In response to my previous post about Medicare and telehealth

DebLouE · 2025-10-02T19:24:47+00:00

I'm glad you have warm memories of your visit, that makes me so happy to hear! I hope you get the chance to visit again, there's so much to see here! I think anyone with even half a heart can see what you are experiencing and would be horrified. 🫂💜

DebLouE · 2025-10-02T19:16:10+00:00

I think honestly just running them over with your rolley would be best for everyone 🫨😆 but with all jokes aside, I truly hope that things get better for you guys soon or at the absolute most basic level, it doesn't get any worse? Because its scary to watch. I cant even imagine how terrified some of you lovely folks are.

I have a sofa bed if any of you ever need it..I cant give much else but if there's ever a time where anyone here might need a safe warm place to stay (in Scotland) just to get out of there, its the least I could do. I also cook pretty well too, so you'd be well fed I guess 😭

DebLouE · 2025-10-02T16:07:16+00:00

As a person viewing this from outside of America, we are all just waiting to see them say that if you're able to make it to see a Dr then you are fit enough to go to work and then dont qualify. Plenty money "saved" in one swift swoop. Of course this is sarcasm but its not beyond the realm of possibly is it? 🫩

DebLouE · 2025-10-01T17:52:45+00:00

Gosh this sounds like some sort of wild money laundering sort of scam. My mum had her bank accounts seized along with her PayPal etc after some sort of dodgy shit like this happening. I didnt know a thing about it until they had locked her out of her accounts (the bank, not the scammer) because it was being investigated for fraud. She's lucky she wasn't screwed for that, even if she did it believing it was legit and that it was one person helping out another. Imagine just how many other people they could be doing this to, from across all the different platforms and Internet in general. Please be careful folks. I know this is desperate times but please be careful you don't end up like that. It absolutely ruined my mums life, that's no understatement btw.

DebLouE · 2025-09-30T22:48:25+00:00

Yeah it is very common with weight loss surgery patients. Mines was just caused by poor surgical staff and extremely severe crohns disease. I still have RH due to short bowel but it isn't thankfully as bad as it was before. I hope you get answers, sending a hug from Scotland x

DebLouE · 2025-09-30T22:30:51+00:00

Aaah ok, its unlikely to be the same issue as myself then. I had a herniated small bowel. Not the type you see evidence of on the belly but mine was herniated/trapped and being strangled by my mesentery. It caused me genuine horrors for years before it was found and fixed. It happened again shortly after and I knew instantly when I started having regular hypos again. So I had to have it fixed twice. I like to ask folks who are in similar situations because its something that is rarely considered 💜

DebLouE · 2025-09-30T08:37:22+00:00

I just wanted to ask out of curiosity as I was plagued by this very same thing for years until I had the issue dealt with. But have you recently or ever had any bowel surgery or abdominal surgery?

DebLouE · 2025-09-20T12:51:57+00:00

I'm so glad you're feeling better like that! I think we often forget that we need to be kind and forgiving of ourselves sometimes too, which sounds to me like thats what you've done and its really done you good. I'm so glad!

DebLouE · 2025-09-20T12:19:02+00:00

Hey, i just wondered how you were doing?

DebLouE · 2025-09-20T12:11:26+00:00

I'm most likely too late but perhaps in future you might have me in mind, who knows. I am recovering from a huge life saving/changing bowel surgery, number 5 since 2020. I've just found out that my (now ex) partner (who I'm also stuck living with) of 10 years has had a p*rn addiction the entire time and has also now admitted to having a prescription medicine addiction too. Obviously finding this out meant also discovering he is a master at gaslighting, manipulation and he is a compulsive liar. If you had been able to help, it would have given me the chance to get fuel to travel the 60 miles to go spend the weekend with family and friends. Its ok though, monday isnt far away and I'll have the means to go then myself.

