Dr Richard Powell

Dr Richard Powell 2024-04-16 Person 1 5 0

If I could give 0 stars I would. Starting in April 2023 I began developing hives (some red, some white), varying in sizes, all over my body. I also developed swelling (severe) to my hands, finger pads, lips, throat (causing cough and wheezing) & feet. My GP initially had no idea what it was & put me on Predisone steroids (multiple times), the course of steroids would end, the symptoms would return. My GP referred me to NHS immunology, and in the meantime advised me to take 40mg Loratadine a day (this did nothing). I was then prescribed 180mg Fexofenadine (this did nothing), then upped to 360mg Fexofenadine (this did nothing). My overall symptoms are: Hives to scalp, face, neck, chest, breasts, stomach, back, arms, legs, hands, fingers, feet, toes (causing my skin to itch & hurt). Swelling to lips, hands, finger pads, throat, feet (hurts to walk, or use hands). Cough with shortness of breath and wheezing (whenever my throat swells). In my own time, I noticed a pattern in my symptoms. Every single hive flare up (EVERY SINGLE ONE) would happen just after I ovulated, right before the start of my menstrual bleeding began and would typically end approximately 3-4 days after my period ends. I raised this with my GP, and the possibility of this being Autoimmune Progesterone Dermatitis (Progesterone Hypersensitivity) - my GP agreed that it matched perfectly. Due to the long wait for NHS Immunology, I decided to book a private consultation with Professor Powell - that was a dire mistake. Within 30 minutes, Professor Powell told me that I was a ‘perfectionist’..I am not (which seems to be a major trend in these reviews). He also states that perfectionist type individuals often get this condition (unsure what he based that information on). He advised me that I suffer from ‘spontaneous urticaria’ and stated that it was my fault that my symptoms are ongoing (1 year post initial flare). Professor Powell stated ‘doing it to yourself’ & ‘it’s psychological’ and that I should seek psychological assessments. He stated ‘take your foot off the pedal, take a step back, relax’ & ‘give 10% less at work nobody will know’. He stated ‘I can’t believe your partner hasn’t kicked you in the shins when you start showing hives’ - stating my partner needs to get me back in line when I begin showing signs of any flare up, as he believes this is indicative of psychological symptoms. I raised my thoughts about it being linked with my menstrual cycle, Professor Powell’s comments were awful. He stated ‘ladies are worriers’ & ‘ladies will be more likely to worry around their period’. For reference - I work a simple 9-5 desk job (at home too). I do not overwork myself, and I continue to work, however if I’m having a day where my throat is swollen, I will have to adjust my working role, and will not use the telephone. My work is extremely accommodating and understanding. I live in a small 2 bed flat. When I am having a flare up, I can barely move from room to room by myself due to pain, my partner will have to assist me a great deal. I am also asthmatic, I have experience with shortness of breath, wheezing & asthma attacks, and how to deal with those situations. For a Professor to state all of the above labelled symptoms are psychological, is horrific. I have an understanding of myself, my state of mind & my body. I am not prepared to accept Professor Powell’s disgraceful comments. If you are a female, I highly recommend you do NOT speak with Professor Powell.

Dr Richard Powell 2022-10-21 Person 5 5 0

I found Professor Powell to be absolutely fantastic. He unpicked my problems with ease and made me totally reassess every aspect of my life to make it better. I was suffering from hives and angiodema and he pretty much nailed the reason and treatment methods to help me. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him to others and saw the other reviews and thought I should share my experience.

