Can anyone review this letter of complaint for me?

[Energize]

You was told to take the correct pain meds for your injury and like i said you wouldn't get much stronger pain meds even as an inpatient.

When I last went to hospital I was given IV morphine for a 4-5 pain score, did you read that? I also was also given 5-10mg oral morphine prn.

At the end of the day I was prescribed multiple weaker pain killers which failed to help, that's why I wanted stronger ones. Perfectly reasonable request and appropriate for severe pain.

But the doctor did tell you what medication you needed, you just happened to disagree with it.

No it didn't work, don't you understand the difference?

I didn't think the NHS would prescribe MAOI's for social anxiety but it looks like they're more effective than SSRI's. I really should go back on medication.

Yes the NHS will prescribe MAOI's for refractory depressive or anxiety disorders, you just have to get past the hysteria surrounding the food and drug interactions that some doctors have, consultants usually have no problem prescribing them.

I'm so glad I'm not ever going to be a GP.

Some points in your previous thread made me smell a rat: you said you had chronic back pain for some time before the accident and are now demanding investigation. This reeks of someone looking for compensation from a car accident. Also your attitude regarding pain killers is terrible. I chose to ignore that first thread.

I had issues with low grade back pain, if there was something underlying that the accident has exacerbated is not unreasonable to expect to be compensated for it?

Moving on to this thread: What do you think the GMC are going to do about this letter? How is it going to improve practice exactly? I think you'd be hard pressed to find any GP that would be comfortable prescribing the strong painkillers that you're quoting. These are usually prescribed at chronic pain clinics by specialists. This is your next step rather than stomping your feet in your GP surgery. If you're not happy with your doctor, change them.

Codeine is an opioid.

The letter isn't going to the GMC. And like I said the GP didn't refer me to a specialist, and yes I am moving surgeries. And yes codeine is an opioid, a weak one available otc.

Xordium thank you for putting some rationality in the thread and going over the clinical guidelines, it seems like people haven't bothered to read what I wrote in the letter. I started taking otc painkillers on day 1 and only after multiple visits (2 which were regular scheduled medical reviews and 1 where I asked for no pain killers) escalating up the pain ladder did I request a stronger opioid because the medication was not working and I couldn't sleep some nights due to pain, and still the doctor did not refer me. Nor contact the physio, I think I was reasonable based on my level of pain and treatment guidelines. It is tiresome to wade through droves of people saying I'm addicted to paracetamol, trying to claim compo from the practice (really?), or suggesting I have been drug seeking to the point of orchestrating a major car accident and spending hundreds on private MRI scans for a few pills that wouldn't touch any addict.

 

[Energize]

I have not self diagnosed any illness, the only illnesses I claim to have and have been officially diagnosed with are whiplash, and anxiety/depression issues. I am having an MRI because it will document any injuries I may have, hopefully rule out any more serious issues like torn ligaments so I can get back to sports, may help guide physio treatment, and is really cool. My complaint is purely surrounding lack of pain relief. I have not been self medicating any imagined illness, nor ever used opioids outside of what I have been given by a doctor for pain.

 

[Energize]

You can't claim against a GP surgery for something like this...

 

[Energize]

I hadn't purchased drugs overseas, I've used certain substances sporadically (mostly legal, never highly addictive ones compared to alcohol) to medicate my social phobia much in the way the average person uses alcohol at social gatherings, because the prescribed medications were ineffective and many other drugs used in other countries like the USA that I was willing to try are not licensed here.

Physio is for the whiplash injuries to my upper body, she documented that I have a degree of limited movement, muscle weakness in my back, and pain, said I have possibly torn ligaments (not sure on her ability to diagnose it, but I guess that's what the MRI is for) and she is trying to work to aid the healing of my body with methods of a low enough intensity that I can tolerate at the moment.

For pain I have been taking paracetamol and ibuprofen, I'm not taking anything else, I handed the codeine back to the pharmacy to be disposed of because I felt it was not being effective, and was just making me constipated.