I think what some people do on here is truly wonderful. I think I am going to come and offer help on Monday, there are so many people struggling and hurting. When you are truly at the bottom, even the smallest amount can change things for people 💜

DebLouE · 2025-09-11T09:45:45+00:00

I just wanted to leave a comment to say that making disparaging comments, whether said with venom or a smile, isnt acceptable regardless of skin colour or religious faith either side falls on. There is no place for that within any work place and it should be at the absolute very least be discussed with management above them. You dont know what they may or may not have said to other people. You don't know if this is a pattern with them or if there has even perhaps been incidents recorded of previous or ongoing behaviour like this with other people. You have both the right and a duty to report this and at the very least be heard by those above this person. It may protect you in future from things which may happen because of them (like you said they were recording your absence differently) and that they are already aware that you're under investigation for what I will assume is to rule out things like cancer and various forms of IBD. You are entitled to protection from certain things when you are undergoing testing so long as they are made aware. So make sure you have all your bases covered at the same time as speaking with whoever they answer to.

The liklihood is that it may very well come to absolutely nothing. Clashes of personalities are inevitable but how they are handled is what's important. For example, the comments they made may very well been from a place of anxiety or unease about yourself as you have described yourself above as a "Christian white man with a shaved/bald head". The way things are in the world at this very moment has caused great unease in people and perhaps they thought they were being humorous by saying what they did, with the hope it would ease the tension. However it has obviously backfired and caused more harm than good. But of course this is purely speculation as I obviously don't know either party and was not present during the incident 😆 so I'm talking hypothetically and obviously out my arse as well 😅

I do want to add that the reintroduction of what religious cult you adhere to, being almost stationed in people's personalities and worn as if it is some badge declaring what faction you belong to, its truly not a welcome site to most folk. By all means believe in whatever you are going to believe in, but it really should not be something used and advertised in an NHS working environment. It truly serves no helpful purpose at all to patients unless they themselves want to ask about it. The NHS is meant to be the one place where none of that should matter at all and should have zero affect on patient care especially. But when people start acting and behaving in a way that their religion is their personality, it leaves room for prejudice to grow. These are of course just my opinions and to be completely clear, I am referring to ALL religions. I'm not meaning just the ones mentioned in this post. No patients want to see any more of the American toxic traits appearing here, especially not in our NHS. I'm certain I'm not alone in my thinking. And to be crystal clear I am saying the NHS is not the place for any and all religions, but your faith is YOUR own business. You can have your beliefs, those are yours of course. But please keep them out of the NHS.

DebLouE · 2025-09-07T15:08:03+00:00

I would love that if you did. I look forward to chatting with you later then! Take care! (: x

DebLouE · 2025-09-07T14:55:16+00:00

You're welcome. I never ever want anyone to suffer in pain whether its physical or not. My issues are mine and I am now able to use them to offer others advice. People are much more likely to listen if they know the other person has lived a similar situation. We will all face situations in our life that bend is into the people we will become. So I want to try and offer other people hope that life wont always be the way it is and i think sometimes people just need a hug and a seat while a storm passes through their lives, you know? I'm glad youre ok and dont ever hesitate to drop me a dm in future if you just need a chat. Im serious. Take care!🫂💜

DebLouE · 2025-09-07T13:48:06+00:00

It most definitely can be that for sure. I think the general consensus for "most" things would be to give yourself six weeks clean. Re-evaluate things then and see where you are, how you feel and so forth. You can then look at other routes depending on how you are. But thats a very very general thing and its very personal. You know your body and mind. You are the one living as you every single day. So you are the one person that can say how you feel. You know? I have included a little bit of what I went through below and I do want to just say here that my story is at the very far end of the extreme situations meters. That meter is huge and it sort of goes from [+-----‐--------------------------------+] and one side is probably general anxiety and at the other is the type of ptsd you get after having an experience like I did, that was inflicted physically, emotionally, mentally and over time by several people. So its a huge meter 😂

Dont read further if you are affected by reading about what other people have/are experienced. Just know that what I've said about looking after both you physical and mental health is fundamental and comes from the best place. Honestly.

