Mum ill and ignoring medical advice - help please!

[GratefullyReceived]

Hi, I’m a bit desperate for advice tonight, all gratefully received!

My mum has had stomach issues for well over a year, dairy intolerance, diarrhoea on and off, culminating in a marked loss in appetite for the past month, and fairly severe gas (mostly burping).

We managed to convince her to call the doctors finally and they booked her in for a stool and blood test. The stool test was last week and the blood test was yesterday morning. My mum then received a call yesterday afternoon (same day as blood test), telling her her ‘sample’ had some abnormalities and that she needed to go to A&E?? So she went and waited for four hours, then got fed up and went home without anything being done, not even a blood test. Now she says she’s sick of the whole thing and won’t go back. She has a morbid phobia of doctors and anything health related, and is totally sticking her head in the sand while we all fret.

I know I can’t make her do anything, but nobody is explaining things to me and I’m frantically trying to work out:

• Why she would’ve been sent to A&E by her GP? Does anyone know?
  
• Would this have been based on her blood test, can they get results in less than six hours? Or would it have been based on her stool sample from the week before?
  
• what abnormalities can they pick up from a stool or blood test that would necessitate a trip to A&E? Why not put her on the two week wait if they suspect cancer? Or could it be something in her bloods that indicated an urgent problem, like troponin levels or D Dimer??
  

I can’t find any info online and I’m sitting here scared that she might drop dead any second! She won’t talk to me about it so I have no further information than what I’ve given here.

Thanks so much for any advice.

[Pissinthepottyplease]

You can ring her GP and explain what is happening. They can’t tell you anything but they will listen and they may ring your Mum.

[Bagelsandbrie]

Could be all sorts of things being honest. Most likely either severe anaemia (which would show in the blood test and by having blood in the stool sample) or low or high potassium levels. All of those things can be easily assessed and treated immediately in A and E. (Had similar things with my Mum - she was admitted via a and e and had a blood transfusion and some potassium supplements). It’s extremely hard when people you love won’t seek medical advice but keep in mind she’s had these symptoms for a year ish and is still here so she probably isn’t going to suddenly drop down dead - although she clearly does need medical help. I agree it may be best to make contact with her Gp and explain what’s happened. Maybe they can explain to your Mum why they suggested a and e.

[GratefullyReceived]

Thanks so much for your replies, I’ve just googled high potassium levels and it sounds just like my mum. I’ve convinced her to call the GP in the morning, she’s not happy but I feel like if it’s something like that, it’s so easily sorted and would give us loads more years of happiness with her instead of kidney failure etc 😢 I think she saw the wisdom in my words thank god!!

Thanks again, you’ve really made me feel better x

[Antinerak]

Would she feel more comfortable if they came to her? It might be possible if she is highly anxious about going to the GP/A&E. They'll be able to explain to her exactly what to expect and may be able to let you or someone she trusts go in with her.

[GratefullyReceived]

Thanks Antinerak, I could suggest it if she ends up backing out tomorrow. I think she might feel a bit like a caged animal if the GP comes in to her space though - she already moaned that she’s feeling claustrophobic with us all fussing around her, ie ringing every few days, gently suggesting she get medical help as we love her and want her to be well 🙄 not exactly dragging her to the doc but I think she sees it that way!

I’m really hopeful that she will ring tomorrow, she even said she loves me on the phone earlier, which I get told about once a year! So hopefully I got through to her.