Should I go back to A&E??

[Rolypops]

I have had a horrendous cough for two weeks now, I was so bedridden by it I didn't test for Covid but I cannot shake it, and two days ago I started to cough up blood. I went to A&E and after a ghastly seven hour wait was told that I have probably got a chest infection or bronchitis, was given steroids and antibiotics and sent home and told to go back in three days if not better, which would be tomorrow. However after a seeming improvement yesterday I am worse than ever today, a horrible loud wheeze when I breathe out and green and bloody stuff coming up with each coughing fit. I am short of breath but no temp.

Just don't know what to do, coughing so hard I can't hold my bladder and blood coming up cannot be normal. Should I go back to A&E or will they tell me to wait another day for the abs to work? They only tested basic stuff when I was in there the first time. I was only given enough steroids for a few days.

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This thread has me mad. I know the NHS is stretched but it costs more for critical care than a simple chest x-ray.

I also think that people advising a clearly very unwell person to delay visiting the hospital is dangerous.

Hope you are OK, OP 💐

I've spiked a temp now so I'm going back. So fed up and so worried.

@Rolypops take your meds with you and a drink as I imagine the wait will be long.
hope you get sorted 💐

I think you're right to go back

A and e

Take flask drink, water, sandwich fruit
Demand an x ray
tell them you feel so poorly
have they only given you prescription for steroid
once a day ?

Yes only steroids for three days but had six pills to take at once, and amoxycillin. Wasn't x rayed.

I had this with pneumonia and pleurisy ( at same time).GPs did house visits then. He saw the blood in the phlegm. I had pulled muscles and ribs with coughing .. then wheezing.. crackles in chest..( peeing too).High temp.
I was given two weeks of Steroids.. told how to reduce them over the 14 days.. until on 14th day had a quarter of one.
Took 3 months to feel completely better.
But l sounded exactly like you.
Good luck let us know how you get on.

This is the right decision... Having been hospitalised with pneumonia out of the blue last year, you have made the right decision. IV antibiotics did the trick for me xxx

From my experience with (if your taking prednisone) it's 8 tablets once a day (preferably am) for 5 days.
Hope you feel better soon

it does sound like pneumonia.

Blood could be from microtears in esophagus , happening because of the violent coughing.

Did they do a d dimer blood test to check for blood clot?

I'd go back to A&E

Let us know how you get on. xx

Realistically oral antibiotics take 3 days to kick in and for you to see an improvement

I'm being referred for chest x rays tonight and sent up to a ward to see different Dr's not the ones at A&E

A&E was definitively the right choice @Rolypops
zI hope you’ll be seen quickly now and will be able to get some sleep,p afterwards.

Let us know how you get on. I was like this last month and the cough has only just shifted. I think I had it for about 6 weeks. Felt dreadful. I suspected covid started it off but I did not test.

Hope they get you more comfortable OP

Sounds awful. Hope you will be OK

I hope you’re ok and you don’t have to be in for long.

Glad you have been seen . Hopefully you are a little more comfortable now

Glad you've gone in, they need to rule out a PE if your coughing up blood. As a health professional some of the advice on here is dangerous and proves why medical advice should never be sought on the Internet, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing comes to mind..

I ended up being diagnosed with pneumonia after I had similar symptoms to you. 3 lots of antibiotics growing in size over a month finally got rid of it

This 👏🏻