I think the idea of sticking to one topic in a visit is a very bad one because sometimes apparently unrelated symptoms can be related. There are diseases which can have multiple, unrelated symptoms, like fibromyalgia, diabetes, MS, etc.
It is always better to look at the body as a whole, rather than just focus on one particular part or symptom. As an example, once I was talking to my internist in the US in her office, and while she was talking to me she noticed that my thyroid gland looked kind of swollen, so she sent me to have a thyroid sonogram. It turned out fine, it just looks that way because I have a skinny neck, but it was good that she didn't just completely ignore it because I had made the appointment for something else.
Here's a first
, I completely 100% agree with you (and it's something that frustrates me about the UK G.P system enormously) It's also the reason I have spent 4 years being bounced back and forth between a Neurology dept, Endo department and my G.P, but unfortunately with a set limit of 6-10 minutes per appt, your G.P is literally just that a
general practitioner, or worse, a series of locum G.P's who do not have the time to skim your notes beforehand this is when it can be incredibly helpful to know that there is an alternative for women's issues and I know they have a better grip on HRT for example, than a lot of G.P's.
