Your GP an unfortunate warning

[Fletch hopefull]

Hi to all,
I'm a fibromyalgia sufferer and have been diagnosed for approximately a decade.I had a reasonably supportive GP for most of that time but a change of GP a year ago led to some problems....
A long time ago in a distant galaxy etc.lol. I had many back issues after a lifetime in the building trade and after a doctor's visit and an MRI I was informed i had a few collapsed spinal discs and a spinal laminectomy was recommended and offered.making the mistake of not doing my own research I accepted the operation.
This was a decision I have regretted ever since, initially after the procedure I was left with spinal neuropathy,drop foot and constant chronic pain.This isn't a plea for sympathy but hopefully a warning for all.
Faced with being unable to work I was thrown onto the mercy of the DWP and was the first of the new universal credit claimants.I could wax lyrical regarding a life of contributions and the total Kafkaesque nature of the DWP.however to to draw a long story short...17 months without a penny in benefits I was at an all time low ebb.
Lack of heating and a cold winter resulted in pneumonia and renal failure,after a few weeks in intensive care I survived but never fully recovered.
A few years later and continued health issues I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and various arthritic conditions.After this I finally got my benefits and PIP awarded and life was sort of bearable.
Forward a few years and I had a regular routine of doctors visits and regular MRI's to check spinal movement.However I was given a new GP and things began to go badly wrong.
After experiencing pain in my right hip which was a new development I visited my new GP to request some help and advice.For all of my diagnosis of fibromyalgia I had continued driving without any serious problems and considered myself a competent and responsible driver.
My doctor didn't appear to have any knowledge of fibromyalgia and kept referring to it as a "syndrome" despite which she expressed doubts as to my ability to drive safely.I was shocked by her attitude and obviously disagreed.living in a rural area with no access to public transport losing my car would be a nightmare and the end of any independence i had left.
She examined my leg strength and seemed disappointed when I completed the exam successfully.
A few weeks later I received a letter from the DVLA regarding a complaint as to my ability to drive safely.Moving forward after several months
worrying and stress with the very real risk of losing my driving licence I had a driving medical assessment which I passed and without any recorded faults thankfully.
My new GP totally ignored all medical procedures and guidelines for patients suspected of being unfit to drive and maliciously,in my eyes, reported me.
I am currently pursuing a complaint with the general medical council regarding her behaviour but if you think your doctor is unsympathetic towards your fibromyalgia then things could be seriously worse.
A warning to all...you do not have to accept treatment or appointments from a doctor you do not like or trust.patient choice, exercise it or suffer the consequences.

 

[sunkacola]

Your story is horrible, @Fletch hopefull .
I am so sorry you have gone through this, and I agree that that GP was extremely out of line to have reported you to the DVLA. I would be filing a serious complaint myself if that happened to me. I truly hope that you can get somewhere with that complaint, because what that person did was clearly wrong, especially after you passed the test with flying colors. Some people just shouldn't be doctors at all.
Wishing you the best.

 

[BlueBells]

@Fletch hopefull

My new GP totally ignored all medical procedures and guidelines for patients suspected of being unfit to drive and maliciously,in my eyes, reported me.

I'm not up to reading it all, just skipped through.

A few years back, a friend of mine, wears specs, went to the doctor, and the doc made him so an eye test without his glasses on.

A week later my friend got a letter from VicRoads saying his license would be cancelled in a week, as his eyesight was impaired. He was understandably beside himself with worry. I encouraged him to go to the optometrist, who sent a letter to VicRoads, and the license was re-instated.

He never went back to that doctor again. Yes, some can be pretty bad. Same doctor, sometime before that episode, I had a flu, and doc wanted me on anti depressants and said I was dangerous around children. Talk about a nut case! I had a bad flu, hindsight fibro fog would have been rampant, (couple of years before diagnosis) and I was so confused with his "interrogation" I don't know what I'd said.

He wasn't here long before being moved on, and I heard several reports of women being treated the same way as I was, even mothers. I'm a grandma who babysat a lot at the time.

Yes, if not happy with the doctor, move on!

 

[SBee]

Morning @Fletch hopefull
It's honestly distressing and makes me angry as to how you have been treated. Obviously the new gp has totally disregarded the medical records of your history that your original gp made on your files. I know you aren't looking for sympathy and appreciate after all this you have the mental strength to challenge the behaviour and attitude of this new gp.

I often find when we are at our lowest in the physical side, our mental health goes down with it and we are understandably feeling to weak to challenge such attitudes. A lot of credit to you in being able to do so
. Sometimes I know I am not capable of doing so ( and an old history of chronic fatigue being not believed by drs makes me feel vulnerable to this day ) but now I find if I have a difficult or complex question to a dr, if possible I begin so with an email, as I have time to write relevant facts clearly and concisely. Face to face or by phone and I get flustered, and can be left feeling fobbed off.

It's our health, our bodies and minds and even with the limitations the NHS ( and same in other countries face ) this drs attitude to you seems so very wrong. I too wish you well

 

[Fletch hopefull]

Thanks for your kind replies and I do hope fibro sufferers realise that they have a choice in which GP they visit.I feel that we are often seen as "difficult" patients with little hope of any improvement.
As we all know coping with flare ups and brain fog is hard enough and personally stress is a real trigger for me. Thankfully I got through this difficult situation in one piece but the injustice of going to see your GP for help and being faced with losing your independence is difficult understand.
Hopefully you all have access to a good and sympathetic doctor which I'm sure most GPs are.