Remind me to give notice of my intention to be ill

daffy2
daffy2 Member Posts: 1,636
edited 4. Jun 2014, 14:57 in Living with Arthritis archive
It has been one of those 'what the...' days from which I select one incident for your delectation.
Having finally accepted that whatever is going on with me healthwise is neither responding to my efforts nor going away of its own accord I decided to bite the bullet and make a doctor's appointment. I looked online last night but nothing available for my GP within the 6 weeks listed which was a bit worrying, but not all slots are posted and I know it's usually 4-5 weeks wait to see her. Called in to the surgery this morning - first available slot is 23rd JULY. Having picked my jaw up off the floor, I remarked that that was totally unacceptable. Upshot was a session with the practice manager(whom I have spoken to but never actually met face to face before) which procured me a suitable slot next week. Perhaps being civilised when things have gone wrong previously and I've needed to speak to him have paid off - but for crying out loud, what a state to arrive at in the first place! To put this in context,even if I'd been able/willing to see any doctor, there were no online slots in the period 26th May to 8th June, and only 20 for the next fortnight.Even allowing for the extra availability 'in person' that's not exactly great for a town of 14,000 with 3 group practices.

Comments

  • Slosh
    Slosh Member Posts: 3,194
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    And they wonder why people go to A and E! That really is bad, I must admit the last few times I've needed to see my GP I've been lucky but in the past I've sometimes had to wait but what you were given initially date-wise does seem ridiculous.
    He did not say you will not be storm tossed, you will not be sore distressed, you will not be work weary. He said you will not be overcome.
    Julian of Norwich
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Ye gods. I am so fortunate with my practice, you ring on the day and get an appointment. Advanced appointments can be booked but for the docs they run only a fortnight ahead and everyone seems to get there before me.

    I am pleased you are able to see someone soon, please let us know how you get on, yes? DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • marrianne
    marrianne Member Posts: 1,161
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I Am sorry to read this Daffy It's totally unacceptable ,maybe they should consider another GP would be so much more use than a practice manager,Our surgery is pretty good appointments within three days and if that's not ok we can pop along at half past eight am and wait to see someone sometimes it's the locum who is excellent or one of the other doctors or failing that a missed appointment slot if there is one we also have a good practice nurse Hope your feeling better soon DAffy hugs MArrianne
  • villier
    villier Member Posts: 4,426
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I must admit my practice is not too bad at getting an appointment even with a specific doctor, you can speak to the on call doctor on a day and if they think you need to be seen they will give you a 'slot' I am glad they managed to give you a sooner appointment, let us know how you get on..........Marie xx
    Smile a while and while you smile
    smile another smile and soon there
    will be miles and miles of smiles
    just because you smiled I wish your
    day is full of Smiles
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Oh daffy, I feel for you! Rubbish day, no doubt a 'steel oneself' decision to brave the doc. What one requires, in such circumstances, is an instant response while the proverbial iron is hot but what you got was far from that.

    I'm not surprised about the online appointments. I regard them as not really worth investigating for the reasons you've outlined and it does make sense for the practice to regard them as wholly non-emergency.

    In our practice routine appointments can usually be fitted in within two / three days with a choice of doc though not necessarily the one you are registered with. But anyone can ring at 8am for something urgent and be seen that day by a duty doc though it may involve some hanging around. Necessity has led me to realise that all our docs are good, albeit different.

    I think times have moved on from the days when we each saw our 'own' GP in a practice. We have six in our (very good) practice and most lecture at the university / sit on medical committees so it would be difficult to see a specific one.

    I hope your appointment yields good results. Please keep us informed. And remember, we are here for you 24/7.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • daffy2
    daffy2 Member Posts: 1,636
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thank you all for your good wishes, they are appreciated. I should perhaps clarify that if I had needed to see a doctor urgently then that would have been possible within a more sensible time frame, although even then I gather from friends that it can take a bit of persistence.
    However the problem is that I need to see the GP with whom I have built an understanding about my condition(s) and in whom I have confidence,(having had confidence sorely tried by the previous GP, necessitating a change) in order to discuss what is happening and what the options might be, rather than having to spend time explaining past decisions before getting on to current concerns.I work hard at trying to deal with my problems without troubling the NHS, and until two and a half years ago had done so for the best part of 20 years, so I now feel it's not unreasonable to expect some sort of service from the system now that I can't do it all myself - unfortunately it obviously doesn't work that way!
    Marrianne, I think the practice manager actually does a reasonable job - he has made several changes( extending opening hours,getting rid of half day closing on Wednesdays, getting in a practice nurse), but unfortunately getting more GPs is a problem for surgeries everywhere.
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I understand where you're coming from. And, if you've had a bad experience in the past with a GP that just makes the present need more urgent. I do hope it goes well for you, daffy.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • barbara12
    barbara12 Member Posts: 21,280
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello daffy..
    We have an old fashioned practice were you just turn up,mind you it means waiting quite a while sometimes..I do hope you get to see the GP you want and more to the point they can offer some help.
    Love
    Barbara
  • daffy2
    daffy2 Member Posts: 1,636
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Just an update. I had my GP appointment today, and am going to be booked in for Xrays of hands and feet and have a DEXXA scan brought forward(I think there may be funding problems with that but we'll see) and more blood tests. She is going to look into the possibility of referral to a consultant to look at my back to see what the scoliosis is doing. Finally someone, other than the osteopath, recognises that having 3 twists and a very lopsided pelvis just might be causing problems now that OP and OA have set in.As it was a double appointment she was able to ask lots of questions and I was able to go through my list of concerns at the end of which the F(ibro) word was mentioned.
    It's now a waiting game - the bloods won't be done until next week(evidently it's not just GPs they're struggling with at the surgery) and I have to wait for the others to come through from the hospital - and then trying to get a slot to see her about the results. She looked a bit taken aback when I said brightly 'Oh I've got an appointment for 23rd July already booked' and suggested that she hoped it wouldn't be that long.I suspect it may be for some of it by the time I've had the hospital appts and the results have come back - the DEXXA results can take up to 4 weeks, and the last Xrays took nearly 3 weeks to come back. Never mind at least things have started moving and I'm feeling more positive - just as well as over the weekend one of my dreadful molars decided to start self destructing so I've got an emergency dentist appt to see what if anything can be done about it. Luckily at the mo it doesn't hurt, just feels very uncomfortable and I have to be very careful eating so that it doesn't come apart completely - swallowing a large lump of mercury amalgam would not be helpful.
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    So, the good news and the bad news. Everything happening on the scan / x-ray front is good. As for the tooth – I wish you all the luck in the world. Teeth are a necessary nuisance, end of.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • daffy2
    daffy2 Member Posts: 1,636
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    The dentist appt confirmed what I had suspected, that the tooth realistically has reached the end of its life, so I'm booked in for an extraction in 3 weeks time.Very mixed feelings about it - my teeth have always been a problem, right from childhood(not the result of bad care as my sisters are OK) not helped by an orthodontist insisting on taking out 4 sound teeth rather than the filled ones when I was 11, so losing them was always on the cards. However facing the reality seems like a failure, and the actual extraction is likely to be something of a trial due both to the shape of one of the roots, and also the effect the couch has on my back.Just have to hope the filling(s) stay put until then.
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,697
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Oh daffy, it's not failure, just bad luck. And possibly steroids. Just ensure your dentist is aware of your back problems. The best thing about an extraction is that it's much quicker than a filling. At least it'll be one less to worry about.
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright