GPS always ask are you depressed! As though thats the mostly likely reason for your unexplained health issues. Yet Many on the forum really fight to be positive. Which is how I like to be. I know depression is another horrible sympton of MS and I’m not belittling it at all.but wouldn’t you say gps and neurologist are the biggest reason to feel depressed? After another gp visit this week I really hit rock bottom. I went because I agreed with Yvette who said we’re the experts of our body. So I decided to ask(politely) would it be possible to have a blood test to check my B12, ferritin and blood count. I explained its a family problem B12 deficiency and although my reading was within the boundaries at 248 it was on low side and as I had neurological symptons and absence of lesions on mri could I have a repeat test to see if it had dropped. Plus ferritin had been 4 so surely that should be checked ( of course I did’t say it like that to her) al this could be down to a simple vitamin … She said a waste of resources! I have done a lot of research on b12 and what is considered low or not and it’s affects. I’m feeling defeated and now doc I’m DEPRESSED !!!
I went to my GP last friday and I said I felt a duty of care towards me was being neglected.
I have a lot of symptoms that have come, gone then come back with a vengence it’s been happening for a good number of years. I have a history of child abuse and was raised in the care system so for years they where treating me for depression and I never felt depressed. In 2006 I had a period of crisis (all symptoms ) but they then diagnosed dissosiation and started me on anti psycotic meds.
I had another period of crisis in 2010, Symptoms came back raging and my meds where upped. Every time I went to the GP for things like constipation, fatgue numness in my hands and feet, it wall all put down to anxiety despite me being low in B12, having low Vit D and low folic Acid.
The symptoms persisted midly but I sturggled on I never went back to my GP having had the symptoms explained as anxiety.
About 8 months ago now I started getting this pain in my left upper chest, down my left arm like a bloody pressure belt around my arm. I get this crishing feeling accross my chest. I had moved from Shropshire to Birmingham so my new GP re ran some tests and my ESR is raised. I saw a rhumatologist who said the pain was down to my big boobs. I disagreed with this diagnoses first time ever I’ve questioned them.
I wrote a list of all my symptoms for my GP at some stage i’ve been to see my old GP about them but they where written off as anxiety. So I took my husband and this list and told him what my life was like on a daily basis. I explained I want nurological issues ruled out! I am on very potent anti psycotic meds and there is no imporvment in my symtoms and I am now wondering is the symtoms are more nurological then pshycological.
He agreed and we have a plan of action. I am back in tomorrow for a full blood test wil take three weeks to get some of the results.
I told him for many years I’ve accepted these excuses that it’s in my head that its anxiety but there are certain things like Raised ESR, Low B12 low Vit D low folic Acid that I can’t psycologically have any power over. And now I’m suffering every day to a life restricting level I feel a duty of care towards me is being neglected. Of course he’s a new GP so won’t have known this has all been happening but now he does I want a to see some action.
I went to my GP last friday and I said I felt a duty of care towards me was being neglected.
I have a lot of symptoms that have come, gone then come back with a vengence it’s been happening for a good number of years. I have a history of child abuse and was raised in the care system so for years they where treating me for depression and I never felt depressed. In 2006 I had a period of crisis (all symptoms ) but they then diagnosed dissosiation and started me on anti psycotic meds.
I had another period of crisis in 2010, Symptoms came back raging and my meds where upped. Every time I went to the GP for things like constipation, fatgue numness in my hands and feet, it wall all put down to anxiety despite me being low in B12, having low Vit D and low folic Acid.
The symptoms persisted midly but I sturggled on I never went back to my GP having had the symptoms explained as anxiety.
About 8 months ago now I started getting this pain in my left upper chest, down my left arm like a bloody pressure belt around my arm. I get this crishing feeling accross my chest. I had moved from Shropshire to Birmingham so my new GP re ran some tests and my ESR is raised. I saw a rhumatologist who said the pain was down to my big boobs. I disagreed with this diagnoses first time ever I’ve questioned them.
