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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2009 10:28:09 GMT
I'm starting the whole process of getting a diagnosis again today. i'm off to the doctors which is a new doctors since i last tried as ive moved house since. im hoping the nice guidlines will make this attempt run more smoothly so fingers crossed.
i will try and use this post as a diary of the process to give others an idea of whats involved and as a reminder of dates for myself
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2009 10:35:05 GMT
Brilliant, i wish you the best of luck, i'm sure you're feeling nervous, but you're armed with better info this time?? It is a case of luck with gp's
Let us know what happens, a diary would be good..Simone
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2009 11:35:30 GMT
ok so i did it i feel so annoyed and apprehencive that its such a struggle to be taken seriously which definatly isnt helped by getting so flustered the minute i step into the doctors surgery
i booked a 10 min appointment with a doctor F....n , he asked what led me to belive i suffered from adhd i gave him a list of the syptoms that effect me daily i then showed him some letters from the time i went to see the local mental health team which state that i showed signs of add and that they had offered me testing with a phychiatrist unexperianced in adhd
i asked for a referal to somewhere experianced in add he said as this was out of area that this would not be possible. i stated that from what i read it was possible for him to refere me directly even if this would require PCT funding he seemed to think that there would be no chance of getting funding unless he contacted the local team first who i know have no provison in somerset to see if they could diagnos me due to beaucrasy of the NHS
he then did a voice recorded letter to im guessing was the local mental health team though i was to flustered to ask who exatly which i regret, though he did state the nice guideline cg72 in the letter taken from ADHD in Adults GP guide and asked for the reply to be sent to him and myself
am i wrong in presuming he could do the referal directly?
am i the only one trhat thinks doctors should give u more information on the process of action there taking rather than just do the bear minimum i feel there so behind the times patients have far more information availble to them nowerdays shouldnt they be adapting accordingly?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2009 11:44:59 GMT
Not very sympathetic then?!
My gp at the time did say i would have to wait for the pct funding to come through, but wrote immediately for that i believe. That process took about 3 months but i think, don't quote me on this, he contacted the bristol clinic at the same time. It seems your gp is going to apply for funding for you?? Which is a good start & all he can do, i think thats the 1st step. Being in Somerset should mean you will probably go to the Bristol clinic too??
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2009 11:50:07 GMT
Manx I think your right to want answers, if I were nyou id ring up and ask to speak to your gp and ask for a summary of what happened during your appointment, explain you were anxious and flustered and this means alot to you, you have rights you know. It will put your mind at rest, that is what they are there for, thats what you pay your taxes for.
Its frustrating, ive had a right game getting a diagnoisis, even then he still wants to treat my anxiety levels first before he starts me on anxiety meds in January. I have in the end after trying to fight this decision just had to go along with this. Otherwise changing consultant woulfd have meant waiting for an appointment and the whole diagnostic process alll over again, with what treatment they would offer me, so I gave in. But in fairness \i only saw gp ib July so sevenb months isnt too bad i suppose at least have diagnosis.
The thing is with gp (no disrespect to the medical profession) they know a little bit about alot of things so thry arent really experts in anything, so you have to be persistant to get your view point accross. In the mean time have you tried reading up on adhd coping stratergies etc? How does adhd present in your life? what problems does it cause? or in fact positives?
Anyway please please forgive me if i seem opinionated i'm not I just want to help, ive probably said wrong thing if thats the case I apologise.
Take care keep us posted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2009 11:51:01 GMT
from what i can gather he just restarted the process ive already been through as he didnt mention contacting bristol even though i offered to supply him the address or mention contacting the PCT i tried my best to steer him in that direction but he didnt agree that it was the right process
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2009 11:55:04 GMT
How rediculous? Like MEggie has said, phone him up & explain your anxiety about the meeting. Perservere with this. Oh & tell him to look up this site, i showed my gp the clinics page on-line!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2009 11:58:16 GMT
Is there another gp at the surgery?, why dont you phone surgery and ask him if he is referring you to bristol or a pychiatrist in your area, who has knowledge on adhd. Be persistant you will get answers i promise dont let them brow bet you.
