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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

In not going to casualty with my ear injury?

19 replies

MumblingRagDoll · 27/05/2011 20:34

DH thinks I should go to casualty....on a Friday evening...can you imagine the horror!

I fell down the steps in the front of our house...DD (3) got inbetween my legs and it was fall on her and crush her... or do a Kamikazi leap to save us both.... which went wrong...and resulted in me smacking my ear on the railing as I went.

It's very sore inside...and tender on the actual ear...but I dont have a headache...I reckon I have just bruised it....and he reckons I've done something to my eardrum and it needs looking at now.

I say wait till tomorrow and see...AIBU? I HATE hospital and they're very busy aren't they on Friday nights?

OP posts:

southeastastra · 27/05/2011 20:35

don't suppose they're that busy this early

BlueCat2010 · 27/05/2011 20:36

Why not go and see the out of hours doctor?

CoffeeDodger · 27/05/2011 20:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheOriginalFAB · 27/05/2011 20:37

YABU. You will be prioritised.

Original poster

MumblingRagDoll · 27/05/2011 20:38

Oh...yes...NHS direct! I ill call now. Thanks

OP posts:

whackamole · 27/05/2011 20:39

I wouldn't personally. I would probably take some paracetamol, then bitch about it all evening/weekend, then go to the walk-in centre.

But I'm 'ard, see.

TotalChaos · 27/05/2011 20:41

agree with whackamole. assuming you live reasonably near a walk-in so can pop in tomorrow morning. don't quite see why the OP would be prioritised for this in A & E...

humanoctopus · 27/05/2011 20:44

Why don't you ring your local A&E and ask what their current waiting for treatment times are?

I have a choice of two units closeby and whenever we need to go, the deciding factor is always due to that phone call.

Poor you.

Glad you saved your little one any damage.

Choufleur · 27/05/2011 20:47

If it's not an emergency then you would be ding unreasonable to go as it's not a drop in doctors surgery but for things that absolutely can't wait.

Go to the out of hours doctor this evening (if you think you need to) or see how it is in the morning.

Choufleur · 27/05/2011 20:47

being unreasonable not 'ding' which clearly makes no sense. i've only had one can of larger.

shineoncrazydiam0nd · 27/05/2011 20:54

I'm sure you'll live. How is this an emergency or it it hanging off?

Wait and see how it is next week.

southeastastra · 27/05/2011 20:55

eardrum things can be serious though can't they

YellowDinosaur · 27/05/2011 20:59

Don't go to the GP out of hours - they'll probably just send you to A&E.

You have had an accident and a head injury so YANBU to go to A&E - people go with a LOT less than this. However if you have done something to your eardrum there will be not a lot that can be done tonight so assuming you haven't a significant head injury (which can't tell without seeing you) then probably no issues waiting until tomorrow.

You need to look out for headaches, vomiting, loss of conciousness, drowsiness, confusion, visual problems or any weakness. All of these should make you go asap tonight (unless the headache is only mild and not getting worse).

I'm a hospital doc by the way (not neuro / ENT or A&E) but my job does involve some assessment of people with head injuries.

fannybaws · 27/05/2011 21:06

Can you hear ok? Is anything coming out of the ear? If not and you are feeling ok in all other ways apart from bruising, dont go to a&e, take some paracetamol and see how you are tomorrow.

ravenAK · 27/05/2011 21:12

I doubt they'd be able to do much even if you have damaged the eardrum - my ears are truly buggered, both eardrums repeatedly burst & recurrent infections.

When they play up, I get antibios & once when it was really bad, they hoovered it out & packed it with wadding, but they can't actually do anything to un-perforate them! Paracetamol & get down there asap if you get any swelling/discharge/increased pain which could indicate infection.

Choufleur · 27/05/2011 21:49

That's the point yellowdinosaur people go with a lot less when they don't really need to and could just go to a GP. The clue is in the name 'emergency'

discobeaver · 27/05/2011 23:14

RavenAK I once spoke to so done who shoved a cotton bud through his eardrum and perforated it, he said he was going to get a bionic ear. Or at least a synthetic eardrum surgicaly implanted.
He did it by sticking a cotton bud in his ear then blow drying his hair and whacking the bud with the hairdryer. Wot a twonk.

bugsylugs · 27/05/2011 23:29

Choufleur clue is in the name 'accident' and the other bit. But fri pm a&e is not where I would want to be

DoubleLifeIsALifeHalved · 28/05/2011 00:49

To clear up ear tangent, I have had 20 operations on my ear over the years so would be my specialist topic on mastermind!

Ear drums normally heal themselves as long as you don't get an infection/ get it wet etc, dependent on the size if the hole as well.

However you can get a skin graft to create a new ear drum should you need it, taking skin from your face to reconstruct an ear drum, but they wouldn't do this unless absolutely necessary as it's major surgery (they go in from the back, through the mastoid bone).

It would be incredibly rare to have thus done just for a perforation, normally done as an attempt to seal up a very damaged middle ear to try & reduce infection & disease, or as part of a wider ear reconstruction to improve hearing. So there you go for anyone who was interested!
In short, casualty will do nothing for an ear drum, so unless concussed, save yourself the effort!

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