After years of being ill and being bounced from department to department with few answers and little treatment or help, I finally had a referral and then had to wait five months for an appointment. The dr read my notes before speaking with me and clearly decided that my original diagnosis of chronic fatigue given to me by a rushed gp at a university clinic was the one to go with, despite being seen by several other specialists in different departments who all agreed I should undergo assessment for connective tissue disorders. After a brief examination where the dr lifted my arms and legs up and down, squeezed my hands and feet, and asked me to place my hands on the floor (missing a number of steps advised by uk charities when assessing connective tissue and measuring hyper mobility) he then proceeded to tell me that all of my numerous symptoms are all in my head and I’m not actually in excruciating pain. He belittled and talked down to me to the point where I started to cry due to anger and frustration (not the depression he wrote under his diagnosis of me, I am not depressed as confirmed by several other medical practitioners). He referred me to the pain clinic who have since assessed me and I have been told that they can’t offer me anything other than services I don’t need (cbt, mental health intervention, meditation). I placed a complaint and heard nothing back. I have since been back to my gp who assessed my hyper mobility and other symptoms and agreed I need another referral to rheumatology to get this investigated, which has meant another 6 month wait, to a different clinic with a different consultant. I left the appointment feeling embarrassed, frustrated, and humiliated.
"Belittled and embarrassed"
About: Royal Hallamshire Hospital / Rheumatology Royal Hallamshire Hospital Rheumatology S10 2JF
Posted via nhs.uk
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