Rant Alert! Don't Ever Get Old!

krizon

krizon

At the Start
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May 2, 2003
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No, no not me! Much, much older than that: my Mother's 88 and has had two falls in the past month. She had to be helped to her feet by paramedics, who checked her out quite thoroughly. I wrote to her GP letting him know, and that she'd received a serious bash on the head with the last one, which raised a huge lump. I also told him she was having intermittent shakiness, dizziness, and was afraid to walk anywhere because she felt so off-balance. I needed to discuss these issues with him as soon as possible, and for him to see Mother.

He left a phone message for me saying he'd phone me either this Monday or Tuesday gone. I'm still waiting... meanwhile, today, Mother received a parcel of prescription drugs, having asked the doctor's receptionist to renew her regular prescription for her. A local pharmacy delivered them. In the parcel were her current drugs, plus one box of anti-arthritis drugs which were recalled some three weeks ago for being linked to strokes and heart attacks; three boxes of a drug she doesn't ever remember taking; three boxes of a drug which her doctor took her off about 18 months ago and replaced with the now-withdrawn one.

Last September, I requested she have a 'flu jab this winter, due to her age, and emphysema. The doctor said he'd call round, as he had five elderly patients to do, as soon as his own cold was better. It must be one helluva cold, since he's never been. But, in February, the practice nurse left a phone message asking me if my Mother had had the jab, since she couldn't find any record of it. No, I phoned back, she hadn't. Ah, leave it with me, she said. And I think we know the result, don't we?

I've given up today and arranged for her to have a home visit next week from a doctor out of a private practice. She'll 'go private' from now on.

But what would've happened to an old woman, living alone, without the support of any family or friends? She'd get a parcel of drugs she thought she should use, and if she was at all forgetful or confused, she'd probably take a complete mish-mash of stuff that'd probably see her off pretty quick. And, speaking of which, they've sent Mother some sleeping pills - 84, to be exact. That should quieten down these pesky old people, shouldn't it?
 
Jon - your doctors are bloody terrible ! They let you down last summer too Is there no alternative surgery nearby ?
 
Problem is, dearest, that the Ancient Briton can't do stairs any more (and some surgeries are positioned upstairs without lifts), and we're tied to post codes for the NHS practices. There is another surgery nearby, BUT it's beyond her walking ability (which is very limited now), and in a narrow street which doesn't permit parking. So this looks like the best way of getting her the attention she needs. The present surgery has been through about four doctors in three years, too, which hasn't helped continuity of care.

The best tonic for her still remains a large voddie and 'tonic'! She hopes you'll be down soon to join her for (hic!) a couple... ;)
 
Jon, I know exactly how you feel and I really hope you get some answers from the private doctors . My mum is 65 but she has to go to the doctors every fortnight because of the pains she has . Every time they fob her off . Before x-mas she went and they though she might have a heart codition so they gave her an angina spray and took her off her arthritis meds . They told her she might need an operation and sent her for a treadmill and dye test . After the treadmill test the nurse told her she was'nt gonna be one of the lucky ones and she may need open heart surgery .
Same day my dad wasn't feeling so well but when he heard what my mum might have to go through he made me promise that I wouldn't tell anyone that he wasn't well so I played along
Next day my dad died from pulmonary failure . If he was in hospital he would have survived . When my mum went fot further tests it turned out there was nothing wrong with her heart . 100% healthy .
The point I'm trying to make is if we had of sent my mum private in the first place they would have known straight away and my dad wouldn't have been worried like he was . He would still be alive if he was treated sooner .
Jon I really hope your mum is ok .
 
It's a terribly sad story about your Dad, Sols. I'm afraid we all tend to pootle along, thinking that 'doctor knows best', and unfortunately people of my Mother's long-ago generation were brought up to believe that. That's why she hasn't pushed anything for herself: "I don't want to bother the doctor, he's got worse-off people than me to see", etc. I keep telling her that if a pipe bursts, we don't wait a year for the plumber, do we? So I've been very angry today, I feel that old people are seen as throw-aways, unless they're willing (and able) to pay for immediate treatment. God help poor oldsters, who haven't got any money and who are too afraid to 'bother' their doctors!

I hope your own Mum is going on all right after the shock of your Dad's sudden death, Sols, though I'm sure you'll be bearing the brunt of the reaction to it, and with your own sorrow - and anger - to cope with, too. Sadly, we're all gifted with perfect hindsight: we do what we think is the right thing at the time, often to be proven otherwise in the light of experience. But at least you've got things right with your Mum.

