A little whinge

[Mahoney]

I’ve been feeling extra tired lately and thought I’d call the doc to see if there was anything I could do, maybe I’m anemic or deficient, caused by my medication or whatever.

At my GP I can’t make an appointment in advance, I have to call when the surgery opens, wait on hold for around 45 minutes and if I’m lucky manage to get a telephone appointment with the doc, if I’m unlucky when I get to speak to the receptionist I’m informed there’s no appointments left for the day and I have to repeat the process all over again the following day.

Well luck was on my side I managed to bag a telephone appointment to speak to the doc, he called me a little while later, after a brief chat he said we’ll check your blood, you’ll have to call reception and make an appointment with the nurse. You would think he could transfer me to the nurse to make the appointment but nooooooo, I have to call the surgery again to make the appointment myself. So the cycle begins again.

Funnily enough I used to think it was difficult to get an appointment at the docs pre pandemic but now it’s like trying to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

And please don’t get me started about the dentist

A week later I find out my blood is ok, apparently it’s not the medication, so there’s no obvious reason, he didn’t even acknowledge stroke fatigue. All in all a lot of hassle, apart from me now knowing my blood work is all in order.

Sorry whinge over. Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend

[Craftchick]

Whinge away @Mahoney - you have good reason ! How ridiculous that you had to make a second call - surely he could have noted it on the system and got the receptionist to call you back…how frustrating !

Sorry you’ve not got any answers but glad to hear bloods are all OK. Hope you feel a bit better soon x

[Rups]

@Mahoney, I empathise and sympathise wholeheartedly. I have get up at 8 am to call my surgery otherwise appointments can’t be made. Even then, an appointment is usually booked after a fortnight. I struggle to wake in the morning, at best I can wake around 9:30 am. I’d have an easier time making an appointment with the Queen.

[jane.cobley]

Agree with all the comments, what a nightmare it all is!!! They are using Covid as an excuse now…my surgery still not open to the public, and I believe the Doctors are just like call centre people, who earn a hell of a lot more than them!!! I don’t think they will ever go back to seeing people like they used to, it is appalling. That’s my whinge as well. Take care all you lovely people.
Jane.

[Loshy]

Morning all I’m embracing your “Whinges” and totally agree with you all. When I do get to see a doctor there’s never anyone in the practice patients or staff! happy weekend Loraine

[JuliaH]

Morning @Mahoney. I hear you and find the same issues. It is a system not fit for purpose but then you come across an individual who really is bending over backwards to help and you feel so blooming grateful that someone has actually listened. It just shouldn’t be so hard or out of the ordinary. Have a restful weekend, Julia x

[John_Jeff_Maynard]

Hope your weekend is good too. I’m afraid that dentists and doctors are very stretched at the moment,never more so in densely populated areas. In my small town the situation is not too bad, fortunately. Whinge all you like.

[Mrs5K]

@Mahoney I feel your pain. I had to ring Dr’s last week to make a bloods appointment. It took me 2 days to even get into the queue and then when I did I had to wait 55 mins before they answered. I was shattered by the end of it all.
When I went for my blood test this week I asked if I could request another fit note as it expires Monday. I thought they’d just put a note on the system as they did last time. Oh no, I have to ring them Monday and go through the whole palaver again.
I know they are stretched but they don’t help themselves. I will now have to join a telephone queue again for something they could have sorted whilst I was there.
Have a great weekend everyone

[Mahoney]

Yes Ann @Mrs5K the receptionist had me nearly in tears with frustration a couple of times when I was off work, had to get up at 7am on hold for up to an hour to be told there are no appointments left, I didn’t want an appointment I just needed a fit note but I had to book a slot for the doc to sign the note, only once did the receptionist say ‘no problem, you can pick it up after 2pm or I can email it to you’, that seemed a sensible approach considering I’d not long had a stroke and they knew I wasn’t fit to work.

I appreciate they’re busy but there’s never anyone in the building, they must all be making calls from home, sometimes a face to face appointment is required.

Never mind as the old saying goes, what can’t be cured must be endured.

Best wishes

[Mrs5K]

@Mahoney it is so frustrating. When I came out of hospital I rang them for a fit note & the receptionist told me to ring back in 7 days if I still felt unable to go to work. I had told her I’d had a stroke so not sure what she was thinking. Another one did have me in tears but that was because she was really nice to me albeit she didn’t resolve my query.
My surgery used to have a brilliant reputation but lately it has gone downhill a lot. Or maybe I just notice it more because I have to go more​:rofl:
I will say though that once you get past the receptionist the Dr’s have been great

[Ingo66]

@Mahoney Feel free to have a whinge on here, you have every right. It is a right pain having to phone up only to find all the appointments are booked (many of them for non urgent issues). I am lucky that my surgery allows you to book online. It doesn’t give you an actual slot but you can request call back from doctor or book blood test by saying days you can’t do.
These things were always annoying but are far more so post stroke. Im glad your bloods are okay. Maybe the dreaded randomness of fatigue has changed with the season?

[Mahoney]

@Mrs5K Same happened to me, apparently we have to self certify for the first 7 days even though we’re going to be off work for months.

@Ingo66 I used to be able to book appointments online but they stopped that due covid. I asked the doc if it was stroke fatigue, he asked when the stroke happened (obviously not looking at my record) when I said Sep last year, he replied ‘no, it can’t be that after so many months’, I don’t know what to say about that…

[Ingo66]

Unbelievable! you’d have thought doctors would know a bit more about stroke and the major symptoms. So according to your doctor there must be a lot of liars on this forum that are still complaining about fatigue years after stroke .
I have found that even though many of us have different physical symptoms and varying degrees of personality changes, anxiety etc, a large majority are affected by fatigue many months or years after so please tell your doctor to .

[Loshy]

Change your Doctor​:rage: most need a lesson in bedside manners and in stroke recovery

[Mahoney]

@Ingo66 what can I say, I was stunned at his response.

It’s good to have people here who understand

[Mahoney]

He’s definitely on my list of docs not to see again (well speak to, if you know what I mean) Lorraine,

Thanks for listening

[Mrs5K]

I think it’s fair to say that fatigue is the common symptom amongst the majority of us. We’ll educate them slowly

[FionaB1]

My GP (in a very rural area) is very attentive and kind and relatively easy to get an appointment with but neither she or her partner seem to have heard of post stroke fatigue. It was only here and from others who have experienced stroke that I learned it was usual.

[Rups]

??? Wow, I’m pleased that you have a reliable GP, but am slightly gobsmacked they haven’t heard of neuro-fatigue. I hope you rectified this

[Rups]

I am slowly becoming a qualified doctor without the piece of paper