Why the NHS useless

[SkeletonGimp]

For the last 2 years I have been suffering from chronic headaches. These range from a mild ache in the base of my skull with a stiff neck, leading up to a severe migrane with sickness and in three cases black outs.

I have had 3 hospital visits and umpteenth appointments with my GP and the answer to what it is is always the same:

Tension Headaches

The cause:

Unknown

I have been taking Amitriptyline for the whole time, with a few months break, and have countless blood tests, eyetests, councilling and a whole bunch of stuff in an attempt to relieve what's causing the problem.

The results for all of this, including my tablets:

Nothing

The NHS costs us £90 Billion a year, and yet all the Dcotor seems able to do is fill me up with even more pills. No refferals to a neurologist, no brain scans or anything.

My tension headaches are in the medium to severe catagory and they never stop, so why am I being treated the same as some old dear who gets headaches once a month? Without answrs or effective treatment, I'm beginning to feel like my tax is being wasted...

[HeartbreakHoldout]

Think how much it would've costed if you were in America or somewhere without free healthcare, and they probably wouldn't have done much different to help you.

[SkeletonGimp]

At 7/14/09 02:48 PM, HeartbreakHoldout wrote: Think how much it would've costed if you were in America or somewhere without free healthcare, and they probably wouldn't have done much different to help you.

They would atleast have prescribed me medicine that works, or I'd have reason to sue, considering it's been like 2 years of useless drug taking.

[Ejit]

You're not a doctor, so don't criticise doctors, because you have no idea if there's actually anything more they can do.

If the cause is unknown, there's probably unlimited treatment.

Go private if you want. It won't help.

[Ejit]

At 7/14/09 02:51 PM, Ejit wrote: If the cause is unknown, there's probably unlimited treatment.

*limited

[Fyndir]

At 7/14/09 02:31 PM, Shalashaska-1 wrote: No refferals to a neurologist, no brain scans or anything.

Those are clearly necessary things for tension headaches.

Clearly.

[SkeletonGimp]

At 7/14/09 02:51 PM, Ejit wrote: You're not a doctor, so don't criticise doctors, because you have no idea if there's actually anything more they can do.

If the cause is unknown, there's probably unlimited treatment.

It's the fact he's kept me on the same treatment for 2 years when he knows it doesn't work for me. I've been telling him this for the last year and a half.

[Bryan]

Have you tried consulting your doctor yet?

[SkeletonGimp]

At 7/14/09 02:54 PM, Bryan wrote: Have you tried consulting your doctor yet?

Please. Read the topic closely. Very closely.

[Fim]

I think alot of people in the UK do not appreciate how good we get it here, compared to anywhere else in the world we have a very sophisticated, generous health service. Compared to russia or brazil or even america we get it very easy.

Worse comes to worse, you could always go private and pay for extra treatment yourself.

[Xinimater]

I have been taking Amitriptyline for the whole time, with a few months break, and have countless blood tests, eyetests, councilling and a whole bunch of stuff in an attempt to relieve what's causing the problem.

Amitriptyline is a Tricyclic antidepressant, which is commonly effective against both chronic and episodic headaches. And of course it is commonly used as an antidepressant and a number of other things.

Amitriptyline is supposed to prevent headaches from occurring, but it not exactly a painkiller. Rather, Amitriptyline and other common drugs work to stabilize the levels of brain chemicals such as Serotonin, which may be involved in the development of a headache.

On a side note, these things take about a month or two to build up in your nervous system before they come into effect. But if you've been taking this for two full years, then it's time to switch over to a new drug, 'cause this one may have lost its effectiveness.

The results for all of this, including my tablets:

Nothing

If you want to relieve the pain these headaches are causing you, then you talk to your doctor about drugs such as Analgesics, which belong into the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) class. Aspirin falls into this category, so maybe you don't need to go to the doctor.

My tension headaches are in the medium to severe catagory and they never stop, so why am I being treated the same as some old dear who gets headaches once a month? Without answrs or effective treatment, I'm beginning to feel like my tax is being wasted...

You're probably going to the wrong doctor, who's probably a recent graduate. Go to a different doctor around the area if you can, cause you're really showing some severe symptoms.

I'll try to help as much as I can, but I'm only human, after all...

[lawlmaster]

I figured out what NHS means. : Noobs Hate Sensationalism.

[Sensationalism]

Then stop taking the drug, nobody is forcing you to take it.

