Trusting your doc/gp

I know it's different in certain countries but I'm having a real hard time trusting my gps.

I saw an experienced locum doctor about my lady problems and she referred me for counselling after examining me down there. Symptoms carried on so saw experienced gyno gp with family planning experience also and she examined me front and back and gave me pills for my HA.She swabbed me for infections...waiting on that.

Neither thought tests were needed elsewhere or even asked for bloods.

I have a history of ha but never needed to go to doc until now so I'm not a doc botherer and when I went my symptoms had stopped for a week.

I know how much pressure the nhs is under and I worry about docs saving money or making mistakes.

You read all the time about people having cancer that their doc said it was Ibs or hormones something. This is especially true for the two cancers I worry about which are cervical (or any gyno cancer) and bowel cancer.

I have no idea wether to go private or to just trust them. I'm not sure how rare or common malpractice is.....similarly I know HA suffers do go through lots of tests sometimes.



What are your own experiences or thoughts?

Bootles

You've asked a very good question, and I have to respond because I am in the same boat.

Over the years, I'd visited my GP a lot about various different symptoms. Each time I always worried that the GP was wrong, because let's face it: tabloids like the Daily Mail are full of horror stories of a GP dismissing a mole as benign, it turning out to be melanoma and the patient dying within a few months.

Anyway last year I decided to visit my GP about ongoing "men's issues" and an absent pulse on both feet. The latter is never a good finding. I saw the GP half expecting her to find the pulse and half expecting her to not find it, and refer me. Well, said GP confirmed there was no pulse there (the dorsalis pedis pulse) but said she wasn't worried because I'm not a current smoker or diabetic. (A gross amount of illogical thinking, considering I smoked heavily from 15 to 23)

Long story short, I decided "nah, they've never been wrong before, let's just trust them" - even though at only 25 I was having to rely on Sildenafil to get an erection (I'm not on any medication that could cause this, and the issue was present even when masturbating - a classic sign of "organic" erectile dysfunction).

I then saw a new God Send of a GP regarding some allergy tests I'd had done. She was going through my notes when she was horrified to see the notes relating to absent dorsalis pedis pulse + erectile dysfunction. She insisted I see a Cardiologist.

Today, I saw said Cardiologist. At first, he suspected a cholesterol problem, but he was able to access my GP notes on the system, and saw my cholesterol was only 2.1. So he ruled that out, and then said this is probably an autoimmune/vasculitis problem.

Most people know that "Doctors close ranks" - they'll never openly judge the practice of another doctor in front of patients. Today this cardiologist actually used the word "negligent" when referring to the initial GP who confirmed my absent pulses. That's quite a big step for consultant to make. He said to me that my symptoms were not normal for my age, and thus I'm being referred urgently to a vascular surgeon. (He did say that, despite my young age, 50% of cases are caused by plaque build up in the arteries regardless, but other rare causes such as Buerger's disease would need ruled out). I am also unfortunate to have a rich family history of circulatory disease on both sides.

So, needless to say, my trust in GPs is very poor. The consultant was truly astonished the GP hadn't referred this initially.

I've been saying so many prayers, being thankful that I'm finally being taken seriously and this is getting investigated.

The cardiologist also gave me this tip: He said that if you feel concerns are not being taken seriously by your GP, say to them you're having "serious quality of life issues". The consultant said (and I quote) "this makes the GPs go weak at the knees".

Good luck & I'm sorry my input isn't exactly positive!

Do you reckon being seen by 2 GPS who think the same is good?

Both were elder experienced ladies.

I just went to a dermatologist, and he looked at a mole that is new. He looked closely, examined it thoroughly, but didn't biopsy it. He decided it looked benign.

I am usually pretty good at trusting my specialists, especially. But that said, I will keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't evolve any more. I will assume his decades of training and experience trump by suspicion.

Now, that said, this is not an NHS doctor, this is the American medical system, I don't know if that changes how things are done, or the pressures they face. I am less trusting about my GP, though he is decent, but have to put some faith in the ability of the specialists to determine the best course of action.

I don’t trust my GP at all she is useless. Said my arthritis was anxiety for years even though I had inflammation in blood and aenemia. Never wants to refer me for anything. Always anxiety.

Unfortunately my whole HA stems from GP’s getting things wrong for 11 years, I was born with a kidney condition which caused me agonizing pain and recurrent kidney infections, can’t tell you how many times the doctor came out at night when I was a child and my mum pushed and pushed, I was seen by loads of GP’s and everyone said I was fine and my mum was pushy - course she was, she knew her kid and was up all night with me all the time, one doc finally referred me when i was 11 for an ultrasound .... urgent surgery was needed and I nearly lost my kidney ... that’s given me HA and I now never trust my GP, they rush, they don’t listen, they make mistakes, they want to save money ... I know that prob would get people’s backs up to say but it’s how I feel in my head and it’s what causes me anxiety every day

I never go to my GP, as in Italy they don't take responsability for nothing and send you to specialists directly... I always go private and directly pay for tests and screenings. Lately I started mistrusting specialists too and I'm desperate, I don't trust anyone 😭