The angry thread

[guest311]

He's getting closer to that step now........................

moi ?

I have learned my lesson, and am reformed !

[Newportnobby]

Colgate make 44 different toothpaste products. That's right, forty-four! No it wasn't a typo, it wasn't my fat fingers hitting the "4" key twice when I meant to hit it once!
Which one of the 44 am I supposed to choose?! Why can't they just make one Colgate that does every thing?! 

And they ain't cheap, either. Unlike the Aquafresh I use which costs 80p and lasts ages on the three teeth I have left

[RailGooner]

Colgate make 44 different toothpaste products. That's right, forty-four! No it wasn't a typo, it wasn't my fat fingers hitting the "4" key twice when I meant to hit it once!
Which one of the 44 am I supposed to choose?! Why can't they just make one Colgate that does every thing?! 

And they ain't cheap, either. Unlike the Aquafresh I use which costs 80p and lasts ages on the three teeth I have left

Oh yes, Aquafresh. That's made by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) who also make Sensodyne. They make Corsodyl and Parodontax too.

[guest311]

at least they give you a choice, assuming the supermarkets can get stock on the shelves !

[thebrighton]

I put in my repeat prescription for my blood pressure tablets online as I do every month but when I checked to see if it was ready at the pharmacy it had been rejected by my doctor. I'd not heard anything so rang them.
Evidently he decided it was time to review whether my current prescription is correct or not but didn't bother letting me know, lucky I didn't just pop down the pharmacy. Anyhow, not a problem, let's review it, ok, he'll ring you tomorrow. Ring me? How's he going to know what my blood pressure is over the phone? Apparently he will explain as the surgery still isn't conducting face to face appointments......
I wonder why my blood pressure is high......

[Jon898]

I put in my repeat prescription for my blood pressure tablets online as I do every month but when I checked to see if it was ready at the pharmacy it had been rejected by my doctor. I'd not heard anything so rang them.
Evidently he decided it was time to review whether my current prescription is correct or not but didn't bother letting me know, lucky I didn't just pop down the pharmacy. Anyhow, not a problem, let's review it, ok, he'll ring you tomorrow. Ring me? How's he going to know what my blood pressure is over the phone? Apparently he will explain as the surgery still isn't conducting face to face appointments......
I wonder why my blood pressure is high......

I was at the ophthalmologist last week for a check-up and to laser off some protein from a cataract lens...130 minutes for 21 minutes of treatment (31 including dilation time).  But wait, (guess I'm good at that now) I got the "how we doing" survey yesterday which included the question "What could we have done to conduct this visit remotely?" - what, you're going to mail me a slit lamp, YAG laser, and train my wife to do this for you? 

Jon

[Newportnobby]

I put in my repeat prescription for my blood pressure tablets online as I do every month but when I checked to see if it was ready at the pharmacy it had been rejected by my doctor. I'd not heard anything so rang them.
Evidently he decided it was time to review whether my current prescription is correct or not but didn't bother letting me know, lucky I didn't just pop down the pharmacy. Anyhow, not a problem, let's review it, ok, he'll ring you tomorrow. Ring me? How's he going to know what my blood pressure is over the phone? Apparently he will explain as the surgery still isn't conducting face to face appointments......
I wonder why my blood pressure is high......

Some years ago I bought a BP tester from a well known pharmacy chain so I could check myself now and then. Recently my practice nurse said my BP was too high and then my GP changed my statins to one that I'd come off before as it caused pains in my calfs. He had once changed me off those to one that didn't Now I can't do my gym exercises. He asked me to monitor my BP twice a morning and twice and evening and keep a spreadsheet. When I had covered a couple of weeks as requested I rang the practice (eventually - you are 15th in the queue ) and was told I could not e mail them to him and couldn't see him as he was working from home. I had to print it off and post it through their letter box. I never did hear anything from him/them afterwards.

[Bealman]

It wees me off when I have to see my doctor every six months to get a script for BP tablets I've been taking for thirty years.


Similarly, I have to do the same for a referral to my haematologist every six months, when I have been seeing him for ten years.

Every visit to your GP here costs money - no NHS here!

[Platy767]

Every visit to your GP here costs money - no NHS here!

No NHS, but we do have universal health care.

I suggest you change your medical practice to one that bulk bills.

