Category Archives: NHS patient experience;

Active Patient, bone marrow biopsy, Crohn's Disease, follow-up letters, GSTT, gsttnhs, haematology, NHS patient experience;, outpatient appointments

The Importance of Follow-up Letters

Follow-up letters from appointments are an important part of your health records. They should contain what was discussed with your consultant, any conclusions arrived at or changes in medication etc. By default Guy’s and St.Thomas’ write to your GP after each appointment and copy in the patient under cover of a note that states “this is primarily a communication between medical professionals” (which I think is another way of saying “you probably won’t understand all the words we use”).

Now it has to be said that not all Departments stick to the “default” and I have had a couple of occasions (both with the same department) where the lack of letters caused issues. This is where my blog posts recording the latest appointment have proved more than just an exercise in self indulgence and why I read them prior to my next hospital visit.

The first time this happened was in March 2013 when I attended a regular appointment and was greeted by a doctor I hadn’t met before. We went into one of the side rooms where my notes were open on the desk. He introduced himself and said that he had been reading the notes to familiarise himself with my case. I had been hoping to see my usual consultant as I liked continuity and had issues with the lack of follow-up letters that I needed to raise with them. Unfortunately they were unavailable for that day’s clinic.

The new doctor said that, having read my notes, it was apparent that the condition I was suffering from was rare and started to discuss my low platelets. He noted that I had last been seen in October 2012. I stopped him in his tracks and said this was a clear reason why up-to-date notes and follow-up letters were so vital. There had been two further appointments since October and the platelet issue had been “parked”. A new, far more serious, condition had arisen – PVT (Portal Vein Thrombosis). This was now the priority.

I explained that this was an important appointment for me as I was expecting to run through my risk profile and at the end of it make the decision on whether to start blood thinners. My regular consultant had said they would discuss my case with th Department’s Warfarin expert, one of the professors.

At that point I started to think that this was all going to end up badly. I needed to kick start a reaction so I asked whether the professor was in the unit that day and what I needed to do to see her. Clearly this was never going to happen but it was worth a try! The doctor said that he would see if he could speak to my original consultant.

A few minutes later he returned with another consultant. I recognised her name as my clinic letters always stated that I was under her ultimate care. Putting two and two together she must have been the next one up the food chain from the doctor I usually saw. I went back over my expectations from this consultation. She explained that she worked closely with the “Warfarin Professor” and they jointly reviewed patients.

She ran through the risk factors and having looked at my notes and results, on balance, she would not recommend Warfarin yet. As far I was concerned it was the “right” answer. If there was a low risk of clotting then I was prepared to take that risk to avoid having starting yet another medication. Decision made, no Warfarin.

A month later I was still awaiting the missing follow-up letters. Time for some further action. I sent an email to the head of department (whose address I found on their web page). I apologised for contacting her directly but explained that raising the issue in clinic was having no effect. I added: “I thought it was therefore best to go straight to the top so that you can delegate any necessary actions…….” and briefly explained what had happened at my last appointment.
I hit the send button and got a very prompt response, 20 minutes later, apologising and saying it would be looked into.

The four missing letters arrived shortly afterwards, with an apology. I checked their contents against my blog and they were accurate records of the appointments.

From the above I’d like to pass on two thoughts : 1) that keeping your own record  is important and can prevent a waste of your time and a waste of NHS resources going over old issues that are already “parked”; 2) if you are having a problem with getting follow-up letters then go to the top and ask for their help. I have found those four little words “can you help me?” have opened up many situations whilst negotiating the pathway s through the NHS.

(I’ll leave the account of the second missing letter issue for another time. Suffice to say that I could have ended up having a third bone marrow biopsy! Not something I would recommend)

Crohn's Disease, NHS patient experience;, NHS treatment

A Patient’s Dilemma(s)

When 10th October 2018 arrived I had reached the 8th anniversary of my ileostomy. When I left hospital I had learnt two things about potential future surgery – the average time between operations for Crohn’s patients is 10 years; recovery time is improved by the fitness and weight of the patient but increases with age. Based on these two principles I set myself  the target of boosting my exercise and reducing my weight to around 80kg so that should I need to go under the knife again then I was in the best possible state for a speedy recovery.

