I was just wondering what everyone else does if they cannot get in contact with your ms nurse or gp? I am currently going through a bit of relapse since last week and I always leave it a bit before contacting anyone as in the past everything seems to calm down after about a week but not this time. On Monday I tried loads of times to phone the MS nurses but they were constantly engaged. Luckily I have my ms nurses email and wrote an email on Monday evening. As of yet I have not had a reply or phonecall and still I try to ring the ms office but its Wednesday which is clinic day so no one is there. I did ring my gp yesterday for a separate issue and the earliest they can see me is next Tuesday. So where do I go from here? I am heading back to work now despite being in relapse. It’s killing me I’m extremely fatigued I would call in sick but to be honest work is not to heavy at the moment so I can’t complain I get to sit most of the time as it is just a supervisory role at the moment. I just would like to know does anybody else find it difficult to get in contact with anybody when needed? Clare
Hi Clare, I have just has a telephone appointment with my GP.
I do this all the time now, if I dont actually need to see her.
Is there a facility like this at your GPs? It might be quicker.
There were times when I left a message for MS nurse and she didnt return my call for up to a week.
No good when you need to speak to someone urgently, eh?
Hope work goes alright. Take it steady, yeh?
luv Pollx
My problem about talking to my gp is that I have just recently moved to this practice and anytime I have gone to see them which is twice in the last 6 months they are shocked to find out I have ms, it just a small irritation can’t they read my notes before I walk in door? I have tomorrow morning off so will try and get a gp phonecall, but I’m not really expecting much from my gp which is why I would prefer to speak to my ms nurse.
Yes, I had to phone over a dozen times, over the course of three hours, last time I needed a GP appointment. Even then, they said: “Oh no, she hasn’t got any for ages…”, until I volunteered for a telephone consultation, and then something suddenly became available the same week! Then she called me, but did not know what to do about my problem, and said she’d talk to the hospital, and call me back. Net result: MS nurse (whom I’d never had before) called me nearly a fortnight later, and said she was sorry for the delay, but my GP had left her a number to call back on, but it was wrong! After rejecting the offer of “coffee and a chat” (call me a cynic, but I don’t see how this solves the problem), I was eventually referred for physio, which I’m still waiting for (22nd April), and which wasn’t really the solution I was looking for either, because I just want someone to tweak or change my medication, which has stopped working properly, after two years. So I’ll have had to wait a month, and attend an unwanted physio appointment, before I find out whether this is even possible. All this time, I’m still putting up with the fact the drugs aren’t working. Unimpressed, to say the least. I’ll be even less impressed if physio doesn’t help (which I’m not expecting it to), and I get referred to yet another bod, before medication can be reviewed. Tina
Hi Clare
When I couldn’t get hold of my MS nurse on a couple of occasions I rang my consultants secretary and asked her to track her down for me, which she did and I had a call immediately then.
Could you try that?
Shazzie xx
Try a telephone appointment, or neuro secretary…failing that wait till the surgery is closed and go to the emergency dr if you have a clinic for that? Do your surgery not do emergency apps on the day…if so say it is an emergency your having an m.s relapse? Good luck hun x
Good luck with that! In our area, the emergency number is …wait for it … 111.
Yes, we are on the fringe of one of the trial areas for the 111 service. According to the local media, if you don’t want Fire or Police, you must need the Ambulance - so it’s off to the A&E with you (even if all you wanted was some advice over the phone, or an emergency script). The Ambulance service is complaining because their time is being used up on non-emergencies.
Geoff