Stressful Times

Butterfingers

Not really sure what to do!

I am a university student who has had to go home due to classes being cancelled ( with exam currently still on), have luckily managed to get a prescription for DMARD before leaving, however am due a blood test which I have had to cancel as a member of my household have a cough.

Now I am in a town where I don't have a registered doctor, and can't go in to register for another week and a bit, at which point I am relying on a smooth transition, which during these times will be anything but! Unsure if this will be prioritized and if it is not whether I can continue to take my meds, as normal.

Rheumy also wanted to up my dose last time as although my pain is alot better than previous, swelling has not gone down and she is worried about long term joint damage. (As am I after not being seen for over a year after symptoms began). Unsure whether to chase this up now or wait until the situation at hand calms down. especially as a change in dose would require more frequent monitoring!

Don't want to put pressure on the health service for something non-urgent, however these worries are playing on my mind a bit.

Wondering if anyone else is having similar problems just now?

Hope you are all staying safe during these crazy times. 😊

phoenixoxo

Hi butterfingers,

Yes, this all sounds a bit stressful. I'm not going through anything similar at the moment, but I'll try to help and hopefully others will too.

Could you make any progress with your registration over the phone? It's such a long time since I registered with a doctor, I can't actually remember how it goes! But it might be worth making a start, if possible.

It might also be worth chasing up your change in dose with rheumatology, as everything's so unsettled at the moment and it's so difficult to figure out how the current crisis is going to pan out in the long term.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck 🍀

Best wishes,

Phee

YvonneH

Hi Butterfingers,

Like Phee I'm not in a similar position but wonder if it would help to register as temporary with your family's? GP. Then contact your own GP and see if they can request your current surgery to organise a blood test and then the results could be sent to the right place - after you have seen them of course.

If you have an appointment with your rheumatologist it's likely that would now be a phone appointment so it wouldn't matter if you were elsewhere.

Hope that helps

Yvonne

Butterfingers

Thanks for replies everyone!

I've managed to get registered and suprised to hear they are letting me come in for a new patient check. So hopeuflly will be okay at getting my blood tests.

Will phone the rheumatology department on monday for some more information.

Brynmor

@Butterfingers That sounds very positive 😃 Let us know how you get on!

Thinking of you.

Brynmor