NHS have now abandoned me

[Darren1]

I have today gone back to my GP regarding neck pain, pains in ribs and swollen glands since May.

He told me that they were not going to send me for any more investigations. He asked me how much more money did I want the NHS to waste on me?

He said his job is to figure out what patients have sinister symptoms and who has anxiety. He says mine is anxiety and muscle tension. He has suggested I go to pilate's and need to work on strengthening my core muscles.

It is absolute crap i think I am going to complain to the general medical council about this doctor and/or speak to the practice manager.

I was perfectly FIT and WELL before waking up one day in May with neck pain - I used to go to the gym 3 x a week and now I can't do any of that stuff.

He told me to keep taking the prozac and make sure I don't run out.


I feel so depressed, i might be dying from advanced cancer and ive been sent for all the wrong tests and they think I am just crying wolf.

[Darbysa]

Darren
You sounded so positive earlier in the week. I thought you were going to think about some alternative treatment like a chiropractor or something like that.
I do think you need to consider all the tests you have had. It's highly unlikely that you would have been tested for the wrong thing. They have been quite thorough. I would guard against complaining about your doctor. Maybe he could have been a little less offhand but he was probably only trying to make you see that there is nothing sinister wrong with you. I'm not trying to say that what you have isn't real - of course it is and it could be that you do need to explore osteopathy or chiro to bring some relief to your pain.
A few weeks ago you were very angry and railing against the treatment you had been given. Try not to go down that road again.
Please don't take any of this the wrong way. I do know how hard it is to accept there is nothing seriously wrong. Have you ever been offered any counselling/CBT?
Please reconsider an alternate approach. I don't want to see you going back downhill again.
Sal

[Elen]

Has he offered you CBT help for your Health Anxiety?

I believe that CBT4Panic that is offered on here has proved useful in helping some members.

I agree your doctor has been very blunt, however he was maybe trying to convince you that your health is not in danger.

Good luck

Elen

[Darren1]

i am awaiting initial CBT assessment on 17th september. i really dont think thats the problem though. Sorry but ive just had a gutsfull now

[nomorepanic]

Why don't you humour them and do what they suggest Darren?

There is no harm in trying is there?

[LE]

Darren

I am sorry you are feeling down.

You have been coping and dealing with the issues this far. What about trialing the alternative therapies for a few weeks and see how things are then? If you don't try you won't know.

---------- Post added at 12:07 ---------- Previous post was at 12:04 ----------

Also meant to say, I have pelvic pain and back and rib pain and up to my neck. I self referred to the physio in the hospital and only mentioned the pelvic pain. The physio did some tests on me and it was her who picked up that my back muscle was in spasm. She explained that it extends frOm the lower back all the way up. She said one of my hips is slightly out of place and is pulling all the other muscles on that side up.

Self refer, go and see them and see what they say. They will know right away of its is a muscular problem.

[Darren1]

Why don't you humour them and do what they suggest Darren?

There is no harm in trying is there?

i know what you're saying and then I can go back and say i tried it.

i have emailed some chiropractors and will definately go see one.

[hadenough]

hi Darren, Im pretty much in the same position. My gp has said somehow I need to get my head round the fact that I suffer with anxiety and take steps to deal with it. She said they can do no more for me, its down to me.

Im not for one minute suggesting that your problems are all down to anxiety, Im not convinced mine are either but have as good as been told that Im the only one who can help myself. Its very hard to deal with when you feel abandoned and left to 'sort yourself out'.

I really hope that somehow you manage to get things sorted to your satisfaction.

[Darren1]

hi Darren, Im pretty much in the same position. My gp has said somehow I need to get my head round the fact that I suffer with anxiety and take steps to deal with it. She said they can do no more for me, its down to me.

Im not for one minute suggesting that your problems are all down to anxiety, Im not convinced mine are either but have as good as been told that Im the only one who can help myself. Its very hard to deal with when you feel abandoned and left to 'sort yourself out'.

I really hope that somehow you manage to get things sorted to your satisfaction.

thanks its nice to know people on here know how i feel

what are your problems?

i cant accept this is the end of the road, i agree i have anxiety problem but do not agree it is causing my pains.

surely the doctor would want to find out what is causing the pain?!!!

[hadenough]

Wont go into all my problems, have started so many threads on here recently that I think Im in danger of being asked to leave! In a nutshell I had a bad stomach recently and have lost weight, no appetite, tired all the time etc etc. I absolutely convinced myself that it was something sinister so gp sent me for blood tests which came back fine but Im really struggling to believe theres nothing wrong. HA is a devil to deal with theres no doubt about it. Hope it helps a little to know youre not alone with these thoughts.

[AuntieMoosie]

Aww no Darren, I didn't want to hear this sweetie :weep:

I've just replied to your other thread.

