Finally got a referral but not urgent

Bones, joints and muscles
1

Afternoon all,

I chased up my referral for MRI yesterdsy and I was told they hadn't received one, had no record of me and I needed to contact my gp again.

I contacted my surgery who told me they had faxed it on Wednesday the 29th, so where every it has been lost has no put me back a week which is very frustrating.

I then called the hospital again who advised me to call back today.

I called this afternoon and I have been referred but not as urgent and was told I have to wait up until the 16th on June for an appointment letter. I questioned this and was told to go and see my gp again.

This is getting a joke now from first going to my gp, if you read my first posted I explained how they have treated me other the last 4 weeks.

I had to go to a walk in in the end who said I had a prolapsed disc and sciatica and to tell me gp I need a scan. He obviously didn't believe me and only had referred me to a physio until they received the recommendation off the walk in centre.

He made my physio an urgent appointment but not the scan, I don't understand this, I can't wait months, I have got worse not better and I'm self employed and been of 2 and a half weeks unpaid.

I have stopped the codeine today as was advised on here because I'm on naproxen and paracetamol, so I'm going to see how that goes and hopefully won't make me feel more pain.

Please if anybody has any advice on what I can do I would really appreciate it, I feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall with this surgery.

Should I arrange to see the doctor and get or try and get him to make it urgent or should I complain, or may be do that if they refuse to change it?

Last resort for me will be stopping all the medication and going to the a n e at the main Birmingham hospital I have been reffered too. I know this isn't the best idea but I feel I'm being messed around and left with no answers, help or idea of how long I will have to be off work not earning.

Thanks for reading.

Chris

2

Oh Chris I can feel your frustration and I know only too well how frustrating and extremely annoying it is when you are not made an urgent case, when you're so obviously in a lot of pain.  I think as a start you should go back to the GP and really make him or her aware of just how urgent this scan should be.  The fact that you're self employed and not being paid should warrant an urgent referral I would have thought.  Failing this, I would suggest a strong complaint to your local health authority.  I hope it gets sorted soon Chris.  Keep us updated

3

Thanks for the reply Joy.

I will go down that route but last time they had no appointments for 3 days so I read somewhere if you mention you are in a lot of pain and actually wasn't sure if I could get to the surgery and can I have a home visit, they managed to find a space, funny that.

Hopefully I will not have to go through a complaints procedure.

Sorry for the bad spelling and grammar, I need to proof read my posts.

4

I would go to ae say u have numb Ness in legs and having trouble weeing and pooing. They might think u have cauda equine. Which as to be at least investigation with mri scan. Which u could have. It's a bit extreme but if u need help it will justify the means. I did have cauda equine established. I was left to long and I now have mobility problem after it became urgent when they done a scan. I now have a colostomy stoma and urstomy stoma my bladder at to go. All because I was left to long and not treated right.

so u do what u thinkis right. I have great gps. The reconised my syptomes.

5

Hi Chris,

I am going through similar frustrations ( I too am self employed) but at different level and in my honest opinion you have be be very direct and tough, and threaten to raise a compaint.( such as if you condition gets worse and affects your future in terms of work and mobility then you will be keeping a log of dates and times of seeking medical help and it not being activated upon).

I was orginally told back in November that I would have to wait 15-18 months just to see a consultant. I paid privately £180 and then went back on NHS list and got my MRI scan in the following 6 weeks.

I am currently awaiting surgery but getting 2nd opinion from another NHS trust, I have had to push and push the whole time and it is unfortunately the only way to make any progress. Can you change GP?

6

Thanks Keith, sorry you got treated like that and left with long term problems.

My leg does feel numb. Kinda dull dead felling but not anywhere else, i have had trouble going to the toilet but that's because of the codeine I've been on but like you say to get things done sometimes you have to bend the truth.

Thanks for your reply

7

Any time a mri scan that's got to be done.

I had urgent surgery transfered in the night on the op table 5 in the morning. I was told my long term was not great a I had complete compression of the nerves for my bottom half it's the other things like having my bladder removed I have had 2 big hernia ops the last on March the 12th. I have a scar from my public bone right up to my diaphragm. I would have had none of this 6 major operation. I sued and won. But I miss my old life so much. I did not get dressed today. Still let's hope u get sorted.

8

It sure sounds like everybody have had to push and push to get anywhere.

So do you think I need to go down the complaints route first or only if the gp will not changed my MRI to urgent? If so would I need to quote what you said to the gp or receptionist?

I tried to change to a gp that has great reviews but when I spoke to the blunt receptionist she told me I was out of the catchment even though its the same distance and postcode as the one I go to now.