 

[Energize]

Guys, i guess we shouldnt jump on this guys back and insinuate this and that. For all we know he knows his stuff and knows what works and what doesnt.

I guess a referal to a different doc would be best.

As for Antidepressents not working you have to give them a chance. I have been on them for 8 years!!! Tried to get off them once but that didnt work. Doc said i may be on them forever. This i dont mind as i dont want to head back to the really bad depression i had 7-8 years ago.

Energize, i would definitely seek further advice from either the hospital, NHS Direct etc. Tell them your concerns and go from there.

I certainly know when a painkiller isn't helping my pain I can tell you that much.

I realise that ad's can take a while to reach their full effect, and the car accident trauma will have obscured mental changes brought about by the ad for sure, I just have concerns regarding the cost of the medication and the NHS not being willing to fund it at potentially £600 a month for what seems to be a reasonable dosage in patients such as myself based on the medical literature, the funding issue was touched upon by the GP and it seems that I am going to have quite a few medical costs as of late!

I am hoping that the MRI scan and radiologist will reveal any potential issues regarding any injuries I may have, I was obviously very concerned when told by the physio that I shouldn't ride for 6 months because it could cause permanent injury, while they may not have a medical degree, they are medically qualified to make assessments and employed on the NHS after all regardless if mine is private. If the GP tells me one thing and the physio another who am I to believe when there is a potential health risk to myself by doing strenuous physical activity?

You may want to be careful here being as you have openly said in another thread you were referred to the physio by your solicitor not anyone with medical training. It could be easily argued that further bouts of pain were exacerbated by someone who a NHS employee did not directly refer you to. If you wish to make a complaint that is your right however you need to stick to facts and facts only.

A physio is a physio though right? Same medical training regardless of employer?

 

[Energize]

Yes.

But did the solicitor who sent you to the physio know of your underlying conditions and how the physio may affect it?
Is a solicitor qualified to make that decision?
Does that physio have you full medical history?
Is the physio fully trained, accredited and insured?
Is there a conflict of interest between the solicitor and the physio?
etc

If your solicitor sent you on to a surgeon would you have blindly followed that - it is the same in principle if not degree.

The guy on the phone asking about my injuries relating to the accident was not medically qualified but said a medically qualified person was responsible for the referrals.

The only potential underlying physical condition I had is the previous back pain which I mentioned to the physio when she was taking a history from me, and the GP I saw said it was probably nothing to worry about. According to him lower back pain sometimes involving a shooting sensation is normal in the general population, how true that is I haven't investigated yet.

I checked out the physio practice before going and they are full qualified and insured I know that much.

As for surgery, sure I would have seen the consultant but without diagnostic tests I wouldn't have had treatment, but the intensity of the intervention is of a different magnitude surely?

 

[Energize]

So you had a highly relevant history in the exact same region with the exact same overall symptom and the medical referrer never saw you to base a referral on etc. I am sure you can see why I am scratching my head here and keep coming back to this as not seeming correct or right.

I had never mentioned my previous lower back pain to a doctor before because of it's lack of chronicity and intensity.

When I did see a doctor he said it was normal and nothing to worry about, is there something I am missing here? When I mentioned to another doctor about possible exacerbation of the pain from the crash she replied with a nonchalant "maybe" and took no further action.

SOURCE: Personal experience
I'm afraid mate, for an anxiety problem - Therapists state that benzos are really not the way forward. Treating an acute anxiety attack with what are basically tranquilisers is said to just compound the problem. Many people believe that the only way to truly defeat anxiety disorders is to tackle the problem head on and accept the feelings of anxiety. Otherwise you just become habituated to running away from the feelings, which just makes them come back harder and stronger. Relapse is also generally worse and more common. Maybe consider seeking CBT through the NHS.

A therapist is not a consultant medical doctor though (which is who initiated my prescription), the medication has been very helpful and is 100% effective for insomnia and panic, unlike CBT which I am currently undergoing and takes a long time to work. Therapists are biased towards one particular model of treatment which for many is not effective. There is no reason to suffer for the sake of philosophy, same as with the painkillers.

