Thank-you Dr F – Although I’m not sure UK hospitals are as up to date as Australian ones. I shall print out your GP check list, along with the above, It is all most helpful to us on the other side of the world. Maybe I should print a large amount and just post them to UK Drs.

Thank-you DT and Jolie I don’t know if it’s bullying, yes, maybe emotional bulling, I have my reasons to suspect that, or just pure arrogance.Many NHS staff are overworked and stressed too, but they are being paid to do their job and we are the patients, you know?I am a teacher, when I was diagnosed it was because I also danced and muscles had wasted so had to give it up as muscles were not supporting joints and I was getting injured and I had mentioned this However, I notice on all my letters I am listed as an ex-dancer. Maybe snobbery, thinking dancers are not very bright? The last consultant definitely talked to me like I didn’t have more than one brain-cell, maybe he thought that one was was in my feet !

I have already changed hospitals once. The 1st hospital was when Dr didn’t show up & left note.
Then Hep C nurse ‘forgot about me’ (admitted it and apologised eventually) so I couldn’t find out my Genotype or blood test
results etc After months or more of fighting for these, I changed hospital. At that hospital there is no way to contact them, you just get an answer-phone IF you’re lucky. Eventually I left a message saying ‘I do hope I don’t have to take this further’ then someone called me to say they had ‘forgotten about me’. Not that they had my notes to hand, so still had to fight for those details!

Was so much happier at my new hospital, it has been great compared to the first, nice staff, never had to wait for long, even with admin mistakes and questionable fibroscan I have been much happier there until now as I had a good consultant. To change again and set myself back to the beginning is not something I relish the thought of. and no doubt will be noted on my records. Also, I as told the new Dr ********* ‘may not stay long’ by the nurse. I could change hospital and find I’d been allocated the same guy – Arggg – The stuff of nightmares!

Re GP, He’s the nicest one out of a questionable bunch. Finding one with space around here is not easy.
I am just getting to the stage where I can hardly bear to talk to any of them, you know? but at the same time, I cannot afford private scans etc although have paid for my own blood tests recently Have found if I say ‘my consultant said it would be helpful if ‘ …. GP would offered LFTs and even VL test – However if I ask about anything, it is just poo-pooed. Sexism? Doctorism? My partner says he has never had anything like this and is listened to. I do think they are very set in their ways, in more ways than one. Maybe I should just use this prelude before saying anything.

Treatment wise I will take matters into my own hands, Monitoring wise I will sort it out, somehow – Hopefully!
ps Sorry so long!

Your experiences with this consultant are so dire that I wonder about the suicide rate of people attending his clinic.

I am not suicidal. but the ‘consultation’ with this Dr has definitely had a delayed effect on me and I am feeling down about it.
I think delayed shock.

The fact is, he made me feel like I shouldn’t have been there and am selfish to ask for treatment. Worthless.

Yes, I have decided to highlight it. I’m sure this won’t help my ’cause’ – but I feel it is important that people know how things are for some of us , especially if we dare to ask any ask questions.

My previous consultant was a lovely, kind and excellent Dr, so they’re not all the same, but I was allotted this one without any notice. I do feel they are shipping in younger, less experienced Drs to save money now.

It was very awkward because he also contradicted himself – and it became apparent to me he had lied. He knew it and I knew it. This was at the start and unfortunate – For me that is. (I did manage to keep quiet re the ‘contradiction’ and not point it out)

I have been urged to ‘press for an Ultrasound and treatment as soon as possible’ by another Dr, would rather not say who. How can I do this if I am not to be seen until minimum June 2016?

I have brought up the matter of the questionable 2nd fibroscan and this Drs reponse ws ‘There’s no o difference between 8.7 and 6.1’ .

It has made me rather tearful, you seek medical advise, wait 8 months for an appointment and they make you feel like a ungrateful beggar. I will clearly have to treat myself, although I get the feeling monitoring will not be forthcoming on the NHS.
This is not my point of principle though, that is the manner in which we are (un) – treated

Then what the hell are they there for, just asking! (apart from drawing a salary under some kind of bizarre false pretences)

My feelings exactly zhuk.
Think he was drafted in to tell patients they will not be treated yet and why. No intentions at all for a medical consultation.

I’m starting to wonder if there is something on my medical records – It’s been difficult all the way though – Excpet for one nice Dr and I originally saw him privately, but he did go the extra mile.

My first Dr after waiting for 3 months after diagnosis, didn’t turn up – He just left a note with the receptionist saying ‘He didn’t want to see me’.

Rumour has it, delays from Natco until November 16th .

Well, we are used to waiting I guess !

Great news Alsdad – So pleased for you .

Some have been told, eating before a fibroscan would make your score higher as it thinks the food inside you is part of your liver. There was an amusing debate on another forum where we all considered eating a huge fry-up before visiting our NHS hospitals ha ha ! Strange that there seems to be a pattern of NHS fibroscans in the last year coming out lower than any others taken elsewhere. I know of someone who had a 9 fibroscan and as they were worried a year or two later so they had a biopsy and suffered quite a bit after…They just got a letter back after quite a long wait saying ‘Mild’ This was the same time as I got my ‘Mild’ and when the new drugs were starting NICE approval. I believe ‘moderate’ has gone in the NHS now, it’s just ‘mild’ or ‘serious’. ie Treat v no treatment.

My experience of Fibroscan is rather hit and miss.

In 2014 I had one, the nurse said it’s hard to get a reading with very large people and very small people.
However, she was pleased that she had no trouble with mine that day and I was very underweight. Apparently the signal can ‘bounce of the rib-cage and other bones’. She said I was 8.7.

My next fibroscan was early this year. The operator said he ‘knew nothing about livers’ and couldn’t access my notes as he didn’t work in that hospital. He had terrible trouble getting a reading on me. He admitted he was in a hurry taking a machine to another hospital miles away in a taxi, but he kept trying.

In the end, he took a reading from around the back with my arm down. He decided the average from this angle was 6.1 – I didn’t trust it whatsoever. The original readings around the front were fluctuating from 4 (more center) to 9 (to the right). 9 would make sense to me over a year after original reading of 8.7 but hey, what do I know?

Now I am labelled ‘Mild’ and my new consultant doesn’t seem remotely interested in my case, whereas my previous consultant told me after taking bloods and previous fibroscan into account, that I ‘needed to treat this year’ (2014).

So that’s it, I am now apparently mild and ‘moderate’ has gone out of the window., so no help from NHS England for me !