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A Warning Please Heed

There’s also something to be said for the longer you go before learning you’ve got something life shortening, the better. Ignorance is bliss.
 
Cav said:
A personal fact is just that. What about the factual experience of those who have had exceptional treatment quite removed from what you claim as fact?

How is someone who has never had the misfortune to need such services - how are they to judge? It is easy to say whatever you want but when it is something so important, then more cogent evidence is a given, is it not?
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Cav.
I intended to keep it simple and as impersonal as possible as time is sort of the essence , but that now seems not a option, but to put it quite simply if you have any doubt about what I have stated, then Google and other sources are as always your friend, and not just the first entries. Just for your record.
I'm not attempting to scare monger nor am I manipulating facts , if it stops just one other person from following my journey that's OK in my book.
I have been advised by others in the medical profession including a partner in the same ( our) practice to seek legal advice etc and compensation ,this we have declined to do, as Life Long supporters of the NHS, we believe that "genuine" mistakes are made ( but not in this particular case when comments and symptoms were just ignored [ not just my opinion] ), and any funding taken out of the Health Service pot for any reason is moneys that can't be spent on others that may need it.

oldie
 
TheDecameron said:
There’s also something to be said for the longer you go before learning you’ve got something life shortening, the better. Ignorance is bliss.
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I think this is the easier (or default?) option, but conversely, a stitch in time definitely applies, i.m.o., even if red herrings are encountered along the way.

Saw an ad. recently for reserving burial plots. I thought to myself "that's the last thing I need".

I went to my G.P., and after initial tests, she told me that I'd have to stop masturbating. When I asked why, she said "because I'm trying to examine you".

Have you ever wondered what cured meats were suffering from before their recovery?
 
I find it upsetting that the service in which I worked for over 30 years is now really not fit for purpose.
Early diagnosis of serious disease is an essential part of any health service and I’m afraid the statistics will get worse year on year in a service which is understaffed and cannot cope with the demand which a ‘free at the point of delivery’ service attracts from a poorly educated and selfish public.
 
I can’t complain. I’d been moaning to Dougie about it taking four weeks to get to see my doctor, any doctor, but when I felt really unwell a few weeks ago my doctor made time to see me that evening. I had my bloods done the following afternoon, I had chest X-rays the following day and a ct scan the day after. I can’t fault that kind of service one bit and I’m grateful to my GP for way he treated me.
 
doctorf said:
I find it upsetting that the service in which I worked for over 30 years is now really not fit for purpose.
Early diagnosis of serious disease is an essential part of any health service and I’m afraid the statistics will get worse year on year in a service which is understaffed and cannot cope with the demand which a ‘free at the point of delivery’ service attracts from a poorly educated and selfish public.
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Whilst I'm sure there are some 'poorly educated and selfish' people among the many millions of otherwise rational and reasonable NHS patients, who just want what the NHS was set up expressly to provide...

.. I'm not especially surprised that you don't appear to see any of the current failures being in any way attributable to the (mis)management and inadequate funding, the staff shortages and the lack of professional training, all deliberately engineered by the present Tory Govt.
 
sadly my wife often hears of folks who live in deprived areas who were ignored by their GP and then later diagnosed too late with cancer . a tragic system of not enough good GP`s in these areas . you can understand folks not wanting to work there really

a friend of mine was a GP in a deprived area and he had a breakdown becuase they came to see him so often whereas in a more affluant area they might look things up on internet . he recovered fortunately and worked in some challenging areas of the world
 
Unfortunately is not just people in deprived areas, this kind of thing is happening in areas I was told from the people that I have had contact/ spoken with, I don't know what the answer is it's certainly not as Doctorf states poor educated people as I nether consider Brighton to be deprived or myself uneducated.
Why it happens I also just don't know, maybe the medical profession is just plainly over stretched and over worked ,bad days, kid's playing up there probably a thousand reasons. I have been told by my "new" GP that my original Doctor is, to say the very least very unhappy with what he did or to be more correct what he didn't do, but of course that is no consolation to me, all I could say was "that he will never make the same mistake again " and I suppose that could be called some sort of consolation.