I wrote a list of all my symptoms for my GP at some stage i’ve been to see my old GP about them but they where written off as anxiety. So I took my husband and this list and told him what my life was like on a daily basis. I explained I want nurological issues ruled out! I am on very potent anti psycotic meds and there is no imporvment in my symtoms and I am now wondering is the symtoms are more nurological then pshycological.
He agreed and we have a plan of action. I am back in tomorrow for a full blood test wil take three weeks to get some of the results.
I told him for many years I’ve accepted these excuses that it’s in my head that its anxiety but there are certain things like Raised ESR, Low B12 low Vit D low folic Acid that I can’t psycologically have any power over. And now I’m suffering every day to a life restricting level I feel a duty of care towards me is being neglected. Of course he’s a new GP so won’t have known this has all been happening but now he does I want a to see some action.
Doesn’t anybody else feel like this?
I constantly feel as if my GP is just humouring me and isn’t really taking me seriously. I had to fight for an ENT referral to try and sort out my balance/dizziness issues, which have now led to an abnormal MRI and a referral to Neurology (both referrals from the lovely ENT guy I saw, not my GP!). All my GP had to say when I saw him was “Of course, you know they won’t find anything wrong, don’t you?”, and then shouted at me twice during the same appointment, declaring that “None of your symptoms make any sense”.
He did mention stress/depression a while ago, and got me to fill in some little questionnaire thingies. When I took them back in to him, he just added up the ‘scores’ without even looking at my individual answers, said “Ok, you’re not stressed then” and threw them in the bin. He then said “Do you feel depressed?”. I shook my head, and he said “You don’t look depressed”…and that was it!
I suppose I was lucky in a sense that he took me at my word and didn’t pursue it.
The really sadistic, irrational part of me is hoping they do find something, as I will have great pleasure in watching him squirm when I tell him!
I often come away from GP appointments feeling very frustrated and low and tearful as it is just such a battle to be taken seriously and to get anything done.
All I will say is don’t give up…you know your own body and you know when things aren’t right. Don’t be fobbed off.
My GP’s have been fabulous, no question of putting symptoms down to depression or anxiety . Its the consultants that are the problem, both rheumatologist and neurologist made me feel like i was a hypochondriac and was all down to stress/anxiety x
Yes I agree serina, I didn’t mean it to come across that my gp thought I was suffering from depression. But the neurologist wouldn’t leave the subject alone! I suppose what I was trying to say was that we battle on trying to be positive, proactive in trying to help ourselves only to be, shot down by belittling comments having an affect on our determination and positivity. I’m not suffering from depression but my encounter with the gp left me low on Monday but today is another day. Having said that I’m dreading meeting the neuro when I finally get that appointment. Jo x
It’s been totally the opposite for me…the first Neuro I saw last month was absolutely lovely, listened to me, seemed to take me seriously, and looked me in the eye and promised he would get me sorted. This was in total contrast to most of my previous experiences with various GPs.
I suppose it is just a complete lottery for everyone.
Does depression come as a standard symptom or is it a result of the life restctining sysmtoms and again as discussed just the whole suffering while looking for answers.
I don’t feel depressed but I do very low and fed up at the general loss of life, how my fatigue restricts me the crippling pain. and also just dealing with the health profecionals in gerneral who put everything down to anxiety.
Hi mrs C I think it’s all of the things you have said. Also we question ourselves so much any negative comment or lack of effort from gps to help us to fight this is discouraging. I was on anti depressants back in 2006 for 3 years. At the time I was having concerns over my son, when I started getting help and eventually by the time he was diagnosed with autism I was completely off the anti-depressants I felt once someone was listening and taking seriously which had a healthy impact on my well being. This is why this forum is so valuable, it keeps you balanced. Hey purlpledot I wish I had your neuro he sounds like a gem Jo x