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.

Honestly, I think this is crap. I had something very similar recently. A virus that came on suddenly, caused a high temperature and bad cough. After 10 days of this I woke up with stabbing pain in my shoulder blades and under my ribs, heart rate 120 and was coughing up grey phlegm.

Feeling like absolute shit, I went to the doctor, they were more than happy to see me, gave me antibiotics. I waited a couple of days before taking them as instructed, but no improvement. Took the ABs - cleared it right up.

There is definitely a middle ground between needing a pharmacy and having a heart attack. You shouldn't have to be half dead before the GP deigns to see you.

Sorry your GP is shit, OP

I think by the time she has reached her 40s the OP knows when something feels worse than just a cold.

Erm ... how do you know? Do you know the OP?

I grew up with someone whose parents were both doctors. Invariably, when his dad had a cold, he would make a ginormous fuss and self-diagnose with all sorts. And his wife would point out, patiently, that it was a cold. And he would fuss and fuss.

And you know what? It was, invariably, a cold.

Sarah - the woman has said it's not a cold. For the 10th time.

Sarah - the woman has said it's not a cold. For the 10th time.

And, I believe, the point the PP was making is that people are rubbish at self-diagnosing. The OP doesn't think she has a cold, that doesn't mean she doesn't.

If a virus comes on fast it doesn’t mean u have to go to your GP! Flu comes on fast - really bloody fast! It doesn’t require a GP appointment!

No wonder the NHS is collapsing

But d'internet can diagnose it as a cold............

Not d'internet but d'GP...

She was told her symptoms weren't a cause for concern and to see a pharmacist, by an actual qualified medical profession. And wants people on the internet to tell her how outrageous that was of her doctor.

OP if you are an otherwise healthy adult you should get a grip and accept that you have the nasty virus that's going round. People with colds who go to the GP are the reason it's so hard to get an appointment.
My 85 year old frail mother needed to see a doctor when she had the bug, ended up in hospital. DH who is 70 and has no lung problems was floored with it but just rested and dosed up with paracetamol.

The symptoms OP listed that she has, are symptoms you can get with a cold.
I wonder what OP thinks the symptoms of a cold are and definitely can never be.

I hope OP lets us know what happens, if she gets better by self or what anyone says if she gets seen by an HCP.

I'm sorry that you feel so dreadful OP and I share your frustration witht the difficulty in getting to see a doctor 😣
I'm sorry I don't have any advice on that front but I would like to recommend the neti pot, I have always found it helpful with any kind of respiratory tract infections
www.yogastudio.co.uk/yogi-s-nosebuddy-neti-pot?gclid=Cj0KCQjw0brtBRDOARIsANMDykZleNGp0sINhoiJH77O4eKSuo98hMs8QKroHJHFy0KW9LZSdFiZm3caAkEcEALw_wcB
That's my favourite type you just need salt and warm water 😊

@minorityreports - er, yes, she said it was not a cold and she had no cold symptoms.

The described cold symptoms.

Indicating that she doesn't know what cold symptoms are.

I get it. She's not very well and she feels rough, and anyone, at any age, can get a cold that doesn't feel like the ones they've had before.

It happens.

Honey, lemon and ginger in boiling water to drink,
Vapour rub on your chest and soles of feet and olbas oil in a mug of boiling water to inhale the steam. Lots of oranges and chicken veg soup! Hydrate and sleep too should all help you. My family have been poorly with similar illness to you and this has helped them.

Also this might be what you are experiencing;
Pleurisy (PLOOR-ih-see) is a condition in which the pleura a membrane consisting of a layer of tissue that lines the inner side of the chest cavity and a layer of tissue that surrounds the lungs becomes inflamed. Also called pleuritis, pleurisy causes sharp chest pain (pleuritic pain) that worsens during breathing.

Get well soon

I agree with #Minorityreports - if you really feel something isn't right, and you know your body best, get it checked out. I knew something was off with a cough and chest pain I had in the summer so was seen by my local urgent care centre the same day and ended up being admitted to hospital with pnumonia. I do have asthma, however I was aware of something being very, very wrong.

