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Doctors...
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
...are a complete waste of space and not only that why do they spend 8 years in med school when I can tell you the same as what they can.
I sat there and literally sobbed - telling him I was sick of being in pain that was unexplained (my right hip is now painful and swollen with no known cause) - I told him I had literally reached a point where I couldn't cope anymore, I am constantly exhausted and irritable and that I could hardly keep up with work or uni work. I told him I had broken sleep and kept having panic attacks and that I am struggling so much I don't want to get out of bed. His response? Give up uni and there is definite swelling and its hot to touch but I don't know whats wrong with your hip so here is some antibiotics - I don't think you should take them so stick to ibuprofen for now and only get them from the pharmacy if the pain doesnt subside in the next 48 hours.
Arghhhhh :banghead: What don't they get about "I literally cannot cope" - as in at crisis point and really really cannot cope with the stress I'm under...as in, help!?! I don't do crying - it's a known fact so to sit there sobbing kind of shows I really mean it when I say I can't cope and maybe if he had read my notes properly he would know I'm not making it up when I say I'm under a lot of pressure.
I sat there and literally sobbed - telling him I was sick of being in pain that was unexplained (my right hip is now painful and swollen with no known cause) - I told him I had literally reached a point where I couldn't cope anymore, I am constantly exhausted and irritable and that I could hardly keep up with work or uni work. I told him I had broken sleep and kept having panic attacks and that I am struggling so much I don't want to get out of bed. His response? Give up uni and there is definite swelling and its hot to touch but I don't know whats wrong with your hip so here is some antibiotics - I don't think you should take them so stick to ibuprofen for now and only get them from the pharmacy if the pain doesnt subside in the next 48 hours.
Arghhhhh :banghead: What don't they get about "I literally cannot cope" - as in at crisis point and really really cannot cope with the stress I'm under...as in, help!?! I don't do crying - it's a known fact so to sit there sobbing kind of shows I really mean it when I say I can't cope and maybe if he had read my notes properly he would know I'm not making it up when I say I'm under a lot of pressure.
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Doctors are notoriously bad at dealing with more than one thing at once; see how your hip does over the weekend, deal with that, then make an appointment to go back (possibly to see someone else) and deal with the rest.
Hugs
I fully understand that they don't want to deal with 2 different things at once but he only examined my hip briefly - a minute at most - and what sort of doctor can just dismiss a patient in that much distress!?! And I quite clearly told him the patterns with it being the 2nd unexplained thing I've had in a week and how it flares up the more stressed I feel.
I'll go back when I can see the friendly GP I saw last time - its not until the end of the month but at least she's understanding. Don't know what I'll do in the meantime
I always make a point of asking to see a specific Doctor. One time I was really mad, I booked in to see one Doctor and they said on the day I turned up it was with the robot. I even double checked before hand because it was about my depression, so I told them that I wasn't happy because they told me it was with the other one and said 'I'd leave it thanks, can I make another appointment' (to see the one I originally wanted).
Don't let them fob you off with someone else, it's important to feel comfortable with your Doctor. xx *hug*
1. What did you expect him to do? Obviously you wanted something, but what was that?
2. If you didn't get that response, why didn't you tell him what you were actually looking for?
I'm sure there are lots of seemingly unexplained things that doctors see, pains, swellings, rashes etc so sometimes they genuinely won't have all the answers and just have to monitor the situation. Stress can manifest itself in the most peculiar ways and I'm sure it's not helping your pain.
If you don't feel happy with the response you've received today don't give up, can you do anything to relax over the weekend?
Dp
I wanted to know my options and I pushed for them but didn't get them.
I needed a doctors note for uni - I asked but didn't get it.
I don't expect a doctor to allow you to walk out of his office in the state I was in knowing I had said I couldn't cope.
I'm working and have my essay for uni to write so no relaxing for me...
What's the topic of the essay?
It sounds like you have an unexplained cause there, which means he's unlikely to be able to treat, other than to offer pain relief. Is the cause still being investigated?
He's actually pretty spot on. I does sound like the stress of the pain and the pressure you are under at Uni is causing the sleeplessness etc (and I say this as a suffer too!)... there aren't many option open. Counselling is one, anti-depressants is another but GPs are loathe to offer the latter automatically because of the side effects and the risk of addiction.
Offering you a sick note is only going to give limited relief. It won't help the underlying causes, which sounds like they are more long term. Again, I've been there, the sick note will only work if allied with something to help soften the long term issues causing the stress etc.