Darren this is the bit where you have to try and be strong and believe what your doctor has said, it's damned hard I know it is, but be reassured by the fact that he doesn't feel you need any further investigations, hey!! that's really good news sweetie :D

I really don't think it was very helpful, or professional, for your doctor to have answered you in that way, there was really no need for him to do that!!

You have an illness and you are just as entitled to help for that as any other person, whether your illness is physical or psychological and I can think of a million other ways that doctors and the NHS could save money!!!

Ok let's move on...........

Darren when we're in recovery from depression or anxiety and panic, it really doesn't take a lot for something to knock us down.

But try not to think of what's happened, try to focus your mind on the really good progress that you've made, you've been doing brilliantly :yesyes:

If it's going to make you feel better, how about writing a polite letter to the practice manager explaining how that doctor made you feel by what he said to you. I wouldn't think that you'd be able to put in an official complaint sweetie, but you can, at least, write a letter to let them know how you've felt following that appointment, keep it polite and to the point as that way, they will take notice.

Darren try as hard as you can to gradually pick yourself up from this now. It's happened, it wasn't nice, but we can move on from it :)

I would very much doubt that you have anything like terminal cancer sweetie, that would have been definitely picked up in the tests that you've had done, it's because you're so petrified of it that you've kind of let the fear take control of your thoughts.

Sweetie whatever you do, please DO NOT GOOGLE!!!!

All that will do is frighten you more and feed your fear, you haven't got cancer so you don't need to be reading about it :)

Now we need to try and get you distracted from your scary thoughts.

So every time you get a scary thought, ignore it, distract yourself straight away, whatever you do though, replace the fear with something nice and that you enjoy, if the scary thoughts keep coming, let them, they can't hurt you, they are just thoughts, if your anxiety rises, let it, accept it, ride it out, nothing bad can happen :)

So today sweetie........try and choose just one thing that you like doing and do it........let's get some positivity back into you, then we can build on that :hugs:

[Fishmanpa]

A doctor's job is to diagnose physical illness. He can't treat issues that aren't physical in origin.

If indeed something sinister was going on, it would have been discovered by now. It's not cancer or any other nasty thing associated with the head and neck. If it were, it would have progressed and been more than obvious by now.

So that leaves anxiety.

Anxiety is an actual illness. It's no different than any other chronic physical illness. It causes real physical symptoms and pain. However, it's origin just isn't physical. A GP cannot treat what is not physical in origin. While I question this doctors approach, he is 100% right. He can't help what he can't treat.

I have a question for you Darren... actually for anyone that wants to answer. You're here because you suffer from anxiety. If you didn't recognize that fact then why on Earth would you come here? That being said, Why wouldn't you seek psychological help from a qualified psychological doctor?

Everyone here that I've read about suffers from an illness called "anxiety". They all have one or more of the 100+ physical symptoms of this illness.

I would venture to say that many of you have felt a list of these symptoms.
LIST OF ANXIETY PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS (http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-symptoms.shtml)

What is it about this illness that makes you refuse to accept it? It would seem to me that you'd be thrilled that they figured it out and that you're not going to die! Anxiety is not fatal. It can be treated! People lead very productive lives with anxiety disorder as they do with hundreds of other chronic physical illnesses.

I guess in a more direct way I'm saying what Auntie Moosie is saying. In your heart, you know what's going on. I hope you find the ways and means to seek the help you need.

Positive thoughts and prayers

[Darren1]

Thanks both, i have bounced back a little since seeing the GP this morning. Go me!!

I suppose I came here because I had 'an anxiety' about some symptoms. Those symptoms are not going away. I believe I haven't quite had the correct test to find the physical issue.

Normally i get anxious about a problem and then said problem eventually goes away. E.g. a pain 'down below' went away after 2 months so I quit worrying. This time the pain isn't going anywhere....that's the difference for me this time.

[Darbysa]

Wow fishman, that is some list! Even though I know most of this it does help to remind myself from time to time.
Well done Darren on bouncing back!
Sal

[yenool]

You have had this pain and symptoms for > 3 months now, which basically means it is a chronic condition. Chronic pain is often poorly explained by medical tests and poorly understood / treated by doctors generally. For example people with severe back pain can have normal MRI scans and those with no symptoms can have gross abnormalities show up on scans.... no one can really explain why.

Darren, my understanding is you have had scans, blood tests, seen specialists, etc, yet they cannot find any life threatening underlying problem or active disease process that would cause these symptoms. Your GP has been brutally blunt with you but he is correct. There is no point keep on having more and more tests but if the pain is debilitating then perhaps a referral to pain management specialist would be the way to to get things under control.

Perhaps you have a condition like fibromyalgia or myofasical pain which cause chronic pain, muscle stiffness, plus many more symptoms and are often linked to anxiety, depression and so on.

[Darren1]

thanks yenool.

i know it all seems so reasonable given all the tests ive had.... it just feels like a leap of faith to believe it - like its a matter of life and death.