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Labelled, categorized, and discriminated against as suffering with health anxiety?

Posted , 2 users are following.

SwIFT
SwIFT

Sound familiar?

I've had concerns regarding my vascular & circulatory health since the start of 2014, and found after a brief 10 minute scheduled consultation which typically beyond the initial reasons for my visit they fail to further engage & discuss failing to demonstrate any level of medical knowledge to support their unsupported medical opinions, consultations have merely consisted of clinical observation and physical examinations which they arrogantly dismiss my health concerns trivalizing my symptoms often attributing them to psychological causes such as anxiety or musculoskeletal chest wall pain ensuing a cycle of waitful watching, verbal reassurance, and prescriptions which I'm coming to learn as no further action, false assurances, and symptom suppresants leaving me to believe what they're unable to afford to assess and treat medically, they dismiss & supress clinically?

I feel I've not been irrational as I've continually presented very broad health concerns regarding my "vascular & circulatory health" which a multidude of medical conditions could be responsible for in which the complex nature of symptoms behind many widely misunderstood medical conditions are often subtle, vague, broad, overlapping, and indistinguishable making it challenging to diagnose solely relying on clinical observation and physical examination I've had ECGs but they're not definitive, comprehensive, or conclusive piece of diangostic equipment and are simple/basic/affordable test providing limited insight into patient's health yet feel they've used a normal reading to provide false assurances of my vascular & circulatory health mainpulating patient into accepting health anxiety and thus ceasing to investigate my symptoms concluding causality is anxiety.. I've had A&E visit (out of GP hours 111 referral) and most recently a consultation with NHS cardiologist whom treated me with the same contempt as my GPs declining my request for echocardiogram & doppler ultrasound concluding the consultation arrogantly suggesting I forget my health concerns and move on with my life

View my response posts to the orignal poster in the thread below for a full history of symptoms and medical assessments only provided due to my continued persistency.. I tacked onto his thread as I was disatisfied from a consultation with the intention of signing up to patient forums to post a similiar type thread but feel how am I able to trust NHS GPs when NHS GPs have little control or discreation over the quality & standard of care it delivers to it's patients constrained by protocol, resource & finance limitations plus a large number of NHS GP pratices are explicity involved in incentivized referral reduction schemes on top of there implicit rationing and cost saving agendas.. I feel they're largely gambling with patient's health saving the NHS untolds amounts of wealth yet is largely contributing to the misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis which ultimately leads to patient suffering and patient fatalities which could have been prevented if their health concerns were sufficiently investigated. I was going to post this in the anxiety disorder group but didn't want to alarm them rolleyes

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/i-am-30-this-year-can-i-have-a-heart-attack--216293?page=0#440631

GPs have continually opted for low cost options and have extracted hundreds of pounds out of me to supress my symptoms earning GPs a prescribing fee, pharmacies a dispensing fee, and the remaining amount is contributed back into the NHS, I feel they're very reluctant to refer patients for medical assessment as the pratice surgery would be financially responsible to finance secondary care out of their alloted budget and the waiting times to see specilists & recieve secondary care is ridiculous. I have a lot more I wish to say but find it diffucult to articulate and condense down and there's no edit option so this will do and thanks for anyone who cares to listen

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • 68survivor
    68survivor SwIFT

    Posted

    Hello, the NHS is generally very competent for those who present with serious, perhaps life threatening conditions. That yours have gone on for now for more than a year without resolution/diagnoses is surely a cause for some hope. The first time I was admitted with an MI I felt sorry for the guy they had to rapidly move out of Intensive Care to make way. The main confirmatory diagnosis was by ECG followed by blood test, so  it is not a cheap way of doing things. I get an echocardiogram these days only if a measure of ejection Fraction (Currently 10%) or other physical functional mearurement is needed. It would be better for you if you could, somehow, finf a method of worrying less and enjoying life, some more. All the best to you.  
    • SwIFT
      SwIFT 68survivor

      Posted

      It's clear there's a lot of inequality & disparity amoung NHS providers, my experince fails to reflect good medical pratice.. I've been provided with false assurances and subjected to age discrimotory verbal reassurance on several seperate occasions from Gps, pratice nurse, and specialists all unprofessionaly given patient false assurances seemingly focused on age alone some noting you're only 24 not 54, others remarking the odds would be like winning the lottery, a breast specialist said it had years left of abuse to endure, and felt a pratice nurse made inappropriate remark under the circumstance of my visit noting these tests arnt usually provided to my age demograph yet an exception was being made on this one occasion which made me feel he shared the same sentiment as my GP that the screening was unnecessary and a poor use of practice funds.. which he has been very vocal about industry cuts, increased workloads, and limited resources claiming it would have cost £400 privately

      I waited two weeks with chest pains and uncertainty for a nurse who took all of two minutes to stick me with a needle which I strongly suspect I was scheduled on the lowest priority for no other reason but to prevent/delay further expenditure.. my ECG was scheduled on low prioty for 10 days until I made a request for my medical record and said I would be complaining to the pratice manager which attempts were made to disuade me claiming providing access to medical record was a complex process and complaining consumes and takes away resources from other patients (I have entire events captured on voice record so I'm not fabricating stories) I've experinced two very different GPs.. one that's been ruthlessly arrogant and transparent another that's hidden behind a pathetic paitent/doctor ettiquitte that really discloses nothing the outcome with both GPs have been the same leaving me feeling unsupported, alienated, and marginalized