I think that you got the options, just they they weren't the ones you hoped for. Something cannot be cured or treated easily. I agree with the doctors note, you didn't get one. However, I'm not sure that was him being obstructive, but rather that it wouldn't actually be clinically appropriate. Having said that, I also think that he's a little wrong here, it might give you a little breathing room to decide what you need to do - if allied with counselling. Hate to say this but it also sounds like you need to take a serious look at whether Uni is right for you.
Finally a GP will not stop you walking out. It's your right. If he did he's actually opening himself up to accusations of false detention...
I really hope it goes better for you. Spend some time this weekend thinking about your options, what you can do for yourself and what you need their help for. Then go back. Have it all written down and explain the whole issue and your planned approach. If they think you have thought it through then they are more likely to offer you the support you require - please remember than many students will try to use the GP and notes as a way of avoiding deadlines on essays and the GP is always going to be wary of this.
Good luck. If you need advice feel free to PM me.
WL, when you are anti medication, are you thinking specifically of anti depressants or all meds? Weve chatted about sleeping tablets, perhaps asking the doctor for a short course of them to help you deal with the symptomatic results of the stress while you are working oon the cause.
I'm guessing the advice you got was to give your hip a couple if days trying anti inflammatories, you've got the anti biotic prescription to try if they don't seem to be working and the option to go back depending on how that goes. That's a starting point for further investigation, because step one of the investigation will be does it respond to either of the above.
It does sound like you're possibly trying to deal with too much at the moment - sadly you're not super human and something will have to give. It might be that uni can move deadlines and make things work out, or dropping it to part time to speed the work load out might be the way to go.
When was the last time you talked to your tutor? In theory they should be able to help provide some guidance on the uni front, working out what the problems are there and what the options are, and what evidence they need if any to provide those options.
It's good that you now know nytol works, and you've got that option - getting a few nights decent sleep makes the world of difference to dealing with stressful circumstances. Good news you've made it to the gym, sucks that your hip isn't helping this. Am sure it's stating the obvious but probably worth picking what you do carefully for a few days.
Hugs.
Xxx
No I was told to avoid taking anymore antibiotics unless the pain didn't subside but there was no mention of going back for further tests and I'm a little confused as to why they would prescribe something if they don't know the cause and also if they were advising that I was better off not taking them!?
I'm already studying part-time due to working full-time - I have kept communicating with my programme administrator to inform her of my situation and I have requested an extension on my deadline but I need the doctors note to have this granted. Instead of the quickly approaching deadline making me motivated to do it, it makes me more inclined to crawl straight back to bed and stay there...which is also nothing like me!
I just need some breathing space to get myself sorted
Hope you are okay. I am here for you *hugs* PM me whenever.
Ah, wasn't aware of that. That just underlines what the GP said about stress and my comment about looking hard at Uni, especially since just above this she talks about working full time too.
Slartibartfast, I only study part time around full time work - I have to work full time to financially support myself - the issue isn't the balance of the two - it is the general lack of concentration/focus and the feelings of apathy and being emotionally unstable as a result of his death that is causing the issue. In terms of the GP I saw; he was generally dismissive of it being "stress" - only casually agreeing that it "could be a possibility". Also, seeing as I'm in my final year of uni, I don't think it would necessarily be in my best interests to give it up.
An emergency appointment is usually only allocated 3-5 mins. Although it doesn't excuse your GP's behaviour, that isn't a lot of time to deal with two issues.
I only booked an emergency appt because it was suspected shingles and I couldn't work until I knew - the other stuff sort of just came out whilst I was there.
I need to book my next one in advance anyway as she is off on leave at the moment, so I will book a double appt. I was thinking of just writing absolutely everything down and then explaining that I'm finding it really hard to explain everything thats happening so would prefer her to read what I've written - do they let you do that? I know I have done with counselling but don't know if GP's are the same?
Like Picc said (and she's a bit of an expert in pretty much everything) looking for a longer term solution to a more complex issue is likely to need a reasonable amount of time, and a GP who knows you/your history a bit better rather than only what they can glean from a quick scan through the notes. Emergency appointment was spot on for the hip problem, and sounds like you've got the right plan in writing some stuff down and booking a longer appointment to go through it.
It might help the doctor get a better understanding of your state of mind if it's in writing. I don't think she'll say no to reading it if you don't feel up to talking about it. xx
Spot on. Well done, WL
I have been reading your last couple of posts about the G.P, how's it going with that?
What do you mean it will be too late? Do you want to talk about it?
You know there is always someone to talk to here *hug*
purple_rain