Hoiw long have you being trying to get a diagnosis?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2009 12:19:17 GMT
thanks guys yep i think i will phone the doctor and try and get more answers, i first started trying to get a diagnosis somtime in 2007.. was refused PCT funding pretty sure the phyciatrist i saw wasnt behind me when writing the letter to the PCT, was offered untrained testing and definatly no chance of referal to some one trained even if it turned out to be positive so politly refused then waited for the guidlines to come out and have procrastinated since for a few reasons i.e. the fight i already beenthrough where noone seemed to take it seriously also reading that it may take 5 yeas for the guidlines to be implemented
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2009 12:22:52 GMT
I'm right behind you Manx, you will get there, its your life they are messing with so perserver, keep me posted. Take care and keep positive.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2009 12:26:50 GMT
yeah i have tried some coping stratigies but find it very hard to get organised and dont really feel i have anyone that can give me a helping hand to get on top of things, though i do have a friend that comes over and motvates me to keep the house clean and in order which is a great help as just having someone here seems to help motivate me
though i have got a little better, now i just have tonnes of postit notes that i dont act on LOL, i dropped my acces to horticultre cource as i couldnt keep up with the essays and have started a more practical creative course of furnture making and design which im enjoying a lot more
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Post by roland on Nov 9, 2009 13:27:00 GMT
Hi Manx, It sounds as if the doctor has started the referral process, but to make sure, as the others suggested here, ring the doctor and just say you've forgotten what you were told during the appointment and then ask them to repeat it. Make sure you've got pen and paper ready and write down what they tell you and tell them you're writing it down, so ask them to go slow and repeat things! I'm suggesting this because it's a nice way of being annoying as well as demonstrating that you need a referral for assessment btw: they cannot use funding as an excuse for not reffering you! Not allowed! It's only GP's in Bristol that can refer directly to the clinic in Bristol so your GP in Somerset will have to go first through Somerset PCT. Keep us updated, and remember we here with you!
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Post by forgetnotme on Nov 9, 2009 18:49:12 GMT
Hi manx i know how you feel. i second what roland says. I would just say that saying you are anxious may only muddy the waters and not be helpful. you may well get sidelined into having your "anxiety" loked at rather than your ADHD. when I first went to see my gp I made a complete and utter mess of it. he did refer me to the mental health team though. so i played the game. Remember that your gp probably knows nothing about adhd and that puts him in a very uncomfortable place. I went back to my gp after i'd been to see mental health nurse, who also knew nothing, gp then admitted that he didn't know where to send me and that mht would have a better idea. the mental health team card was a cop out imho. so maybe you could go back to your gp and ask for a referal to an ordinary psychiatrist with the view to then being refered to a specialist. I'm pretty sure gps can make thisreferal anyway good luck with your journey my thoughts are with you.
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Post by andy12345 on Nov 9, 2009 19:34:56 GMT
Not quite............ Published last year by the authority Royal college of psychiatriasts. Also note, the Nice ADHD guideline group was partly based at RCP. A significant number of adults with unresolved depression, anxiety or addiction may actually have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a condition that has been widely considered to resolve in late adolescence. Armed with the correct diagnosis, adult ADHD sufferers could soon be prescribed Ritalin-style stimulant medications for a range of mental health problems that are not usually associated with the disorder, the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ annual meeting was told today (Friday 4 July). www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pressparliament/pressreleases2008/bank2008/amritalin.aspx
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Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2009 20:21:25 GMT
Manx im better with creative practical stuff too and im better when someone arou d to motivate me. I hate being on own and my own company, it makes me more impulsive than normal.
You sound like you are making good progress, with course and stuff, so thats really positive, its gotta get easier i'm a great believer in this.
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Post by forgetnotme on Nov 9, 2009 20:55:50 GMT
hi manx again i wrote another long post but was logged out before i could send it. enough rambling. what i wanted to say was my gp had absolutely no idea of how the system works and so could not tell me what the journey would be. in fact I knew more than him. it didn't seem to bother him though.
one thing that is bothering me at the moment though is how do I know that some one is actually qualified to give a diagnosis. Anybody got any input on this? I don't feel inclined to let just anyone dish out mind altering drugs but back to your predicament. the journey most usually is mental health team (or not if you can persuade your gp to refer to a general psych) next comes the general psych who rules out things like anxiety,depression and addition, and other problems with similar symptoms he then can refer you on to the specialist don't give in, it's a pain but I think the end rewards will be worth it.