      There's no paitent doctor realitionship yet commands complete an absolute trust which I feel as physcians / general praticioners they fail to fulfil their most primary role as a consultant and that's to engage & discuss yet beyond the intial reasons for a patients visit, clinical observation, and physicial examination there is no time left to discuss or summarize anything yet they overstep their role as consultants dismissing patient's health concerns and trivalizing symptoms with unsupporting medical opinions yet they've categorized me under the "worried well" whilst evidently providing a negligent service

      I'm not here to bash on the NHS but to share my experince as I see a lot of patients on here are being subjected and enduring the same nonsense as I have.. family/relatives/healthcare providers all dismiss me as being absolute fine which is why I've joined the ranks of the untolds amount of patient's failed by the NHS left to explore and investigate my own symptoms which a lot of people discredit online health information services yet if you keep in mind the complex nature of interpreting symptoms which are often vague, subtle, broad, overlapping, and indistinguishable and respond by making dietary and lifestyle changes keeping a mood & symptom journal and seeking private health care services then it's one step further then being dismissed & supressed clinically as they're unable to afford to assess and treat medically. I accept everyone's experince is different but when challenging GPs unsupported medical opinions I have been told on four seperate occasions by 3 GPs and the pratice manager that if I'm simply not satisfied to go else where that is without them knowing the full extent of my dissatisfaction so will instead bypass complaining to the pratice manager and complain to clinical commising group, the general medical council, and the public domain rolleyes

  • 68survivor
    68survivor SwIFT

    Posted

    Hello again, thaks for your reply. I am sorry you seem to be so frustrated by these events. Whilst Medicine is a science, it can only work effectively within a body of generally known and understood knowledge and practice. I am still living today nearly 55 years after what I subseqently knew was a mild MI. I was young, fit and did not even have recourse to attend hospital. Almost eight years later I spent two weeks in a CCU followed by two more on a Medical ward following a massive MI. In those days the term Hypercholesterolaemia was not in the public domain. So yes people do get faced with these problems very early in life, occasionally. In my case in those days there were, as far as I know no predictive tests that would have made a difference to the eventual outcome. Nowadays we have effective screening and Statin therapy in case of need. Medicine can work best within the known and generally does its best via such screens and tests as are available to arrive a a diagnosis and hope fully a treatment plan. If that process effectively draws a blank, what then?

    All the best to you.

  • Guest
    Guest SwIFT

    Posted

    I see you say (in the other thread) that you feel you are suffering from Angina, why don't you just buy some (from a Pharmacy) GTN spray (Nitromin NOT Nitrolingual) and give it a go (3 or 4 sprays under the tongue), if your chest pain is relieved then you've found a medicine that helps and evidence to support your concerns smile
    • SwIFT
      SwIFT Guest

      Posted

      Hey

      My chest pains are currently in remission but confident they will return at a later stage, I still have circulatory health concerns regarding my lower right leg so took your advise and picked up Nitromin Spray Glyceryl Trinitrate (200 doses of 400 micrograms) suprisingly at a reasonable cost of around £4.50.. my GP did prescribe me Propranolol (10mg tablets in response to complaining of heart palpitations several months ago but discontinued use soon after as I dislike the idea of suppressing symptoms without confidently knowing the causality but recall it didn't seem to have a posistive impact and felt like they were extracting me of money as prescribing durations have recently been reduced to one calander month of just 28 days under the guise of reducing medication wastage.. I will update you on my experince thanks

    • Guest
      Guest SwIFT

      Posted

      Yes it's only cheap, good,, when you think you are having a proper bad feeling give it 3 or 4 pumps (so you can feel it's effects properly) and see if it helps. It's exactly the same stuff they give us smile

      Does the hair growth seem normal on your right leg or has it changed in some way. Compare the left and right leg side by side, any difference question

      Propranolol is some help but it's not Cadioselective,, they give us Bisoprolol smile

    • SwIFT
      SwIFT Guest

      Posted

      No difference or changes to my hair growth, my left sided underarm and chest pain has returned progressively over the last 72 hours which I feel it's to early to tell if the GTN Spray works but I do experince some of the side effects: burning sensation and headaches. I suspect the burning sensation is common but I would describe it being more than "mild" as I frequently consume spices such as black pepper, chilli peppers, and jalepenos on a weekly basis so I'm not sensative to a little heat but it makes me salivate that I have to spit after a minute would that affect the result of the spray or should I swallow?

      I've been experincing this new symptom in the centre of my chest which happens on a regular hourly basis it only happens for a second and is diffcult to describe I'm not sure if it's a spasm or contraction but very briefly for second feels like it impacts my circulation or airway from with-in.. frequently experincing these for past 48hrs on regular hourly basis

    • Guest
      Guest SwIFT

      Posted

      Sorry it does sting when you first start using the spray and the headache is normal as well,, yes you just swallow, it's like a tiny dram of Vodka, you should feel a mild warm sensation spreading throughout your body smile

      The GTN spray should work on the first use, if it's not relieving the pain then it's either not your Hearts blood supply or the problem is more severe neutral I take long acting Nitrates, Isotard smile

      Angina can be felt as an Oesophageal spasm or rippling, I used to have the rippling, up into the Throat, and lower Jaw, the Teeth, at it's worst it used to ripple to the top of my Head neutral

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