this might not fit neatly into any of them.

(Occasionally people end up in my specialty clinic incorrectly, and then I can't help, and they have wasted their time).

Without knowing further details, none of the treatments that have been trialled sound unreasonable.

However, it is clearly relevant that they haven't worked. Going back and making clear that things aren't improving and making sure your concerns are heard (as you have done) is definitely the right way to go.

Good luck.

seven-day-weekend

MonkeyDr wrote: »

Hi OP,

I hope your husband gets somewhere soon. Not knowing what's going on is worrying, as well as thinking that there is no end in sight.

I am not a GP. I just wanted to say though that I suspect the delay in referral to secondary care (be it NHS or private) is that it sounds like it isn't at all easy or clear-cut which specialty the problem should be referred to. I can think of at least 3, maybe 4, who might end up being relevant (and in which case the rest irrelevant). I think that GPs have referral pathways and this might not fit neatly into any of them.

(Occasionally people end up in my specialty clinic incorrectly, and then I can't help, and they have wasted their time).

Without knowing further details, none of the treatments that have been trialled sound unreasonable.

However, it is clearly relevant that they haven't worked. Going back and making clear that things aren't improving and making sure your concerns are heard (as you have done) is definitely the right way to go.

Good luck.

Thank you, that is very informative and clarifies things.

Katiehound

I just want to point out that my 'second opinion' comment was not for a referral to specialist but to a different GP .......for starters.

Unfortunately if the symptoms do not exactly fit the norm that can cause problems with diagnosis- been there, done that, bought the T shirt. The other thing is that when you feel really ill sometimes you have to be very determined.

It would be very helpful for you to write an exact list of dates, treatments & how they worked or didn't , & symptoms because that is building a picture of the problem, and shows how long it has been happening.

I do hope that it is sorted soon.

[Deleted User]

gettingtheresometime wrote: »

those who shout loudest will get

labelled as troublemakers.

teddysmum

jack_pott wrote: »

labelled as troublemakers.

...or dismissed from the list as they don't have to give a reason, though that may achieve the chance of seeing someone else.