h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

OK. ,erm>
Endocrine clnic at hospital have been taking talking about switching my prescription for my testosterone injection, to being prescribed by my GP, for ages. The endocrine clnic at the hospital, wrote to my GP, we have a copy of this letter at home.

No 'nabido' had appeared on my list of repeat prescriptions.
So, as my next injection is due in two weeks, we went to the GP surgery, showed the copy of the letter we have, to the receptionsish, explained this should* have been recieved by the surgery, but as I can't see the medicaiton on my repeat list, we wondered if the GP surgery had not recieved it.

They had.

The (a?) Dr at the surgery had delt with it; he'd read it, and decided as I wasn't having the injection done at the GP surgery that the GP surgery should not prescribe it, the hospital, who do the injection shoudl prescribe it.

Which is, lets face it, fair enough.

The Dr, after taking this descision, wrote this descision on his notes in my file. and.

Did nothing.

hasn't let me know.

Hasn't let the hospital know.

Nothing appears to this affect about his descision, on my online access to my surgery website/patient records.

So. am i - and my endocrine nurses and Drs ment to be telapathic?

it. makes. no sense. i'm not even sure this is a simple administrative error, or a tech failure, I think its basic incompetance...

or... am I missing something? - I'd have thought if you decide something, like that, as a profesional, over a letter, sent to you by a fellow profesional, that, you write back to them, telling them your descision? <erm. , ,

Went to to the gym this morning. did a ton of weights, reps, not increased weight, of course. 3 X 20 reps at 20 KG on squats, bench press, bicep curl, lat pul down. plus 3 X 20 reps abdominal crunchs, a ton of the useual and some new stretching plus the exercise bike.

picked up repeat meds (just for a couple this mont), from pharmacy.

Still no liquid levothyroxin appearing on my repeat list on the online system.
Went into town got some cash out, and bought some coconut shampoo and conditioner (as it was on offer this time)
Breakfast was two slices toast, with marge, and two boiled eggs.

Lunch was a wholemeal wrap, with half an avocado last bit of the spicey grilled chicken breast I cooked a few days back, final bit of coleslauw to finish it off, lettuce and cucumber.

going to have some fruit now... banana and an apple I think...

And now I desperately need a shower. and a nap. but instead have to wait to recieve a phonecall from the GP. assuming he botheres to phone back, so I can then try Email the endocrine nurse MOnday, to request they submit for a prescription request, from the hospital phaarmacy, to get my nabido for my testosterone injection a fortnight today. and then arrange for the injection. and for bloods to be drawn beforehand.
Also Monday I can go back to the GP Surgery, and see if as yet the hospital have phoned, or emailed or writen to them, to prescribe the liquid levo; and find out if the surgery will prescribe it or not.

no summer holiday this year. being held hostaage here by the hospital and Drs incompetance.

Must phone papworth monday too, see if anyone knows anything about the MRI I had two months ago, and might want to tell me waht the result of it was.

This sounds like more than stupid. This sounds like gross negligence!

Oh. My. BoB.

Two things.

1. te G phoned back. but, not to talk about the nabedo (testosterone), but to talk about the liquid levothyroxin; I assume he'd been phoned by endocrine dep from hospital.
The Dr ), then assumed his knowledge and expertize greater than that of a consultant endocrinologist.
Told me I can't have had the reascions I did, to the four difernt brands of levothyroxin tablets.
Told me the effect I exerpienced, diarrhea, fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, inability to leave the house, temporly parallisis of my legs, was all in m y head.
Etc., etc., etc.,
Said the liquid levo would offer no differnce over the tablets as it is identicle (a downright lie).
(then reaveled the huge cost of the liquid levothyroxin; I.E., they're real objection to scripting it.)
Then eventually, after I spoke to him. Very. Very. Very slowely. and I explained. the fillers in the tablets. The fact most of the reactions I got to them are documented. the differnt fillers and absorption profile of liquid levo, compaired to tablets. Then. very. carefully. told him that it was* the specialist consultant at the hospital who had recomended the liquid levo.

