Doctor says there's no middle ground!

[Stupidcough]

Firstly can I say I'm feeling really unwell, so please don't flame me if you disagree.

I'm off work sick at the moment as I have a really sore throat and a nasty cough. It hurts my chest a lot every time I cough and when I speak my throat feels like I have swallowed razor blades. I am weak and tired, with a pounding headache.

I don't have a cold or any other symptoms of one, and this came on very suddenly on Saturday. I was absolutely fine in the morning, and by lunchtime I was in bed.

Rang the doctor's this morning, the receptionist said they don't see people for coughs and I should see a pharmacist. I told her I'm concerned it's a chest infection which is why I'd like to be seen. She grudgingly took my number and added me to her 'list'.

I've now received a text from my GP saying that chest pain is not a worrying symptom with a cough, and if I get chest pain when I'm not coughing I should go to a&e. Otherwise I should see a pharmacist. He includes a link to the NHS page on coughs.

I know it's unlikely to be life threatening, and I am not a person who goes to the GP with a cold, but I genuinely think it is 'something'. I find it hard to believe that there is no middle ground for chest pains between a common cold and a heart attack.

I feel absolutely rotten and now I feel silly having asked for help. I'm never off work so I feel guilty about that too.

That said, I have underlying conditions.

To the posters saying 'it's just a cold, me and all my colleagues have it', the OP has said she has no symptoms of a cold.

I know it's unlikely to be life threatening, and I am not a person who goes to the GP with a cold, but I genuinely think it is 'something'

This to me means you know there's something seriously wrong. For that reason, 111.

But she does. She just isn't sneezing. A "cold" is just an upper respiratory tract viral infection. They have a range of symptoms. You might have some or you might have none.

Did you go to the pharmacy?

@ChilledBee stop talking nonsense.

She hasn't got a cold, she has chest pain and coughing that came on suddenly and has her in bed.

I've never taken to the bed with a cold.

I would (and have) consult a Pharmacist - ask to speak to them in private so you don't get fobbed off with cough medicine by one of the counter assistants before you've had a fair hearing. When I was pretty sure that I had shingles, I drove to the nearest Pharmacy and asked for a consultation, and they told me I needed to be sign by a GP THAT DAY. I took great pleasure in telling the gatekeeper receptionist that. Likewise if you consult 111 and they say that from your symptoms you need to be seen by a GP you stand a better chance of getting an appointment.

Incidentally, I think one of the defining characteristics of flu is that it comes on suddenly. Just be wary of your temp, and shivering, pain all over the body that sort of stuff, even when taking the meds. And if you're struggling to breathe at all 999.

Pharmacists are well qualified to help or advise in this instance. As PPs have said, they can suggest you see GP if necessary.

Please trust your surgery. My DH is a GP - he is out of the house for 13/14 hours due to amount of work. They're all under so much pressure and trying to communicate with patients in other ways (like your text) not requiring F2F in first instance is becoming more prevalent. It feels wrong and impersonal at first but it can work well for many issues.

I had a similar sounding viral thing a few weeks ago and it's done the rounds at work. I was absolutely fine until about 5pm and was in bed feeling dreadful by 9pm. No runny nose either. Hurt my chest muscles coughing too.
IME bacterial stuff starts up when you've had the cough, it gets a bit better and then gets much worse.

Bless you OP. Its quite frightening sometimes when you feel like this. I had similar symptoms earlier this year and I did ring my GP who said it sounded like a virus and to call back if I deteriorated. I didn't deteriorate so I didn't call back. However, my fear stems from the time that I called a doctor, to be told I had a virus but it turned out to be pneumonia. You are right there is no middle ground but the previous posters are also correct that GPs can't see everyone that has cold symptoms.
The time I had pneumonia I just kept getting worse and worse and reluctantly they saw me. I couldn't even sit up in the waiting room at this point.
Keep an eye on your temperature. Alternate ibuprofen and paracetamol within the dosage limits and ring again if you do not improve.
FWIW when I felt ill in March I felt too ill for it to be 'just a cold' but it was a really nasty virus that put me to bed. With a cold I can carry on my business. I hope you feel better soon.

YANBU. I had an awful tight chest and high fever once and was really quite poorly. Couldn't get a GP appointment. I felt so sick I called 111. They sent me to A&E who tried to send me home without even seeing me and told me to go to the pharmacy. They eventually triaged me and I was admitted with double pneumonia!

I hate to tell you but I am on week 9 of this cough🙁 I agree that at this stage you probably don’t need to see a GP but if you are genuinely someone who does normally soldier on and you feel this is different then persist. A feeling of impending doom is a recognised symptom of sepsis .

I am always bemused by the advice to see a pharmacist, over the years I have rarely had useful advice . Nine out of ten times the advice is ‘ we can’t advise on that, see your GP’ , recently I was given a different medicine from my prescription on the basis that it was the same , it wasn’t . I have never come across a pharmacy which will listen to your chest or even take your temperature ‘ we are not insured for that ‘ but I will say that the local Boots travel clinic is excellent.

