Have you ever had your GP need to think about something?

Posted by 20127010603170562316@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 34 comments

I had an appointment this morning, doctor noticed a rash on my face. Immediately pointed it out, cheers doc. The reason I went in was another skin condition on my leg.

I was prescribed some cream (azaliac acid) and that was that. I got the cream and realised it may not be suitable for my leg thing. I called the surgery to confirm what I should be applying it to.

Got a message back from the Doc basically saying "that cream is for your face, I will think on the leg issue and get back to you"

I like my doctor, not trying to dunk on him. It's just a little strange I got a prescription not for the issue I went in for. And he's going to have to ponder the thing I did go in for.

I've never known him, or any other doc need to "have a think". Have you experienced this?

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Sufficient_Hotel9599@reddit

They’re general practitioners, not specialists so it makes sense they would have to look things up.

I’ve seen GP’s where they’ve had to call in a colleague for second opinion while I was there and to be honest I’d much rather have honest GP that are willing to go the extra and look something up than one who tries to wing it.

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ToastedCrumpet@reddit

Yeah I’ve had GPs get a second opinion before when I’ve had orchitis and you’re damn right I’d rather they did that than pretend they know everything lol

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20127010603170562316@reddit (OP)

I think they just wanted to look at your balls

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ToastedCrumpet@reddit

I’ve a cracking pair swinging down there tbf must’ve had dozens of doctors look at them by now

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20127010603170562316@reddit (OP)

Oh, I appreciate he's giving it a bit of thought rather than just prescribing anti fungal / steroid / whatever.

Medical staff are only human too.

I think one of the funniest things I've experienced was getting a mega-zit lanced, the nurse was like "can you hang on a minute, I know a doctor that would love this!" She went and got a doctor who did indeed seem to love popping that thing.

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Sufficient_Hotel9599@reddit

😅 I had something similar in Liverpool A&E, nearly ripped my big toe off but the muscles, tendons were all good it was just dislocated bone and torn flesh the nurses were amazed and kept calling the other staff into see how clean the injury was

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cake_and_guilt@reddit

Can confirm medical staff in EDs do this. I'm not a nurse but am a HCA in an Emergency Department and when we have seen a particularly interesting injury, we ALL go to our colleagues with an excited "you wanna see the foot on the guy in bed 5!" 😂

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imtiramisu2025@reddit

I had a doctor look at my results before and say to me I dont know what to make of these. So I had to re book after he had spoken to another GP on best action.

I guess its better to admit you dont know than do something wrong.

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20127010603170562316@reddit (OP)

I guess its better to admit you dont know than do something wrong.

Yes, I even say this in interviews and it usually gets a smile and a nod.

Luckily I don't deal with peoples health, but I do respect the not knowing. It was just unfamiliar to me :)

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ARobertNotABob@reddit

Few of us know everything in our respective fields.

When something is anomolous to the norm's you have experienced in yours, don't you "have a think about it"?

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20127010603170562316@reddit (OP)

Absolutely! I guess an illusion was shattered slightly today lol.

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Equal_Training_6924@reddit

My GP saved my life by asking for more tests, and insisting that I be seen by a specialist, so I have NO problem with doctors not pretending to be all knowing.

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20127010603170562316@reddit (OP)

My doc is insisting on blood tests. I have been putting it off for a very long time. I'm more scared of the results than the needle. I drink and smoke too much, and have a crap diet.

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hint8@reddit

Surely when you're at work you have had problems that you immediately don't know the solution to?

He was probably just asking a colleague or colleagues to get a consensus on diagnosis and then management. Other GPs might have just started one treatment, to see if it got better and reassess. Neither is an incorrect way of doing things.

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20127010603170562316@reddit (OP)

Oh of course. And I trust my doctor completely, if he didn't know right then I'm glad he waited and gave it some thought.

It's just not something I've experienced with him in ~25 years, and I have seen him a fair bit in that time! Usually he nails the diagnosis right away.

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Majestic_Egg204863@reddit

I went through a phase of getting recurring water infections, the worst being 8 infections in only 4 months. My doctor prescribed me a different antibiotic but then he I realised it had penicillin in it which I’m allergic to. There was a few mins silence as he stared the the screen and I asked him something and he said “I am just trying to think about what antibiotic I can give you” He had to think about it a lot before he came to a decision!