I see my GP for BP pills each 6 months as well - No out of pocket for me, SWMBO or the daughter in the 22 years we have used the practice. The daughter has moved to another suburb, but still goes back for her GP visits.

Different story on the dermatologist and cardiologist as there is some OOP.

Even SWMBO had a surgeon who only charged the Medicare rate for an op in a private hospital earlier this year. We still had the private health care excess and the anesthetist out of pocket, but nothing for the surgeon.

I understand having trust in your GP is important, but you are paying for that loyalty and trust. I guess you pay your money and make your choice.

Mark

[Bealman]

You are quite correct, of course, Mark. I need to clarify my previous post.

I actually go to the medical centre in town, but before covid I'd often find myself sitting in the waiting room for up to two hours with nothing wrong with me except I needed a script renewing!

I am a member of a health fund (just as well, considering the cost of my two months in hospital and four operations), but often there is still a considerable gap to pay when you see a specialist.

[Platy767]

I am a member of a health fund (just as well, considering the cost of my two months in hospital and four operations), but often there is still a considerable gap to pay when you see a specialist.

I totally agree with you on this. As far as I am aware, Medicare rebates 75% of the scheduled fee, except it is hard to find a specialist who charges the scheduled fee. The health fund rebates the other 25% value of the scheduled fee (if it is in hospital (I think) No health fund rebate for outpatient sevices (I think)). Once again, as far as I am aware, there is no current regulation as to what can be charged. I think there should be some regulation ie: max 2 or 3 times scheduled fee, but also the scheduled fees need to be reviewed (I think some are uneconomically too low at the moment).

Then again, some can do it, and we were pleasantly very surprised by the wife's surgeon earlier this year with no bill to pay.

[Newportnobby]

I have a website which allows me to order repeat prescriptions from my GP practice and have them delivered to my local pharmacy, something I have to do every 2 months. Unless the practice advises me of any change this arrangement just continues until something radical occurs.
I'm meant to see a heart consultant at Chorley hospital every 6 months but have not seen anyone for 2 years due to Covid. They just advise me via a letter the consultant will telephone me on a certain day/time. Likewise I'm meant to go to Blackpool hospital (60 mile round trip) once a year to have my internal defibrillator checked out but it is also done weekly by a 'white box' next to my bed which scans the items and sends the results to Boston Scientific labs via the internet. Blackpool then get a report from them each week. I've not been to the hospital for a couple of years.
It all helps to avoid sitting with 'ill' people and to lessen the chance of getting infected.

[thebrighton]

Blood pressure prescription update:
Phone rings

This is Dr (?) how can I help you?

I put in my repeat prescription online and you declined it so I rang and the receptionist said you needed to talk to me.

Let's see, ah yes, I've confirmed it now and your pharmacist should have it available by tomorrow....

What a colossal waste of time.

[Newportnobby]

What a colossal waste of time.

Agreed, Gareth. As you say, they wonder why our BP is raised!

[Bob Tidbury]

I had a regular diabetic blood test and a few weeks after I had a phone call to say that my white blood cell count was extremely high .I was due to go to John Radcliffe Hospital for a check upafter an operation so my surgery wanted me to have another blood test so that the surgeon could see the result .
High white blood cells could be the sign of Leukaemia so I was getting a bit worried ,I had the second blood test and took the results over to the hospital and told the surgeon what the surgery had told me about the first test results .
He looked at the sheets and then got a ruler and looked at each line on both results  he looked very puzzled so I asked what was wrong .
He said there is nothing wrong with your results at all so he had no idea why they had got me so worried . 
Its not the first time my surgery have got me scared ,a few years ago I had a chest Xray because of a breathing problem ,I then had a letter to go to Amersham hospital to see a cancer specialist .
We arrived at the appointment on time after both me and my wife taking a day off work we were told to wait and some one would be along to see me .
A lady in a white coat called my name and we went in to the room and sat down ,to be greeted with Good afternoon Mr Tidbury and what can I do for you today
I said no I was told to come to see you and showed her the letter .
She went on the computer and looked at various screens and said that she had absolutely know idea why I was there and she apologised for waisting my time and she would investigate why I was told to go  and see her ,we never ever had any reply .
You can imagine how worried I was being sent to a lung cancer specialist ,but ended up a waist of time and never knowing why or what went wrong .
Bob Tidbury