I suppose the start must be for us all to remove Doctors,Lawyers etc off the pedestals we build for them, after all they are just doing a job of their choice, secondly instead of blindly accepting anything/ everything they say we should if not totally happy challenge them, it's far to late now and with hindsight I just wish I had shouted at my Gp "Hey your just not listening to a word I have said, listen to what I'm telling you, carry out a examination of me" let alone ask for a second opinion, but of course I didn't even though I suppose I knew deep down that he was wrong that there was something amiss to say the very least. I suppose we rely on their integrity, knowledge , fairness, understanding and consideration but sometimes plainly this is not enough.
oldie
 
oldie said:
Unfortunately is not just people in deprived areas, this kind of thing is happening in areas I was told from the people that I have had contact/ spoken with, I don't know what the answer is it's certainly not as Doctorf states poor educated people as I nether consider Brighton to be deprived or myself uneducated.
Why it happens I also just don't know, maybe the medical profession is just plainly over stretched and over worked ,bad days, kid's playing up there probably a thousand reasons. I have been told by my "new" GP that my original Doctor is, to say the very least very unhappy with what he did or to be more correct what he didn't do, but of course that is no consolation to me, all I could say was "that he will never make the same mistake again " and I suppose that could be called some sort of consolation.

I suppose the start must be for us all to remove Doctors,Lawyers etc off the pedestals we build for them, after all they are just doing a job of their choice, secondly instead of blindly accepting anything/ everything they say we should if not totally happy challenge them, it's far to late now and with hindsight I just wish I had shouted at my Gp "Hey your just not listening to a word I have said, listen to what I'm telling you, carry out a examination of me" let alone ask for a second opinion, but of course I didn't even though I suppose I knew deep down that he was wrong that there was something amiss to say the very least. I suppose we rely on their integrity, knowledge , fairness, understanding and consideration but sometimes plainly this is not enough.
oldie
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I’m unclear about what’s actually behind the thread. Are you saying that for reasons of potential negligence, you have experienced an avoidable delay in the diagnosis of a life threatening condition or that you believe you know others who have? Can you be a bit clearer?
 
hifinutt said:
sadly my wife often hears of folks who live in deprived areas who were ignored by their GP and then later diagnosed too late with cancer . a tragic system of not enough good GP`s in these areas . you can understand folks not wanting to work there really

a friend of mine was a GP in a deprived area and he had a breakdown becuase they came to see him so often whereas in a more affluant area they might look things up on internet . he recovered fortunately and worked in some challenging areas of the world
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The surgery I was registered at for 40+ years was pretty stable for a long time. It's in a relatively affluent large village with a stable population which has barely increased in 40 years. About 6 'partners' over two sites, plus locums etc. There was even something of a local medical 'dynasty' in play. Then, within the last few years, the numbers of Docs fell until there are now only two permanent docs across two sites. My nominated Doc, who was excellent, and also the practice Cardiology specialist, became pretty much impossible to to get to see.

I've now registered with a brand new practice in the next village, which means I mostly have to drive to get there. This will become more problematic as I get older, but at least they have proper systems for appointments, computerised 'check in' etc. And.. so far I've had no difficulty getting appointments. A much better organised place, only a mile or so from the creaky old place I've left.
 
Dec
I'm not sure as I would go as far as "potential negligence" as this implies a sort of wanton carelessness and I don't think that ,that is the case, the only thing I can think of is that my frequent question of is it Cancer along with my explanation to him that my cousin had died from the very same symptoms and then died from undiagnosed Cancer. A Law suit was instigated against her GP's and Local Hospital but had to be abandoned after two years for lack of funding ,you don't get legal aid for this kind of thing .
I am assuming that he just thought "Silly old fool worrying about nothing and wasting my time. I just can't think of any other reason. So to answer your question for clarity sake I have according to the Oncologist, if I do nothing 6 months the last one being my decline, if I choose Chemo that unfortunately does not respond very well with the Cancer I have and due to my massive weight loss due to the cancers actions the probability balance is not in my favour, it's 3 months treatment and with a bit of luck a further 9 months left. I'm not a gambling man but the odds are not exactly stacked in my favour.
Hence my desire and attempt to try to make sure others do not follow my journey
oldie
 
Cav said:
And I know 2 people whose doctor almost immediately suspected (correctly) malignant melanoma - fact.

But we are not playing top trumps.

If someone wants to issue "A Warning Please Heed" then they really ought to have some cogent data. Or is it just me....
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It's just you, being your controversialist self.
 
