I went to the doctors last week — exhausted, overwhelmed, and carrying a long list of symptoms that have been making everyday life harder than it should be.
But apparently, I was only allowed to talk about one of them.
Just one. As if my body can be split into neat little boxes. As if all these symptoms couldn’t possibly be connected. As if I didn’t spend days working up the energy to finally ask for help.
So I chose one symptom — the one I thought might be taken seriously — and that became the focus. I was prescribed a new medication… from the same class as something I already take. I asked, “Is that even safe?” He said yes, quickly, like it was nothing.
I asked, “What about the other symptoms?”
His response: “Let’s just deal with one thing at a time.”
But I’m not a list to be ticked off in pieces. I’m a whole person. And when your symptoms might be connected, treating just one thing isn’t progress — it’s a delay.
Frustrated and honestly close to tears, I walked straight back to reception and asked for another appointment — this time with someone else. After a bit of a wait and some persistence, I managed to get a slot with a different GP that afternoon.
And thank god I did.
That second doctor didn’t blink when I said I wasn’t happy about the first appointment. I told her I wasn’t sure the new medication was right — and she agreed. She said it wasn’t appropriate. She increased my usual medication instead, and more importantly, she took immediate action: an urgent scan, urgent blood tests, and a proper plan to start getting answers.
All of this could’ve been missed. Brushed off. Delayed — again.
It shouldn’t take two appointments and a fight just to be taken seriously. But here we are.
If you’re struggling, keep pushing. Ask for someone else. Don’t let anyone make you feel like your health has to be divided into bite-sized, manageable pieces for their convenience.
You deserve better. We all do.
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