When have you gone to A and E and was it the right call?

[TheFrogsLegs]

So many threads on here are about people misusing A and E, which got me thinking.

I am now in my fifties and ended up in a and e as a child with appendicitis, but that was my only visit then.

My own children never had to visit a and e as kids - luck rather than stoicism - but as adults DS was in a bad car crash and another time had Quincy and felt his airway was closing. He got some tuts from the doctor for going to a and e for that one, but I backed his decision - airways closing are an emergency!

DD has been once for a dislocated joint.

I’ve been many times for dislocated joints, almost always in an ambulance as that was deemed the most appropriate way. I have always felt a bit embarassed as I was not ill, just unable to move without extreme pain.

DH has never been to a and e.

So, what about you? Have you been and were you judged by NHS staff over your attendance?

DD (1) with a huge lump on her neck. She was admitted for 3 days for IV antibiotics.

Not a and e as I rang maternity ward and they told me to come in a bring a bag just in case. I had spesis.

Oh gosh I went in Australia with a Bartholin's cyst, God that hurt, they wanted to keep me in and put me on IV antibiotics but I was terrified so had it lanced (ouch, ouch), and went home.
Also once in Indonesia because I had malaria, stayed in for 3 days in a Catholic hospital with nuns.
This thread is making me feel like the Illest person ever!

The only time when I got it wrong was when I genuinely believed I was having an ectopic pregnancy.. turned out to be trapped wind felt in my shoulder and normal pregnancy bleeding. I felt so guilty
Only other time was when one of my kids had croup, 111 wanted to send an ambulance!
And when she was really ill but 111 told me to see a GP within 12 hours, I ignored and went to A&E, she had sepsis.

Once when I had a totally random asthma attack - I don't have asthma. I was getting increasingly more breathless as the day went on and by midnight I was wheezing really heavily and struggling to talk. Ended up in hospital for five days! It was really scary. A&E doctor said the bronchospasm was either caused by a virus or an allergy, has asthma testing done afterwards to rule that out.

I haven’t been in over 20 years.

DD1 has been once in her life which was when she was one and fell out of bed and lost consciousness briefly. DD2 has never been.

Hmmm let’s see:

Dislocated elbow (my god that hurt)
Broken ankle
Severe sprain that wasn’t clear if broken or not as couldn’t weight bear on it
A lump on my face that I thought was nothing but 101 told me to go and glad I did as it turned out to be a really nasty infection that had me hospitalised for a week.
Double split lip from a direct blow with a piece of wood that got spat out a machine unexpectedly. Possibility of facial fracture due to high speed impact.

So yeah used them quite bit but never for things that were definitely minor.

Like a PP, took DS aged 18 months or so to A&E after he was bouncing on the bed and landed mouth first on a corner of the bedside cabinet, lots of blood, terrible screaming etc. 2 hours later he was similarly bouncing around the hospital, right as rain without being seen, so we sheepishly said we would like to go.
They insisted on giving us a leaflet on head injuries and said to come back immediately if any he started to show any of the symptoms.
2nd time, many years later at age 16 he was injured playing rugby and his face looked weird with gaps in his teeth but no teeth missing. In lots of pain. In fact he had a broken jaw, was kept in and operated on the next day. A titanium plate was put in to hold the jaw together then he had his jaw wired closed for six weeks.
Oh, and once when I was having a MC and bleeding like a tap. GP called ambulance, I had to have a D&C that night and was discharged a day later. That wasn't a lot of fun. Apart from the pre-med which was ace, it removed all my pain and anxiety and calmed me down before the op.
All necessary trips I think. Only one was in an ambulance (me). .

Myself - when I was bleeding heavily during a miscarriage last year - was the right call as I haemorrhaged in the waiting room.
Also had an ambulance called when I was 18/19 when I took an overdose.

Ds1 - for suspected testicular torsion. Was sent by NHS direct and was taken to the children’s ward as soon as we booked in where the surgeons were waiting for him.