 

[Energize]

If the other side were to find you have previous history of back pain they would have a field day.

Exacerbation of a pre-existing injury does not go well for the opposing party. I had severe pain as a result of the accident before any physiotherapy treatment anyway, so it can hardly be attributed to that, and she was working primarily on my shoulders and neck.

 

[Energize]

I haven't exaggerated any claim, I had severe pain as a result of a car accident which has been documented by medical professionals and will be having a scan on the recommendation of a professional to assess potential injuries so i can go back to my normal activities. Health > money anyday. It's a shame you have such malice against those who suffer genuine injuries where the other party has admitted liability.

I still dont get why you don't trust your GP?

In what respect?

 

[Energize]

I am not going OTT, the physio is being paid for by the car insurance company and so I have no major medical costs to claim for. Nor am I complaining about advice given. And I am seeing a mutually agreed independent medical doctor for assessment. Your assumptions are outstanding.

 

[Energize]

The insurance company are fully appraised of my medical history and I have liaised with them regarding costs, they said there will be no charges for the physio treatment, but may be charges for the MRI depending on the results and medical recommendations, however as I said earlier I am willing to pay the full cost of imaging to ensure the best medical treatment and the prevention of further injury. Honestly it seems like a childish and most unprofessional attempt on your part to try to get me as little compensation as possible based on your frustrations of being having to pay out compensation claims after your clients injure someone.

 

[Energize]

Hypochondriac. Drama Queen. Compensation chaser. Take the minimum pain relief, not the maximum.

Apologies for brevity, I have had a broken humerus since first of May, and last Thursday I had 5 hours of surgery, and am now on Tramadol and Paracetemol, which does the job okay. Wanna see some pictures of the 12 inch incision in my arm and shoulder, or the bruising in my hip where the bone was chiselled out to graft in my arm?

Stop being a victim .

I don't think the word hypochondriac means what you think it means...

As for pain relief I will take the necessary amount for the pain I am in, I do not ascribe to a masochistic, macho philosophy. And considering the maximum pain relief would be something like an epidural with about a dozen other drugs I don't think I was asking for anywhere near the maximum.

It would be unprofessional of you to flag hearsay on an internet forum that may prejudice a deserved claim that may or may not be related to this case. You have no way of verifying who the OP is in this regard without supplied information from OcUK. To then apply this information coincidentally is not professional. In fact it smacks of the opposite. Again if your systems are good enough the right result will occur.

Agreed, I find it hard to believe he is a professional in the field when he acts in such a manner, to put out an alert for insurance fraud because of a complaint about a medical issue on an internet forum of all places, is not in any way professional conduct and I will take legal action if such false allegations of insurance fraud are made against me. He just sounds like someone who likes to cause trouble.

 

[Energize]

I think I'll take what the psychiatric consultant, cbt therapist, GP, A&E doctor, and physiotherapists have said over your pseudo-psychology. Thanks anyway.

 

[Energize]

I was diagnosed long before I even knew of such drugs, had the disorder since I was teenager.

You do realise that if the first post after your OP had agreed with your position that more than likely 90% of the following ones would as well? You were doomed from the first reply as it set the bandwagons tune

You're probably right.

 

[Energize]

Is there a term for someone who takes a huge interest in fields in which they hold no professional qualification?

Enthusiast? Though I'm more interested in it for my own health.

 

[Energize]

Yes, MP.

I think you should talk to your doctor about all the self medicating you have been doing which is clearly negating the effects of dhc which is quite a strong painkiller, my dad takes it for his bad back. Self medication often causes more harm than good in the long run.

For the love of god, I have not been self medicating with pain killers, nothing I have taken in the past would affect the analgesic effects of painkillers, and DHC is not a strong painkiller by any means.

Don't listen to random rumors and speculations on forums, they aren't accurate.

 

[Energize]

Possibly but I can't help that. It was a severe impact though, not like one of those tv adverts.