Dr Richard Powell 2020-07-07 Person 1 5 0

I’ve just come across these reviews after discussing my dismissive treatment and incorrect diagnosis by a Professor of Immunology, some years ago. I didn’t mention his name, but I was amazed when the person I was speaking to asked me if the Professor was Richard Powell. She said that she knew it must have been the same person because the words that he said to me (that I’ve never forgotten) were almost identical to those that were said to her. To say that she wasn’t impressed, either, is an understatement. I was suffering from immediate allergic reactions to many things, with swollen face and lips, flushing, difficulty breathing, light-headedness, nausea and low blood pressure. I was also collapsing on getting out of bed every morning and had to crawl to the bathroom, with the room spinning, while trying not to pass out and/or throw up. I couldn’t stand in one place for more than a few minutes without suffering from pre-syncope (almost fainting). I also had wheals on my skin where my clothes pressed on it. I thought a Professor of Immunology would be the most qualified person to diagnose my illness. Half an hour after meeting me, doing no tests whatsoever, not even the most cursory physical examination, and knowing absolutely nothing about my previous life, character, or background, Professor Powell told me that I was ill because I “suffer from low-self esteem” and made totally unsubstantiated statements about my character, going right back to how I behaved at school, decades before. All things which he couldn’t possibly have known. I hadn’t even referred to them once, and he’d never met me before. (I have never suffered from “low self-esteem”). During the consultation he asked if I suffered from pain and I said “No”. Fortunately, I had no pain. At the conclusion of the consultation (as I said, doing no physical examination or tests to rule anything out, or in) Professor Powell told me that I had Fibromyalgia. I knew that the word ‘Fibromyalgia’ meant ‘muscle pain’ (myalgia = pain) and I’d already told him that I didn’t have any pain. When I pointed this out he replied “Oh well, CFS then.” (CFS = Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). He went on to say that there was no cure and told me to buy a book on CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - a psychological therapy). Professor Powell wrote to my GP, saying that I had Fibromyalgia, which was put on my medical notes. As a result, no further tests were considered, as I had a diagnosis from an eminent Professor. It wasn’t until years later that I was referred to another specialist who, immediately, recognised my symptoms of collapsing when getting out of bed and inability to stand in one place for more than a few minutes as POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome). They also recognised that the wheals on my skin and allergic reactions were caused by Mast Cell Activation and that I have features of hypermobility that are consistent with EDS (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome), which predisposes sufferers to POTS and Mast Cell Activation. I can forgive Professor Powell for not recognising EDS, as it wasn’t well recognised by the medical profession at the time, but my description of allergic reactions, including episodes of flushing, swollen eyes and lips, low blood pressure and wheals on my skin (which the doctor who took the trouble to examine me, several years later, identified immediately) should, surely, have alerted a Professor of Immunology to the fact that something immunological was going on and, at the very least, warrant some investigatory tests. I still struggle to understand why Professor Powell diagnosed me with Fibromyalgia, in spite of me telling him I had no pain. Why did he believe that these debilitating, physical symptoms, including wheals on my skin, allergic reactions and pre-syncope on standing were caused by “Low self-esteem”, especially when I told him that I have never suffered from low self-esteem in my life, and why did he direct me to CBT, a psychological therapy, which he said was the only treatment for my condition, when Fibromyalgia (which I don’t even have) isn’t a psychological illness? Out of desperation, I did try CBT. I gave it everything I had, as Professor Powell had told me that it was the only treatment that could help me. The CBT, which continued for several weeks, consisted of me being told to imagine that I didn’t really feel ill and that my symptoms weren’t stopping me from doing anything that I wanted to do. I, desperately, wanted it to work, as I wanted my life back. Of course, it didn’t make the slightest difference, apart from (temporarily) making me even more disheartened, because it didn’t work. The consultation was not only a complete waste of time and money, but lumbered me with a diagnosis of something that I didn’t even have, preventing further investigation, for years.

Dr Richard Powell 2019-10-20 Person 1 5 0

Terrible experience, very abrupt rude and totally uninterested, at least in this profession you would have thought doctors should have a caring attitude but this appointment seemed more like a money making situation.

Dr Richard Powell 2019-02-20 Person 1 5 0

I recently saw Professor Richard Powell and left his office extremely upset. He did not listen at all to my issues and jumped to a conclusion that I am a ‘perfectionist’ and expressed that I am therefore causing my own allergies. He did not therefore do the necessary checks he should have done. He charged a fortune for unnecessary tests and I wish I’d read the reviews on here before seeing him! Avoid. You will leave no further forward with your treatment.