He, begrudgingly agreed to prescribe it;
onl a months worth. (this is a drug I need every day, forever).
and, at 75 MG a day.

err. OK; I can accept the 'MG' was a simple mistake; its actually McG 0 - a thousand times lower dose.


however. 75 McG (the number he said), was the dose of tablets I was on; liquid levo absorbes better, so you need a lower dose;
I've since been diagnosed with the aneurysm; so cardiac consultant, and* endocrine consultant want me to start on a very low dose; so they can monitor any affect it has on my vasculaature. - the dose the endo states in the letter we have, isn't 75 McG; its 12.5 McG. (yeh, probably way too low to do any good; but I assume they'll increase this gradually).

kill. them. all.

Tried to nap.

Too noisy. got up.

Found a voicemail on my mobile;

GP;

Appologizing; "sorry if I sounded dismissive, . . . yaba yabba yaba.. . . I just wanted to explain to you the scientific 'reality'" - the GP might be a good 5 years younger than me, not blind, not with a heart condition, not with pituitary disease, osteoporosis, and recovering from cancer. - I've been at the gym recently... I could knock his head off with a single punch and would have done, had he said that to my face (err, i think my testosteorne level is getting low; despite common belief, I anger quicker when its low... yeh, odd I know...)



he then; seems to have noticed soemthing; and mentioned he'd got 'the dose wrong' had withdrawn the prescription; was waiting for a letter (post, in the mail....) frfom the endo consultant, before prescribing it, at the correct dose.

so. that slows that down by a week I guess.



Then he at least did follow up on the initial enquirey; no, the GP surgery won't prescribe the nabedo (testosterone), so I will have to contact the endo nurse at hospital again, get them to script that from there

I'm not sure if I just want to give up, or kick the out of all of them I'm surrounded by ing incompetants.

hang on... I just tunk.... - or maybe I imagined it.... - the Gp apologized.... that surely has to be a first.... ever... a Dr apologizing - true he stuck in a proviso, to try save face, but... he apologized..... I is the winneriest... but... just he wait... if I ere meet him outside on the street... on a dark night...

I think you should seriously consider legal representation.

The GP admitted that he considers you to be a hypochondriac. I was beginning to wonder if some of your medical professionals were discriminating against you for some reason. You're differently normal. Maybe one or more of your doctors is not taking you or your reported symptoms seriously. This has already caused irreversible damage.

Maybe. I'm just not sure legal action would achieve anything. cept meaning I'd be unable to use teh only hospital in this area, after I'd taken them to court. No idea how it works in the UK anymore, anyhow, I'd not be able to afford a solictor/baraster. and, to my mind at least; so much is heresay, - I say the Dr did this, said the other... Dr will just deny it. I may try Emailing the patient leiason people again, though they were a waste of time last time and no help.

Email the liaison first.

Then consider getting a legal consultation. Those are typically free here where the lawyer hears what your complaints are and figures out if he can make money on the case. Here, our ambulance chasers don't charge their clients, they work on contingency, paid only if they win a cash settlement.

But maybe there are other options for you. Maybe there is some sort of patient legal advocate that might give you some advice. Or maybe there is some media consumer reporter that might be interested in your story and shine a big bright light on their incompetency and possible malpractice. Don't just take this treatment.

At the very least, make that trip into London or wherever and get some second opinions. Have some other medical professionals look at your situation. Have your medical records forwarded before you arrive (there's a charge for this here, but it's reasonable).


But don't just resign yourself to poor care and the possibly deadly or severely debilitating consequences.

I should try... I know I should... I just not sure I've got the mental strength to do it anymore... Its taking all my mental energy to deal with them here, at teh hospital that is easy to travel to let alone having to travel off further afield.... I'll try see what I can do...

How can weight gain be in your head?

Or an aneurysm, or spinal fractures?...

An aneurysm in the head is not that uncommon, unfortunately

ahh; he was only talking about the 'in my head' stuff, related to side effects of the levothyroxin; the osteoporosis and other stuff isn't related to the levothyroxin.... well, the weight gain was,partly, plus the diarrhea, fatigue, low exercise tollerance, etc, the aneurysm is seperate and probably entirely unrelated to any hormone stuff anyhow as far as we know... the osteoporosis is the steroid prednisolone side effect, as is some of the weight gain and probably a lot of the fatigue, etc... err, its getting complicated with so many factors eght