A&e, doctors or wait it out?

I hope the test results are back quickly

That sounds miserable. But on the bright side you're now in the right place and will get an MRI to figure out what's going on. Whatever happens and no matter how long the wait don't go home. Wait until it's been done.

I am so sorry that you are still in so much pain. Please don't call yourself silly. You're in a lot of pain and that can cloud your thoughts.

I am really pleased you are in hospital. It's the best place for you.

See if you can get more pain relief. Ask your husband to speak to someone.

Please keep us updated and I hope the MRI is soon.

@Compash Sorry to hear you’re suffering. I get what you mean with the nerve issue.
In my case, I asked my GP to refer me privately to a Rheumatologist as I have Osteoporosis. There was an 18 month delay in the NHS.
My Osteoporosis treatment was changed & the Rheumatologist referred me for a pelvic & lumber MRI. All the issues were then revealed. Additional I had severe arthritis in my right hip, which was bone on bone, all contributing to the pain.
I was then referred to an Orthopaedic surgeon who replaced my hip, again privately, as there was such al long NHS wait.

Hope you're OK OP.

@justasking111 and @DemelzaandRoss , please could you tell me how one goes about getting a private MRI and is it very expensive? I've had a pain behind my knee for 18 months which constantly 'crawls' with irritated nerves and wakes me from sleep, but when a couple of months of physio didn't work, I was pretty much shrugged off... an ultrasound was mentioned, but they're guarding those like dragon's gold...

@justasking111 Same here!! Though our local NHS isn’t in special measures.
I was in agony with my lower back when I went to A/E in June. Once Cauda Equina was ruled out they weren’t interested.
I now know I had a compression fracture, bulging disc & arthritis thanks to the private MRI.
I’m hoping the OP will get better treatment & some drugs that work to help her pain.

I had to go private for an MRI and consultant Privately for physiotherapist. My health board has been in special measures for eight years. Last year the auditors Ernst Young found they had mislaid 122 million, creative accounting at work.

My GP has admitted I'm on my own on this journey. So I do my exercises religiously, praying that I don't reach a crisis meaning I'm admitted to hospital with cauda equina.

Hope your being seen today op. I had a weird vibrating sensation in my leg and was referred pretty quickly for a mri. In fact I had two. It was bone pushing into my spinal cord.

The difficulty here is that 111 and 999 have quite similar triage tools and outcomes - if the triage tool suggests ambulance outcome isnt indicated it doesn't matter which you call you'll generate a no send/sign posting outcome. So whatever the caller said to 111, if says the same to 999 they'll tell her they're not going to send an ambulance as well. So it's not that you need 111 permission to call 999, if the triage suggested ambulance then there would be no need, 111 would pass to 999.

It's quite likely if 111 generated a no send/make own way, that 999 would as well. Of course they only go on what you tell them so if that changes the outcome changes. The original call taker is not allowed to over ride what the computer triage outcome suggests, but if the caller refuses this disposition then they would flag the call to be recontacted by a clinician - that person can override the triage tool if they choose. Callbacks should be 1-2hours but can be as long as 24hrs depending on demand.

This! Good luck Op.

How are you feeling this morning? If you are in so much pain then you should call an ambulance. People call ambulances for things they shouldn’t but you need one

Hopefully you've gone now. For what it's worth I'm a paramedic and as you've described your worsening symptoms for me that's clearly an A&E presentation. If it is Claudia equina sounds like you're well beyond the treatment window now so hopefully not that, but there's other things it can be which would still be treatable.

As for whether it's for ambulance assistance or not if you truly couldn't get there in a car then yep sounds reasonable too.

I would say though that if you are able to walk/lay in the car thats personally the option id advise - symptoms you describe will often code cat3 (111 triaged you as ambulance not required so 999 could even have same outcome). You could easily wait around 6-12 hours, even then 999 may still send you a taxi or private crew limited to advising you to take paracetamol/ibuprofen. If an ambulance does arrive yes whatever the cause they can make you more comfortable for the journey, but then if you can stand and walk once at hospital you'll likely be guided to the waiting room to book in yourself as if you'd made own way (handover times in most areas are multiple hours, crews cant be waiting and lots of pressure to use self handover and get back out to see another patient). - some areas at certain times are even pushed to use self handover for every single presentation if handover not taken at 45mins, at its absolute worst there's been septic patients with severe dementia been left on chairs in waiting room (effectively there's been a paradigm shift in guidance: it's no longer "do no harm" it's "do the least harm" - the theory is we've got patients this unwell/dieing alone in houses across the country waiting hours for an ambulance - it's justifiable to abandon someone in a hospital surrounded by people and medical staff to get to the unseen patient.

I've had chronic sacroiliac joint issues and nothing shows on XRays. Not much does with the spine/pelvis. You might been SIJ stabilisation surgery.

she might have gone in, but good response imo

perhaps your dh could get a wheelchair once you get to a and e

Did you go to A&E OP? Hope you're getting help.

Come on OP, what is it you actually want? I had exactly the same symptoms as you and slept on the cold hard seats of a&e overnight because I knew something was wrong. I had my mri at 9am, I was in surgery at 12 for Cauda Equina. The hospital can’t help you if you don’t go.

Lots of people can't sit up in a&e. They'll prioritise you and get you a trolley and assess for pain relief straight away. Call an ambulance though. Former nurse here and generally not a "go to a&e" person, but this is an ambulance/ a&&e situation.

I’ve had herniated disc problems and muscle spasms that make standing, walking, sitting absolute agony. The times I’ve needed the doctor, they’ve always asked straight away if I have any of the following symptoms, numbness, weakness in legs, problems with bladder or bowel. I know they’re ruling out CE before deciding what help I need. OP you need checking straight away. Hopefully it’s not and good pain relief and anti spasmodics will relieve the horrible pain, but you have to rule CE out as lots of others have said. Good luck.

Go to A&E. Say you have symptoms suggestive of Cauda Equina Syndrome. Don’t leave until you get an MRI lumbar spine. If you’re actually febrile they need to consider spinal abscess. But you need an MRI pronto. Should be done within 24h according to guidelines.

A&E Consultant here

If your piss is boiling you should go to A&E.

You should mention to them too that you’re having trouble with reading comprehension.

My friend went to A and E with severe back pain, shooting pains in her legs and difficulty peeing. She wasn't taken seriously.
It was cauda equina and she's now registered disabled.

Go to A and E.

She reported trouble peeing. The potential impact of a condition which could leave her paralysed or permanently impaired outweighs all other considerations. She has had back pain for 15 years. This pain is sudden onset and significantly different with additional issues. Something has changed and it has the potential to be serious. If that isn’t an emergency I don’t know what is.