GPs lack of care, as usual! AGH!!

[Eliza_V]

I've had enough of the NHS now. I understand there are staff shortages etc (after all I worked for them) but this is ridiculous.

I called up the GPs surgery 2 days ago to get results back from
a) A swab I had done at the GPs when I was 14 weeks (Small blood loss)
b) A swab at delivery suite when I was 16/17 weeks (Contracting)
c) A urine test at the hospital 11 days ago (at 22 weeks) as I'm sure I have an infection and the dipstick I did at work was showing leukocytes, as was the one at the hospital so they sent it off to the lab (not to mention the symptoms I'm having).

Keep in mind, I'm 24 weeks pregnant.

On Wednesday, they claimed they had NOTHING. So I (politely) asked them to check the results server as I understand that post is a bit slow at the moment due to staff shortages'; we had the same problem. The receptionist claimed she didn't have access (how can she do her job on the "results" line if she doesn't have access??) and said she'd e-mail somebody asking them to send them to her and to ring back Friday.

So I did. They claimed that, again, they didn't have anything (to which I said I know that's rubbish as they will be on the SERVER). She went through a pile of results that had just appeared and the one from when I was 16 weeks had appeared yesterday, but the doctor hadn't looked at it yet (Seriously?) And she said the one at 14 weeks allegedly wasn't on the server or their system anywhere despite the fact I had it done THERE.

And I said "What about the urine test, I know for a fact it does not take this long turn it around". And she claimed it wasn't there (by this point I'm positive she's not looking at the results server), and there was nothing she could do and went to hang up. I said "This is ridiculous, I've been trying to get this sorted for weeks as I'm sure I have a urine infection and I'm pregnant for goodness sake! What do YOU suggest I do?" and she said to "ring your midwife" which for anyone following my previous posts will know is pointless so I told her this, so she told me to ring back Monday for a TELEPHONE consultation. WTF? What's the point in that if there's no results to consult over, and I can't exactly provide a new sample down the phone..

I'm seeing my midwife on Thursday, but if I've still got the leukocytes all she'll do is send it off to the lab again! At this rate I'll get the antibiotics when the baby is born. I'm gulping cranberry juice like there's no tomorrow, and even with two weeks inbetween dipsticks (work and hospital) there was still leukocytes and I was still having symptoms, all I seem to be doing is keeping the worst away! I feel so fobbed off, I've had pyelonephritis before and I do NOT want it when PREGNANT!

AAAAAGH

 

[WiscoGirl]

I hear ya...I go to Primrose Hill Surgery in London and it is atrocious!! Totally slow on getting labs back, you have to chase up EVERYTHING. I will probably get shit about this because I did in the 1st trimester forum, but the NHS SUCKS. I miss the level of care and "on top of it-ness" that I got in the U.S. healthcare system. Sure, you pay or you have insurance pay, but at least it give the Drs and nurses INCENTIVE to provide top level care because there is competition.

 

[Eliza_V]

In some ways I agree with you. Don't get me wrong, I am appreciative of our healthcare system, and *some* parts of it are fantastic.. Unfortunately It's a postcode lottery; your quality of care often depends on which PCT you're under, despite us all paying the same amount of tax. Also, due to funding cuts, it's the patients that are suffering. I've been misdiagnosed in the past which had me at deaths door, and I've been refused treatment through doctors not believing me until it was too late and I was MUCH worse.

If I have been sitting on a urine infection for weeks, it could spread to my kidneys again like last time it was left and make me VERY ill. In pregnancy urine infections that are left can cause preterm labour, and that's a risk I'm not willing to take.

*sigh*

 

[WiscoGirl]

I wonder if you go to A & E if they could access your files quicker and get some better treatment?

 

[sophie22]

i used to work in the path labs when i lived in donacter (last year) and i now work in the hopsital wher ei am now in scarborough but as a healthcare assistant. i wish to go i still worked in the labs, if i had my bloods done in the morning i could look on the computer at lunch time, if not before for things like a fbc, and they would be on there. some things are ready next day like IGs or sometimes ferritin etc as they only run then maybe once a day for gp surgeries. but now its a nightmare. i was waiting 2 weeks to get a paper copy of my b12 and ferritin back to my gps, and i was low so needed treatment. it took me a week to get a raised d-dimer result back. in doncasters co-agulation dep. if someones d-dimer was raised they would ring the results thats day to the gp surgery! i dont know whats wrong with scarboroughs labs but they arent on the ball! after maternity leave im going to try and get back into the labs, it has major benefits! lol

edit - btw. it should be your midwifes job to chase the urine result up. mine had to chase my b12 and ferritin up in the end and it had just tuned up. even if she is useless, its her job she needs to do it x

 

[Eliza_V]

The A&E here was one of the places I was shunned before when the infection was left.. Unfortunately I'm in a busy and student-filled city. It had been left so long that my kidneys were extremely swollen, as was my stomach and this was compressing the bottom of my lungs so they wouldn't expand properly, meaning it hurt to breathe. They sent me home without even running any tests (with some GAVISCON despite me throwing up bottles of it and not even being able to hold water down) basically thinking that I'd had a heavy night on the tiles or something. Didn't even test my urine. It was another doctor that picked it up later on in the week. I was in HORRIFIC pain and no-one believed me, because I was a 19-year old University student in my first year. I don't have a lot of fath in that A&E department They also refused to take blood to test for remains of anything when my drink was spiked, once again thinking it was all alcohol induced.

I'm worried if I go down there I will just be ignored

 

[sophie22]

The A&E here was one of the places I was shunned before when the infection was left.. Unfortunately I'm in a busy and student-filled city. It had been left so long that my kidneys were extremely swollen, as was my stomach and this was compressing the bottom of my lungs so they wouldn't expand properly, meaning it hurt to breathe. They sent me home without even running any tests (with some GAVISCON despite me throwing up bottles of it and not even being able to hold water down) basically thinking that I'd had a heavy night on the tiles or something. Didn't even test my urine. It was another doctor that picked it up later on in the week. I was in HORRIFIC pain and no-one believed me, because I was a 19-year old University student in my first year. I don't have a lot of fath in that A&E department They also refused to take blood to test for remains of anything when my drink was spiked, once again thinking it was all alcohol induced.

I'm worried if I go down there I will just be ignored

do you have a walk in place. here we have an 8 - 8 place where you dont have to be registered and can see a doctor. they are usually really good and you get in right away x

 

[Eliza_V]

Sophie I know what you mean - I miss being able to have access to results servers! Where I worked there is a giant box FULL of paper sets of results (blood/urine and swabs) that have yet to be filed.. I mean overflowing, and it's a fairly big box.. They relied on the results server there because there just wasn't the staff to file the ones that came in the post. It's awful, as it's the patients that are suffering

EDIT: To your second post: I'm supposed to be able to just be able to drop a sample in to the GPs (although the woman on the phone said nothing about this when I asked what I should do now) but all they'd do is send it off again. A walk-in centre would do the same I imagine as well without anything else to back it up