I wasn't much heartened by the woman at the pharmacy, which dispensed this cartload of drugs, telling me that she has the same wretched time trying to get any attention for her 90 year-old mother. And she's in the business! :(
 
Doctors are the biggest waste of space on the planet. Amoxycillin pushers the fecking lot of them. If car mechanics had the same success rate as these people there'd be no hole in the ozone layer.
 
Tom,

I don't think you can generalise like that.

True there are a lot of lousy ones about but there are a few gems.

A big part of the problem is how the NH system operates, these funded practices are a disgrace. The whole idea of the system was to give treatment to those that need it.

Now we have accountants to whom doctors have to justify the cost of treatment.

When a child is suffering for weeks with severe headaches and doctors are reluctant to send her for a scan because of the cost of that scan, then the system has failed.

Colin
 
I have voiced my opinion on several occasions on here with regards the very same subject.........

Then dictator Blair goes on t/v and says we are winning? the battle in the NHS what a load of balls..

the guys a liar or is it an alleged liar???? :o just in case someone sends this statement to him??
 
I agree with Colin here, there are some wonderful doctors out there. Mine came to visit me at home, unbidden when I was 13 as I was ill and he was genuinely concerned about me. I have been going there since I was 4 yewars old though. He retires next year, I don't know what I will do....

Jon, that is awful for you. It is shocking the lack of care given in this case, just parcel up the pills and send them out without doing any checking yourself. Bloody awful. You should sue them for the cost of going private.
 
Jon, my friend who died recently had stockpiled enough drugs (including warfarin) to wipe out the whole rat population in England. She kept phoning the pharmacy, and they kept sending them to her or she would collect.

My friend drove to the surgery (she has a specially adapted car as she only had one leg) in a state of confusion and managed to get into the surgery as she wanted to see the doctor urgently. He was busy so the receptionist helped my friend back to her car and watched her drive off. She had the cheek to tell me this, and said "I do not know how she managed to drive to the surgery the state she was in." My friend died in hospital 10 days later. h:)

Did I have to bite my lip when I phoned or what? The hospital was not much better. They phoned me (I was next of kin) 2 hours before she died - I drove like a mad thing and luckily got their in time to say my farewells. It was heartbreaking. The hospital had not called me before and I have to admit, I am wondering if there was more to her sudden death than anyone at the hospital was letting on. I will now never know.
 
It's a sad reflection of this government and the NHS when we feel that the only way to get adequate treatment for our family is to go down the private route.

I know it's not a life threatening condition, but if we don't get the answers and action that we want at our next hospital appointment, my three year old daughter will be having surgery privately. Emily suffers from a condition called Congenital Ptosis. It means that one eyelid is not as strong as the other. Whenever she's tired or feeling ill, her left eye is almost shut. At all other times, her eyelid is lower than on her right eye and it is very noticeable. People have stopped us in the street to ask if her eye is ok! Some days it is so bad that it affects her vision. She has been seen on a regular basis by an eye specialist ever since she was 10 months old (when we spent four terrifying days in hospital having every test under the sun because they thought it was caused by a brain tumour). Initially, they agreed to operate on it to correct it when she was three. When she was two they decided to leave it until she was five, giving the reasoning that they would be using a muscle from her leg to replace the faulty one and this muscle needed time to grow. Fair enough. Now it's been decided not to bother at all, unless it becomes a problem. I was a bit puzzled by this remark, as some days it is a problem, we've got photographic evidence to prove how bad it gets. The consultant then actually said they'd operate on it if it became a problem where she was getting picked on at school! My daughter has to suffer the indignity of being bullied before the NHS will provide corrective surgery!

I can't allow that to happen, so unless I manage to persuade the consultant that she is worth spending the cash on, we'll be paying for it ourselves, which I suspect is what they want anyway :angry:
 
That's awful Griffin, and like you say is a sad reflection on the NHS today. Whether it is a life threatening condition or not, she is still your daughter and there is clearly an operation she could have to correct the problem. For the NHS to insinuate they will only take the matter seriously if she is bullied is pathetic.

I am sure people have some glowing things to say about Dr's and the NHS - as we can only speak as we find and relate to our own experiences. It is tragic that so many people seem to think they only way to get anything done is to go private. Let's hope when (if) the Conservatives get in, all this will eventually change.
 
