Refused access to medical specialist without painkillers

[maccapacca]

Theres no way to judge the OPs problem without knowing it is. Patients demanding referral to X specialist are often quite rightly kept in primary care by their GP. If the specialist is a pain consultant then without a history of basic compliance with simple analgesia then theyre unlikerly to take the patient all that seriously or the GP who referred them.

[onewheeldave]

Go private.

 

Clearly a good option in tems of getting decent care- unfortunately somewhat expensive though

[onewheeldave]

Theres no way to judge the OPs problem without knowing it is. Patients demanding referral to X specialist are often quite rightly kept in primary care by their GP. If the specialist is a pain consultant then without a history of basic compliance with simple analgesia then theyre unlikerly to take the patient all that seriously or the GP who referred them.

 

Why would I be referred to a pain specialist?!

 

Pain is not the problem here- the pain is simply a useful indicator that there's an issue with my leg- I need to see someone who specialises in leg issues.

[Agent Orange]

And, often, they (drugs) make things worse. I'm not interested in engaging in a lottery where my healths concerned.

 

And, like I and many others have said, specialists frequently complain about patients being referred to them way too late- specialists know that there are things that can happen with legs, for which a few months of painkillers is totally counter-productive.

 

Do you understand that when it comes to my leg, I'll take the advice of a qualified leg specialist, over that of a penny-pinching GP any day.

 

To put your mind at rest- I'm no big drain on the NHS resources, for me, engaging with the GP system is very much a last resort, i take care of most health issues by myself, purely because it's so often a complete waste of time talking to the average GP these days.

 

I disagree. Drugs can and are helpful in many cases. They took the swelling of my knee down and now the pain is not as bad. That is stage one of my treatment and now, I await the next exploratory stage. i.e. x-ray and physio.

 

I feel your frustration, but clearly your GP knows you better than we do and the fact that several other doctors have backed the decision, shows that your condition is not deemed high priority/emergency to see a specialist straight away.

 

If you still feel wronged by, see another doctor at a different practice.

[larky]

I get Iboprofen and on repeat prescription also same with Paracetamol

 

but now just take Iboprofen only when at its worst the pain and any swelling

 

for Sciatica which i get badly with ..Many pills i put in the bin ..

 

Drs give pills out as like giving Sweets out to a kid ..

[onewheeldave]

I disagree. Drugs can and are helpful in many cases. They took the swelling of my knee down and now the pain is not as bad. That is stage one of my treatment and now, I await the next exploratory stage. i.e. x-ray and physio.

 

I feel your frustration, but clearly your GP knows you better than we do and the fact that several other doctors have backed the decision, shows that your condition is not deemed high priority/emergency to see a specialist straight away.

 

If you still feel wronged by, see another doctor at a different practice.

No, you're not disagreeing I've already stated that, IMO, drugs can be helpful in many case- we're in agreement on that.

 

However, in many other cases, drugs can be counter-productive.

 

As for my GP 'knowing more than I do'- what's that got to do with anything? Clearly a specialist will know far more useful relevant stuff to my leg, than any GP.

 

My GP clearly has no idea what's wrong with my leg- they've said as much: they've made no effort to diagnose the problem, they're only interested in me taking drugs I'm not interested in taking, drugs which have, amongst their many side-effects, the undesirable one (in this case) of masking potentially useful pain signals, and, undeniably, have as much potential to make my leg issue worse, as they do to make it better.

 

As for seeing a doctor at another practice, like I said above, I'm currently trying to locate a practice that lacks this, IMO, appalling approach to patient care- that's part of the reason I started this thread.

[Cyclone]

The GP hasn't made a diagnosis- they've decided I think, that use of the painkillers will be part of the diagnosis they start to make if I take the painkillers.

 

It's not the knee, it's the lower leg/foot, some of the symptoms being those asscociated with Plantar fasciitis, others being further up past the ankle.

 

Maybe they were trying to treat the PF like symptoms then, NSAIDS and rest would be the normal treatment...

[Cyclone]

And, often, they (drugs) make things worse. I'm not interested in engaging in a lottery where my healths concerned.

 

And, like I and many others have said, specialists frequently complain about patients being referred to them way too late- specialists know that there are things that can happen with legs, for which a few months of painkillers is totally counter-productive.

 

Do you understand that when it comes to my leg, I'll take the advice of a qualified leg specialist, over that of a penny-pinching GP any day.

We all would, but the problem is that you are claiming to be more capable than the GP of making the decision as to whether you need to see the specialist or not. And believe it or not, they have actually spent 5 years at university and a minimum of 7 years practising medicine before they've become a GP.

 

To put your mind at rest- I'm no big drain on the NHS resources, for me, engaging with the GP system is very much a last resort, i take care of most health issues by myself, purely because it's so often a complete waste of time talking to the average GP these days.

You don't seem to have much respect for them, given that the specialist followed the same training for the first decade of their career what makes you think that they'll be much better?

[Strix]

I get Iboprofen and on repeat prescription also same with Paracetamol

 

but now just take Iboprofen only when at its worst the pain and any swelling

 

for Sciatica which i get badly with ..Many pills i put in the bin ..

 

Drs give pills out as like giving Sweets out to a kid ..

Why not just not collect them in the first place?

Have you any idea how much unused meds cost the NHS every year?

There are patients missing out on treatment due to cost, and here's you putting NHS money in the bin

[Cyclone]

If it's ibuprofen and paracetamol then why bother with a prescription at all, Tesco's sell them for about 1p/tablet. If you don't want them don't buy them and if you do they're practically free. And it's not like they really expire, so why throw them away?