So, after constantly stumbling due to vertigo this morning, and severe earache this afternoon, in the backlash of the nasty cold/sinusitis I had last week and the persistent cough I've had since, I went to the doctor.

This was at the prompting of Garner, because normally I don't go to the doctor. Once again, I was reminded why.

First of all, there was the hurdle of the Doctors' Receptionist Demons. I rang at 8.45am to make an appointment and was told that my doctor is away and her surgery is closed today. So I asked if I could see someone else, please. The woman told me sneeringly that I would have to phone back in the afternoon and make an appointment then. She hung up before I could answer. So I rang back at 2.26pm and got some other woman who snapped at me that this was an emergency line only and that I must ring back after 2.30! I repeated, "After 2.30?" And she said, "Yes, it's only 25 past now." So I rang back five minutes later, sat and waited for 4-5 minutes for someone to answer the phone, then asked for an appointment today to see a doctor.

"Who's your usual doctor?"
"Dr Hughes."
"She's not here today, her surgery's closed."
"Can I see another doctor then, please?"
"Is it an emergency?" (Said in an accusatory tone.)
"Yes, I need to see a doctor today please."
"This is an EMERGENCY SURGERY ONLY! You can only see the doctor if it's an emergency!"
"Can I make an appointment for this afternoon, please?"
"The only time available is 5.20."
"5.20?"
"I've only got ONE DOCTOR in!!!!! If it's an emergency, it'll have to be 5.20!"
"Fine."

She then took my name, which was harder than you'd think, since my doctor's surgery had not bothered to change their records to show my married name and new address, despite the fact that I've informed them of both. The woman had a go at me for trying to give her the wrong name, and told me most severely that I would have to sort it out with my normal surgery. She then hung up on me.

Bitch.

But the real reason why I hate going to the doctor is what happened when I got there. I thanked the doctor for seeing me, and explained to him what was wrong. So he checked my ears, and declared that they appeared perfectly healthy. They hurt then, and they still hurt, but apparently they look normal. He looked inside my mouth, and he felt my neck, but apparently that seemed normal too. He took my blood pressure, and that was normal. He said that all he could tell me was to treat the symptoms and not go to work if I felt ill. And that if the vertigo persisted, I should come back.

It's just so humiliating. This happens every time. Even when I feel like absolute crap, I go to the doctor and they say there's nothing wrong with me. I know I am very robust and have good health - for which I am most grateful - but it just seems ridiculous. They must think I'm a hypochondriac. It's bad enough having to bother the doctor at all, but then when it turns out there's nothing wrong, I just feel so ashamed.

Only ONCE in my adult life have I been to a doctor who has agreed that there was something wrong with me - and even then, he only agreed after he'd removed the perforated appendix.

Mrs G
The Garner who cares.

Why feel ashamed?

You were sick. Why would you bother feeling those things if you wheren't actually ill. Its a waste of your time, you could of been fine all day then pretended to be in 2 mins before.

You should be more anoyed at your Doctors inability to detect what is wrong with you when some thing clearly is.

I suggest you write a lettter (probably to points of View- they seem to handle most complaints) saying that for doctor is crap and should be shot in the face with a dart. It would me for his own good.

i think the receptionist should be shot in the face with the most horrible thing in the world...

another doctor's receptionist!

"If I wanted to read Wuthering Heights, I'd shoot my self."

Doctor's office secretaries are horrible, horrible people.
I had a similar experience at college. I was too sick to get to class, and the school health center is only open awkward hours for emergency type things-otherwise, your appointment must be made two weeks in advance.
I was very worried that I might be getting the flu for the second time this winter, so I went in at half nine in the morning and asked to see the doctor, and was greeted by the rather surly secretary who obviously thought she knew enough to be a GP herself:

Sec: "Why are you here?"
Me: "I feel ill and faint, like when I had the flu over Christmas, and I want to make sure I get treated before it gets worse."
Sec: "You don't have the flu."
Me: "This feels JUST LIKE the flu."
Sec: "You can't possibly have the flu; you'd be too sick to come in here."
Me: "I just had the flu a month ago. This feels exactly the same. I want to make sure thats not what it is."
Sec: "Why are you wasting the doctor's time? There's no way you have the flu. He'll see you now though."

I didn't have the flu- I had an ear infection AND a cold, which combined their symptoms sneakily to scare me into thinking I had it. But I seriously resent the woman acting like I was making stuff up to get out of class or something. Seriously- this is university; if I don't want to go in, I'll stay in bed!
And as for 'if you had the flu you'd be too sick to come in'- I was still working through the flu. I'm an idiot when I'm sick, this is true, so most people would probably say 'i feel ill, i'll stay home today' instead of 'maybe if I keep working the room will stop spinning..."

AND they make you yell your problem to them through their little glass windows. Or shout it out for the surgery to hear. Not that I've ever had anything too embarassing (honest!) - but I have heard some really cringe making things shouted out to/by these people.

Evil old bags make me unhappy.


Bob too :(

My doctor never smiles.
I think he has something up his bottom.

I'm NEVER sick!! Been to my doctor once in seven years, and that was to get amphetemines for a mosquito bite. He seemed okay though! Never spoke to the secretary as I didn't make the appointment

I can assure you that if I ever go to private practice and my receptionist acts like that I will shoot him/her with...another receptionist actually cause I like the idea.

I heard on the radio this morning that all taxpayers pay around £3000 pounds a year to the NHS in total which is about what an average private healthcare scheme would cost. So why shouldn't we expect as good a service as they give.

Grace you shouldn't feel guilty at all. Your sick and all you wanted was what you've paid for since you've been paying taxes, a bit of care.

I hope you feel better soon Grace and have no need to ring up that bitch of a receptionist again in the near future.

Back to stay!

my doctor told me a story about a husband and wife who came to his clinic and were each seen by different doctors. They were getting back blood tests for STDs and started screaming at each other through the wall when they came back positive, accusing each other of cheating.
What made my doctor laugh was they had two different things. They were both cheating. :badgrin: Just desserts, perhaps?

I would have complained, I complain about everything these days, it's great!

I just joined the surgery right next door to where we live, they have a strange setup where you don't actually have a doctor of your own, you just see whoever is available whenever you want to see a doctor - not sure if that's a good thing or not?

Dragon's Kingdom - Stop typing "alot" when you mean "a lot"! - Disappointed

that's like the place I go to. It seems all right, they're all good doctors (or else excellent fakers!)

I did seem to get an appointment very quickly.

Dragon's Kingdom - Stop typing "alot" when you mean "a lot"! - Disappointed

Grace, are you still feeling vertigo-ish? Can you go to another doctor, to make sure it's not something that's unrelated to your ears?

(I've been watching too many House episodes, where a patient comes in with a cold and turns out to have a rare allergy to copper) :p

I went to a doctor 2 weeks ago, with a cold. The first thing the doctor said to me - after "Achooo!" - was: "Sorry, I can't shake your hand, but I'm sick myself". When I asked him to prescribe me the same thing he's taking, he said "Oh, I'm not taking anything - I'll just let it blow over"

Friends don't let friends take up scrapbooking!

I hope you're feeling a little better today.

It's the same the World over, many Doctor's Receptionists are Demons who make it their business to pre-diagnose and embarrass you. I'm lucky, our surgery has one receptionist who is an absolute angel; knows all the patients by their first name, remembers their ailments etc. The others are Harpies who attempt to make up for their lack of medical skills by belittling anyone who tries to make an appointment.

Since your Doctor wasn't much help, have you tried your local chemist? The Pharmacists around here are very helpful in getting you dosed up with the right stuff to make you feel muuuuuuuch better.