Dd1 - we were in A&E every 3-4 weeks in winter from the ages between 1 and 4, then less often until she was 7, with breathing difficulties due to asthma brought on by the weather. We were advised to do this by her paediatrician as they could give immediate steroids and nebuliser in A&E.

A few times with DD1 - croup which needed proper treatment and once with a really bad chest infection. She was almost intubated so it was bad. She had been perfectly fine in the morning and by 9pm she was struggling to breathe. She was admitted for 4 days. So good calls then and we drove rather than call an ambulance. Once with DD2 when she was 6 weeks old and I fell down the stairs with her. To be fair I called the GP first to ask if they could check her over and they told me to call an ambulance. Once with DDad. He collapsed at home and I called 111. They called an ambulance and he was very sick. He died 3 days later.

I was at a&e many, many times as a child. I had allergic reactions to insect bites which would swell up very alarmingly (I seem to have grown out of this, or possibly just more aware to always carry piriton). I was also rather accident prone. I've had many x-rays but have never actually broken a bone.

I took dd1 when she had an abcess when she was a toddler. She was admitted for 5 days. If the GP had been open I'd have just taken her there, but it was out of hours and the out of hours GP was based at A&E.

Dd2 had to go when she dislocated her elbow. She threw a strop when crossing the road while holding dh's hand. When she threw herself to the floor he picked her up using that hand and dislocated her elbow. He was horrified, the nurse said "oh, this happens all the time with toddlers" and popped it back in with no fuss.

And when dd1 dropped a pile of plates on her foot we thought we'd just deal with it ourselves until her toenail went black 3 days later. The nurse (same one that put dd2's elbow back) told me off for not bringing her earlier. I didn't think it was an emergency, but he reminded me that they deal with accidents too

Only once. Very early pregnancy, knew something was very wrong. The doctor I saw was fairly certain it was an ectopic, sent me through to gynae. I was prodded by a guy, told it wasn't anything too bad because I wasn't screaming, and sent home.

Had to sleep upright because the pain was so horrendous if I laid back. Went into EPU the next morning for a pre-booked scan due to small bleeds.. poor sonographer couldn't see a thing because of course my tube had ruptured the day before and my abdomen was full of blood. Yay! Sent straight to surgery.

Often wonder what would have happened if I hadn't had a scan that day.

Oh, I took DD1 when she was a baby and had vomited at least 15 times in a hour or 2. That was unnecessary. I should have stayed at home and given her dioralyte. That was a case of knowing too much and thinking about all the unusual, extreme things it could have been rather than the most likely causes that I could treat myself.

Me:

• unable to breathe/walk/move properly (severe bronchitis)
• post-op complication (admitted for 2 days)
• ruptured ankle ligaments

DH - never!

DS:

• sent to A&E by walk-in centre. Good job too as he had pneumonia and was admitted for 5 days. He was really sick.
• ambulance after knocking himself out
• lyme disease. Again, walk in centre sent us to A&E, probably because of the complicated antibiotic regimen he needed - had to get senior pharmacist to assess

I don't think anyone's made out like any of the above were the wrong decision, with the exception of my ankle when they were really rude and dismissive and sent me away. GP sent me back a week later when it was still so swollen I couldn't move!

I've been to A&E once for myself. Had lower abdominal pains which got worse and worse over the course of a week. When it got to the point that I couldn't put my right foot on the floor without pain shooting through my abdomen, I got a taxi to A&E. It was a strangulated hernia. Was rushed into theatre for hernia repair and had to have bowel resectioned. Cut it pretty close with that one!
Have been a few times with my DC's -
broken arm for DD1, suspected meningitis for DS (turned out not to be, thankfully), concussion for DD2.
Some people really do treat A&E as an extension of their GP service - I've had colleagues who have gone to A&E for ridiculous things such as sore throats!

I've been sent twice with my baby but that was so he'd be seen quickly as he was so young. Turned out to be nothing but when they're that tiny it's better to be safe rather than sorry.

I've been once for myself after I drunkenly fell on a glass at my leaving drinks once. What a twat.

went for
Stomach pain - was ovarian cysts
Dog bite
General illness - was sepsis (just knew something was really wrong)
Gums split open

Didn't go for
Infected foot
Finger in blender
Abscess on foot
Ruptured ear drums (both at once)

I'm accident prone...

