Thank you Amelia. I will do that. Just didn't want to appear to pushy, you know what we're like.

I always feel like I am pushy aswell.

I remember once I handed in a stool sample at the morning and then I noticed on the NHS app that it said 'telephone appointment with dr .. at 12:30, reason: stool sample' and I was waiting until 2pm and then I sent a message wondering if I should expect a call.

Then a receptionist called and said, 'it was admin who called the dr to send off the stool sample'. That explained it so much, I was thinking surely I wouldn't get my results on the same day. Then the receptionist asked 'did you send the stool sample this morning?' and I felt so embarrassed ahaha.

Sometimes I think we shouldn't be embarrassed though, it is our health after all.

xxx

So true xxx

I do try to remember that all the staff are humans aswell so I'm sure they'll also be worried if they started having symptoms and waited for test results.

It feels lovely when they validate our feelings. I remember the first time I had symptoms, I had 2 phone appointments where the doctors didn't seem to care but then I had a face to face appointment with a different doctor.

I was so nervous when I walked in and then she said that she had read the notes from my phone appointments about my symptoms and it did upset her. She might have just said that to be welcoming or maybe she imagined having the symptoms herself, but I really appreciated that. I'm thankful she's my allocated usual GP now.

Another time, I had to book an urgent blood test at my GP surgery, as my specialist told me to and the first receptionist I talked to didn't seem to believe me and told me to call the hospital but the hospital then told me to call the GP again as the GP needed to have requested it before referring me.

I called back and it was the same receptionist and she was annoyed saying the consultant should have requested it if it was really that urgent and she said she'll send a message to my doctor. 

A different receptionist called me back to book the blood test and she acknowledged that I was on the 2 week wait. She apologised that I had to be running around that morning. I really appreciated that because I was feeling so drained.

Little acts of kindness do really make a big difference.

Don't be embarrassed to call the surgery they are able to look things up for us, we would do it ourselves if we could. I had a blood test on Wednesday and the staff including the nurses seemed to have changed. Hopefully for the better. 
Some biopsies take a longer time due to the lab they have used and the volume they have through them, l waited 5 weeks for my biopsies following surgery.

Take care l hope the results are good 

Susie

Thank you x