[Xinimater]

At 7/14/09 03:16 PM, lawlmaster wrote: I figured out what NHS means. : Noobs Hate Sensationalism.

Go to Hell, you idiot.

[Killinkyle]

The docter will keep giving you the medicine because he wants to milk your money. Duh.

[SkeletonGimp]

At 7/14/09 03:15 PM, Xinimater wrote:

On a side note, these things take about a month or two to build up in your nervous system before they come into effect. But if you've been taking this for two full years, then it's time to switch over to a new drug, 'cause this one may have lost its effectiveness.

Agreed on that point

If you want to relieve the pain these headaches are causing you, then you talk to your doctor about drugs such as Analgesics, which belong into the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) class. Aspirin falls into this category, so maybe you don't need to go to the doctor.

Asprin doesn't really seem to be helping with the nausia and the passing out, which is the crux of the problem. The pain isn't so bad compared with the sensation I might fit at any second. However the anti-inflammitories sound like they might be a bit more my avenue if I can get something stronger than Aspirin.

You're probably going to the wrong doctor, who's probably a recent graduate. Go to a different doctor around the area if you can, cause you're really showing some severe symptoms.

I've had the same doctor since I was born. He's about 57.

I'll try to help as much as I can, but I'm only human, after all...

Thanks, your advice has been pretty insightful

[lawlmaster]

At 7/14/09 03:18 PM, Xinimater wrote:

At 7/14/09 03:16 PM, lawlmaster wrote: I figured out what NHS means. : Noobs Hate Sensationalism.

Go to Hell, you idiot.

It was a joke, calm down. Besides what are we going to do to help him? fly through the internet and into his house,then go to the hospital and beat the shit out of everyone until they give him the drugs?
get real!

[OwnageGiy223]

You're a doctor after all, so you know what you're doing, and the real doctor who went to collage is an idiot.

[SkeletonGimp]

At 7/14/09 03:23 PM, OwnageGiy223 wrote: You're a doctor after all, so you know what you're doing, and the real doctor who went to collage is an idiot.

If you can't add constructively to this topic, don't waste both of our times posting.

[Cally]

Hm, not sure what to suggest on this one. Have you only ever seen your own GP (plus the hospital visits?) I'm wondering if it's worth getting a second opinion with someone new to your case.

If the medication you've been given is ineffective, then they need to be trying an alternative.
I know from personal experience that with prolonged use of any drugs, your body will build up a tolerence to its effects. I was prescribed amitryptiline (sp?) and co-codamol (codeine based) painkiller for a long while, and they worked great... for about a month.

Even if it really is just tension headaches, they need to be treating them more effectively. If they need to give you, say, an MRI scan to check you over, they should do it.

[Ben]

At 7/14/09 03:23 PM, OwnageGiy223 wrote: You're a doctor after all, so you know what you're doing, and the real doctor who went to collage is an idiot.

Doctors go to University here, but I doubt you have to worry about these differences in Higher Education, if you can't spell college then I doubt there's much of a worry about you ending up in one.

[Sensationalism]

At 7/14/09 03:16 PM, lawlmaster wrote: I figured out what NHS means. : Noobs Hate Sensationalism.

Lmao!

I kept thinking it was something about hockey until I finally clicked the thread!

[SkeletonGimp]

At 7/14/09 03:26 PM, Cally wrote: Hm, not sure what to suggest on this one. Have you only ever seen your own GP (plus the hospital visits?) I'm wondering if it's worth getting a second opinion with someone new to your case.

I've had a second opinion from another GP in my surgery and he recommened the neurologist if the medication didn't work. However, it's up to my GP to sign the refferal.

If the medication you've been given is ineffective, then they need to be trying an alternative.

This is the crux of the topic that a lot of people have missed thus far.

Even if it really is just tension headaches, they need to be treating them more effectively. If they need to give you, say, an MRI scan to check you over, they should do it.

Agreed.

[Gagsy]

I usually agree, but they helped me out when I needed my wisdom teeth out. My dentist wanted £250 per removal (needed both out), and that was without the cost of drugs they use for it too. I got them to write me a referral to the hospital (which they charged me £10 for) saying that the procedure for one of them would be hard to do as it was close to the nerves (which it was, but the dentist would have had no problems doing it), so yeah went to the hospital, and their NHS guy looked in my mouth for 30 seconds and said that they'd take them both out, no problem. So I saved A LOT of money, just had to wait 1 and half months to get it done.