Urinary retention , hadn’t peed in 25 hours . Kept in for a few days . GP said yes , right call .

Also after collapsing at work in cervical shock with coil hanging out . That was horrendous .

Myself only twice, once for a broken wrist andvthen when I stood in a wasps nest and wa s stung multiple times.

dh numerous times as a kid , worst was a compound fracture of his lower arm

dd1 too many times too count, breaks/sprains queries, asthma and smashing her mouth as an 8 yr old after slipping on ice

dd2 3 times, twice for swallowed coins(the last time she was 12!) and a couple of weeks ago after badly banging her big toe, she had to have the whole nail removed so it was good thing we went

Over the years we've certainly had our money's worth

I have never been for myself.

DD1 has never been.
Dd2 has done 1 where she was sent by NHS Direct, 1 where she's cracked her head open and needed stitches (jumping on the bed, all the own fault), 1 when she'd dropped the inside of a glow stick all over her including her eyes, and the rest were all sent by a GP.
Ds has gone multiple times with non-fading spots-all sent by GP who said it needed to be checked 1 time with dehydration due to vomiting (again due to GP), 1 x with a broken arm, 3x with injured ankle (same injury not getting better) again sent by GP and 1x with injured ankle (soft tissue injury)

All except the last one were definitely justified. Last one, I suspected it was just a twist, but wanted to make sure as it was swollen, so probably still justified.

Been myself twice via ambulance. Once was blue lighted into resus for viral meningitis, don’t remember much of that to be honest.

DD1 several times after ooh GP referrals for abdominal issues

Every time the staff have been brilliant but unbelievably busy.

4 weeks ago. Had spent 48 hours before in unbearable pain and vomiting non stop. Rang the doctors and 111 who dismissed it as food poisoning.

When 111 finally agreed to call am ambulance. Turned out I had a hernia, stuck in my csection scar which had got wrapped around part of my bowel. The part of my bowel that had been constricted had died. I also had sepsis.

I’ve been quite a lot- we have no minor injuries or walk in centre here, so it’s the only option sometimes really. DS1 has bad asthma, so if his breathing is dodgy during the night I just take him straight there rather than phoning nhs24, who are just going to tell me to take him in anyway. Once managed to pop his elbow out of place swinging him round by the arms, so they sorted that, and once to check for concussion as football goals collapsed on his head. DS2 has had injuries from separate falls glued back together 4 times, and another time GP sent us as he wasn’t weight bearing on one leg. I’ve never been as an adult, think the last time was 20 years ago when I broke my ankle. DH has been a few times, related to a heart condition.

Oh, and also 111 told me to go when I was coughing up blood - I'd had real, proper, can't-be-awake flu for 4 or 5 days, but when I got there they sent me to a GP bit which was much more appropriate, and it turned out that I was coughing so much that I was getting little "paper cuts" in my windpipe which was why there was blood.

Meant to say, I was given a pretty severe bollocking by the consultant for not going in earlier with the strangulated hernia Thought I was being stoic but was pretty stupid in hindsight.

It's always been the right call whenever I've been or taken my children. With one exception, when my four year old dropped a full jar on his toe and broke it - I was told I probably shouldn't have bothered as they couldn't do anything much for a toe fracture. You can bet if I'd not taken him it would have been a safeguarding issue though...

Over the last decade we've been for:

• broken ankle (DS1)
• broken wrist (me)
• broken toe (DS2)
• suspected meningitis (me - turned out to be a v strong reaction to Slapped Cheek and I was admitted for days)
• anaphylaxis, struggling to breathe (me, twice)
• swallowed magnet (DS1)
• serious finger injuries after a fall (DS1)
• broken arm (both me AND DS1, separate occasions!)
• insect wing embedded in eyeball (exP, referred by GP)

DS and I have Dyspraxia so we're clumsy buggers. The Minor Injuries Clinic Doc knows us by name and chats to us in Aldi regularly