That final sentence is the biggest load of nonsense ever posted on this forum by anyone - spending in the NHS has increased from £33 billion a year in 1997 to £63 billion now . Ask any doctor in the NHS and they will tell you how much better treatment is now . Poor doctors will always exist . My experience of the NHS is that generally the service is excellent . A friend of mine had to go to A & E recently and could not bleive how quickly he was seen . Last spring I had an investigation on the NHS that was doen in three weeks and the waing list for that procedure sused to be three to six months and my GP 's practice is efficient and reliable and indeed the evidence shows that satisfaction levels with the NHS by people actually treated by it are rising consistently

Anyone who thinks that NHS spending would have been anywhere near its present levels under a Conservative Govt frankly needs treatment . There will be cuts and there will be subsidy for the private sector for the well off at the expense of NHS patients .

I don't know anything about the system in N Ireland and I can't comment on what happened to Solerina's dad but there will always be some poor doctors and poor decisions made . That does not detract from the fact that in England the NHS is in vastly better shape than in 1997 .

What really maks me sick is the concentration on MRSA by Howard . His personal experience of this is very sad but he is being deliberately and misleadingly simplistic. Everyone wants cleaner hospitals .The government of which he was a part significantly caused the problem by compulsory competitive tendering meaning that the cleaners were paid a pittance ( and if we did not have a minimum wage would still be ) and standards fell .

More important'y , the evidence is that cleaning may not be the cure . MRSA is an airborne disease . We should be concentrating on the relevant control measures and ensuring that antibiotic misuse is contained not just here but across the world where too often they are just available over the counter .

It said a lot about what the NHS staff think about the Tories when at Michael Howard's hospital call yesterday all the matrons were asked to raise their hands if they were voting Tory - none did
 
My experience of the NHS is that generally the service is excellent . A friend of mine had to go to A & E recently and could not bleive how quickly he was seen
Click to expand...

It not like that everywhere though, My nana has just had a stroke and came home yestarday, but when she first went into the hospital they left her in the corridor for 5 hrs waiting for a bed which is bang out of order as she also has the latter stage of altzeimers and she got very very scared. Also to add to this when she returned home yestarday she had shit all up her back to which the ambulance man said yeah it was like that when we picked her up from the ward. I can go on and on and on.

Im sorry but this is totally unneceptable.
 
I agree entirely - I would complain formally . In 1995 though my grandmother lay on a trolley for 10 hours dying and died on one .
 
Originally posted by Ardross@Apr 8 2005, 10:09 AM
I agree entirely - I would complain formally . In 1995 though my grandmother lay on a trolley for 10 hours dying and died on one .
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear that :(

I phoned the complaints department up lastnight and got an answering machine, i left my number so im just waiting for them to phone me back if they ever do.
 
How much after allowing for the inflated costs of anything procured by the Government agencies,is the difference between 33 billion in 1997 and 63 billion now?

Look at the costs then and the costs now.


A very convenient friend of yours going to the Doctor adds nil to you argement.

Attending the A&E instead of your Doctor say more against the NHS than for.

There should be no need to bypass your GP if the System had any legs.

Three weeks to get ANY investigation done is 19 days to long and happens only in the uk. Germany,waiting times are never more than a couple of days.

Your second paragraph is pure conjecture and can be safely ignored.




Your assertion that MRSA in an airborne disease is wrong.It is neither Aiborne nor is it a disease.

ANTIBIOTICS cannot be purchased over the counter in the UK.FRANCE,HOLLAND,BELGUM,GERMANY,DENMARK,SWEDEN,FINLAND,ICELAND,ITALY,SPAIN,
PORTUGAL,NORWAY,LUXEMBOURG.SAN MARINO.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

MRSA
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus

Infection with MRSA bacteria mainly occurs in people who are already ill in hospital. It can be difficult to treat as MRSA bacteria are resistant to most types of antibiotics.

What is Staphylococcus aureus?

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium (germ). It is often just called 'S.aureus' or 'staph'. S. aureus bacteria are often found on the skin and in the nose of healthy people. In fact, about 3 in 10 people have S. aureus bacteria living on (colonizing) their skin. These people are called S. aureus 'carriers'. In healthy people who are carriers, S. aureus is usually harmless.

However, S. aureus bacteria sometimes invade the skin to cause infection. This is more likely if you have a cut or graze which can allow bacteria to get under the surface of the skin. S. aureus is the cause of skin infections such as boils, pimples, impetigo, skin abscesses, and is a common cause of wound infections.

