Could anyone advise a good consultant near bristol please as I have decided to get a second opinion and would value any help. Thanks
Hope you find a good specialist. I`ve seen 13 in as many years.(west yorks)
Not much to choose between them really.
luv Pollx
PM me who you’re seeing already, Zoe.
Mine is Dr. Cottrell. I can probably name him openly here, as I don’t think I’ve got anything particularly negative to say. I was satisfied with speed and certainty of diagnosis, although I did see him initially on BUPA, which probably reduced waiting times considerably.
Since transferring back to the NHS, I’ve found consultations a bit rushed, and have occasionally found him a bit dismissive of problems he doesn’t believe are caused by MS - but which he and I differ about. There’s still no mention of pain in my notes, even though it’s my No. 1 problem.
Does he know about MS? Yes he does - no issues with that. He also has a friendly manner - just can be a bit fixed in his views about what is and isn’t an MS problem, which means stuff can get ignored if it’s not on the list of things he accepts. My GP is a bit more open-minded, and believes there are many things we still don’t know - in particular the complexities of pain, so she’s always been very reluctant to say my pain isn’t caused by MS.
I don’t know, really, what else you would expect from a hospital consultant? My impression is they’re mostly concerned with initial diagnosis and strategic management - whether you will or won’t take DMDs, and which ones.
They’re not so interested (purely my impression) in day-to-day management of symptoms, and feel the GP or MS nurse should be dealing with that. This has left a bit of a gap in care, for me personally, because I’ve never officially had an MS nurse (spoke to one for the first time this week - 2.5 years after diagnosis!), and my GP has always seemed a bit reticent about what she should do, and whether she’s allowed to do it! So I haven’t always had clarity about where I’m meant to go, or what I’m meant to do, if there’s a problem. I’ve got a number for the relapse clinic, but if my problem wasn’t a relapse, it wasn’t at all clear what the path was. Still isn’t, really! Lately, if you’ve been following my woes, I’ve had a problem with medication not working. I rang the GP, who rang the MS nurse, who’s arranged for me to see the physio. I’m not sure a physio appointment is entirely appropriate for a problem with meds not working - plus it’s another fortnight’s wait, when I’d already waited nearly the same time for anyone to get back to me.
So we’re talking a whole month before anything gets done, and then it’s only a physio appointment! I reserve judgement on whether that’s any help or not. I think she can change medication, if she feels it’s justified, but I feel I’d rather have done that right away, and not have to wait for a physio appointment. I’m not convinced it’s a physio problem.
Tina
x
Hiya
Like Tina, my consultant is Dr Cottrell at Frenchay/ He has been my consultant for 6 years now and I find him very helptful. He is a very kind man who has shown me a great deal of compassion when I have been poorly in the past. I find him and his team, especially the MS Nurses, Denise, Kate, Gemma and Carole very helpful and reassuring at the times when I need reassurance.
Hope this helps.
Take care
Shazzie xxxx
Hi Zoe,
My Consultant is Dr Wilkins at Frenchay and he’s really good. As mentioned below, the MS Nurses - Denise & Gemma (these are the 2 I’ve seen) are excellent too.
Sarah
Hi, I’m also seen (not very often) by Dr Cottrell at Frenchay. They’re all fine, the MS nurses are particularly good, but as my symptoms are mainly sensory and invisible (fatigue, bowel issues) I don’t find the appointments that helpful. A good team though, they were recommended by my GP above a closer hospital. Hope this helps. Ann