So disgusted with A&E about my son.

[Paranoidandroidmarvin]

My son has a undiagnosed chronic painful condition.

Got to the point today that he was in so much agony. He could walk and Everytime he tried his legs went from underneath him. The doctors at the surgery have given him no painkillers for this condition.

So I took him to A&E. hoping that they would help him with the pain.

Nope. He sat there for over six hours. And they refused to help him as it was a pre condition. He crawled out of that hospital to the door.
When I got there I had to get him a wheel chair as he could walk.

They let a 17 year old unable to walk. Walk out of that hospital with no treatment and on his own as I had to wait in the car.

Sorry. Second paragraph should have read. He couldn’t walk.

A and E is probably the wrong place - do you have an urgent care clinic?

This is awful. Wtf? Go back to your doctor.

Nope. Nothing like that. That was the only place to take him. As it is a Sunday and the doctors are not open.

You need a different gp

Been to the doctors do many times. He was supposed to get a scan that they never put him in for. I had to beg for pain killers for him once and they didn’t work so was told not to bother. It’s astounding to me that they didn’t even try and help him. He was sobbing with the pain.

He cannot walk for more than ten mins without being In agony.

There would have been an out of hours GP service that would’ve been more appropriate?

And He needs to change GP.

I don't think anyone can agree whether a&e were reasonable or not without knowing more of your son's condition. I had spondylolisthesis - cracked, slipped vertebrae. The gp game me gabapentin but it relieved no pain. There was nothing a&e could have given me. I just had to wait for an operation.

which part of his body is the pain ?
have you thought of changing GPs ?
have you tried pharmacy for some advice/ medications.

^ To add. I feel huge huge sympathy for your son. I had a progressive problem for 15 years before it was sorted so I do have an understanding what he's going through and the whole experience os miserable and so very painful. I wish him all the best.

It doesn't sound like A&E was the appropriate place for pain for a long term condition. They would be even more overrun if they dispensed medication for every person coming in who was in pain! I've broken several bones and they've just advised me to take paracetamol which ia fair enough in non life-threatening situations - they're not the GP or a pharmacy.

I think you need to go back to the GP and use 111 and the out of hours GP to try and get the appropriate treatment for your son.

It’s hard to comment without more details but it doesn’t sound like A and E was the right place.

What management things has he tried? Sounds like maybe the GP needs to refer him for further investigation

But as sad as it is, A & E is not the right place, Accident and Emergency, not an ongoing condition
do pain killers work?

This is an issue at your GPs end. You need to get it sorted out there. If it is not being managed appropriately give the necessary feedback to the practice manager.

Had the same with my ex. Unable to work for weeks, every GP kept saying he just needs to live with his pain. Legs went, I took him to emergency in tears, they said sorry nothing we can do and sent us home.

Is it back pain? Eventually we managed to get referral to a surgeon who looked at him and said your back is cracked. Operated and he's fixed now. You need to fight for a referral to a proper specialist, more like a surgeon as even RMA scans were showing abnormalities but GPs would send us home every time.

I mean this gently, but it was totally inappropriate to take him to A&E

I’d echo the suggestion to ring 111.

I don’t think it’s inappropriate to take him

Sorry hit post too soon! I don’t think it was inappropriate to take him to A and E. If someone in my family was in excruciating pain and couldn’t walk at all, I’d consider that an emergency. Moreover, when GPS refuse to help, 111 is like speaking to a bot who just doesn’t get it (from personal experience), and a lot of people don’t have urgent care clinics nearby, then A and E is the only alternative.

I just don’t know what to say about the NHS anymore, they don’t take pain seriously at all. I’ve had agonising endometriosis for years and they kept fobbing me off with ibuprofen which does nothing. It was only when I went private that I was prescribed proper treatment. Sadly, I can’t afford that long term. OP, I’m so sorry your son is in so much pain. Is it at all possible for you to see a specialist privately? If not, then I’d definitely speak to the practice manager of your surgery and write to the trust.

This sounds very stressful and horrible but you shouldn't take him to A&E for chronic pain. I'm not sure what you expected but it wasn't the right place.

Not sure what the condition is but is it something that you could look into a chiropractor or osteopath? If it's back pain maybe they could help.

Actually I don't think A&E was the wrong place for him to go. It was outside of GP hours and the child was in so much pain he couldnt walk! Of course you'd go to A&E!

I had undiagnosed crohns for many years as a child and often ended up in A&E. They gave me pain relief and made me comfortable each time.

In the long term you need to change GP or just keep on at them, phone every single day if they're not listening. Your poor boy.

What tests has he had?

Of course a&e is the right place for someone who's in excruciating pain and can't walk ffs. Those if you saying it isn't would have just sat and watched your child in agony would you??