Having taken the decision to retire early the exercise is mainly physical work around the garden, mucking out stables and taking long walks photographing London (when the opportunity arises). I’ve been achieving my targets and feeling “very well”. There have been a few “blips” along the way but these would come under the heading of EIMs (Extra Intestinal Manifestations – see previous posts). I’ll stick with “very well” from a Crohn’s point of view.

…and then a few weeks ago the unplanned visits to the bathroom started again. They had been happening sporadically over the 8 years, lasting a day or so on each occasion. so at first I wasn’t concerned about the latest occurrence but when it  reached the third day, without any improvement, it was time to take action. I emailed my gastro consultant to ask his advice. “Ask your GP surgery if they can carry out stool cultures to look for possible infections and C diff” was the reply. Yes, my surgery could do the necessary tests upon receipt of a fax!!! from St.Thomas’. (A fax? How last century. What’s wrong with an email?)

I went and saw a GP who suggested increasing the Loperamide to the maximum I’m prescribed – 12 daily. After a further couple of days everything returned to normal. When I went to collect the test results they were negative so, as usual, nothing to explain the problem. However one of the GP’s receptionists commented that she hadn’t seen me for a while and thought I didn’t look well. She suggested I should see a GP again. There was a slot that afternoon and after discussing my case  I suggested that a blood test might be a good idea (having not had one for over a year).

When the results came back there were no real surprises except for my Hb which was 112. When I checked my previous results I had been around this level for 2 years. To me it seems low and the Ferrous Fumarate I have been taking for many years has had no effect. (Is it not supposed to be a short erm measure to correct an imbalance?`) I had mentioned it before to both my consultants and GP and it did not seem to cause them any great concern.

Call it serendipity but I just happened to see a conversation on Twitter between an eminent Professor (who specialises in iron deficiency) and one of the BBC health programme presenters that tend to dumb down health issues for the masses. His point was that simply taking iron supplements was not the solution to the deficiency. I joined the conversation and mentioned my particular issues. I got a prompt and unequivocal reply – “You, sir, need treatment”.

…and so to my dilemma(s). How much store can be put in my feeling well and being able to carry out any activities I wish to undertake? Do I really want to undergo another range of tests in an attempt to explain, for instance, my calprotectin level of 1300? I’ve already been through  multiple colonoscopies, biopsies and scans – all showing no evidence of the Crohn’s having restarted. Is “do nothing” a viable option or would such a “pathway” not even be contemplated in some institutions? Do I want to start taking a new drug treatment for my Crohn’s just in case it is becoming active? The standard treatment would have been a maintenance dose of Azathioprine but that has already attacked my bone marrow and caused my platelets to plummet. The most likely choice would now be one of the biologics with the possibility of going through a long trial and error process until the right one is found.

…and my final dilemma is how to broach the subject of opinions I have read on Twitter, not even some medical web page, without giving the impression that I do not trust my present treatment.

Active Patient, hospital consultants, NHS patient experience;, NHS treatment

..but why the Octopus?

When I was looking for a book title and a name for my rejuvenated blog I wanted something slightly “off the wall”. Whilst I was writing the chapter about surgery looming I came across the consultant’s explanation of the CT scan he had in front of him. “It looks like you’ve got an octopus in there.” That set my imagination running and I pictured the scene in theatre where the surgical team had “released the octopus”, cut out the offending bit and then wrestled the remainder back, safely, into my abdomen.

Search for title over and seed of idea for book cover sewn.

As I neared the end of writing it occurred to me that there was a second octopus to be wrestled. It’s potentially a problem for all of us that suffer from chronic illnesses, namely, managing our route through the multiple tentacles of the NHS system with multiple consultants, procedures, specialities and clinics. Add to this the lack of a universal patient record system that can be accessed in different hospitals and it is apparent it’s not necessarily a simple process.