I went from fine on a Thursday lunch time, out enjoying a meal at the seaside to being bed bound by 6pm. Massive spiking temp, cough and phlegm all being present. I was lucky I got it treated in time but did have a hospital stay with IV antibiotics and fluids being pumped in. Moral of the story I suppose is that you know yourself if there is something really wrong with you.

Get checked whether by a pharmacist or OOH. Having pnumonia properly put the shits up me.

The op didnt speak to or see the dr. The only info the dr had was what a non medically trained receptionist passed on. I find that pretty worrying. If surgeries are going to allow a sort of triage system and decide who gets medical attention then maybe it should either be a nurse or they follow the 111 protocol.

You need to stop telling unqualified people your symptoms.
If someone without years of medical training asks you what's wrong, they are trying to work out 1) which medical person sees that sort of condition and 2) if they are available.
You either say "I'm unable to discuss my symptoms with you at this time, could you please let me know if there are any appointments available today to see xxx"
If they press and you choose to answer then just say "respiratory problems" and if they ask any future questions say that you are very happy for nurse/gp to ring you back today if they have further questions.
If they have no appointments they toddle of to a walk-in-centre. The appointments aren't going to magically appear but they always keep some back even when they're full.

I would give it until tomorrow and see how you feel. My symptom of pneumonia was constant coughing, not chesty as such but every breath was a cough. So if you have trouble breathing or you are coughing constantly and can't get a breath then you need to be seen

Who will take the flack and accept responsibility when a patient is denied access to a doctor and becomes seriously unwell. Will they just cover their backsides by saying they told the patient to ring 111 or 999 if they feel worse. Receiving a text from a doctor who cant or wont speak to you in person seems really unsafe.

You can get a throat spray ( difflam I think) from the chemist which numbs the pain if your throat is very sore and swallowing tablets is difficult. Other than that, you need to ride it out. If it is ongoing more than 2 weeks or if you really struggle to breathe then that is different.

Can you go to a walk in centre?
Go in for when it opens. It might be a wait of up to 4 hours, more likely about 2, but you'll be seen by a nurse practitioner who will listen to your chest, and give you antibiotics if they're needed, advise if not, and a good painkiller for your chest pain.
You will get your vital signs checked when you come to rule out sepsis and put your mind at rest.
If you need it, they can book you a gp appointment with your own, or duty gp.
Ive never heard of pharmacists listening to chests.... It kind of needs a lot of training and experience!

Receiving a text from a doctor who cant or wont speak to you in person seems really unsafe.

Do you know what else is really unsafe? The rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria caused by handing out antibiotics like smarties.

Antibiotics are no longer routinely used to treat chest infections for this very reason.

Well when I felt similarly really poorly and was told to go away I ended up in hospital with a chest infection that needed IV antibiotics, quite possibly wouldn’t have ended up in hospital had I had timely antibiotics. Make a complaint and/or get an out of hours appointment through 111 if you are still unwell.

I've twice not gone to docs as I thought it was just flu/cough until my OH made me. One was infection bordering on pneumonia, the second was pneumonia. I wouldn't have been well enough to be on Mumsnet either time, but maybe check out warning signs for if you get worse

I am so sorry you are feeling unwell OP. I am surprised that your GP made a diagnosis/gave advice based on info provided by reception. I would have expected a telephone consulation with the GP at the very least and this is what my GP surgery do when they have limited appointment availability. The GP can't expect Reception to ask all the relevant questions as they are not qualified to do so. I find this very strange. If you are concerned about your cough ring nhs 111 and get an assessment. I also think you should change your GP as a matter of priority. In the mean time try lemon and honey(unless you are diabetic) in warm water, it might help you feel a little better. Hope you get well soon

I have a strong feeling the OP is in hospital right now. Hence the silence. That, or she's too unwell to post.
Get well soon OP but don't take too much MN advice on board if you know something isn't right.
From my experience, you just 'know' when you're very unwell.

Oh and it took 24 hours for me to go from 'normal' to sepsis.

Oh dear I really hope she's ok 🙏🏻
I do agree that we have overused antibiotics but that doesn't mean to say that we should go too far in the other direction, it's very complex!