Update

Well, so much has happened today since my previous entry.  I was exhausted and fell asleep for three hours.

As you know I had got nowhere with previous attempts to get help.  Thanks to advice to phone NHS Direct, things changed.  Firstly I spoke to a very nice male nurse called Andrew who asked me lots and lots of questions.  He then assessed me and said, in his opinion, I needed to be seen by a doctor today.  We told him we had tried but to no avail.  He spoke to Mike and told him to go back down to the surgery and tell them that I had been assessed by him and he stated I need to see a doctor.  He told Mike that if that got him nowhere, then to demand to see the practice manager and put in a formal complaint.  If the practice manager was not helpful then to threaten them with taking this matter to the medical authorities.

Poor Mike, he has done such a lot of running around, but off he set again.  He was gone sometime when the phone rang.  A female voice asked my name and I told her.  She introduced herself as Dr. D and she spoke to me on the telephone as though I was a human being.  She told me she understood anxiety and agoraphobia completely and that if I could find the courage within myself to go down there she would be waiting for me, I could go straight into her room and not have to sit in the waiting room.  She talked to me for fifteen minutes encouraging me and I found myself agreeing.  So Mike returned and on legs of jelly I was able to make it to the surgery.  How I walked from the car park to the inside of the building I will never know.  I was shaking and my legs were like rubber, I felt as if I were in a complete dream!

I got into Dr. D's room shaking and crying and she was so kind.  A  small, middle-aged woman from South Africa.  She let me calm down a little and took my pulse and she agreed it was racing alarmingly.  I spent around 50 minutes with her and she regularly checked my pulse and eventually it did settle down to an almost normal level.  She assured me that this is anxiety and that although it is very unpleasant, it is not likely to kill me.

We moved on to how I felt in general.  I told her this had all started after I had the flu and I still felt I had an infection all the time.  She listened to my heart and paid particular attention to my lungs, felt my glands etc. and said she was not surprised because I have a chest infection that is probably also in my head.  She prescribed anti-biotics immediately which I have to start later tonight.  She took my blood pressure and said, yes it is high so she increased one of my medications by 4mg.  She is not going to do anything with my Diabetic medication at this time as she wants to see what difference there is in my body when this infection has gone.

So, for the moment, a slight increase in blood pressure medication (which might have to be reviewed and something different prescribed) and anti-biotics.  She read all through my computer records whilst I was there.  She was appalled that I have had no blood tests, no urine tests, no appointment with the chiropodist, no foot check at the surgery.  She told me that the surgery had failed me abysmally!!!!!

When I told her that Dr. R had probably not authorised blood tests probably because he knew I could not get to the blood testing clinic to have them, she said that was unacceptable.  She then asked Mike if he could get to the local hospital blood department by the time they closed.  Mike said he could, so Dr. D took my blood herself there and then, no fuss, no complaint, no "we do not do this here".  So my blood is already at the hospital.  I have to collect urine samples for the next three mornings and Mike will take them to the surgery for collection by the hospital courier on Friday.

She gave me a hug, she said she was so pleased and proud that I had made it down there.  She promised me she will get my blood pressure and blood sugar under control and then she said when that is sorted out, she wants to work on my anxiety and my agoraphobia.

It is a very long time since I encountered a doctor who really cared.  So, my friends, maybe I have turned the corner.  Your prayers all seem to have worked if not in the way I expected.  But they do say that God acts in mysterious ways.

How do I feel tonight, relieved somewhat although I still havethe anxiety which hasbeen building for weeks, very tired, exhausted in fact and aching all over from tension.  Also I have chronic heartburn.  Just like my mother when she was really stressed, it appears to have gone to my stomach .  Anyone know a good cure for heartburn, one diabetics can take?  I am a little worried about that now because I have only had this  during the last couple of days and only, it seems, in the evenings and it is extremely unpleasant.  Had I had it when I was at the surgery I would have mentioned it, but it only came on after I had eaten tonight just as it did last night.  I had not had it all day.  Oh well, stress can do all sorts of funny things.

I know that antibiotics can put your blood levels up so Dr. D had advised me not to test my blood for the next couple of days and give myself a rest and a break unless I feel really unwell. She assured me that although the blood glucose levels are much higher than they would like they are not at danger point and when she saw my sore fingers from repeatedly taking tests......... stop she said, enough. Give yourself a break from it.

So, we hope the antibiotics work, we hope the heartburn goes away, we hope I have turned the corner. Dr. D. asked me if I would like to stay under her in the future and naturally I have agreed, I would be a fool not to.  She even said that if necessary she would see me after hours so that I need not wait around.  I told her I have no confidence in the other doctors, I spoke frankly, especially when she proved on the computer that the doctor I normally see had lied about the results of one of my tests!!!  Unbelievable isn't it.  Well, I shall not take that any further angry though I am.  I do not want to get Dr. D into trouble. She was wonderful with me, so caring, gave so much of her time and gave me hope for the future.

To sum up, I am still going to feel rough for a couple of days until the infection is under control.  She said if I want to sleep then sleep, not to overdo anything, try to relax as much as possible and see how I go on the increased blood pressure medication. I have to go back for another bp reading in two weeks time.

Thank you once again for all your encouragement, yourprayers, your phone calls.  I have said it before but it bears repeating, you are the best there is.  I thought of all of you when travelling down there and knew you were all with me.

Let us hope I feel much better soon. I had to use this graphic siggie because it represents your prayers for me.  My love and gratitude to you all.