Update on my medical centre
Having seen my clinical notes have concluded they are greater idiots than I thought.
The saga with my medical centre continues.
No rest for the wicked.
Isn’t it ironic that if we accept that stress is a major cause of disease this particular medical centre and these people have to be a major CAUSE of ill health!?
I am not seeking any redress with these people. I want no more than to make them listen to me and then exorcise them. I am going to a Chinese herbalist for my chest pain tomorrow.
Given their tendency to use every trick in the book to avoid straight answers I have decided to demand a meeting to “resolve” the matter and to combine that with a lawyers letter.
Here is the latest.
The doctor was just repeating their party line about “no heart problems” and refusing to provide a referral for the very test they had suggested for me:
To; Dr.L
I have heard from the hospital. When I explained that I want neither a gastronomy, nor a consultation they said I would have to go back to you for another referral.
Seeing you raised the barium tracer yourself I can't see why you cannot provide a referral without the need for a consultation with you.
That is what I am asking.
It seems evident to me that you wrote an electronic referral and pressed the send button before you got the okay for me.
I never asked you for this but I would be pleased to get the answers even if none is forthcoming for my main problems of persistent and debilitating chest pains as well as burning and numb feet every day and night for three years.
Yours sincerely,
Robin Westenra
***
This is the response. I will leave it up to you to make up your own mind as how the following addresses the questions I posed in the letter above.
Dear Mr Westenra,
I am sorry to hear that you are still having ongoing chest pain. The
Cardiologists opinion regarding your chest pain at the time, felt that it had
no features to suggest a cardiac cause and no investigations were required.
In regards to the swallowing troubles, I referred you to the gastroenterologist
related to the discussion we had in the clinic, to see if we could find a cause
for your pain and symptoms. They felt the best course of action was a repeat
gastroscopy and the higher dose omeprazole. Unfortunately barium swallows
cannot be ordered by us in the community.
It would be best if you could make an appointment to discuss your symptoms
to see if things have changed and what types of investigations and
management can be offered.
If the chest pain gets worse or concerning than I would advising seeking
medical attention either with us, After-Hours or the Emergency Department
at the hospital.
Regards
Dr L
***
I received my clinical notes that I had requested, albeit the emails that are in my possession were redacted out on”privacy” grounds!
They have made for fascinating reading and betray the workings of a confused mind. As I suspected the letters to Dr, L were discussed with the boss and Dr.L has received instructions.
Here is the confirmation:
Email req for notes 25/3/24 - ok to release - check with Hugh as well -
from email 25/3 - inform requires appointment if wishing for further discussion - Letter in response via James has been sent to the patient - Carol Further emails, please request he attend for either phone or inperson appointment
Further to that a letter that serves as the basis of my complaint was amazingly taken as a “cry for help” and he suggested that I had chronic fatigue.
These were Dr. Hugh’s notes to himself on my file.
He might have wanted to redact that because it reveals him to be what he is in his own words!
I am leaving the spelling etc as is.
1. Is suspect he may have myalgic encephalomyelitis as his symptoms of brain fog, exhaustion and dizziness have been present at least since 1998. I had hoped to get a fatigue screen blood test and review him re this, but he did not allow me to explan the reasons for the blood tests so they were not done. He has documented cognitive impairment with worsening on
neuropsychometric reports in 2017 and 2019. The neurologists could not give him a definite diagnosis for this, after intially labelling him as having Parkinsons Plus disease, even though he had an unconvincing somatotype for this. In 2020 neurology discharged him with "no clear ongoing neurologial problem". The possibility of frontotemporal dementia must also be considered, in view of his cognitive impairment and anger management issues.MRI head 2017 just showed mild cerebellar atrophy.
I was going to refer him to the geriatricians to review the cause for his fatigue, cognitive impairment and dizziness to make sure there were no other causes eg interval anaemia over the last 2years etc.
He is under the misapprehension that ME is a psychosomatic condition. It is not but he would not allow me to elaborate. If indeed he has this condtion it would be important to say it is not psychosomatic as he thinks the medical profession thinks psychosomatic.
I have the phone numbers for local ME support groups in his hard copy notes in storage was well as guidelines for managing fatigue with ME.I was going to give him these but consultation with me was cancelled due to his behaviour.
Absolutely amazing! He says that I am “under the misapprehension that ME is a psychosomatic condition”.
I could never have said that! It is the opposite of what I think!
I reject the whole concept of “psychosomatic illness” in principle.
But that is not what the medical profession thinks.
I am living the experience of patients who really did have chronic fatigue (that he calls myalgic encephemyelitis I saw in my acupuncture practice who were laughed at and told it “was all in their heads”
Psychosomatic indeed!
Here is some more:
He said he would not get any blood done until he sees me. He became very agitated and angry stating that i was incompetant and i got the strong impression he just wants to come in and rant at me. He was not interested in what his possibe diagnosis may be. He mainly wanted to me to explain my incompetance to him, but overall he was not rational.
I tried to explain I had spent several hours reviewing his notes back to 1998 and that I may have a medical explanation for his chronic fatigue etc but he was not interested. He saw this time spent on reviewing his notes as some sort of mendacious tactic on my part.
For the record I think he has undiagnosed Chronic fatigue syndrome since at least the early 1990s. I was going to refer him to a geriatrician to review that diagnsois and also his cognitive impairment. I ahve pined out information on managng chronic faigue and the contact numbers for two CFS support groups. However I will leave that to another GP.
He also says to himself that I have early Alzheimers. Strange how someone with 8 years of Alzheimers can write a book and articles like this one.
Similarly, people with Chronic Fatigue can apparently ride horses!
People who have real CFS will recognise the following.
This is his treatment plan for CFS!!
A treatment plan for CFS aims to relieve your symptoms to improve your quality of life. The plan should include:
a plan for how to manage stress
a very gentle exercise plan
a nutritious diet, with regular meals/snacks to keep up your energy (LOL!!!)
supplements if your diet lacks a good balance or if your blood tests indicate deficiencies
a sleep management plan, which may include medication
physiotherapy to help with pain and good breathing techniques
medication for pain
psychological input if you are particularly stressed or depressed.
If I have just one small regret it is that in my phone call with Dr. Hugh I lost my temper.
What I should have done was the most appropriate - just to laugh derisively.
What can I say except to say I am hugely relieved I never had that meeting with Dr. Hugh, still less followed his suggestions!
The clinical notes have really answered my questions but I want to hear from the “horse’s mouth” and hopefully make them squirm.
It has strengthened my resolve to get these people out of my life.