The story below is a factual account (as far as I can recall) of how the NHS system (which I have always supported up until now) totally failed me and compromised my health. I dread to think what would have happened if I had not gone to see a private GP.
I am fortunate enough to not only be aware of my own body, but to be knowledgeable enough to understand medical terms and symptoms so that I could understand what was going on with my body and not rely on the national health system
This is my story
About 4 weeks ago I went for a check up at my NHS GP. My blood pressure was very high (I had been up since 5am, had a bath, did an hour’s work, made the kids pancakes for breakfast, got them dressed and then struggled to get the kids to school on time). I was told to go back next week for another check, which I duly did.
Now, as my grandmother died of a stroke when she was younger than me and both my parents had high blood pressure, I was happy that this was being taken seriously. On my second visit my blood pressure was high again (another stressful day), I saw a locum and was given a prescription for beta blockers and told to come back in 2 weeks to have my blood pressure checked.
The next day I did my own investigation!
Firstly the UK guidelines are that beta blockers should not be given as the first treatment for high blood pressure, it goes
· In hypertensive patients younger than 55 (which I am), first choice initial therapy should be an ACE inhibitor.
· If initial therapy with an ACE inhibitor doesn’t work, add a calcium channel blocker
· The decision not to recommend Beta-blockers for first line therapy is based on evidence that suggests that they perform less well than other drugs
Perhaps there there was something different in my case? I suppose if they worked then I would have no complaint; but they didn’t, as you will see.
Secondly, if my blood pressure was so high (which it certainly was) there should be some investigations to see whether there had been some organ damage and/or whether there was a cause.
That week I started to feel bad. I started having hot flushes, I felt extremely weak, I wasn’t working very well and I certainly wasn’t getting up at 5am to work and make breakfast. By the weekend I felt terrible and was convinced that something else was going on with my health: was the high blood pressure a symptom of something more sinister? I took myself to accident and emergency (a whole story there! but I will leave this for another time) on the Sunday (with my family, books and snacks in tow). Four hours later (an hour after I sent the family home) it was agreed that my blood pressure was very high indeed, all essential blood tests indicated that there was nothing urgent happening and I was advised to go back to my GP as my symptoms were most likely an effect of the beta blockers and that and they were not authorised to take me off the drugs.
Monday morning back at the Dr I explained exactly how I felt, asked why I had been put on beta blockers and asked whether I should be tested for organ damage and if there was a cause for the high blood pressure. The Dr did listen and assumed I was neurotic. She gave me a print out all about blood pressure, what it means, what effect it has etc (I had read all this and more the week before) and told me not to get a blood pressure monitor as it would drive me mad. She kept me on the beta blockers, but did authorise blood tests, an ECG and a chest X ray (this definitely wouldn’t have been done if I hadn’t asked and I am still waiting for the chest x-ray results).
I came out thinking perhaps I had been panicking, perhaps I read too much and had imagined the symptoms (my blood pressure by the way was a lot higher than when I first presented). I went straight out and bought a blood pressure monitor!
That week I didn’t get any better. The symptoms persisted and my blood pressure at worst was 220/110. I couldn’t work properly and was quite tired (I won’t say very tired as that was yet to come!)
Another week went by and I decided that the pills were not working, something was definitely wrong and that I couldn’t see my Dr as she thought I was neurotic, so I went back again and specifically asked for another Dr who knew would listen. I asked her why I was on beta blockers and she said it was because I had seen a locum!
She took me of the beta blockers and put me on calcium inhibitors (I was doing the UK guidelines in reverse) and told me that the side effects of these were ankle swelling and flushes. I asked whether the ankle swelling was due to fluid retention and she said that it wasn’t and was due to dilation of blood vessels (this was wrong - yes I looked it up!)
Now things started to get really bad. Progressively over the week I got extremely ill, nauseous, and lethargic. I was going to bed at 8pm and couldn’t drag myself out of bed by 8am. I couldn’t think properly, my vison was fuzzy and I was dizzy when I moved my head. I cancelled all my work appointments and my husband had to take time off work to get the kids to school and pick them up (he started to just work 10- 2pm). One day, shopping my vision became very fuzzy and unfocused, I had a cold clammy feeling like I was going to collapse and had to sit on the floor for a long time in the shop, and I just couldn’t get up. I called the surgery for an urgent appointment, but there were no appointments left and they wouldn’t come and see me. I forced my way home (by car) and gave myself lots of high sugar food and water to keep my energy up. This was a Friday, so no chance of seeing the Dr until Monday. I called my husband to come home from work as I couldn’t manage and took myself to bed for the weekend.
Monday morning at the Dr again. (I didn’t take my pills that morning, and intended to take then a bit later in the day after I saw the Dr) I asked for the sympathetic Dr, but I think she had had enough of me. I told her all my symptoms and implied that I shouldn’t be on the calcium inhibitors because: -
· My blood pressure was too low,
· My gut was killing me,
· I had constipation for a week ,
· I couldn’t move my eyes without extreme pain,
· On one occasion my eye had swollen up for about half an hour. ,
· I told her that I almost collapsed
She said that the eye pain was due to sinuses, the eye swelling was due to an allergy of some sort, my dizziness was due to an infection and I had had constipation about a year ago and so it was unlikely to be due to the drugs.
She also said that I was unhappy with the last drugs too and that she wouldn’t take me off these ones as well. I did point out that the last ones made my blood pressure worse.
She then wrote me another month’s prescription of the calcium inhibitors (after taking my blood pressure, which was no longer low - is anyone surprised!,)
So to recap
· I was given beta blockers straight away for my symptoms when I should have been put on ACE inhibitors
· Not once was I advised to see a Dr after I was first prescribed beta blockers, each time I was advised to just come back and get my blood pressure checked
· I was only given further tests because I asked for them
· I was only taken off the beta blockers because I asked to be
· When I got so bad that I couldn’t move I was told that these symptoms were nothing to do with the pill, but I had a viral infection, an allergy and sinus problems (which I had never had before).
Now, I knew it was the drugs, but I am not medically qualified and I am a compliant patient. So I went straight on to the internet when I got home and found a private GP. This wonderful woman actually listened to me, looked up the drug that I was taking in her handbook, told me that my symptoms were due to a combination of low blood pressure and the drug side effects, measured my blood pressure and told me it was dangerously low and to come off the pills straight away! She also asked why I was put on beta blockers and why I was on calcium inhibitors now, as this goes against the UK guidelines!!! What could I say except that I know and thank you?
It is almost a week later and I am due to see the private GP in three days time. My blood pressure is 130/80 (just measured it) and has been around this since the day I saw my new marvellous GP. I feel normal again! I dread to think what would have happened if I had stayed with my NHS GPs advice. Would I have organ damage by now?