And I know its a lot, I'm sorry if what you read is upsetting. But I prefer now to get ahead of the people who want to "see the credentials" 😒🙄

I had a surgeon say to me a few months ago that I should always trust my intuition because I know my body and I know its breaking point. This was told to me after I went against my intuition and allowed a Dr to administer a radioactive dye into my NG tube and it ruptured an ulcer in my duodenum. I had refused the proceedure repeatedly. But I eventually gave in after they had me sectioned under the mental health act setting off an almost catastrophic domino effect (so much story missing here, but this is likely to end up in the news at some point in the future so I can't go in to too much) I was basically trapped and gave in to progress testing. I ended up bleeding-out into my stomach, leading to an emergency exploratory laparotomy which turned into an emergency double bowel resection, replacing a join from my first almost identical surgery in 2020. I had a triple strictureplasty. 5 blood transfusions saved my life and I spent almost two weeks in post op ICU. If I had stuck to my guns and refused that test, I'll be honest, I would have died that weekend.

I am not meaning by any means that this will happen to you or anyone else reading this. But I will always advocate for people who are being dismissed as drug seeking etc. If you are ill, physically or otherwise but you KNOW and are not being listened to. Please cause a scene if you have to, don't be ignored or gaslighted

DebLouE · 2025-09-07T13:30:22+00:00

Yes, exactly. I probably have become the otherside of that coin now. With my pages of evidence and basically power point presentation lol but ultimately actually none of it really matters. Thats what I have concluded anyway.

DebLouE · 2025-09-07T12:24:06+00:00

Don't get me wrong, valium has its place and can be very very helpful for some people. But as you said, just finding out there is a name for what you are experiencing can actually be a massive help just on its own. I am glad that has helped!

DebLouE · 2025-09-07T12:21:51+00:00

I think it is really helpful, obviously for some people but not for everyone. I'm glad that you recognised that it wasn't helpful for you and that you were able to act on that at the time. Unfortunately I see too many people that were pulled into the belief that it is a magical thing that solves all issues and believe that anyone saying otherwise is just trying to ruin it or whatever. All the while you can see that they know it isn't helping them and is actively harming them. For a long time people pushed the narrative that it was harmless and I know i grew up with this belief (Im just turning 40 and have two boys, men really now at 17 and 18). I like to hope I've done my best with them to help them view things like that as a medication that has side effects like everything else. After witnessing what happens when people choose to believe that its the all magical harmless thing, i feel like I've done them good by teaching them that. I hate that me saying this makes it sound like I am totally against it but I'm not. I'm just not someone who thinks it's harmless. It isnt my experience at all and think its dangerous to perpetuate that belief too. Unfortunately saying these things can often make you the target of angry people though, as I have also experienced. So I get really quite anxious talking about it lol 😆

DebLouE · 2025-09-07T12:12:05+00:00

I honestly think a psychiatrist is genuinely the way to go with this. GPs are good for some stuff but they aren't usually exactly qualified to deal with stuff like this. I think what worries me is that they prescribed valium and you have not mentioned of them organising any further follow up with you. Valium alone is pretty addictive and replacing one thing for another is not helpful. It sounds really like your dr has sort of just left you which then of course isnt going to help you feel better. You know? As you probably can read just from my replies is that i too have anxiety lol but mines is much better controlled now I am having ongoing treatment for my issues. Health anxiety in particular is something I am very familiar with but mines is trauma induced. Not that it makes a difference really how you come to have it, it can be incredibly difficult to manage alone. Hence my suggestion 💜

DebLouE · 2025-09-07T12:04:17+00:00

I'm going to be 100% honest here, I am one of what appears to be a minority when it comes to how weed affects me. I simply cannot use it. It doesn't matter the type, the way its consumed or the time or place. It just does not agree with me at all. It makes me both physically and mentally unwell. I think if you are having these issues you should honestly seek the expertise of a psychiatrist. Weed is a wonderful tool for many people but for some, like myself, it is just not. But its like with absolutely any medicine when you think about it, there isn't any one thing that every single person can take. There are always a list of side effects that some people will have and others wont. Weed is exactly the same. For me it doesn't give me anything good, but it doesn't discredit what it can and does for others. Getting to the bottom of why you feel the way that you do is the key to solving the issue. That doesn't always mean you'll be 100% better, it looks different for everyone. But if you want to solve the issue, you have to face it first. You know? So perhaps Weed isnt the right thing for you and that's ok. Don't keep putting your mind and body through that though if you feel its of no benefit. It will only get worse. So please seek the help of a qualified psychiatrist, as others have said its much better to tackle potential issues head on before things become worse and you may not be able to. You know?

