Would you go to A&E for a cough?

It unfortunately almost always seems to be the same way with cancer. and it's absolutely an emergency too when time is essential and not spotting cancer can cause all sorts of serious complications without even considering disease progression.

With my son, A&E very briefly considered a bowel obstruction (coffee ground vomit which is a classic symptom) but quickly moved to appendicitis until it was dismissed by the surgical registrar and then decided that it had to be gastroenteritis. I knew it wasn't that and was repeatedly dismissed and it almost became like an obsession that it was gastroenteritis. He was also triaged incorrectly despite having a heart rate of 160.

It got to the point that a NG tube was inserted because he was vomiting so much despite anti sickness meds and even when nurses raised their concerns about a possible bowel obstruction, the surgical registrar dismissed them too and stuck to gastroenteritis despite the fact that he was obviously vomiting fecal matter at this point.

It was then finally accepted that he did have a bowel obstruction and needed a transfer to a hospital who could do the surgery but by that time, he had septic shock, declined rapidly and had a cardiac arrest. He just made it to the hospital he went on to stay for 10 months at, they call him a miracle. That hospital was fantastic.

Obviously the cancer causing the bowel obstruction couldn't have been avoided but if they had listened to me, he wouldn't have developed septic shock which delayed his cancer treatment and caused so many other issues. They did a scan too late, if they had done it before dismissing a bowel obstruction then it would've been a whole different story.

Triage missed my DH’s lung cancer twice. Once in A&E and once in a walk in centre. Coughing, short of breath, but because he had shoulder pain (a recognised symptom of certain lung tumours) they told him he had a trapped nerve. No X-ray, no tests, just painkillers and a referral for physio. He did have a trapped nerve. Caused by the tumour they’d have seen on an xray.

Triage missed my DH’s lung cancer twice. Once in A&E and once in a walk in centre. Coughing, short of breath, but because he had shoulder pain (a recognised symptom of certain lung tumours) they told him he had a trapped nerve. No X-ray, no tests, just painkillers and a referral for physio. He did have a trapped nerve. Caused by the tumour they’d have seen on an xray.

It does need to be better but it already misses very serious things and we need to be careful not to make it worse in an attempt to make it better.

Absolutely not.

A&E = accident and emergency.

Don't be that dick. You have a horrible health issue but you just need to either wait it out through the correct channels (GP, referrals, tests etc) or go private.

Don't clog up A&E. It is absolutely not meant for people who can't get a GP appointment, are a long way down a waiting list, have a long-standing issue etc. It is for people who are suffering something in the moment, that is a serious issue, and needs immediate medical attention.

You can wait. Horrible to be waiting, yes, but that's life.

The fact you're even considering A&E is crazy and a reflection on how people have zero idea how to use the resources we have.

Absolutely not.

A&E = accident and emergency.

Don't be that dick. You have a horrible health issue but you just need to either wait it out through the correct channels (GP, referrals, tests etc) or go private.

Don't clog up A&E. It is absolutely not meant for people who can't get a GP appointment, are a long way down a waiting list, have a long-standing issue etc. It is for people who are suffering something in the moment, that is a serious issue, and needs immediate medical attention.

You can wait. Horrible to be waiting, yes, but that's life.

The fact you're even considering A&E is crazy and a reflection on how people have zero idea how to use the resources we have.

Absolutely not.

A&E = accident and emergency.

Don't be that dick. You have a horrible health issue but you just need to either wait it out through the correct channels (GP, referrals, tests etc) or go private.

Don't clog up A&E. It is absolutely not meant for people who can't get a GP appointment, are a long way down a waiting list, have a long-standing issue etc. It is for people who are suffering something in the moment, that is a serious issue, and needs immediate medical attention.

You can wait. Horrible to be waiting, yes, but that's life.

The fact you're even considering A&E is crazy and a reflection on how people have zero idea how to use the resources we have.

Have had some tests done for gastro as the GP initially thought acid reflux, have literally today been referred for chest x-ray and lung tests.

Have you had endoscopy ? a camera down your throat ?

Absolutely not.

A&E = accident and emergency.

Don't be that dick. You have a horrible health issue but you just need to either wait it out through the correct channels (GP, referrals, tests etc) or go private.

