I have no faith in GP's to be honest.
5 years ago next month I noticed my ankles were swelling so went to see one at our local practice. "just put your feet up for a few hours each night, it should go down."
Tried it but didn't work. Month later go back, told it could be gallstones, (no pain), or a blocked duct. Go and see a specialist. appt from hospital comes to see a GP in the hospital so I queried it and was told no its wrong go back to own GP.
Goes back and told it could be Blood/fluid disorder wants me to see a haematologist.
Appt comes, again to see a GP. Wrong again go and see your GP.
Could be a thyroid problem, see a specialist.
FFS! I only got swollen ankles, which by now was going up to my knees. By the time next Appt comes through 12 months have gone by. Again its to see a hospital GP
Stuff this, I'll go and see this guy, appt was for late March 2005.
In the meantime goes to pick up a sick note for my wife and talk to her doctor, (a woman), about her condition. She says 2 sentences about the wife and then asks about how I am getting on with my problem.
How does she know? I haven't been to see her. Anyway runs through what had happened and she says all the blood tests I have had have been 'within range' so there is nothing to worry about. Spent about 20 minutes discussing me when the appointment was to talk about my wife, (with her permission by the way).
Sees this GP in the hospital and his jaw just dropped.
"Why haven't you been referred earlier?"
Told him the story.
"You have a kidney problem, I want a 24 hour urine sample done and all these blood tests."
Went to our GP's the following day and saw another GP. Told him why I had gone originally and what had been said the first time and he said I would have referred you to a nephrologist, (kidney specialist), straight away. As soon as he said it he wished he hadn't because by saying it he had slagged his colleague off.
Anyway, got the tests done and my urine sample came back showing I was losing 10 milligrams of protein and I should not have been losing anything more than 0.01mg
A thousand times more than I should have been!
Anyway, to cut this story short, I was given a regime of drugs including ACE inhibitors for blood pressure, some other things to prevent the onset of diabetes, a bone tablet to stop my bones thinning and a high dose of steroids. After 4 years I am now down to the ace inhibitors though there has never been anything wrong with my BP and down to 2.5mg steroid from 60mg. All along my kidneys were working fine but something called Albumin had dropped and was letting the fluid in my blood separate and 'leach' out through the walls of my veins and start pooling from my feet up because my body couldn't drain it naturally.
I am well on the way to recovery and have never had a day off work because of it thankfully but the treatment has worked thanks to the specialist in the hospital.
I wouldn't go to a GP nowdays unless I thought my life depended on it. and then it would be to the guy who slagged his mate off. At least he has been honest when I've had to go to him for the test results.
Sorry this is so long, just started and didn't realise how much I had said.