In some people, S. aureus can sometimes get into the bloodstream and travel to internal parts of the body to cause more serious infections. For example, blood poisoning (septicaemia), lung infection (pneumonia), bone infection (osteomyelitis), heart valve infection (endocarditis), etc. These serious infections are more likely to occur in people who are already unwell or debilitated, or who have a poor immune system. These infections need to be treated with antibiotics.

What is MRSA?

MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. There are various sub-types (strains) of S. aureus and some strains are classed as MRSA. MRSA strains are very similar to any other strain of S.aureus. That is, some healthy people are carriers, and some people develop the types of infections described above.

The difference is that, most S. aureus infections can be treated with commonly used antibiotics. In recent years some strains of S. aureus have become resistant to some antibiotics. 'Resistance' means that it is not killed by the antibiotic. MRSA strains are not only resistant to the antibiotic called methicillin, but also to many other types of antibiotics.

How serious is an MRSA infection?

MRSA strains of bacteria are no more aggressive or infectious than other strains of S. aureus. However, infections are much more difficult to treat because many antibiotics do not work. Therefore, infections tend to become more severe than they may otherwise have been if the cause of the infection is not diagnosed early, and antibiotics that do not work are given at first.

Who gets MRSA?

MRSA occurs most commonly in people who are already in hospital. People who are more prone to it are those who are very ill, or have wounds or open sores such as bed-sores or burns. The wounds or sores may become infected with MRSA and the infection is then difficult to treat. Infections which start in the skin may spread to cause more serious infections. Also, urinary catheters and tubes going into veins or parts of the body ('drips' etc) are sometimes contaminated by MRSA and can lead to urine or blood infection.

MRSA can also cause infections in people outside hospital, but much less commonly than in hospitalized people.

How common is MRSA?

As mentioned, being a carrier of S. aureus and infections with S. aureus are very common. The number of cases due to MRSA strains is not known, but it is becoming a more common problem.

How is MRSA diagnosed?

If an infection with S. aureus is suspected then, depending on the type of infection, a sample of blood, urine, body fluid, or a swab of a wound can be sent to the 'lab' for testing. If S.aureus is detected, further tests are done to see which antibiotics will kill the bacteria. MRSA strains can be identified by seeing which antibiotics kill the bacteria found on testing. Healthy people suspected of being carriers of MRSA can have a swab or the nose or skin taken and tested.

How is S.aureus and MRSA spread?

S.aureus bacteria (including MRSA strains) spread from person to person usually by direct skin-to-skin contact. Spread may also occur by touching sheets, towels, clothes, dressings, etc, which have been used by someone who has MRSA.

However, as mentioned, S. aureus (including MRSA strains) will not normally cause infection if you are well. The bacteria may get onto your skin, but do no harm. So, for example, people who visit patients with MRSA, or doctors and nurses who treat people with MRSA, are not likely to develop an MRSA infection. But, they may become 'contaminated' with the bacteria and may pass it on to someone who is ill, or who has a wound, who then may develop infection.

What is the treatment of MRSA infections?

MRSA infections are usually treated with antibiotics. (Boils or abscesses caused by MRSA may only need to be drained and may not need antibiotics.) However, the choice of antibiotic is limited as most antibiotics will not work. Many MRSA infections can only be treated with antibiotics that need to be given directly into a vein. The course of treatment is often for several weeks. Also, the risk of side-effects with the limited choice of antibiotics is higher than the more 'usual' antibiotics which are used to treat non-MRSA infections.

People who are carriers of MRSA but who are healthy do not need any treatment. However, in some cases it may be advised to try and clear the bacteria from the skin by washing with antiseptic lotions, and using antiseptic shampoos, and using an antibiotic cream to place in the nose. These measures may reduce the risk of developing an infection, or spreading the bacterium to others (particularly to ill people who may develop an infection).

Can MRSA infections be prevented?

The number of MRSA infections in hospital can be kept down if all hospital staff adhere to good hygiene measures. The most important is to wash hands before and after contact with each patient, and before doing any any procedure. This simple measure reduces the chance of passing on bacteria from patient to patient.

Other measures are used in hospitals to reduce the spread of infection. For example, cleaning of bedding, regular cleaning of wards, etc. Patients with an MRSA infection may be kept away from other patients, perhaps in a single bed room or in an isolation unit until the infection has cleared.

© EMIS and PIP 2004 Updated: July 2004 Review Date: September 2005 CHIQ Accredited
 
I would write direct to the Chief Exec of the Trust if you don't get a response by the end of today . Complaints departments tend to be a waste of time .
 
