Appropriate demand on my GP?

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I have found a very nice GP . ( Professionally ) . The last one used to shout at me and get angry and competitive so I didn't bother going for a few years. He couldn't understand why a painter and decorator would be interested in underlying reasons for health + conditions. I couldn't understand why I should not have a knowledge of human biology and neurology etc.
It was really horrible . I felt it might be a tactic to get me not to go again. I wasn't sure.

Recently I got injured and had to use my GP's to claim sick pay. I have a new GP and felt comfortable about going again and made a mental list of some things I'd like to do with my health. I feel uncomfortable asking for these because they always seems so busy , and because they are not life threatening , I didn't bother. Just stuff like long time broken bone, raised blood pressure, non malignant polyp which am supposed to get checked every year, but didn't because I feel bad about asking.

What is an appropriate demand on my GP's time? What legal parameters are the to this?

Also I find big hospitals very confusing. On the one hand they seem to want you to be there, but when you start asking stuff like where you should be, or do you need to see a GP to get this service they seem to get angry too. For example my old GP told me to get a walk-in service. I go to where it says "walk in service" on big sign and ask for service.

I am told despite big sign, it is only a walk in if you have a GP's note which I didn't have and would have to go back to GP and get, and then return to walk in point . I got into total logic loop with this and staff got angry .( Think this was a previous GPs idea of funny joke to send Aspie out to do this + inflict on nursing staff )

when I get back to GPs the old bad tempered one tells me that his surgery have practice nurse who will take BP , which was point of walk in + ECG and arrange for another "walk in"anyway.

And so it goes on, and on. Honestly I haven a clue what all this walk in-out cycle is about. Is it a
practical social skills test perhaps ? Why should I have to waste my time if it is.

Also sickness benefits people lost my sick notes and I had to ask my new GP for a set of duplicates. I do not like using her time like this. Perhaps this is a social test too?

Not sure if these are just the GP's winding me up to move me on to another GP . What do you think?

Also think idea of clearly defined parameters + Aspie "route maps" for hospital services might be useful. Also useful guides for NT satff if they do not actually know what services they are providing
and only pretending they do to keep up social standing.

Very good job for Aspie logic-visual team, visual cartography of NHS service + routes to treatment.

There's a difference between wasting time and getting stuff dealt with that are health issues. Wasting a GP's time is, making an appointment, turning up and chatting about the weather for fifteen/twenty minutes. Going to your doctor about genuine health issues is not wasting time, even if they're not health risks.

For example, an ichy rash is not life threatening but you can go to your GP about it without fear of wasting time. About the non malignant polyp, if you were told to get it checked every year, get it checked every year. Raised blood pressure is a valid concern. And lastly, a broken bone is not a waste of anyones time, that's what A&E is for to my knowledge.

Last edited by LostAlien on 14 Mar 2010, 6:59 am, edited 1 time in total.

Yes, but how do you ask them to deal with stuff like this? They sometimes do not seem to do anything when you ask , other times they do. There is no reducible rule to this.

Sometimes they seem to forget they asked you to come in "every so often", When you turn up, n they ask you why are you here, and you say " because you told me to be" ( once a year) ,but are not sure why, they get angry.

Same in hospital. Most odd.

Also bear in mind that they are being paid a very large amount of money for their time, especially here in the UK. They bloody well ought to listen to whatever you have to say!

If they say "come in here every _________ (meaurement of time)", and you don't know why then and there, ask. They should have written records of their own but perhaps keeping your own written record could help.

If they do nothing, ask why. Their job is to help with or fix your health issues. If they get angry, take a deep breath and then let them know that their anger is unprofessional (everybody is human but you aren't there to get aggro because of their bad day).

Yes. But they say stuff like you need to go and get broken nose bone, from 4 years ago, fixed. You go to hospital- one group offer to enthusiastically fix bone for you. You get sent by first group to another group who don't seem as keen . Second group keep making appointments for you at the only times when you tell them you absolutely can not be there ( they always do this) and then forget about you. You ring up tell them the only time you can no be there in a year is X and they give you x as an appointment.

What I can not be sure about is the primary rule. Do they actually want me to use service or not?
Is this some subtle NT form of communication suggesting I can technically use these services like nose straightening and being able to breathe properly through nose, but shouldn't . Seems fair thing to ask for but get impression it isn't.

These aren't unreasonable requests. If anything, your GP might be more annoyed if you didn't bring them up, especially the polyp and the blood pressure, which unfortunately can be life-threatening if left untreated.

It's far more time-consuming and difficult to deal with late-stage complications of these problems than to just keep an eye on them all along. With most diseases, the earlier you intervene the better their outcome.

GPs, to be honest, aren't as busy as many other specialities, so don't feel you are wasting their time. Make a list and then book an appointment. By all means tell them you have a number of issues in advance, if you want to make sure they aren't really busy, but as a patient you have every right to have your health looked after.

If it were someone else posting here, saying they had many medical problems but were too worried about bothering the doctor, what would your response to them be?

'Every so often' sounds a bit vague. I've never heard that being done before . When they say 'once a year' they mean they want you to book an appointment for 12 months time. You can usually do this at the receptionists, or ring ahead a few weeks.

I think it may be wiser to ring up the hospital and GP before turning up, unless they have specifically stated that they are a 'drop-in clinic'. The waiting lists are often huge and many people in the waiting room have been on the list for a long time; you can't usually just turn up on the day and ask to see the doctor.

I call it "red tape" some people make it hard for people to use a service, to reduce use of a service. The thing to combat it is to be very patient sounding in conversation while politely explaining what you need. These things take time and patience.

Instead of making a mental list of what you want to talk about, make an actual list and make sure it's not too long, not more than say five things. Then go through it with your GP. And know your questions, so that you get the actual answers you want. Sometimes it takes a long time just to figure out what it is you want to know, at least it does for me.

And if you're going to go somewhere else, make sure you get the information when, where, and what to bring.

Just generally try to be well prepared. Then it won't seem so overwhelming. They're probably not being obstructive deliberately.

I also have this problem with doctor visits. If they dont take my concerns seriously I figure it is because I am not supposed to ask for the service or am not entitled for some reason. I fear that they have written some negative thing on my record that automatically bars me from real medical care. However, if that were the case it would have floated out of my military medical records into my civilian records somehow, and that just isn't possible. So I conclude that it is my communication with them that is the problem.

My advice: Take the list you have made and tell them you need these things done. If they tell you that you are asking too much then you can back off. Otherwise keep hounding them. I seriously doubt you are asking too much. They are medical professionals and you have medical concerns. If they cannot help you then they have wasted their time and money getting their medical degrees.

Thank you so much . I shall

a)make a list and take it in with me.

b) buy an inexpensive jotting pad and write everything down.

c) Not get into logic cycle arguments with staff even if system is illogical. They have a hard enough time as it is without an Aspie getting into this kind of stuff.

d) Have suggested visual route map for socially cartographically confusable like myself to Prof. "of studies this stuff". Said was good idea. Needs to see a visual demonstration for his dementia patients.-Any ideas of map making software?

I use Microsoft Visio to make web site maps/storyboards for planning. It would be ideal for your purposes. I also think you can use MS Powerpoint for this or an equivalent- I have Linux, too, which uses Open Office Draw and Presentation. OpenOffice.org has the free programs to download. I got VIsio for free from my college.

I was reminded of 8 Bit Theater, and Thief's line "Your GP or your HP!" by this...

If you have a couple of health issues that you need to discuss, ask the receptionist if you can book an extended or double appointment so that the doctor has time to hear all your concerns.

Having a list containing everything you need to discuss is a great idea.