I feel for you OP because I had a chest infection mis-diagnosed by the practice nurse earlier this year. I knew there was something wrong, my rib cage was excruciatingly painful to breathe or even to lay on that side. I was coughing up browny/red stuff and felt incredibly weak.
I was also fobbed off by receptionist who grudgingly gave me an appt with said nurse who just would not have it that I had an infection (despite very high temp) and was so patronising.
I ended up needing 2 lots of antibiotics (had to go to Out-of-hours) to clear it as a chest X-ray showed fluid on my lung after 1st lot.
If you feel there is genuinely something wrong, insist on being seen.

I am not being nasty,but would wait a while,and just rest up,and take a few painkillers,and drink something soothing. I would never go to a doctors for something like this, as too many people do, and clutter up the surgery.

Taking regular paracetamol and ibuprofen can mask a temperature.
Are you sweating much, as that probably means you do have a temperature that is peaking and touching as a result of the analgesia, having said that, sounds like you need it

However, some viruses can cause a higher temp than a bacterial infection.

If you are short of breath, coughing up purulent sputum, and the chest pain is worse on inspiration, you need someone to assess you.
Also, can can get a super added bacterial infection following a virus.
Good luck. It's not always straightforward.

Sorry but you’re being ridiculous!

It’s prime winter virus season particularly as it’s being quite a mild autumn/start of winter.

I have asthma and reduced lung function due to a history of previous infections.

I’m getting over a virus, I’ve been ill a good 2 weeks with I suspect tonsilitis, headache, cough, blocked sinuses, upset stomach, fatigue, breathlessness etc

But I am well aware that it is just a nasty virus and I simply hunkered down, stocked up on lozenges, soluble paracetamol and throat spray, have been avoiding dairy, drinking plenty, having soup, eggs and fruit to eat, drinking hot lemon, honey and ginger which has really helped the symptoms and accepted it’s just lousy luck, self limiting and certainly not worth bothering the gp about!

There’s NOTHING they can do anyway other than advise you on self care, antibiotics DO NOT treat viruses. Chest pain when you have a cough is very common and much more likely to be muscle strain from the coughing than anything else. The pain from a serious chest infection or heart issue is very different.

Pharmacists are highly trained and excellent at assessing minor ailments of all kinds and if you do need to see a dr but quite honestly most practices now have nurses that are also perfectly capable of diagnosing and treating any possible complications.

Seeing a dr for a typical winter virus is a waste of their time (barring genuine serious complications or if you have underlying conditions that are genuinely seriously complicating matters - which it doesn’t sound like is the case here as they know your medical history and if that were the case they’d have had you in for an appointment)

You sound as if you are someone who is (luckily) rarely ill so that on the occasions you are ill you panic slightly and overreact.

Calm down, treat the symptoms with otc stuff/home remedies, rest, hydrate and spoil yourself a bit and within a week or so you’ll be starting to feel better and probably be a bit embarrassed how silly you were being in op.

people cannot say this person's condition is not serious.
it may not be, statistically probably is not, and I hope is not.
but, that is the very point the OP is making; how to tell.

it is not clear-cut, and she reports that she feels her body is different.
as the person who has had sepsis says, this feeling in itself can be indicative of something serious. I have seen sepsis close-up, x3.
once it was headed off before the patient realised how ill they were, by a very alert and caring hosp doctor in an unrelated clinic. the patient was admitted, given IV antbx and closely monitored for a week.
twice it was very terrifying, being ignored/ overlooked in A&E for several hours, deteriorating dangerously, near fatal. still upsets to think about.
could you have a nice bath, poss with menthol/eucalyptus to help clear sinuses, and have partner look over your body to check for any mottling on the skin anywhere. that would be a red flag for me.
do you have a walk-in centre near you. ours is open til 8pm. where someone could actually examine you, check sats etc.
failing that, I'd cert ring 111 for advice. they can arrange for you to see an out of hours doc if necessary.
good luck. let us know how you get on. ignore ignorant comments.

Whenever I have had chest infections I have pushed for antibiotics, which always work

My friend has heart failure her primary symptom is a cough....seriously why can she not have a routine appointment or an actual conversation with the dr

Pharmacists are great, speak to them first. They can then let you know if you need to see someone else

there is no middle ground for chest pains between a common cold and a heart attack

Are you female? Heart attacks in women dont usually manifest as chest pain, if that helps.
If you were having a heart attack you'd be more likely to feel sick.

Heart attacks in women dont usually manifest as chest pain

This isn't true actually. From the British Heart Foundation: It’s a common misconception that men and women experience different symptoms when having a heart attack. While symptoms vary from person to person, there are no symptoms that women experience more or less often than men. The most common symptom in men and women is chest pain. www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/heart-attack/symptoms

I think by the time she has reached her 40s the OP knows when something feels worse than just a cold. Dh and I both had a cold once, mine got better and his ended with him in hospital with pneumonia.
I love it when one person is ill and someone else says "oh yes lots of people at my work have that", even though the other poster may be in an entirely different country with a different set of viruses floating around!