My house falls on the border of to council's, if I join a surgery I used to go to it won't fall under Birmingham where I have been reffered too, so I don't know what to do.

Thanks for your advice.

9

So sorry to hear that, thats terrible and could of all been prevented.

I going to be relentless in getting somewhere now.

Thank You

10

My mum tells me complaining won't get me anywhere as it hasn't been months or years.

I think she is bias though as has been in the NHS for 15 years.

Says I cannot accuse or be rude, to get an appoinment with the gp again and explain my situation as being self employed and off work warranting it urgent and question why the physio referral was made urgent and not the scan.

11

Have you costed a private scan and consultation?

If you are self employed you may need to bite the bullet. I know it will be a few hundred quid, but being off work longer than you need to is a cost too.

I was paying into private (£9 a month) and once I got the go ahead it was done and dusted in 3 days. I ended up having a Microdisectomy.

If you do shop, around as you can save quite a bit in fees. My nurse told me I would have had to wait 8 months for a scan on the NHS; way too long.    

12

Wish I could I'm a security guard on minmuim wage 30 hours a week.

I am considering Keith's advice and going to a n e.

13

Do it if u are so much pain and u are getting numbness. If u want a better job in security but train well apply to be a ministry defence guard. MGS. If u type that in online u should get their Web site. I work for them was train by police in my time. Good job when I got ces I was put out on ill health I had 10 good years. They look after me. It will take a whole but if ur vetting is ok u would get a interview. When u get ask questions u a it sure of say I would seek my line manager s advice. Work for me when I had my interview for promotion.

Keith

14

Thanks Keith I will find their site and have a look.

I am in a lot of pain getting up and walking, leg feels a numb dull feeling but by ankle feels sore, not in as much pain when I'm on all the tablets.

Should I stop the tablets and then go? I just want to be taken seriously as I'm worried now that it could be something more serious.

15

No keep going with the tablets it will make them realise that ur in pain still after taking ur tablets.

I can't Stop mine I tried stopping the night one was awake all night done the same with the day terrible feelings and pain. So I am dependent on them I still have pain numbness but I carry on my surgeon said the operation was to stop the compression. Not to cure u.

16

Hi Christophe, sorry to hear you are caught up in the red tape of the NHS. Going to A&e will get you an MRI, however if they cannot find any evidence of cauda equina, they will send a discharge letter to your GP. Then the GP will have to look at the results and refer onto the correct team if necessary or maybe send a referral to the orthopaedic team. If you pain is severe I would go back to your GP. They must have urgent appointments for you to ask for your MRI to be earlier. 

I've been fighting my corner for 5 years. I was diagnosed with a disc bulge after a car accident where I broke 2 ribs. I now have two disc bulges, spondolythesis and stenosis. 

Ive had sciatica, numbness and pins and needles down my left leg for more than 3 years. I finally made it onto the waiting list for surgery and now 3 months on I'm still waiting as I'm classed as routine. I'm off work and taking  Oramorph. 

Pilates and yoga can help enormously and they can teach you positions that can help. 

I can understand what your Mum is saying, I too work in the NHS (11 years) as a Nurse, and in my working life see as many waiting even urgent cases, as there is for scans and treatment in orthopaedics. There are only two options - wait or pay private. Unless you develop cauda equina, there will nothing you can do. 

Hope you can get a GP appointment to talk this through. 

17

Thanks for your reply

I've just lost all faith in my gp and as its been nearly 6 weeks since I had the first signs and I have got worse every week, I think I will have to go to a n e.

How come you are only classed as routine?

I hope you get your operation soon.

18

Most people are routine unless their surgeon feels it should be urgent. Here where I am, even the urgent cases are waiting around 32 weeks for surgery.

6 weeks is really not that long, and please could you try an urgent appt with a GP before going to A&E. I know staff in A&E's that are so over stretched and understaffed, that they really only want genuine emergencies in their department. My GP sent me to A&E because he thought I might have cauda equina, I wouldn't have gone there otherwise. Your GP may send you or ring the MRI department to ask for an earlier scan.

19

OK I will do that tomorrow but I visited the gp 2 times then went to a walk in who told me to go back and get referred for a scan, as my gp hadn't diagnosed it.

I did this the following day and he didn't referr me, only when the surgery got the notes through from the walk in centre he did, 4 days later.

The bottom of my left leg now feels like I'm dragging a dead log around and my ankle is in a lot of pain, this has come on within a week, so I'm just worried after reading other peoples experiences on here.

20

Did you get a numbness in the bottom of your leg and sore ankle?

I am constipated but that is from the codine, I am weeing a lot but my PC muscles are ok.