Going It Alone

Florence48 · Nov 26, 2018

ianpspurs said:
Hi all. Joined this thread late due to a hint in a pm. Read the opening page of posts so thought I'd chip in. Had my annual review yesterday with DN only. Absolutely useless and I needed to point to previous test results and eye screening to clarify points - if my staff had prepared lessons in such a poor manner I would have started competency proceedings. Key point I want to raise is no full blood count is routinely done on me and no one has any idea of big picture and potential interactions between issues and treatments. These forums and DR Google appear our best hope. Nursey's parting shot was if all our patients were as clued up and controlled as you we would be out of a job. Compared to many on here my control is feeble so I conclude their standards and expectations are woeful. Ideally we would not go it alone but that is like the infamous everybody thinking it is someone else's job.

Hi, I too am unhappy with my GP recently. I have only been with my GP just over a year as I moved. I feel rushed at appointments and have not had a diabetic blood test until today, at my request. I have arthritis in my hands, which prevents me being able to cut my toenails apart from hacking st the big one with kitchen scissors. I can’t afford private Chiropody as I’m on a government pension. I wear shoes a size larger to accommodate this and cotton wool between my toes as my nails cut into each other. I asked to be referred to podiatry and was told the surgery doesn’t refer to podiatry any more. I was given a telephone number of a podiatrist but they told me I had to be referred. I went back to the nurse at my surgery today and she said she would speak to the senior GP, but she thought it was in NICE guidelines and not the surgery. I find this extraordinary as diabetics are constantly told to look after their feet. If it is just a surgery rule then I could change GPs but what can I do if it’s a NICE guideline?

Brunneria · Nov 26, 2018

Florence48 said:
Hi, I too am unhappy with my GP recently. I have only been with my GP just over a year as I moved. I feel rushed at appointments and have not had a diabetic blood test until today, at my request. I have arthritis in my hands, which prevents me being able to cut my toenails apart from hacking st the big one with kitchen scissors. I can’t afford private Chiropody as I’m on a government pension. I wear shoes a size larger to accommodate this and cotton wool between my toes as my nails cut into each other. I asked to be referred to podiatry and was told the surgery doesn’t refer to podiatry any more. I was given a telephone number of a podiatrist but they told me I had to be referred. I went back to the nurse at my surgery today and she said she would speak to the senior GP, but she thought it was in NICE guidelines and not the surgery. I find this extraordinary as diabetics are constantly told to look after their feet. If it is just a surgery rule then I could change GPs but what can I do if it’s a NICE guideline?

Hi and welcome @Florence48

Have a look at this link
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/foot-problems-and-the-podiatrist/

Different CCGs seem to have different procedures on this.
Some of them allow self referral, and there are self referral forms on the internet.
But I don’t know if there would be a cost to you for this.

The link also suggests that you can place pressure on your doctor to refer you because you have diabetes, and your feet are at risk.

I really hope that your feet get the care they need!

MrsGruffy · Nov 30, 2018

lucylocket61 said:
what do you mean by 'going it alone'?

To me, it means not taking any advice from any HCP without doing my own research. It means asking my medical people for peer reviewed articles which support what they're advising me to do. It means critically reviewing such articles and chasing down their sources. Links to big pharma and it goes in the bin. It means learning how plumbing works, rather than just blindly hiring a plumber and ignorantly expecting that he'll do the job properly. It means taking responsibility for my own health and absolutely not trusting someone because they happen to have a few letters after their name. It means challenging firmly held beliefs and risking being labelled a "difficult patient". It means viewing doctors as body tradies - there are good ones and bad ones - and you may go through a few before you find one who is aligned to your way of thinking, or isn't threatened by being challenged on the advice they give.

Member496333 · Dec 1, 2018

I’d be better off asking my postman for diabetes treatment than seeing my GP. Totally useless. Everything I had to learn in order to put my T2 into remission was self-taught. Worse, I had to do the opposite of what I was told.

Frankly I’d be better off drinking a pint of Lucozade for breakfast every morning than putting my metabolic health in the hands of my doctor, so personally I’m happy going it alone

Going It Alone

Florence48

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Brunneria

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MrsGruffy

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Member496333

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Going It Alone

Florence48

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Brunneria

Guru

MrsGruffy

Well-Known Member

Member496333

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