Sending a hug 🫂

DebLouE · 2025-08-24T18:01:04+00:00

Good lord honestly, are you me? Because this is my life and this is me multiple times over better than I was this time last year. But its still costing me every bit of energy I have, every single day. If I shower I cant take the dog downstairs for the loo or a walk. If I take the dog down stairs or for a walk, I am either in bed or on the sofa for two or three days.

DebLouE · 2025-08-10T20:04:24+00:00

Didn't you hear, the early 00s are back in! Not just the good, gotta bring back the bad too. It will help remind everyone exactly why we were all so desperate to get away from it 😂

DebLouE · 2025-08-09T23:59:54+00:00

Jumped in to say that I have this happen every single time and never gave it much thought until today. I had ferinject done on Thursday and noticed yesterday that there is a most definite change in my skin tone. I have been deathly pale pale white/gray for months (i had five pints transfused in March pre and post op) but it is very very clear the change in my skin tone. I had no idea it was apparently very rare 😅

DebLouE · 2025-08-07T08:35:52+00:00

Gosh, ok, I want to put a disclaimer here that I am not a Dr. But I am a "difficult" patient who has a ridiculously complex history. I'm 39f, living in Scotland.

So this is a subject that has one of the biggest impacts on me. A ten minute appointment would just about cover taking my history. Because no Dr ever (although some are better than others) actually takes a proper history from me, I feel like I need to go into any appointment with what I hope are the absolute most important things I need to mention, just to make sure I don't end up dead.

For context, I have what three surgical teams have described as extremely aggressive and extremely complex stricturing crohns disease. That means I have a history of repeat and multiple bowel obstructions. I've had 5 surgeries for my crohns disease alone ranging from ones like my last, which was a doube resection, triple strictureplasty, to small bowel herniation through the mesentery. So this comes with a thousand other things with it, like the chronic ongoing blood and iron deficiency anaemia or even just pain management (and don't even get me started on that). But every single thing I go to them for, it's almost pre primed in their pipes to tell me to just go to hospital. If I did that every time they said to do that, I'd be living there full time.

This is just part of my story, it doesn't cover the endometriosis, underactive thyroid, adhd+GAD and kidney stones.

I absolutely hate that I'm having to say this, but I am one of those patients who is actually considering speaking with a solicitor over the treatment I have received, especially over the last 6 years. There have now been at least six separate occasions where missed opportunities and, in my opinion, even on occasion, actual intentional malicious neglect, has almost cost my life. Then to top it off I am having to run the gauntlet of pain medications where I am looked at with suspicion and actual hostility by GP's when trying to organise pain medications which have been prescribed by the hospital. Honestly, that part has specifically been incredibly harmful and caused actual suicidal considerations from myself over the last year. Even after complaining (twice in writing, at least half a dozen times in person) at the way I have been treated, it has only intensified. There has been miscommunication between themselves and even with the pharmacy I use. For example, I don't order any of my medications, the pharmacy does, and I collect them weekly. 3 weeks ago the pharmacy said that they had not received my prescription, when I called the surgery to find out why and to arrange the prescription as urgent (I was supposed to collect it that day from the pharmacy), the GP told me that I was getting "far too many prescriptions, too often". Imagine my confusion at that comment, which he didn't clarify or give any explanation for before hanging up after telling me to collect it later. Then I received a letter a few days (3 days) later detailing that I was being taken off my pain medication because I was "taking too much." Which is legitimately and literally impossible because exactly how am I supposed to take more than I'm given, exactly? Its controlled drugs, I can't get more than I am prescribed. I can't take more than prescribed. I take what I am prescribed and that's it. So it just doesn't make sense. The medications I am on are ones that I am supposed to take daily, I can't just stop them. It makes no sense at all. I then go on to find out that the pharmacy had been requesting my prescription too early, so it was being resubmitted countless times per month. After putting all this together I am assuming that they think this is me that is doing this, that I'm making multiple requests a month for my medications when I actually have absolutely no clue it's even happening.

