TEXT: GP DISCREPENCIES

Well that was unexpected in more ways than one...

Visit to my new GP, second time, and the notes are there but not any time to read them so back for another visit in two weeks. Lengthy.

Annoyingly I visited to leave a note as I had a 6 weeks supply if my pills and two have run out but I was told I cannot get more pills this way, and spoken to like I was supposed to know this, and that I had to phone a Triage Nurse and make an emergency appointment?! STUPID.

So annoying how each surgery has different rules but the admin staff talk to you like this sort of thing is standard, err no its not! I told them so to their surprise. Not a good start but then even before I even spoke a middle class chap before me while I was sitting down waiting due to the pain was given the same crap, much to his frustrationa nd annoyance as he was about to leave the country in a few days and was told that what he wanted would not happen before he is due to fly out. Nice.

Two patients in a row but the odd thing is the member of staff kept apologising to him whereas with me it was patronizing. Patronizing people I do not tolerate and they always need to be given a lesson in the real world and manners.

To make matters worse I had to hang about close by and when i did finally get through to the Triage Nurse she said that I had to speak to the Doctor in an emrgency appointment and they only had one available, I can imagine the sign 'emergency appointments now closed!', and that was 11.20am the next morning. As much as it irks me this is not really wise for me to arrange due to my insomnia as I never know when it is going to strike and therefore completely pointless for BOTH parties to agree to a time like this. So I am thinking of not only me NOT making the appointments at these times but ALSO THINKING OF NOT WASTING THEIR TIME?!

You can imagine the look on my face when I explained the problem with the Insomnia to the Triage Nurse and she said "Well yo need to make an effort!"

I replied "umm EXCUSE ME? An effort?! Are you serious?! I did use a medical term when i explained I had INSOMNIA, do you suggest I switch it off? Are you sure your a nurse? I am trying not to waste your time as well as mine and you reply by telling me I need to make an effort? Maybe when I am still awake at 5AM I should then STAY AWAKE as you are suggesting and then cycle in in roads like a zombie?!"

Anyway you get the idea.

Now the curious thing is that I DID have to go to that appointment time and luckily the Insomnia did not strike on this ocassion.

He had not read the notes, despite me having been through 5 to 6 weeks of back up medication, had a look at my hurt rib and the subject of Tramadol came up. He had seen my medication and I stated that I OD on them by SAVING UP on the days I stay indoors. He suggested that was not advisable and I declared I did not expect him to state anything otherwise. Only this bought up the subject of the weights, or dosages, taken.

When I stated that some days I end up taking 150mg of Tramadol and 1500mg of Paracetemol and that this was still not enough and had been waiting to speak to him regarding this he then said "oh well, the maximum allowed in a day is 200mg anyway so that is ok, actually while I am here I will UP this on your records to 200mg a day"?!

I only said "REALLY?!" and was somewhat confused.

My previous GP, I thought I had a good rapport with and that ran off wielding the X-RAYS I handed in on a CD Disc had previously told me that 100mg of Tramadol was the maximum allowed on a daily basis...

She lied.

Oddly I was told at an earlier point in time by someone else prescribed Tramadol that they had been told that 25mg a day that they had been prescribed is the daily maximum and I have now tried to get confirmation on this but this has turned out to be unreliable. You can imagine upon leaving the building I now had thought about this discrepency and that led me to recall this other person's statement.

A very peculiar set of events.

But it has kind of changed the possibilities of why my private X-RAYS were removed not only from my file but the building altogether. Something that does stun many people I speak to that hear about that action.

It's just is not done, apparently.