Was worth it for the money I saved.

They do do good, my mum is a nurse and she is horribly underpaid and severely mistreated. She works in a ward for the old people, most of them losing their minds, and she takes abuse off them all the time - They can get aggressive and hit out, throw their feces about, verbally abuse the staff, refuse to get into bed, it's a lot of hard work, and they have to really keep quiet about it. Some woman made a complaint a few months ago thinking the nurses were mishandling her mother, they weren't, she was just bruised from the tubes she had, but still they made a formal complaint and my mum was one of the nurses who had to go and explain her actions as though she was in the wrong. I remember that hurt her a lot as she's always given 100% at work.

The NHS is shit in certain ways, but good in a lot of others too. Just no one hears about the good.

[SkeletonGimp]

At 7/14/09 03:54 PM, Gagsy wrote: Stuff

The Nursing staff in the NHS are brilliant. I couldn't make a single complaint and couldn't thank them enough after an operation I had as a kid.

However, a lot of GPs and Surgeries are undertrained in any new techniques, are reluctant to reffer people to other places and the NHS itself is badly run from the top level.

Just coz I'm bad mouthing my GP and how my surgery, an NHS surgery, run things doesn't mean I don't think parts of the NHS aren't worth their weight in gold.

Plus, I can't exactly post my GPs name here, otherwise I'd be saying "Why Dr _____ is useless"

[Cally]

At 7/14/09 04:02 PM, Shalashaska-1 wrote:

At 7/14/09 03:54 PM, Gagsy wrote: Stuff

However, a lot of GPs and Surgeries are undertrained in any new techniques, are reluctant to reffer people to other places and the NHS itself is badly run from the top level.

I think this may be part of the problem you're experiencing in getting a referral from your own GP. Your doctor isn't inexperienced by any means, over 30 years experience I'd say, based on his age. However, it may also mean that "Yeah, seen this before a thousand times. Tension headaches. Here are some pills, move along". Closed-minded, I think is the phrase I'm looking for.

If you can, get a second appointment with the other GP, push for the referral. With them being at the same practice they should work together on this, otherwise your own GP is undermining his colleagues authority. You should hopefully then be put on the list for further investigation...

[SkeletonGimp]

At 7/14/09 04:22 PM, Cally wrote:

At 7/14/09 04:02 PM, Shalashaska-1 wrote:

At 7/14/09 03:54 PM, Gagsy wrote: Stuff

I think this may be part of the problem you're experiencing in getting a referral from your own GP. Your doctor isn't inexperienced by any means, over 30 years experience I'd say, based on his age. However, it may also mean that "Yeah, seen this before a thousand times. Tension headaches. Here are some pills, move along". Closed-minded, I think is the phrase I'm looking for.

Sounds pretty much like my doctor to a tee.

If you can, get a second appointment with the other GP, push for the referral. With them being at the same practice they should work together on this, otherwise your own GP is undermining his colleagues authority. You should hopefully then be put on the list for further investigation...

I already got a second opinion from another GP, he said try continuing with the meds and if they didn't work, I should ask for a refferal, however my GP just doesn't seem to want to do it. However, next time I'm due to see him, I'll be demanding a refferal.

[Tekken9292]

Make sure to consult everyone and their mother. Don't rely on standard-type doctors because no matter how good they are said to be, it boils down to the fact that they are going to exploit every single small disease people have, by making them buy as much medicine as possible.

So again, ask around with all types of doctors, like, idunno, spiritual, or witchdoctors w/e you want to call them, they may be full of bullshit, but they can usually give you a pretty common medicine, or solution for a not so strange problem.

[Lost-Chances]

At 7/14/09 02:31 PM, Shalashaska-1 wrote: The NHS costs us £90 Billion a year, and yet all the Dcotor seems able to do is fill me up with even more pills. No refferals to a neurologist, no brain scans or anything.

Got to love the medical model.

"HERE, HAVE SOME PILLLZZZZZ".

Go private, you may actually get somewhere.

[crushy]

At 7/14/09 03:20 PM, Killinkyle wrote: The docter will keep giving you the medicine because he wants to milk your money. Duh.

The premise of the NHS is FREE healthcare. The money for meds doesn't go straight into the doctor's pocket, in fact the money comes from tax-payers into an unassociated drug company.

Doctors are actually encouraged to reframe from prescribing unnecessary drugs in the hope that it will cut costs - a number of GPs are offered considerable bonuses if they comply with this.