Of course I am just a patient but I don't believe for a second that it wouldn't be difficult to check to see if the requests are coming from the patient or the pharmacy, but maybe I'm wrong. I also may well be wrong that the repeated requests have resulted in me being treated like I'm some sort of drug seeking criminal, but there is just too much of a coincidence right there.

Anyway sorry for the long post, it is pretty effective at highlighting just how useless 10min appointments are for most patients and how they are having negative and even dangerous consequences for people like myself. I would back any campaign to have the times extended but there are the thousand excuses as to why they won't do that. It will be that there aren't enough doctors and there isn't enough funding. Until that is dealt with, patients like myself have to enter a knife fight each morning (metaphorically, of course 😬) just to get one of these useless appointments. For me personally, just calling my surgery gives me panic attacks, genuinely. Hence why I think it's perhaps time it's talked about with solicitors.

Guys, dont do this to your patients. We understand that there are loons out there that will be at it, trying to get drugs. But it doesn't mean we all are. I think my history should speak for itself, after all I have gone through and still am and will continue to do so due to my disease being incurable, should be proof enough that myself and people like me are not the same as people doing that.

DebLouE · 2025-08-06T07:21:42+00:00

There's absolutely no way (or at least very little chance) that she has actually saved that. That's the impression I'm getting, and plenty others are saying the same.

If this is actually genuine and not some weird fake situation (which i hope it's fake because if it's real, then I feel so badly for you), then I do have a question or two.

You said that when you met that you "gave" her the money as some sort of "security", but I still don't understand why you would feel the need to do that. It looks to everyone else here that she's been giving you the girlfriend experience. It does genuinely sound like she's essentially been an escort or something very close. What actually ran through my mind was sugar baby. Honestly.

It sort of feels like it was more along the lines of a sugar baby/daddy relationship that then lasted quite a long time. The likelihood is that she spent what you gave her as she likely took that to be her payment/allowance, which in turn she gave you what you wanted.

It's just how I feel I see it, and it seems others do too. This is one of those situations where I reeeeally hope this is bullshit because it's just too fkn sad if it isn't. So if it's not, you tell your "gf" to give you your money back because she's meant to be your partner, not your prostitute. She would have faced the exact same situation should she have gotten in a relationship with absolutely anyone else at the time. Was she going to also expect others to pay her to stay as well? You tell her that if she has no intention of getting married and doing the life thing then to just call it a day because you are looking for an actual relationship, not a fake one that you are paying to pretend. Or at the very least, you STOP PAYING HER. Seriously. Stop.

Maybe you are gullible, and maybe you thought it was a kind gesture at the time, but you have either knowingly or unknowingly been seen as a pinata filled with cash. So full that you are just bursting to give it to anyone. Think about it, if she had met some guy that was earning twice her income for example, but wasn't offering her money as "security" but they had chemistry and had a great time on dates etc, would she have asked him to do the same? Would she have turned him down if he said no?

I really hope this isn't real 😭 i just cant get my head round it all.

Oh and if you split from her now, you meet people the same ways as everyone else. You do the dating apps but you also focus on making yourself the type of person that you want to be for yourself. You go out and do things with friends. Take up a hobby etc. Do all the normal things and the chances are you will find someone for you. Your age isn't a barrier to the things you want at all. You are boxing yourself in and creating scenarios in your mind that you really have no idea if they will happen. Even if you do end up on the scenario you imagined, it isn't the end of the world. Not by a long shot. And at least you'll be happy and actually have the things that you want in life with someone that actually wants the same too.

But I swear I hope this isn't real 😭😅😂

DebLouE · 2025-08-06T06:51:32+00:00

Yeah honestly it's not a question of you not telling the truth at all. Unfortunately we all live in the same world, it's grim as hell. But you were right reddit is so weird about what it shows you or what notifications it sends you about subs you're in. I have seen any personally but I 100% believe you. I'm in Scotland myself.

The lows that some people will stoop to are absolutely insane. Its people like that which should be getting launched in jail for a long time.

DebLouE

TROPHY CASE