My NHS rant

Fifty three, fit (or reasonably anyway) and never go to the doctor but reaching that magical age I decide to go and introduce myself to my local G.P to see if there's maybe routine tests that I should have performed. He checks me out, (B.P, listens to my lungs, etc) and then sends me to the diagnostic for routine blood samples. This is on Tuesday of last week and they tell me to phone the outpatient line on Friday to get the results......I think to myself  "OK cool, I'll do that, thanks seeya"......Friday comes, I call to get the results which I'm assured can be given to me by the receptionist  but I'm told the doctor needs to speak to me personally about the results but unfortunately "He's not in today"........ssssssssoooooooo.......I sit on pins and needles all weekend long with all these panic driven anxious thoughts going through my head and I phone first thing this morning. "Yup, doctors in, he'll call you back in a couple of hours", that was 5  ******hours ago and I still have'nt heard from him yet, so needless to say I wish I had never gone in the first place now...this is why men hate going to the doctor

Celtic,

Sorry to hear about your anxiety but I completely understand! We had a similar thing happen to my husband. He went for some blood tests and on a FRIDAY afternoon about a week later at 6:20pm, the doctors surgery leaves a message saying that DR. X wants to see him and to give a call to make an appointment. The caveat...they closed at 6:30pm! We picked up the message around 7pm.

Needless to say we were (or I was terribly) worried all weekend long. Its a terrible way to manage patients! Scare the heck out of them!

In the end....everything was fine, he justed wanted to go over the results. Had he told my husband that upfront we wouldn't have spent 48 hrs worrying.

Best regards,

Jules

Ah thanks for that Jules, I'm sure I'm OK, just needed a bit of a rant thats all, glad to see there's still some around here that can identify with concern rather than spend the day sniping and talking nonsense.

Celtic,

Not only do you have a valid point, when I was waiting for word on a biopsy at Johns Hopkins in the United States, I told the doctor, look, just call me at work, I don't want all that hassle about making an appointment to get the results in person.  He did.  Certainly made life easier.

I mean the phone call made life easier, not the substance of it.  (Short story: prostate cancer, surgery, cured, no significant aftereffects.)

Jim

I mean the phone call made life easier, not the substance of it.  (Short story: prostate cancer, surgery, cured, no significant aftereffects.)

Jim

 Great news bruv,thats how to keep on keeping on.........6 hours later this doctor has just informed me that my white blood cell count is high and he wants to check it again in 3-4 weeks ......so now it's sit back and wait.....on an upnote my cholesterol was 4.03

Did he tell you what he is making you wait 3-4 weeks for?  I mean, what it could be and what he's trying to rule out?

I hate not knowing what's going on - it's so much worse than whatever the "truth" could be. 

Celtic,

White blood cell count?  I'm not a doctor, but I would guess your body is fighting off some infection and you'll be back to normal in a few weeks.

Jim

Yeah he asked me if I had a cold recently ,and I did when I came back from Derry N.I about a month ago, but I shook that off after a coupla days back here........what's he trying to rule out? I don't know, I think he's left that to me to worry about, the N.H.S having to keep phone consultations to 3 minutes and all.......

Celtic,

White blood cell count?  I'm not a doctor, but I would guess your body is fighting off some infection and you'll be back to normal in a few weeks.

Jim

Be nice if his GP could just say something like that, you know?  

Celtic,

There is no real alarm about an elevated white blood cell count.   My husband had a slightly elevated reading back in the winter. The doctor had him checked again in March and it had improved (gone down). He was checked again in June and now its spot on where it should be. (That was the call on that Friday that worried me).

My complaint about the whole process was the doctor wasn't really stating what he was looking for...all he kept saying is "there is nothing to be concerned about" so my husband took him at his word, but I didn't I kept thinking "what are they looking for".  I also didn't like that it was dragged out (for many months). I know realize it had to be that way in order to monitor things over a short period of time (even though it didnt feel short while it was going on).

I didn't like the lack of communication but then again my husband didn't ask too many questions. So while I wouldn't be concerned, I would definitely make sure you are asking questions.

Julie

Be nice if his GP could just say something like that, you know? 

So true...

Like I say it just spooked me a bit. Spent a little time in the Ashau Valley back in the late 60's when the U.S was in the process of "defoliation" until they finally admitted what Agent Orange actually was and thousands were being diagnosed with leukemia years later.....broken bones,cuts,bruises and everyday maladies and i don't blink an eye.....start talking about red and white blood cell counts and it just freaks me a bit.

Celtic- I went through exactly the same, white count really low and they actually started bandying the word leukaemia about- freaked me out totally. I had to be tested again within a month, which fits in with your timeframe and then again 6 mths later.

When he next sees you, he may want to do some physical prodding in the groin area etc, just to make sure the lymph glands are not inflamed and from what I understood, Leukaemia will reveal itself in other more noticeable ways than a low wbc.  It is good that you decided to get a health check, although you seem sound as a (scottish) pound

I wish they wouldn't make people wait this way, surefire way to get an elevated BP reading!

Celtic. really it only means that you have had a slight infection and actually your body is doing its job. The docs usually want to recheck in afew weeks only to show as they expect that its all back to normal. Other things would show in your blood as to anything serious. realax. All is probably well. In fact my last bloodwork done here in the states a few months ago, I called the phone tree to get my results and the recording said all was within normal range. But I had a phone message from the doctors office saying to make an appointment with the doc to go over my results. I didnt bother and a few days later recieved a certified letter from them. I thought oh my God! something serious? scared me to death. I made an appointment and all was fine,they just wanted to go over the results with me ( they wanted more money )

Thanks to all of ya's.....you've  given me more reassurance than the doctor who FINALLY decided to get back and drop that little gem on me (no questions OK, seeya in 3-4 weeks!..... while my mind actually flat-screened for a moment or two....huh? )