GP's reluctance

She was probably trying to stop you going somewhere unregulated and potentially harmful. I would listen to her , she might be right.

What course was this a referral to? I am only aware of referrals to Slimming World.

you are very fortunate that your doctor asked you about your bowel,urine even physio for hip!

was this 'referral' something you were going to pay for?
surely you can understand that any GP has to be cautious about something a patient brings them form an online source!

Your GP was being rigorous and looking after your wellbeing, I would have taken up the offer. Losing weight is only one part of trying to stay healthy.

I was looking at this only an hour ago.
I don't know what's going on.
Do the surgery have to pay I wonder?

www.england.nhs.uk/digital-weight-management/

Is this the version in Scotland?
www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/12-week-weight-management-programme/#:~:text=Welcome%20to%20our%2012%20week,in%20a%20healthy%20weight%20range.

I can see why a GP may need to check if you need to shed any weight or not.

If you need to lose weight the only way is reducing the calories and cutting out anything with sugar plus restricting fat to a minimum and doing more exercise. I don't trust the injection it has to be a different lifestyle. There is no quick fix. I am overweight because I eat things I shouldn't, I know it but am weak and the extra weight causes me problems. No one can do it for me. Monday I started again, all the bad things out of the house, not easy with Christmas coming up. Not going up another size.
Pipdog, try to start today taking control. On the apples and pears thread, they are so supportive, even someone like me. No one finds it easy but the support really helps.

Allsorts, I don't think the OP wanted an injection.
... I certainly don't.
I would be interested to know more about the NHS weight loss programme though.

NotSpaghetti

I was looking at this only an hour ago.
I don't know what's going on.
Do the surgery have to pay I wonder?

www.england.nhs.uk/digital-weight-management/

Is this the version in Scotland?
www.nhsinform.scot/healthy-living/12-week-weight-management-programme/#:~:text=Welcome%20to%20our%2012%20week,in%20a%20healthy%20weight%20range.

This link is helpful too
www.england.nhs.uk/2024/04/nhs-online-weight-loss-programme-highlighted-as-a-success-in-new-study/

The above links are for a different course, this one is called Oviva here is the link oviva.com/uk/en/how-it-works/ and is backed by the NHS but delivered by someone else. The GP might be paid to refer me so will not cost them anything. I am definitely in the obese category with a BMI of 37 and one glance would be enough to know I should loose weight and we have talked about it in the past but I didn't fit the very narrow criteria of the other course, this one is broader and does offer medication if needed, not that I would go down that route. I do understand that the GP hadn't heard of this as it does seem to newish but I gave her a letter that explained everything, (including the may pay £11.50 to the GP). She only glanced at this letter so I had to keep pointing out what it said. The tests she was offering had nothing to do with the referral and I was rather taken aback when she went down that route.

Allsorts I have tried other ways to lose weight but as I can do little or no exercise because of the CFS it is extremely difficult for me. By joining such a programme I am hoping they can give me some hints and tips I haven't thought of.

Allsorts I agree- since I joined the Apples and Pears thread two weeks ago I have lost 5lbs!

Only finding the right lifestyle changes for yourself will help. Expecting other people to do it for you is not going to help in the long term.

Someone close to me has just been taking off weight loss medication because they didn't lose any weight! They just saw it as a chance to eat more!

Now they're being offered injections which they don't want so they've lost weight so they can go back on the weight loss tablets.

It's a crazy world for sure.

You could have just asked her what it was that made her want to investigate those things 🙄

I've no advice to add to you Pipdog, but I hope you'll be able to manage your weigh-loss regime.

I thought this thread might be about GPs being reluctant to refer a patient to a consultant as quickly as they could.

Last August, I went to the GP with severe stomach pains and constipation. She prescribed laxatives for a week, which worked to some extent but the pain was no better. She then put me on the 2-week pathway to be seen by a consultant. After about 9 days I was offered a telephone consultation on day 14. But by day 12, having been unable to eat for days, and with the pain ever worse, I asked my DD to take me to A&E. I had a CT scan and other tests. Next morning I had an emergency operation for suspected bowel cancer, which involved taking out half by colon including a tumour.

I have made a good recovery, but I can't help wondering why the GP didn't send me for a CT scan straight away. Might the process have been less painful and traumatic if she had done so?

I was referred by my GP to 12 weeks free at Slimming World. I know that not all counties have this arrangement. I was reluctant at first, but hey, it was free.... so went. I've done the 12 weeks and just signed up for 12 more. So far, near

Oops. . Posted too soon...
So far, nearly 2 stone down! Pleased I went.

nanna8

She was probably trying to stop you going somewhere unregulated and potentially harmful. I would listen to her , she might be right.

Surely, that is unlikely, as the NHS approve of the scheme OP had found.

I should think it likely either that the GP did not know much about it when she first spoke to the patient, or due to her work-load did not want to have to write a referral, which would entail reading up on the scheme.

