# GPs, am I expecting too much?



## txe4man (Apr 7, 2009)

I hurt my back this week when gardening and was in agony barely able to walk, stand. sit or lay!
iI went to see my GP, first time in 2 years, last time i had been knocked off my bike.despite the fact it took me an age to walk across his room and sit down, so obviously painful that it would look amusing to an outsider he still said 'what can I do for you today?'
now like many men i avoid going to the docs like the plague but I do worry about things as i am now at the age when most of the health issues apply to me. so at the end of my very short consultation as he pressed the print button for the prescription I asked him about the test for bowel cancer that has been discussed in the media over the last 18 months. my father and uncle both died of this and it is not a nice way to go.
he was obviously irritated and let out a loud sigh, he rushed out and returned with the test kit and gave a very rushed explanation, it made me feel i was really wasting his time.
most health discussions or articles, for example this week about aspirin, suggest talking to your GP, but if they react like this who is going too?
also friends have said that their GP give them a quick once over with the blood pressure machine if they had not been seen for a while.
my question to you all is am I expecting too much of him? this is not an anti GP rant the drugs he prescribed for the back are working and it is improving so he got that right.


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## Rosbotham (May 4, 2008)

What I would say - and please don't take this as a criticism - is most men of a certain age do themselves no favours by letting their GP be a stranger.

When you do have an appointment, you have a pretty constrained time period (4 mins?). The one thing GPs hate is the "oh yes, while I'm here what about..." type conversations : it means their carefully managed schedule goes to pot.

Whilst the system isn't one ailment per appointment, it does make sense to book to see the GP (or more commonly nowadays some of these things are practise nurse) about things like tests rather than dropping it in as you're leaving a consultation on something quite separate.

No excuse for your GP's behaviour, of course.

Paul


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## hblewett (Jan 28, 2008)

I don't think they like you to go with multiple problems - one thing at a time is best. They only have ten minutes per patient, and its them that get the grumbles when people have to wait, which is not helped by people going in with a list of ailments/problems. Who knows what pressures he may have been under at the time. 

I would suggest that if you make an appointment to discuss general health issues and how you should take care of yourself, he/she would be much more receptive. But if you do that, you must be prepared to be 'put right about eating, drinking, exercise etc as well as just responding to your questions. 

You are right to think about looking after yourself, In another 10 years you might be paying the price already if you don't

Hope your back is soon better. That may be a case in point. My missus gets problems with her back and the older she gets the more care she needs to take to avoid 'putting it out'. The less you push it too far, the better it will be in the long run


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## Jennifer (Mar 24, 2009)

No, you are not asking too much of your GP. However, as previously said, it would be wise to book in an annual appointment with the practice nurse to do all the checks, then if you have any concerns at that stage, the nurse could call the doctor there and then, or you would be directed to make an appointment, and the nurse would have made notes on your records, be them paper records or computer.

Doctors are human, and as such they too suffer stress, and also have "bad days".

Myself, I have been down the route of reporting a GP to the GMC and having the doctor struck off, not a pleasant route to take, but when needs must, you have to do whatever it takes. That particular doctor's excuse was that he was tired!!! Wrong diagnosis which resulted in death.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Totally agree that many GP's seem to want to do "one problem per slot", we have the facility at our surgery to ask for a longer period - often at the less crowded end-of surgery times.

In those slots they seem happy to talk over many things (including how is the family and so on!). I do count our (main) GP as a friend. Perhaps it helps that I teach some of the partners children! :lol: 

Also agree that the nurse often has more time for "routine" chats about health prevention and timely tests etc..

But the key point must be that if you have not seen your GP for two years it is not unreasonable for him/her to assume that you must be generally OK. The fact that you had trouble getting in may not have been the actual problem that you wanted to see him about. :? 

You would have been most unhappy if, although you had a bad back and obviously had trouble moving, the main problem was e.g. chest pains when you walked 5 metres.......  

Most GP's are VERY hard working and probably don't have much spare time - we know that from our daughter who is a GP, but not in our locality.......... :? 

Hope your back continues to improve, look after it since you would not want to go through that again!


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## PeterandLinda (Feb 21, 2009)

Hi

Yes, you are expecting too much from the human being that happens to be your GP. You are expecting her or him to remember that two years ago you could walk without difficulty, and that was why you were seeking this consultation.

I am diabetic and I haven't seen my doctor for over two years, but I do have blood tests every six months followed by full consultations with a specialist nurse - these often last half an hour and involve all sorts of things, including having my feet tickled with my eyes closed!

I can order repeat prescriptions online and if I needed to see a doctor I could make an appointment online, I have retinal photos taken once a year and flu jabs every autumn. My practice is in a pleasant building and they are efficient and very professional. I have no complaints about the NHS.

P&L


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Two years ago after a chest pains on holiday we changed our GP because the practice manager said to Lady p that if I was not sufffering or being treated for anything there was no need for me to see the doc.
My previous visit, 8 years prior resulted in admission to hospital with a suspected heart attack 
On changing i now have a six monthly check up for BP chlesterol, liver and kidney function check.
I am on statins and three other tablets a day.

I feel that I am now a patient not a number.

Doctors are there to provide you with healthcare .
If you do not get it move.

Dave p


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## tony50 (Oct 16, 2007)

I think you have every right to ask about something that is obvoisly concerning you / worrying you , your doctor could have politely asked you to make an another appointment , my Lady head of practice has my complete confidence some of her partners are a bit "Iffy" as to them being hard working Gp's (they are mostly) but, in general do less hours than they used to, and are compensated fairly well ,around £100,000 salary per annum !! would'nt mind that myself instead of a state pension of £116 , 65 ? per week . 

Tony A.


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