Would you go to A&E for this?

[bluemonkeysocks]

Ds fell while playing football last week and hurt his foot. He couldn't walk well for the next few days but it gradually got better. A week on though and he's still in a lot of pain with it. He can put weight on it and drive but has limited movement (can't move it side to side or wiggle toes) and there's still bruising coming up. He's luckily been on annual leave this week is due back to work tomorrow. He's not composing too much and thinks it just needs to heal on its own but he flinches when anyone goes near it and it's at its worst when he's walking up/down the hill in front of our house. Problem is he can't get a Drs appointment till the 8th of August and we have no minor injury units so while A&E seems extreme it seems his only option. Would you take a trip to the hospital in this instance?

Complaining too much not composing

I would go to a&e for an xray.

Yep. He needs an xray.

Yes, needs an xray

Does your gp not do on the day appointments?

Go to get it X-rayed for peace of mind. A gp can’t diagnose a break, but an X-ray will. I don’t think he should be driving though.

Can he not get an emergency appointment with GP tomorrow ? Local A&E would refuse at triage if it’s not a new injury , unless it’s suddenly got much worse , unbearable pain .

Ring NHS 111 there might be an out if hiyrs service, or they may say he needs to be seen by a GP within a certain time, you can then use that as leverage to get an earlier GP appointment.

He'd tried to get an emergency appointment but don't think he pushed it enough. He thinks it's more muscular and will heal by itself but I'm worried that by leaving it he'll make it worse in the long run. It was easier when he was small and I could do it all for him. I promise I'm not usually a pushy mum but I can tell he's in pain when walking.

No point having a GP appt, he needs an xray first.

Do the NHS 111 online questionnaire 111.nhs.uk/

@MidsomerBurgers the GP can refer him for an X-ray

Gp will generally say to go to a&e for an X-ray
They can't tell without in if it's broken or not
I took my son to the gp and was told to take him

I would think he needs an xray.

Of course he should go. This is what A&E is for.
It doesn't have to be life or death.

No I wouldn’t go to A&E for this I would push for urgent GP appointment and get them to write an X-ray form. With that form he can bypass A&E and go straight to X-ray.

Yes, I'd go.
I had a similar problem and, although I could weight bear and could drive, three weeks on was still in some pain. Couldn't get a gp appointment for a few weeks. W to as persuaded to go to A and E but did think I would be wasting their valuable time. I was sent straight for an x-ray.
I had cracked a small bone in my ankle and moved another bone out of alignment. They pulled it around (painful!!!!) then put me in a moon-boot. The staff at A and E said that it was exactly the sort of thing they were there for, and they would sooner check things out and find nothing than find I'd got a major, untreated problem a few months later.

No I wouldn’t go to A&E for this I would push for urgent GP appointment and get them to write an X-ray form. With that form he can bypass A&E and go straight to X-ray.

So, wait until tomorrow, waste GP time, when it could be seen to today.

Yes. He needs this looking at. My daft ex husband did similar and left it for 5 months and he'd broken one of his metatarsals. He now has arthritis.

No. Its not an accident or an emergency. A&E isn't an abbreviation for Anything & Everything. He should ring Dr as soon as surgery opens monday and request urgent appointment. If he needs xray GP can give referral to avoid him having to wait.

Minor injuries - there's no downside to going, if it is broken he's going to make it worse and worse.

We were always taught that if a bone was broken you wouldn't be able to walk but that isn't true.

This is the kind of injury minor injuries is there for - not taking up A&E resources but can't wait for weeks for a GP appointment.

If he does get an emergency or same day GP appointment I'm 99% sure he will get sent for an X-ray anyway.

Give him a nag!

How is this not an accident?

It certainly isn't a chronic condition and the main problem is not having had it checked out when it first happened.

He definitely needs to get it seen. I caused permanent injury to my ankle for not getting 'a bad sprain' looking at. 25 years on I still have a lot of pain with it and struggle to walk long distances

Even my brother who is an orthopedic doctor missed his own son's broken toe.
Good thing he took him to A&E the same day for an X-ray.
But what does he know?

This isn't GP stuff, this is bread and butter A&E.