My grandad has got MRSA in his Sputum, he got it while in hospital, hes now out and the doctors have told him he will have it for the rest of his life.
 
The Pro,
most of us have it,it is of no consequence we take it in that context.

MRSA is an infection,caused by filth.

Surgical instruments not being AUTOCLAVED correctly or long enough.

Disposable instruments not being properly disposed of.

Operating tables not being desinfected between operations.

Doctors,Nurses,X-RAY technicians and other spcialities lacking in Basic Hygiene.

Aprons not being changed when moving from examination to examination.

Non closure of facilities on the discovery of MRSA.

A load of other stuff that i could go into but won't

MRSA has been around for more than 30 years and is immune to most of the antibiotics available today.
 
I don't agree that the NHS is any better for the extra spending - wages have gone up, costs of treatment have gone up, overall there isn't much of a difference.

It's not just the elderly who suffer, although my grandad was treated appallingly when he died in hospital - being given an overdose of morphine so he had hallucinations (it was like he went senile overnight), being sent home with a drip needle in, falling down the stairs and the hospital trying to cover it up... on top of all this, my mother and uncle had decided not to tell him he was terminally ill as he would have given up, it was a hard decision for them to make - only for a staff nurse to take round a load of student nurses one day and enter my grandad's cubicle with the words, "And this is Mr Davis, he is dying". That's how my grandad found out he was going to die.

I can tell stories about it until the cows come home. Last time I was very ill, it was on a bank holiday and I rang my emergency GP only for the phone to ring and ring. My dad took me to A&E where I ended up lying on the floor sobbing my heart out in agony because I was in too much pain to sit on one of their hard waiting room chairs, for four hours - nobody would give me any pain relief or anti sickness medication until they had checked whether I was pregnant which apparently took four hours to do, and even though I know damn well I wasn't unless a miracle had occurred.

I have been diagnosed with a chronic condition since 2000, and am in a worse way now than I was then. I am getting no help, nothing seems to work, appointments are constantly cancelled on me and I am messed around all the time, it has become the norm. I have made three formal complaints in the last 18 months, all of which have been resolved unsatisfactorily, but I don't have the energy to pursue them.

I know so many people with the same stories that I can't count them on all my fingers and all my toes (and I have a full complement).

It's a state, the human aspect is missing, and no matter what Labour say about improved spending, it's a false impression.
 
I hope your Mum gets a better servive pdq, Jon - what a nightmare situation for you.

I do find that GPs nowadays are far too keen to force drugs on people & usher them out of the door rather than try to find the root of the problem - antibiotics are foisted on people with frightening regularity which leaves people more prone to infectious dieases as their immune systems get weakened and their bodies also get used to the antibiotics so they are not as effective as they should be. It is also so very dangerous that anti-depressants are handed out like smarties with little or no thought as to getting to the root of the problem - be that depression or anxiety/panic attacks or whatever. It is also the growing trend that anti-depressants are dished out willy nilly even if the patient is unwilling to take them, other methods of treatment such as counselling rarely even enter the picture - "stick 'em on happy pills for a year & they'll be fine" seems to be the new train of thought. This is especially dangerous when the likes of Seroxat are dished out; a very nasty drug that has nasty side effects and is very addictive. Only within the last couple of years have people become aware of the problems with this drug yet STILL it is dished out by GP's with no second thought, WHY????
 
Strange how many horror stories there seem to be on here about the NHS and Doctors, and I am sure there are more to follow on this forum alone. All of them tragic.

Rest assured though, according to some, none of it is the current governments fault. What utter tripe. (just my opinion of course)
 
I have a GP who seems to be obsessed with getting me on to Seroxat. He keeps offering it to me.

I have no idea why, as I have not presented to him with symptoms of clinical depression. I'm about as depressed as I am male.

I refuse to see him now.
 
Purr, you sound as if you are having an awful time of it. Is there no way you can change Dr's? I am sure some Dr's get a bung from the pharmaceutical companies to use particular drugs. They are so quick to put people on drugs that can have the most horrendous side effects.

One of my customers is a pharmaceutical company that supply drugs for Schizophrenics. These patients have to be monitored by having regular blood samples taken as this was the only way the drug could get a licence in the UK. It is horrendous when you hear how many people are on this drug, both hospitalised and many outpatients. It really opened my eyes up to what goes on where vast amounts of money is involved. I could rant on about this for ages.... h:)

Purr, I hope you are able to sort out your Dr. and never give in to their pressure of taking a drug you are not happy with. If you can get a 2nd opinion.
 
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