help question about docs

[frosty2901]

Hi All

i am just after some help with regards to questions about the way i have been treated by the doc


it started over 3 weeks ago now i ended up in a&e having a panic attack and was checked out and told its just a panic attack then in the morning i felt better so didnt go to docs then 2 days later i felt realy bad and phoned out of ours doc with server palps he said i cant give you anything till you go a&e and have ecg i left it for about an hour but couldnt take it no no more and then went to a&e and told them what out of hour doc had said anywhay had all tests kept me there waiting all night just to tell me it was panic attack dont need to do anything about it just try to relax proporanol useally but as you have asthma you cant take them go and see your gp later as this was 5 in the morning

i went to see the doc the next morning i only see this doc as she was the one i originaly see in sept when i had the first panic attack and she sent me to see cardiologist and because i still had the tests to wait for because the hospital hadent bothered sending me appointments for heart scan and 24hr ecg so i thought i would see her as she was dealing with the situation any way she said well we prescribe anti depresants for panic attacks ok i said well im reluctatnt to take them cant i try anything else ok i was going to try kalms well what else can i do she said heres the phone number for mind give them a call and that was it i left without a prescription as i didnt want to be on anti depresants for panic attacks

i phoned the number for mind and never got an answer all the times i called

well it got to the end of the week and i thought icant cope all weekend tried to get an appointment but no there wasnt any so i asked if the doctor could call me she did i agreed over the phone as i was worried about the weekend i would take the tablets as i had no help from no one and said mind wouldnt answer the phone she said well you have to leave a message and the tablets wont work straight away

i got the prescription and come straight home and looked up the side affects and wham first and fore most increases anxiety well thats it i cant take them after seing on here as it goes i was sufferimg from g/a and not constant panic attacks as i first thoght i had never heard of people having g/a before so i nver knew it exsisted and not once did anyone from the medical profession tell me about it eaither !!!! even after i had described all my symptoms
i phoned mind and left a message

i have since been into the local mind wellbeing centre and was told by a very helpfull gentlman to go home and go on the mind website and do a self refural for talking therapys which i did on the monday after
on the wed i got a call back from the message i left before i went into the mind wb/c and he said to call the west essex mind where i had filled in my online refural and see what i could find out i called them on the friday and the lady said well it hasnt been asses yet so i asked what i could do to get some help she said well let me look at your form and she said well if you didnt put that you felt suicidal its not urgent but if that changes call us again urmmmm i know if someones suicidal it is urgent but just because im not doesnt mean im not suffering the same issues of anxiety


any way im going to see the doc on monday and feel like i realy want to have a go at her for the lack of care and guidance i have received on this matter and demand that she helps me more with trying to get some cbt or other guidance

anyone else had similar experinces and got any tips i am determined i dont waht to take any meds so why should my case be any different to someone who is takeing meds i always suffer the worst side effects from any i take so all i take is blood presure meds


sorry about the long rant but just want some tips from any of you people as i know how helpfull you all are and have been to me so far

frosty x

so what im asking is this do you think she could of help me more like pushing for cbt exct or am i just wasteing my time

[Darbysa]

Frosty

I understand your frustration and you are clearly distressed by all this. My own view is that you should go back to your doc and talk about other ways to help you but I would hold back from 'demanding'. Availability of CBT varies across the country. I know where I am there is a waiting list of up to 3 months and even then you only get 1 session a fortnight. It's disappointing that MIND have been unable to offer any real help but I guess it's all down to resources. I know you want instant attention and answers (don't we all) but these things do take time.
I understand your reluctance to take ADs but maybe you should reconsider as it may help you to feel calmer. I know a lot of people suffer side effects of increased anxiety in the early days of taking them but not all do. I myself found quick relief with little or no side effects from paroxetine but every one is different. Having said that I do sometimes wonder if I could have handled this without them.
I hope you get some more help from your doc and that you start to feel better soon.

Sal

[Annie0904]

Hi Frosty, I agree with Sal here. Unfortunately there are no quick ways to help anxiety and most doctors will suggest antidepressants and when they take effect may suggest CBT but there is a waiting list in most areas. Also some people do suffer a lot more than others and priority has to be given in some cases. You can ask your doctor to refer you for counselling and they should put you on the waiting list. In my area it is about 6 weeks but some areas are longer. In the meantime you could try an online CBT course. CBT4Panic is free and I found it very helpful especially in controlling panic attacks.

[frosty2901]

thanks sal
its more the fact of not getting any straight answers from no one i know resourses are stretched but a simple ok well theres a wait of such and such but you will get etc etc i feel two weeks is long enough to decide what i need but the not knowing is causeing more anxiety and when i speak to the people at mind thay say well your doc should have refered you her self and not made you do it also i feel the doc could of talked to me more about it she didnt even say anything about it being g/a i had to figure that out for myself and i feel very let down by the way i have been treated and jsut wondered if anyone had any tips about what i should ask her what i can ask her like can she contact mind on my behalf and maybe get more answers for me etc and can she refer me somewhere else etc im very new to all this mh and dont know about how they deal with things etc

thanks frosty

---------- Post added at 19:19 ---------- Previous post was at 19:18 ----------

thanks annie i will look into that as well

[Annie0904]

Yes you can ask your doctor to refer you for counselling or CBT. I hope you don't have to wait too long for it :hugs:

[frosty2901]

thanks annie
frosty x

[frosty2901]

well that was a bit of a waste of time i went to see her she still hadnt heard back from the cardioligist with my results so she said she will chase it up and let me know

i also talked about cbt she said i should have been contacted by mind and i told her that they said she should have refered me she said she will fax them tommorow and see what she can find out for me and the last time she referd someone they wrote back to her and told her to tell them to visit them self?

then we got on the subject of medication and i said i wouldnt take the medication she prescribed sertraline as the side effects are increases anxiety she said no no no thats not the case they are the ones that get prescribed for anxiety and she could show me loads of litrature that staes this so i said well i dont want to take them as i cant stand anymore anxiety on top of what i am having now and she said they work in 4 to 6 weeks so i said how does that help me know ?
why cant i get support with not wanting to take the medication surely people shouled be encouredged to try not to take medication

she said well try relaxation music doesnt relax me i have tried
try warm baths i said i cant as they make my heart beat faster

she said i will see what i can do if you dont hear anything by next week contact the surgery i said oh ok so i cant do anything else she said well take the medication and phone next wed if you havent heard anything so i said so that means ive got to wait another week to see if i can get any answers thanks

frosty x