Life was simple when being treated by one gastro team at one hospital. It wasn’t until 2010 that another hospital entered the equation as my local hospital were unable to cope with the complexity of the forthcoming surgery and referred me to St.Thomas’.

This calls for a diagram –

My Personal Octopus

Some “tentacles” act in a co-ordinated manner; others seem to be a law unto themselves. Some tentacles communicate well with the others, unaided; others need a helping hand.

For example, if you’re booked to go for a procedure, let’s say an MRI scan, then it makes sense that your next gastro appointment is after the radiologist has written the follow-up report. Similarly, if you’ve had biopsies taken during a colonoscopy, you want the results to be available before you meet your gastro. This is not rocket science but if not co-ordinated then you simply end up wasting valuable appointments, consultant’s time and, just as importantly, your own time.

In the past I’ve let the system take its course but with mixed results so now I like to give it a helping hand. This is getting more difficult with the apparent demise of the dedicated medical secretary. For several years, when the frequency outpatients appointments and procedures had reached its height, I had the pleasure of dealing with a truly exceptional one. Let’s call her Sally. Any issues would be quickly resolved by a  simple exchange of emails. Sadly she left the NHS.

Nowadays I contact my consultant directly, but sparingly. I don’t particularly like doing it as I know he is already exceptionally busy. I can justify this approach to myself as in the long run time/resources will be saved by avoiding abortive appointments.

I suppose you could now say that I am “massaging the octopus” rather than an all-out Greco-Roman grapple.

 

 

 

Active Patient, Crohn's Disease, medical graphics, medical records, NHS patient experience;, patient empowerment, Patient Leaders, presentation

The Jigsaw Diagram

If you have read some of my previous posts or followed me on Twitter it is likely you have seen my “jigsaw” diagram in its various incarnations. I drew it, initially, to try and understand the relationships/causes between the various conditions I have ended up with and to make sense of 30+ years of medical records which I obtained, in one go, from three Health Authorities. The notes were a mixture of handwritten ward notes, typed letters and a raft of pdfs on CDs. I was amazed that they stretched all the way back to 1977.

Medical Records – from 1978 onwards

The diagram started out very simply.

Crohn’s Jigsaw – Version 1

It then dawned on me that it would a good way of showing a new doctor or surgeon the complexity of my case on just a single page. This second illustration is the first development of the early version.

Early development of first diagram

I attached this more developed version to a Tweet during a #patientchat to illustrate how I like to communicate. The very positive response that I received from both patients and doctors was very gratifying. There were a number of requests for the template I used. I have therefore removed the text that was specific to my case and saved the file in both the original Keynote format and a Powerpoint format.

If you click on the links at the bottom of this post you will be able to download the appropriate file. Please feel free to use them however you wish. I hope you find it useful and would be grateful if you could credit me if you use it.

This template should get you started on mapping your medical history

Here’s the version of the diagram taking the story up to April 2021

…and here’s the most up-to-date version, taking the story up to March 2023. You will see that it has had to undergo some redrawing to fit everything in!

…and at one point someone set me the challenge of making an interactive version. Taking the initial, simple diagram I added more “nodes” that when clicked would open up the relevant documents or test results.

The link below will take you to a web based version, although it has not been updated for a while. It was not too difficult to set up but needed a knowledge of “mapping”. The most time consuming part was redacting personal details from the documents.

https://www.wrestlingtheoctopus.com/MedRec

…and then taking it to its logical conclusion, and with thanks to the example set by @MightyCasey, who sadly passed away earlier in 2023, here’s a temporary QR tattoo. It does work. Try pointing your smartphone at it.

…and finally I decided to see how easy it would be to animate the Jigsaw to tell the story in 90 seconds. (This is not based on the latest version). Here’s the link :

Crohn’s Jigsaw – The Movie (1080p)

Templates

Medical Jigsaw – Keynote Template

Medical Jigsaw – PPT Template