Advice please do I go a&e?

[MeMyBooksAndMyCats]

Past 5 days I've had a dry hacking cough, that is leaving me gasping for breath. I'm very breathless.
Coughing up foamy white mucus with brown/red flecks in it sorry TMI!
My chest In the middle hurts and feels like a elephant sat on it. Got a headache non stop, feel dizzy & faint. The back of my throat at the top feels damaged I've coughed that much.
I have asthma on top and my inhalers despite being strong ones aren't helping. Drank more than enough water and it's not helping, have cough medicines that aren't doing jack sh^t!

Tried for two days to get through to my GP to be seen and can't get an appointment. No walk in centre by me.
It's killing me off, last night I barely slept as I kept waking up gasping for air and coughing. 😭
Not sure if I'm being over dramatic but it's so damn painful. Haven't been anywhere to get a cough, all my family & people I've seen don't have a cough/cold neither so I don't think it's a cold I've caught.

I’d would have gone to a&e myself unable to breathe is an emergency…but not on mumsnet apparently

You tried other routes (I know you now have a GP appointment) NHS 111 is about as useful as a chocolate fire guard and would have sent you to a&e anyway in my experience

my child is asthmatic and I don’t wait if breathing and oxygen saturation drops and his inhalers etc aren’t helping, it’s straight to a&e it’s a silent killer

Chest pain that feels like an elephant is sat on your chest, gasping for breath, coughing up foam - these alone would have me attending A&E. The GP might send you there anyway.

For those saying it’s just a cough, the OP has said she also has asthma which is currently not responding to inhalers. Yes, breathlessness is to be expected with a cough but an asthmatic is going to be much more susceptible to developing breathing problems and equally recognising that there is cause for concern. Inhalers are great for home management but if they’re not working , she may need steroids, antibiotics and additional inhalers under observation. I would have a very low threshold for going to A&E on that basis.

OP, going forwards, I would think about getting an oximeter for home to help give you an idea of the urgency for next time.

I think A&E would have been fine but hopefully the GP can sort you out.

Not sure why suggesting calling a pharmacy is funny? Pharmacists are clinically trained and can advise to go to A&E if they think that's the best solution. 111 can take forever for a clinician to call back. I'm sure if this is not a sensible suggestion for the OP she can scroll and ignore. The OP asked on mumsnet what to do, none of us are qualified to diagnose over the internet what to do so I suggest speaking to someone who is.

Hope you're feeling better soon OP.

The GP is going to send you straight to A&E from your appointment. You are describing symptoms that might be a PE (a blood clot in your lungs) and the GP won't have the ability to do the tests to rule it out. Save yourself the wait and go to A&E now.

Of course it might be any of the flu/cold/covid suggestions above. But the first thing that any clinician is going to do seeing someone with blood flecked, foamy sputum and crushing central chest pain is send you to A&E to rule out a PE.

I think the most important thing here is to not take clearly important medical advice from randoms on the internet.

This.
Fucks sake sometimes MN is a competition of how much to tolerate before seeing a doctor. Struggling to breathe? Pull yourself together!
OP I'm glad you are seeing the GP. FWIW I'd have taken you to a&e if you were in my house.

Of course people will read it differently. Hence it’s a good idea to see a GP

Glad you got an appointment op

I’m happy to see you have your GP appointment!

If not, this would have been an AE trip for me. You have some foamy mucus with blood in. 🚩 🚩🚩🚩 all the way and in need of immediate medical attention.

If your GP appt isn’t till this afternoon, I’d try 111 or go to A&E in the meantime.

111.nhs.uk/triage/check-its-not-an-emergency

OP given your pre-existing medical condition you need to go the A&E today!

No to A&E but GP. Sounds similar to whatever virus or flu I had before Christmas, floored for weeks. Prescribed antibiotics on week 3.

I also agree with @maddiemookins16mum STOP COMING ON MN FOR MEDICAL ADVICE!!!

Go to A&E. You need medical help as soon as possible and you have not been able to access your GP. 111 will only direct you there anyway.

Don’t blame yourself for the lack of access to care and get yourself seen. Take some supplies as you’ll be waiting a while. Don’t wait, look after yourself. You’re gasping for air do not listen to these people on Mumsnet.

I work in a hospital & I know the professionals I work with would say with those symptoms go to ED (A&E).

@Notmytiep

Its only natural people will seek advice when they can’t elsewhere. You often wait hours for 111 to respond (if they even manage that) and your GP is often unavailable so I think people should have more empathy and understanding when people just want a little bit of advice.

OP, I'm glad you're being seen but to anyone doubting it, this is definitely a 111 situation which as the OP is an asthmatic, could quickly lead to an A&E situation.

If you haven't already, I'd recommend getting an asthma action plan together and if you don't already have them, I'd recommend you get a peak flow meter (usually about a tenner) and a fingertip pulse oximeter (usually 20 quid or so) to have at home, and that you know what your best peak flow is so you are aware of any patterns, eg when you're sick like now. The oximeter can also be helpful in indicating when things are getting unmanageable.

I hope you get sorted quickly.

So glad you got an appointment, sounds like a chest infection or pneumonia which needs antibiotics.
As for the people banging on about 111, my mum is still awaiting a 111 call back from 3 days ago…think that ship has sailed now.
The system is crumbling and what on earth do you do if you try all the correct options-gp, 111-and can’t be seen? It’s bloody scary.
Anyway op, let us know how you get on.

Calm down. Given the chaotic state of the NHS and the push for people to try to manage healthcare situations themselves it's better than nothing while OP is waiting to talk to a doctor irl.

It's worrying that anyone is prepared to tell someone with uncontrolled asthma and these other symptoms not to go to A and E.

Imo these threads should be banned as there are some dangerous posters taking liberties and someone vulnerable to ask what they should do might believe them.

It doesn't protect the NHS to encourage others to become seriously ill.

vulnerable enough

@restorativejustice

Exactly. We all ask for advice off people in our lives. Maybe the OP hasn’t got anyone to ask. Sometimes all it needs is a friendly recommendation to advise someone they may need more urgent medical attention. There’s often a group of people who never want to bother any healthcare practitioners and whilst admirable they get very poorly because of it.

The 111 ship has sailed and if you cannot get access to a GP I am afraid A and E is often the solution.

Anyway sounds like the OP is now getting seen. Let us know how you get on and get well soon. 💐

And that's why people are dying because they're too scared to go to the A&E because people like you tell them not to just because its too "chaotic".

I think we need to stop that and if people need to go the A&E, no matter how busy or chaotic it is, they should go!

Making threats to over worked doctor’s receptionists isnt a good look.