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Post by andy12345 on Nov 9, 2009 21:00:09 GMT
As per my link in my previous post, the RCP considers anxiety a bit part of ADHD. how do you rule it out?
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Post by laura on Nov 10, 2009 18:03:49 GMT
hi manx, i saw a general pychiatrist today whos going to now refer me to an ad/hd specialist. i had to have an assessment with a mental health nurse first. its becoming a long drawn out proccess, but i feel like im getting somewhere now. good luck with the refferal
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2009 13:05:23 GMT
Thanks for all the kind words guys, ill phone the doctor and ask exatly what his plans are so im abit more clear on the process, i imagine it will be similiar to last time though hopefully with the changes in the guidlines i will have more leverage to see a speacalist after ive jumped through the initial hoops
good luck with the assesment laurac, well done with persevering with the process
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Post by andy12345 on Nov 11, 2009 14:26:24 GMT
Congratulations Laura, you are on your way.....
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2009 22:46:01 GMT
hmm not looking good so far over a month and ive recived no correspondence frrom the doctor or cmht
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2009 1:16:43 GMT
ok great got a letter today so here comes the first step of many. i got an appointment for the 26th of january which i guess from my previus experiance will be a phycoloigst who will just past me on phyciatrist so i imagine it will take around 3-4 months to get to see the phyciatrist, ive got my fingers crossed that hes uptodate on adhd or at least sympthetic to the idea
i so wish i could just get a referal from my g.p it would save so much time but he unfortunatly wouldnt agree to do it
opps just reread the letter carfully and its direct to consultant phyciatrist so thats a bonus, i will just have to politly put my foot down on not having months of trying anti depresants, though i have a tendancy to forget what i want to say and have dificulties being coherent when under pressure
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Post by andy12345 on Dec 17, 2009 1:35:47 GMT
so have you got your backing evidence together? I push the linked document below, quite a lot because it's short, highly relevant, and any psychiatrist would have big probs disagreeing with it. Armed with the correct diagnosis, adult ADHD sufferers could soon be prescribed Ritalin-style stimulant medications for a range of mental health problems that are not usually associated with the disorder, the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ annual meeting was told today (Friday 4 July). www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pressparliament/pressreleases2008/bank2008/amritalin.aspx
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2009 11:43:54 GMT
thanks andy ill print it out and add it to my pack of info
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2010 14:48:20 GMT
arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh im an idiot, recived a letter to say i'd missed the appointment its typical i worry about it for a month then it totally leaves my head before the date comes around. i also forgot to set an alert in my phone even though i thought about it more than once........... dam it. annoying thing is ive been trying to get more organised since ive found out about possibly adhd. o well cant change the past i'll phone them and make an another appointmnet, theres another 2 months wasted grr
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2010 14:53:35 GMT
the worse thing is is that its bound to set us off on the wrong profesinals dont take kindly to u missing there appointments
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Lame44
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Post by Lame44 on Jan 28, 2010 19:49:52 GMT
Oh dear, lets hope they will make you another appointment over the phone n not make you go back to whoever refferred you in the first place. I'm sure if you explain they wil be ok about it, maybe you can ask that you be considered if they have a cancellation too.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2010 12:17:58 GMT
hey guys went to the local mht today for the appointment i missed in febuary he didnt mention a diagnosis but agreed that i had signs of adhd having gone over my previous notes from my unsucsessfull attempt of diagnosis and from a few questions andd a quick questionare and has agreed to try me on concerta xl 18 mg
great news but my mind is still spinning appoint ment only ended 30 mins ago
greta that there trying me on meds but i have some concerns that thats all thats happening and that i wont get to see a speacalist but hey one step at a time
so does that now mean im officially ADD or .....
thanks for all of the support from the forum couldnt have done it with out u guys x
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Post by laura on Mar 4, 2010 12:43:22 GMT
thats great news! it sounds like you have a really understanding mht! and to get to try meds without seeing a specialist, thats good, if not a bit confusing but hey i suppose it must mean you have it or they wouldnt have prescribed meds? i dont know, good luck with them anyway and let us know how it goes ;D
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