Don't clog up A&E. It is absolutely not meant for people who can't get a GP appointment, are a long way down a waiting list, have a long-standing issue etc. It is for people who are suffering something in the moment, that is a serious issue, and needs immediate medical attention.

You can wait. Horrible to be waiting, yes, but that's life.

The fact you're even considering A&E is crazy and a reflection on how people have zero idea how to use the resources we have.

Absolutely not.

A&E = accident and emergency.

Don't be that dick. You have a horrible health issue but you just need to either wait it out through the correct channels (GP, referrals, tests etc) or go private.

Don't clog up A&E. It is absolutely not meant for people who can't get a GP appointment, are a long way down a waiting list, have a long-standing issue etc. It is for people who are suffering something in the moment, that is a serious issue, and needs immediate medical attention.

You can wait. Horrible to be waiting, yes, but that's life.

The fact you're even considering A&E is crazy and a reflection on how people have zero idea how to use the resources we have.

Absolutely not.

A&E = accident and emergency.

Don't be that dick. You have a horrible health issue but you just need to either wait it out through the correct channels (GP, referrals, tests etc) or go private.

Don't clog up A&E. It is absolutely not meant for people who can't get a GP appointment, are a long way down a waiting list, have a long-standing issue etc. It is for people who are suffering something in the moment, that is a serious issue, and needs immediate medical attention.

You can wait. Horrible to be waiting, yes, but that's life.

The fact you're even considering A&E is crazy and a reflection on how people have zero idea how to use the resources we have.

Had a cough for 7 months. Have had some tests done for gastro as the GP initially thought acid reflux, have literally today been referred for chest x-ray and lung tests.

It has gotten to the point where I cannot stop coughing. Literally having fits of coughing every few minutes and this lasts from the minute I wake up until the minute I go to sleep and sometimes throughout the night too. I also feel unwell with it and I’ve felt unwell since the cough started at the beginning of the year. I feel like I can’t cough up whatever is there but I also can’t swallow it back down so it just feels stuck in my throat and all the constant coughing is leaving me feeling like I can’t breathe properly.

I have been in tears all day because I genuinely can’t go on like this, I dread every second of the day because of how bad it is. I am at my breaking point with it.

Would you go to the hospital for a cough that is constantly there and you’re never getting a let up from it along with everything else I’ve written?

Yes it happens and I'm very sorry it happened to you but the answer is not to let people die waiting, or avoiding waiting, 12 hours in A&E to see a doctor because people are there with a cut finger.

Triage needs to be better.

Jesus, that’s awful. I’m so sorry. Is he OK now ?

I posted upthread. My DH was having difficulty breathing, Had a worsening cough, was able to sleep through the night until he wasn’t. Fobbed off by GP, finally admitted to A&E as an emergency, put on a ventilator and died a few days later after being diagnosed with an inoperable lung cancer which had caused a deep seated infection resistant to all treatment. He’d visited A&E and the walk in centre and both had missed what I later found out were classic signs of lung cancer. Do you think we were wasting their time. The point here is that if OP waits much longer the cost to the NHS will be more, because her condition will be worse and cost more to treat.

Triage, once in my local A&E and once in the walk in clinic, missed my DH’s lung cancer twice.

Yep.

A&E told me my son had gastroenteritis. He actually had a bowel obstruction which was caused by cancer and because they were adamant it was gastroenteritis for much too long, septic shock set in and he almost died.

Not to mention that untreated walking pneumonia can lead to sepsis.

Back in 2020 I went to A&E with severe breathing difficulties. Not only did they do bloods and X-rays, I was then admitted and diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer and spent 3 weeks in hospital.
I have since been to A&E on a number of occasions relating to various issues and have ALWAYS had bloods or any other test needed and consultants of various dept are called in depending on your suspected condition!
A&E isn’t only for cuts and breaks!!!!!

It’s still not an emergency, finding it hard to breath , also able to sleep 8-9hrs a night…..wasting time on Mumsnet……you are absolutely right….must go to A&E and demand a resus bed for this life threatening emergency. Do you not think going back to the gp is the most sensible option? What do you think A&E are going to do beside some obs and a dr to listen to their chest. They don’t Xray every little thing because you know….radiation! It’s a chronic problem, yes it needs looking into but it is not an emergency.

this is why healthcare will end up private and when it does and people can’t afford it…..use A&E appropriately.