But we can guess for ever, can't we? We have no chance of knowing as OP didn't ask her doctor why she had been hestitant.

Romola

I've no advice to add to you Pipdog, but I hope you'll be able to manage your weigh-loss regime.

I thought this thread might be about GPs being reluctant to refer a patient to a consultant as quickly as they could.

Last August, I went to the GP with severe stomach pains and constipation. She prescribed laxatives for a week, which worked to some extent but the pain was no better. She then put me on the 2-week pathway to be seen by a consultant. After about 9 days I was offered a telephone consultation on day 14. But by day 12, having been unable to eat for days, and with the pain ever worse, I asked my DD to take me to A&E. I had a CT scan and other tests. Next morning I had an emergency operation for suspected bowel cancer, which involved taking out half by colon including a tumour.

I have made a good recovery, but I can't help wondering why the GP didn't send me for a CT scan straight away. Might the process have been less painful and traumatic if she had done so?

i do hope you are recovering well and your prognosis is good.

We have a similar experience of doctors not being willing to refer people to consultants, not with your catastrophic illness, but DH developed a pinch nerve that meant he was in such pain he could not work, could not drive, could not do anything. For six weeks we kept going to the doctor who just recommended paracetamol.

When we asked for a referral we were told there was at least a six week wait and it could be some months. So we went private. Within a week we had seen a specialist, He wrote to the GP immediately recommending different high strength painkillers, which, to be fair, she immediately prescribed. DH had an MRI which showed that the problem was caused by collapsed neck vertibrae, and a few days later he had three steroid injections in his neck given with xray guidance to where the injections should be. That was 10 years ago and he is still fine, but i still do not understand why the GP was so unwilling to send him to a specialist.

I’ve been with WW for 25 years, gold member since 2008. I know GPs can recommend WW. And I think you get free membership, or used to, if it is via that route. The diets are mainly eating healthy food and can vary depending on each person and their needs. They have changed over the 25 years. There are ones for all kinds of health and emotional variations and you get a lot of support from the group leader and other members, some of it online.

Thanks for your responses. My surgery doesn't do free WW or SW, not even sure there is a WW class in my area. The SW one is 15 mile away and at funny times for me. To be honest I don't buy into that sort of weight loss as other people I know that have gone down that route have put weight back on as soon as they stopped going, it didn't change their way of eating. That GP has been a bit reluctant about things before so seems par for the course with her. The reason I didn't want physio is because I have had 2 different experiences with that team with both making things worse rather than better so I would rather steer clear of them if possible.

Romola

I've no advice to add to you Pipdog, but I hope you'll be able to manage your weigh-loss regime.

I thought this thread might be about GPs being reluctant to refer a patient to a consultant as quickly as they could.

Last August, I went to the GP with severe stomach pains and constipation. She prescribed laxatives for a week, which worked to some extent but the pain was no better. She then put me on the 2-week pathway to be seen by a consultant. After about 9 days I was offered a telephone consultation on day 14. But by day 12, having been unable to eat for days, and with the pain ever worse, I asked my DD to take me to A&E. I had a CT scan and other tests. Next morning I had an emergency operation for suspected bowel cancer, which involved taking out half by colon including a tumour.

I have made a good recovery, but I can't help wondering why the GP didn't send me for a CT scan straight away. Might the process have been less painful and traumatic if she had done so?

I am so sorry you went through this and hope you are well now.

Every NHS Deanery in the country has different rules , which are formulated by well informed committees who know and understand what their region can offer.
Not all regions have the same experience or expertise or staff to run these things.
As a GP I would be very reluctant to refer anywhere like this , despite the proclamation that it's NHS supported.
Basically, some of these organisations etc tell lies and they aren't verified or reliable.
They do much more harm than good.
Please, don't be naive and taken in by these promotions which promise the earth.
They're the modern equivalent of the " snake oil salesman "
If your GP was reluctant she had a jolly good reason and you are wrong to bully her to do something that is likely , at best, to be useless and ,at worst, harmful.
Most GPs , like myself, really want to do the best for our patients but often that's not always what you think you want or need .

Mirren I did not bully my GP but asked if she would refer me, she didn't give me any reasons why she didn't want to. The company asked for blood results as well as height, weight etc. If my GP had said what you have said then I would have accepted her response.

Mirren - sometimes GPs just don't know things
They can't know everything - I have pointed things out to my GP on occasion. One went away and read a paper I'd found and came back and told me why it wasn't relevant though it did look relevant at first glance.

Sometimes they say "no" (or yes?) for purely pragmatic reasons.
Sometimes they may not have reasons - they "just do it this way" because a "way" has evolved.

Asking questions (and being an engaged patient) is not bullying!

If your GP was reluctant she had a jolly good reason and you are wrong to bully her to do something that is likely , at best, to be useless and ,at worst, harmful.

I think this is rather rude and ill informed to be honest.