Mike Reed said:
I think this is the easier (or default?) option, but conversely, a stitch in time definitely applies, i.m.o., even if red herrings are encountered along the way.

Saw an ad. recently for reserving burial plots. I thought to myself "that's the last thing I need".

I went to my G.P., and after initial tests, she told me that I'd have to stop masturbating. When I asked why, she said "because I'm trying to examine you".

Have you ever wondered what cured meats were suffering from before their recovery?
Click to expand...
This made me laugh out loud. Lol!

Anyway, the worried middle-class well are a huge problem in the UK. I've long thought we need a two-tier health system like most of Europe and the rest of the civilised world (ie excluding the USA) where, If you are really, really ill, suffer an horrendous accident etc., then the "state" system looks after you. If it's in-growing toe nails, varicose veins, piles, or you just happens to wake up convinced you may dying of some vague unspecified ague, then you pay a few pounds to see someone who will/will not put your mind at rest. A French friend of mine, who readily admits that his compatriots are a nation of serious hypochondriacs, tells me this is how the French system works, and that it is the only way of managing the expectations of such people. I think it would work well here too. I'd gladly cough up the extra, as I do when living at our hovel in Greece. Plus, I'd make well off pensioners like me (and Mull and Mick P) pay NI for health care.
 
oldie said:
Dec
I'm not sure as I would go as far as "potential negligence" as this implies a sort of wanton carelessness and I don't think that ,that is the case, the only thing I can think of is that my frequent question of is it Cancer along with my explanation to him that my cousin had died from the very same symptoms and then died from undiagnosed Cancer. A Law suit was instigated against her GP's and Local Hospital but had to be abandoned after two years for lack of funding ,you don't get legal aid for this kind of thing .
I am assuming that he just thought "Silly old fool worrying about nothing and wasting my time. I just can't think of any other reason. So to answer your question for clarity sake I have according to the Oncologist, if I do nothing 6 months the last one being my decline, if I choose Chemo that unfortunately does not respond very well with the Cancer I have and due to my massive weight loss due to the cancers actions the probability balance is not in my favour, it's 3 months treatment and with a bit of luck a further 9 months left. I'm not a gambling man but the odds are not exactly stacked in my favour.
Hence my desire and attempt to try to make sure others do not follow my journey
oldie
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Oldie, many thanks for sharing this- it certainly puts it in context. I also want to wish you well.
 
Mike Reed said:
Saw an ad. recently for reserving burial plots. I thought to myself "that's the last thing I need".
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I bought one shortly after my diagnosis, fortunately I haven’t had to use it yet. It’s simply a question of being organised and pragmatic.
 
Tim Jones said:
I know I'll regret this, but just to weigh in a little...

Many (probably most) GPs over-refer. In other words, they send the patient to an OP consultation because the GP doesn't have the expertise to diagnose. It's probably inevitable, and no blame should be attached to GPs because of it. However, the scale of this is vast. A few years ago I had my team do some analysis on first OP appointments that resulted in no further clinical activity. (That doesn't necessarily mean it was an 'unnecessary' referral, but there is a very strong probability that the patient didn't really need to be there).

The result stunned us - over a third of first OP appointments. That is a huge amount of clinical time that could potentially benefit other patients.

There are lots of schemes set up to try to deal with this, like referral management centres; which I feel a bit uncomfortable about.

None of this is to say that oldie's concerns are wrong btw, and from a patient's POV completely understandable.
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GPs (primary care docs here in the US) have an impossible job as gatekeepers to the healthcare system. I'm very surprised there isn't more of a push toward computerized diagnosis based on questions / checklists - constantly updated by respected doctors, to help the poor GP make their referral decisions - after all it's impossible for one person to be able to retain all symptoms / systems of diagnosis in their heads.
 
Tim Jones said:
I know I'll regret this, but just to weigh in a little...

Many (probably most) GPs over-refer. In other words, they send the patient to an OP consultation because the GP doesn't have the expertise to diagnose.
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Tim, I believe the BMJ recommends the maximum safe number of patient contacts per day for GPs to be 35. I understand in Europe it is 25.

My GP typically has 70 per day and he is far from alone.

What are GP's to do when the system is letting everyone down?
 
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