to call NHS 24 after 2 courses of antibacs?

[AutumnSummers]

The whole of the right side of my throat has been swollen and numb for well over a month now. I also have a large egg-lump behind my ear that refuses to go away. My docs have given me 2 courses of antibiotics and still no difference. It affects my hearing but does not hurt, although sometimes I choke when I'm eating. This is all on top of a myriad of health issues.

My doctors has sonething of a revolving door sytem where you can be seen quickly but rarely by the same dictor. WIBU to just not go back but call NHS 24 and see if they can get a hospital doc to look at it?

You could, however the out of hours doc will have no information about you and as the problem is ongoing and not acute, so you are likely to get told to see your gp. If you present to a and e with a chronic problem you are unlikely to get anywhere. So sorry you are unwell but I think you need to go to your gp on Tuesday and ask for an ent referral.

Depends if you are well or not

If you have a high temp/ cannot swallow esp if fluids / cannot open mouth properly then yes you do need to be seen esp if unilateral as could be abscess

If you are well then it is unlikely nhs24 will be able to help, they cannot refer you to ENT directly, and as prev stated A and E will send you back to your GP

Do you smoke?

Think at GP you have to ask for referral to ent- you would meet guidelines as > 4 weeks of throat problem not responding to antibiotics. Assume no evidence of dental problem?

That's the thing though, I've been going to the GP about ear and throat problems for about 6 months, on and off. This time it's just not going away. Every time I visit the doctor I see a different one who acts like they haven't read my file at all and it's square one every time. One of the doctors I saw said that she "didn't have time" to look at it after we had discussed gyn problems.

I will just wait til Tuesday and try to peak to omeone about not being seen by so many doctors for the same thing. I might also complain about how I feel that my treatmenthas been affected because of it.

You definitely need to go back to your GP and get a referral I think. Sounds to me like you have a cyst that needs emptying and removing, though obviously that's just a guess. Hope you get the right treatment soon and feel better.

I'm well. No temp. Just struggle to eat at times because my thraot is huge. even my tonsil is swollen. I don't smoke.

NHS 24 will either advise you to wait till Tuesday, see an OOH GP or attend A+E. They wont be able to refer you directly to ENT.

If you remember the names of any GPs that you have seen you could request to see them again, and then it might not feel quite so much like starting from square one. Its pretty normal for a GP to only be able to deal with 1 problem at 1 appointment, so if you went with a gynae thing, and then at the end asked about your throat they would ask you to book a second appointment. Its better to say at the beginning if you have a list, or to book a double appointment. The GP will probably have 10 minute appointment slots, including time for note writing/admin in between patients.

I didn't book with a gyne thing though. At my surgery, when you call for an appointment you speak to a doctor who assesses your needs and either gives you a prescription over the phone or tells you to some in. When I called that time, it was about stomach pain, pack pain and the throat thing. He told me to come see a doc to discuss it all and that's what I did. After she assessed my stomach I asked her about the throat and ear and ten i got the "Don't have time" reply.

I will try to get a doctor I have spoken to before on Tuesday.

*tells you to come in

Another option for next time would be to check with the GP when they would like you to return for review, and make the appointment with that same GP at reception on your way out. If its a ongoing thing then seeing someone new each time isnt ideal.

If you feel worse don't hesitate to call.. It's important to remember that although many of the out of hours centres are based in hospitals it is still a GP you see.