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Original poster

Doctor says there's no middle ground!

152 replies

Stupidcough · 22/10/2019 11:26

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.

OP posts:
SarahAndQuack · 23/10/2019 00:17

I have a strong feeling the OP is in hospital right now. Hence the silence. That, or she's too unwell to post.

Are you kidding me?

The OP, who has an unknown infection causing the symptoms of the common cold, isn't posting at past midnight.

OMG.

WHAT CAN IT BE?

I'm 99% sure she's in hospital too. I'll just cling to the 1% of me that reckons she's finally called it a night, had her lemsip and gone to bed.

Minorityreports · 23/10/2019 00:25

The common cold doesn't leave you bed-bound coughing with chest pain.

Minorityreports · 23/10/2019 00:28

The common cold, leaves you sneezing and snottering, bit of a cough, but well able to go to work to contaminate everyone else

Interested in this thread?

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General health
SarahAndQuack · 23/10/2019 00:28

Yes, they sometimes do.

Look, I get that it is right and proper for the OP not to take medical advice from MN, and I agree she ought to go back to her GP if she feels something isn't right.

But it is absolutely ridiculous to expect a forum of randomers to look at the symptoms of a cold and to say anything but 'hmm, dunno, maybe it's a cold mate? Maybe it isn't? Good luck and sleep well'.

Doing the whole 'OMG why oh why has she abandoned this thread in our hour of need -for- -drama-' is a bit weird, giving it's past midnight and a perfectly reasonable time for her to be, y'know, just asleep.

Minorityreports · 23/10/2019 00:32

You just 'know' when things are not right.
If she had a common cold, she wouldn't have tried to get a GP appointment in the first place.

Minorityreports · 23/10/2019 00:36

I don't know what sort of colds you get, but I (who have asthma), take 1st defence first sign of a cold. After that, paracetamol and increase inhalers as needed.

I go about my business as usual, with my balmy tissues so as not to get a red nose and that's about it.
This doesn't sound like the common cold FFS.

Kallyderon · 23/10/2019 00:36

Antibiotic overuse isn't people getting them when they have chest pain (pain is a sign of infection) but intensive farming methods whereby thousands of animals are given antibiotics repeatedly when asymptomatic.

Minorityreports · 23/10/2019 00:38

Who the fuck takes a couple of days of work, tries to get a GP appointment and is in BED I.E. not functioning with the common cold.

Cohle · 23/10/2019 02:11

I have a strong feeling the OP is in hospital right now. Hence the silence. That, or she's too unwell to post.

Oh well if you have a feeling then it must be true Hmm. FFS.

minesagin37 · 23/10/2019 02:27

It sounds viral and the pain will most likely be from your intercostal muscles due to coughing. Paracetamol and bed but your pain because it involves muscle will take a few days to ease after coughing subsides.

I feel we're not educated about viruses in this country. You would think after thousands of years of contracting them we would be!

MyOtherProfile · 23/10/2019 05:08

Couple of screenshots from the NHS especially for the OP and Minorityreport with her feelings. Here's a list of what symptoms a cold can include (ie not all of them always occur) and how your pharmacy can help.
NB You should begin to feel better in about a week or 2.

Doctor says there's no middle ground!
Doctor says there's no middle ground!
custardbear · 23/10/2019 05:28

I work with doctors, once i was off sick and my main boss said Custard - with a chest infection take antibiotics and you'll be better in two weeks, without ... you'll be better in a fortnight
A fortnight later I was back at the GP having tests for whooping cough - bingo!
I don't think you have WC but give it a chance to get better using your own defences

MIdgebabe · 23/10/2019 07:40

For a perfectly common cold many people do find that they do need to take time off and rest. People who don't are basically lucky. Or forgetful. People are different, they catch different viruses, even the common cold is actually a catch all name for a whole set of visruses with different symptoms and levels of severity

Snog · 23/10/2019 08:37

Don't feel guilty for taking time off work OP, you need to prioritise your health and if you are bad enough to be in bed you shouldn't be at work.

It's getting much harder to get a GP appointment in most places due to the significant shortage of GPs in the UK. So they do try to filter out people who don't really need to go. Very frustrating not to be given an appointment, particularly if you are someone who hardly ever goes to the GP.
You know your own body, if you feel it's more than a cold it probably is.

