I was first guessed by a previous Dr, when I had a chest infection. He said it was a cold/flu and wouldn't give me antibiotics, quite rightly. However, when this cold/flu hit its 3rd month of coughing up green slime, he still refused to do anything other than suggest cold remedies, well even I started getting suspicious. 2 more months and it took a visit to his surgery whilst it was being covered by a locum for a positive move to be made. The locum ordered X-rays, did some cultures and decided that I might have tuberculosis. I was practically packed for the sanitorum (alright, clinic) when he called round with the result of the X-ray and said I had pleurisy. A lot less life threatening, easily treated with a broadbase antibiotic and not infectious. Trouble is, because I'd had it for so long unchecked, it took a while to shift, and left a permanent scar on my left lung. This has left me susceptible to infections, I acquired asthma (unknown in our family previously) and made me a lot less tolerant to a lot of broadbase antibiotics (I was prescribed 5 different varieties over 8 weeks at one point.... it took a while to discover that while I'm not allergic to penicillin, I am allergic to the penicillin substitute...). The Dr was reprimanded for leaving me for so long without a proper investigation, but as he was fighting a neglect case with a heart attack victim who died (he'd said it was wind and prescribed Gaviscon despite previous attacks) it didn't really make an impact. I left shortly after that.

Going to a different Drs can sometimes save your life, because sometimes the same Dr just sees your name and (in one case with the above mentioned Dr) has you already diagnosed before you open your mouth. Mine had a prescription written out for me before I'd even sat down. Turned out it was the wrong prescription, but he'd written it out and I got it anyway. I wanted the Pill, he gave me antibiotics as well - without telling me that the two counteract each other!!

LTS