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Okimiyage@reddit

I’ve has doctors Google or look up on medical databases during my appointment. Most recently was the list of oral contraceptives to look at active ingredients, for example.

Before widespread internet information, doctors used to have books in their office they would use to look things up. I’m 35 and specifically remember a doctor looking something up in a book as a kid.

Sometimes things don’t have typical presentations and more than one differential is needed. In a ten min appt that sounds like it also addressed your face rash, and a non life threatening presentation, no harm in the doctor doing due diligence than making a guess and prescribing something unnecessary imo

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Low-Captain1721@reddit

Yeah - I'm mid forties & remember GPs in my teens having paper copies of Mimms etc.

With many GPs it feels like very little thought actually goes into it - more observation & then they work through a diagnostic IT flow chart which also suggests a list of potential medication which is filtered for contraindications.

This often falls flat for mental health matters and you realise how limited GPs training actually is

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Okimiyage@reddit

Yeah unfortunately I’m a patient who’s both medical and mental health has fallen outside of the textbook examples, so I’ve experienced the shortfalls of GPs personally :( good point!

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Ancient-Awareness115@reddit

I made a comment to my gp about one med in a family of meds being rumoured to be better at not causing weight gain. He hadn't heard that, but did research after I left and then told me a few days later that I could switch

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Rextherabbit@reddit

many years ago now, but had a couple of issues that Dr couldnt get to the bottom of immediately, and they tried calling a colleague first whilst i was still there. Couldn't get through so Dr took some photos and asked if it would be OK to call me back in a couple of days as he wanted to ask some other people before starting to try treatments.

Was OK with this as it wasnt causing pain.

Following evening got a call from Dr asking if I could come back in on a specific day as a colleague from another surgery wanted to help. So I did, and between them they came up with an action plan that sorted things OK and now if it comes back I have a few different things to try to manage it myself (which 9/10 times has helped).

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Blank-Hedgehog@reddit

I’ve not had that but I have had a GP argue with me over the advice and treatment offered by my urologist.

He was adamant I was wrong and I couldn’t possibly have had the treatment I claimed I had had. I told him the treatment was on a clinical trial but he insisted it didn’t exist and I was wrong.

Then he opened the letter from the urologist outlining exactly what I had already told him.

I know GPs aren’t the total authority on everything and they can’t be completely up to date with everything but he wasn’t prepared to listen to me at all.

Same GP also called my child’s school nurse an idiot for mistaking an allergic reaction with something more sinister.

Needless to say, we don’t see him anymore.

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L-0-T-H-0-S@reddit

The rash on your leg isn't fitting standard diagnostic quick pattern recognition tropes, whereas the rash on your face is.

Yes, though usually most things present themselves readily to a GP occasionally a few things need further thinking about just to ensure a correct diagnosis.

I had something as a kid, my GP has only ever seen one case like it before and he'd literally been around since before dinosaurs became petrol. That took him a couple of days to confirm it was what he suspected.

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Brilliant-Figure-149@reddit

When you say "need further thinking" I hope you don't mean "ask chatgpt".

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Difficult-Break-8282@reddit

more like bust out one of the thick medical books on the shelves or doing a deep dive on the online versions etc

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Timely_Egg_6827@reddit

Or calling some friendly doctors as to have you ever seen something like this?

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20127010603170562316@reddit (OP)

I hope doctors don't use chatbots. They have their limited places, but I have not once had a ai bot tell me I am wrong. Which is concerning because I often am.

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Biceratops1@reddit

GPs specifically don't know everything, they know a little bit about a lot of things, they often have to look things up/ consult colleagues. That said he could've quickly done that before messaging you back.

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20127010603170562316@reddit (OP)

He literally just got back to me with another message. He wants to try a strong steroid, but the message said do not let it touch unaffected areas and not the face.

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Timely_Egg_6827@reddit

Good doctor. I like a doctor or vet who will think about a problem and research it rather than just fob you off with steriods, pain relief and anti-depressants. No one knows everything off the top of their head but they have the skills to research. You have found a gem of a doctor.

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20127010603170562316@reddit (OP)

He's been my GP for 25 years now! He is honest and sincere.

And you're right. He did not know the answer right then, but will look into it.

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