I think you need to be more more persistent- try again, if no appointment available ask for a nurse appointment or a telephone appointment and take it from there. I would tell the receptionist that it's wrong to waste resources at A&E if it's a GP you need to see. By all means try a pharmacist though and see what they say as you can relay this to the receptionist.

Lowlandlucky · 23/10/2019 08:43

If it feels like you are swallowing razor blades you may have Pharyngitis, i had this once i and other than when i had flu ( not a cold) i have never felt so ull in my life, after 2 weeks i actually did think i was going to die, i had to have 3 courses of antibiotics to clear it. Insist on a G.P appointment

MrsAmaretto · 23/10/2019 08:55

Medicine is changing, most of us don’t need to see a GP every time we want one we need to see an Advanced Nurse Practioner, a pharmacist or someone else. They are skilled and knowledgable health workers who can then refer us to the service we actually need or prescribe us the medicine we require.

We really need some sort of public health campaign about which NHS service you should access for what, as it’s no wonder people who need GPs can’t get an appointment.

I hope you are able to get to a Pharmacist and I agree like pp that Difflam is amazing stuff!

Skap · 23/10/2019 09:44

I suspect the OPs symptoms have developed into a snotty cold by now. Cold viruses usually follow a pattern of sore throat, cough, sneezing, congestion flu like symptoms. Not necessarily in that order.

StaggeringOn · 23/10/2019 09:46

I followed the advice not to bother GP with a virus and ended up in hospital for two weeks with Pneumonia and sepsis. It was very scary and I took months to recover fully from it. Watch out for getting better after a few days then feeling worse, temp spikes 39+ chills, dreadful muscle pains, concentrated urine. My chest infection felt like a solid wall of pain - I didn’t have a cough or runny nose. So while we do generally recover with OTC meds for viruses, we should be aware that there can be complications (mine arose after 7 days, so I don’t think waiting for 10 days is necessarily the right advice). Look after yourself, OP. Hope you get well soon.

Oakmaiden · 23/10/2019 09:56

I have a strong feeling the OP is in hospital right now. Hence the silence. That, or she's too unwell to post.

Or an alternative possibility - she went to the pharmacist, they listened to her chest and sold her some cough medicine and paracetemol, and she is now tucked up in bed and doesn't feel the need to "report back" to us...

HeyMissyYouSoFine · 23/10/2019 10:15

Last time I rang to see a GP, and it's really rare I ever need to, they insisted I had to see a pharmacist first - there one nearby so I went - they took one look said we don't deal with that and if we did that's way too serious for us.

Then I got a ticket I had to trot along to GP with to actually get an appointment - which I did get later that day.

I had a few years with chest infections I had alot of people around me insisting it was just a cold - by time I was getting to GP they were considering admitting me to hospital I was really bad.

It may well be worth seeing a pharmacist - and if you're not better in day or two then trying again with GP - if you get worse or are struggling to breathe I'd do 111 or 999 depending on how bad it is.

DryHeave · 23/10/2019 10:24

We aren’t kind enough to our bodies these days - so much pressure/guilt about going back to work immediately. Stay in bed and if you don’t feel better in a week, have a re-think.

Peaseblossom22 · 23/10/2019 10:38

I think one of the problems with the advice not to see a Dr is that those who heed the advice are often the ones who do need to see the Dr and those who pay no attention are the ones who don’t . Like my MIL who seems to spend her life there ‘just to update Dr X’ .

Twice recently I have been advised to see the Nurse with my ds and both times she has said I need to see the Dr. What is good is that she can see the Dr’s diary and has managed to slot us in .

RhinoskinhaveI · 23/10/2019 11:49

I hope you're ok OP and I'm sorry that you've had to put up with people being unkind to you on here when you're feeling so awful 💐

alexdgr8 · 23/10/2019 21:10

ditto

cauliflowersqueeze · 23/10/2019 21:21

Why not ring back and say you’d like an appointment and when the receptionist asks why, tell her that it’s private and you wish to discuss it with the doctor. And if she asks if it’s a cough or a cold repeat that it’s private and you’d like to discuss it with the doctor.