i have been referred to see specialist about arthritis in both my knees ; i am in a lot of pain but all he really said was to take painkillers. Because i insisted he eventually did an injection of lubricant into my right knee , refused to do the left and said he would see me in 4 to 6 months He refused point blank to discuss prp injections or any form of surgery is it all to do with the nhs budget ? what is other people 's experience ?
I was refered to muskulo-skeletal orthopaedic consultants who then, after x-ray had a consutation and then 4 months later had partial knee replacement. Other knee to follow. You have the right to insist on referal so I would suggest you go back and dont leave until its arranged. You can also choose which hospital you want surgery done at, so long as they do that surgery there. Hope it works out for you.
thank you DAVID , the problem is i have already been referred and i just didnt like the attitude of the consultant , he certainly would not have arranged any surgery for me even if i had stayed there for hours so i am now assuming i can ask for another referral to another hospital, is that what you meant ?
For my hip I had an xray organised by my rheumatologist then had to get funding, which my GP applied for to see an orthopaedic surgeon, who then put me on the waiting list. I got the impression he need not have done if he felt I was not in enough pain or had too high a BMI. I eventually had the op.
I am curious..what is the doctor a specialist in? Arthritis? Pain management? That could make a difference in the treatment he offers.
he is the consultant at hospital that my gp has referred me to ; he is an orthopaedic surgeon that's all i know
Did he do an xray?
I had an xray about 18 months ago organised by the gp and a mri recently organised also by my gp
What did your GP say about the MRI? I have found that secondary care tends to take their own xrays and ignore any others, although it may be different for you. Do you know if your orthopaedic surgeon has looked at any scans?
yes the consultant has seen the xray and scan ; the gp said it was quite bad and she mentioned this prp injection but like i said earlier , the consultant would not even discuss it ; his attitude was really unacceptable
Did he say you did not need surgery for the moment. I know a lot of friends are encouraged to do exercises and take painkillers rather than have an op. Did the consultant give any idea why he is saying no to everything?
I don't know to be fair. When I woke up with one or two of my fingers bent which were painful I just went to my doctor who referred me to my local hospital. who diagnosed osteoarthritis +told me there was nothing they could do as it was part of the ageing process + if I. has any pain just to get some cream that will give pain relief