and so i wake early having had little sleep as per normal - its snowing .
important gp appointment at 3pm , so i spend a few hours making notes and some questions to ask my gp .
i get there early (2.30pm ) thought best given the snow , the gp is over 1 hour late ( quite normal ) i say i have lots of questions , he says he only has a 10 min slot .
i can be quite honnest and say i might just as well stayed at home !!!
on the way out of gp surgery i ask reception for a new appointment to discuss what i wanted to discuss today - i was given 30th march about 5 weeks away , iam still waiting for a follow up with the hospital to see how iam going on about 5 month after discharge - my gp says he cant help untill the reveiw has taken place but will not contact the hospital to tell them iam having problems no i had to do that myself .
no wonder the nhs has massive waiting lists , anyone else still waiting for reveiw / follow up or have to wait 5 weeks to see a doctor ??
Stroke follow ups seem to be very hit & miss. My 6 month review took place around 9 months. I was later meant to be seen again in Sep 2024 & I finally got that appointment in Jan 26.
Iāve never had to wait 5 weeks to see my GP but 3 weeks isnāt unusual. My GP helped me loads after my stroke & they were happy to help me whether or not I had seen the stroke team.
I am not sure if this might help, but have you tried calling the NHS 111 service to see if they can answer the questions you want answered?
I have used the NHS 111 service and found it useful. My case was not so difficult, but it did allow me to be āseenā sooner rather than have to wait for 4 weeks or whatever the wait time was.
Sounds like my old surgery, Iād have had more likelihood coming across a four leaf clover than my GP and then when I got the opportunity to see him, I had fifteen minutes (starting now) to give him a complete rundown of my predicament and for him to give me a diagnosis. It was like speed diagnosing.
thats a fantastic idear thanks i will try nhs 111 i had not thought about that problem with me is that iam stuck in nhs politics because i have been discharged from hospital its not the hospitals problem but the gp says its up to the hospital to sort it out thats the bottom line the gp dont know what to do as such it just keeps going round in circles
Do try the NHS 111 - please do not be put off if it takes a while to get through on the phone. Sometimes there is a long wait, but you will get through. I am not sure of they have a call back, but if not just hold on and eventually someone will talk to you.
Be patient when they ask screening questions - this is standard practice and the first point of call is a call centre type person who follows a script and so some questions may seem irrelevant but they have to ask them in order to help you. You really must not let this put you off and donāt even question why - just answer the question even if it is to say āNoā or āNot relevantā or whatever.
Once the initial screening is done, the person may or may not have an answer for you, but in all likelihood they will refer you to a consultant. This consultant will call you back and it may take a few hours, but they will call you back and this will all happen in a few hours. You just need to be patient.
Then if necessary, a consultant will visit you at home if they need to check something or they may suggest a local surgery (I canāt say for sure because in our case they always come here because Mum is housebound).
Finally, look at the hospital discharge note and see if they have discharged you in the care of the GP and if they have point this out to the GP or complain to the PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) is a free, confidential NHS service based in local hospitals).
You can also complain about your GP but all this requires time and effort which you may not have, but maybe someone (a relative or friend) can help you.
@:andrew90 I have been there and wore that tshirt. I just do my own thing now. I have GP in family so i can ask questions. Life after stroke i shite There is not one good thing I can share with you. My GP said I only have 10 mins, so as I am from Glasgow originally I can speak extremely fast, So I rad the whole list out. I wish you well and good luck for your future.
One thing very few people think of doing, including myself sometimes, is booking a double appointment. At least that gives you 20mins to get through some of your questions.
We have done it in the past and was very good for when my hubby suffered stress many years ago. That extra time gave us the opportunity to sit down and talk it through, set out a game plan and referred to a therapist.
Well worth giving it a try. Alternatively, you could phone your local stroke team. They are there to answer all your stroke questions, itās part of their service and they should have you on record. Youāll probably find their number on your discharge papers.
hello lorraine -good advise thanks funny thing is i did just that this morning infact i have 3 appointments now , problem with stroke team is they claim i was ok when discharged as such its not there problem but the gp problem - infact its my problem !!! anyway its good all us guys on this site stick together and help each other out - nice to know someone out there cares - thank you
It was my own gp whoād advised me many years ago. Itās not always necessary but there have been times. And when you have a lot to discuss, itās very useful to know. That way you are not holding up the next patient, and if you finish sooner then the next might get to see the gp that bit earlierš
thanks to everyone who comments it all helps me
There is not one good thing I can share with you. My GP said I only have 10 mins, so as I am from Glasgow originally I can speak extremely fast, So I rad the whole list out. I wish you well and good luck for your future.
ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ works for me