APPOINTMENT DISASTER

barking1

Well that was a total waist of time, after my gp telling me he had my results and i had inflamitory arthritis in hips and spine , today the rhumie told me that my pain is nothing to do with hips as they arnt bad enough and that its ostio in them and my back he asked what problems i was having, i told him my fingers were very painfull as was my right knee which swells and my back also shoulders hurt so bad i carn,t lift my arms some mornings to brush my hair or shower he totally ignored me looked at my back and said he thinks all my problems are back related and i need another m r i he wont see me again the surgeon will check it, i had one last may and that was sent to the surgeon who said at that point there was nothing he needed to do with my spine .
i feel terrible is all this pain in my head and why am i so stiff all the time and so tired i could cry he didnt even look at me apart from my back i dont know what to do next, my gp said previously i had pmr could that cause all these problems ? x VERY FRUSTRAITED JANE

mig

So sorry your appointment was so bad,sending gentle hugs and warm thoughts.Mig

barking1

Thankyou MIG i felt like a second class citizen and a fraud, i have been in acute pain now for a long time and i know he told me i have osteoarthritis but the fact he only picked out the bits he wanted to hear and ignored the rest has made me really upset and cross i am working part time and find life a real struggle at the moment i thought they would at least be able to give me something else for the pain xx jane

phoenixoxo

Hi Jane,

I'm not surprised you're feeling upset, as it must be bad enough suffering all this pain without having to cope with an unhelpful consultant as well. It is frustrating to come away from an appointment feeling short-changed, but at least you're booked in for an MRI scan so if this doesn't provide all the answers I imagine your GP may have to re-refer you to the rheumatology dept. I'm not familiar with PMR, though – does it stand for Polymyalgia rheumatica? (That’s just me Googling and ending up on Wikipedia.) I hope you don't have to wait too long for your scan, and in the meantime if things are difficult do go back to your GP.

Best wishes,
Phoebe

merri

What a frustrating appointment :hug: It's really not all in your head though, I went through 5 diagnoses before getting my current one, and at times I thought it was in my head, but it wasn't, and it's not in your head either :hug:

Puschinka

Sending you warm greetings, Jane.
Although my GP has been really good so far, I have met a consultant along the way ( and I've only had Arthur in my life since December last year) who was cold, unsympathetic and basically not very interested. so i can imagine how upset you must be.
But the pain you're feeling is NOT in your head.
How can any pain, pain of any sort possibly be 'just in your head' that saying has always made me sooo mad :x and people who say or think that deserve a big dose of pain, see what they think about it then!
Hope you feel better soon. x

liesa

((((hugs))))

vwkamper

Hi,

Sorry to hear you had a bad day i can fully understand what your going through it took me 18 yrs to get my diagnosis years of frustration can drag you down.

So i say go back to your gp and tell her exactly what happened at your appointment and how you where treated don't let them fob you off.

Good luck lexy.

tillytop

Hello Jane

I am so sorry you had such a horrible appointment and like many of us on here, I can really identify with your upset and frustration and it makes me very cross how often people are batted back and forth between different docs with nobody taking overall responsibility for what is going on.

As has already been said, do you think you could go back to your GP and let them know what is going on and ask for help and advice? Clearly your GP felt that there was something inflammatory going on so maybe that would be your best next step. Hopefully you have a good enough relationship with your GP to feel you can do that. Also, I have learned over the years to make a "double" appointment with the GP if I need to discuss complex matters, which helps take off the time pressure and gives more time for proper discussion. (And, because the GP doesn't always know, I let the GP know at the beginning of the appointment that it is a double session, to avoid being "hurried out" after my allocated 8 minutes or whatever time is allocated.

Really do hope you can move this forward soon Jane.

Thinking of you.

Tillyxxx

Folara

Hi Hun, I'm really sorry you had such a terrible appointment. The advice re your GP is excellent. Try not to let everything feel like its getting on top of you. I know that's easy to say when you are feeling so bad but unfortunately it seems that nowadays we have to fight to be heard and taken seriously. It's all so wrong.

Big hugs and I really hope you can get it all sorted soon.

Fols x

barking1

Thankyou everyone xx i have booked to see my gp this afternoon at 4 i have a really good relationship with him so fingers crossed, i think what gets to me the most is all i wanted was something to help contol the pain and stiffness so i can keep going when i get up i can no longer put my socks on, and have to roll out of bed on work days i make sure i get up really early so i can move before i go would osteo arthritis make everthing else stiff as well as my back and hips? i really dont understand xx jane

dachshund

Hi Jane.
dont worry its not you its them they might be consultants and learn about it all but they dont have it so they dont know how bad the pain is.
((((((((Jane))))))))
take care.
joan xx

Numptydumpty

Hi Jane, I'm sorry you had such a rotten appointment. I really hope you have better luck with your GP.
Thinking of you, and wishing you well.
Numpty

marrianne

So sorry Jane ,dont worry its definately not you ,The c...........honestly just nearly wrote car machanic the consultant I saw yesterday didnt give a hoot either I wasnt a real person he didnt even know what leflunomide was for nor did he care he just wanted to cut my knee open and get stuck in 12 inch scar ........... why worry his retort , :shock: :shock: Anyway Jane maybe steroid injections into the shoulders mighr do the trick if its a tempory or not to significant flareing up of pain strionger inflam might help a week or two of work if possible see if reat helps things to die down I really sorry its so bad at the moment though Marrianne

Puschinka

How did your GP appointment yesterday afternoon go? Hope you got some answers and help from your doc and that you feel a bit better today.x

skezier

Hi Jane,

Just leaving a hope it went well with the gp and leaving you a ((((( ))))) and good old T it really is rubbish eh?!!! Hang in there cus the [pain clinic will sort you I am sure an they can seriously help. Cris xx

Shooter

hi barking ,sorry just seen this sounds like mine ,nurse was amazed that i was in and out so quick had to go to my doctors for other problems told him i will not see her again ,as you said feel left out and alone like it was beneath them and why was i here taking up her time with this, on the day felt like ringing the hospital manager to put a complaint in ,totally disgusted .

barking1

Hi Shooter
i did consider complaining but dont want to waste the little energy i have, however since the appointment i have calmed down now and i am trying to help myself by losing some weight and i have an appointment for another m r i on May 19th i dont expect there will be much change as its only a year since my last one but we will have to see, i think i bumped into the reallity of our wonderful nhs but if things carry on i have decided to keep going back for another opinion until i feel satisfied that i am getting enough pain relief to continue working , i am only 42 so i want to work a while longer yet i hope things get sorted for you as well, and that you have a good gp as i do without him i am not sure where i would be xx Jane

Puschinka

Hi Jane, I would ask for a second opinon too if I were you.Another consultant might be more sympathetic for a start and you may get more satisfactory treatment
You're quite within your rights to ask to be referred to another consultant if you're not getting anywhere.
It's your body and your pain and the quality of your life that's suffering too.

Hope you feel better soon. xx

skezier

Hi Jane,

If you do ask for a second opinion could you let me know where they send you cus I presume it can't be T?

Glad you have calmed down a bit and its good they have sent you for another mri though..... they are like gold dust :roll:

Hang in there. Cris xx

barking1

hi Cris i will certainly let you know if i do get one and where ,i will pm you
i am going to wait until the m r i result and my pain clinic appointment comes then make a decision, :roll: on that. i hope you are doing ok i did reply to tonys post and i am thinking of you today, just keep in mind you made a good decision and you were thinking of your dog , that takes alot of courage, i have dogs and have lost several so i understand the pain you are going through loving them and pain unfortunatly go together but they are so worth it xxx ((((( ))))) Jane