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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

111 Again, total and utter waste of time and money.

81 replies

YoniWheretheSunDontShine · 26/05/2013 21:34

My DD came screaming in from the garden, she has speared her eye with a bamboo cane. she was screaming and nearly vomiting.

Sat her down and in spite of the initial and unusual screams, shortly she seemed to recover, Within 40 mins she was running round again like nothing had happened, the eye, whilst v red and slightly swollen seemed OK. However being an eye I thought a doc should just shine his light on it - make sure all OK.

called out of hours. nothing its 111 now. call them. speak for ages.....long list of questions, get someone to call me back. about two hours later get a call back.

useless, can I see anything in the eye? ! No, I cant but that means jack shit.

I just thought a doc should take a look.

Can I get to A&E, no, not with EBF baby and her. She doesn't bloody need A&E.

She then tells me I cannot even see local doc, usual out of hours, round the corner but one, 9 miles away?! AND she cant make the appointment. She has to then call this other out of hours, to then call me to make an appt.

What a load of useless bloody shite.

Hours ago, had the normal system been operative, we would have been seen already and sent away or given something.

Oh - just got another call and asking the same questions again.

OP posts:
Wereonourway · 26/05/2013 22:39

If I have read the op correctly, the "unnecessary" step did offer you the opportunity to see a gp, and not go to a and e??

Granted, some of what I've read about 111 hasn't been great but if I'm honest I think you are being a tad harsh on it the service in this case.

timidviper · 26/05/2013 22:48

It sounds as if you just want the NHS to jump through hoops to do what you want.

I had a corneal abrasion from a contact lens some years ago, the pain started several hours after the lens came out, it was only accurately diagnosed by using fluoroscein and UV light to which a GP would not have access and I needed steroid and antibiotic eye drops for a week afterwards.

As others have said I think you should have gone to A&E rather than demanding everyone fits in with you.

squeakytoy · 26/05/2013 22:50

Why couldnt your husband have taken her to A & E.. seeing as you have an ebf baby..

ll31 · 26/05/2013 22:52

Yabu not to bring her to a and e ,to get checked. Don't really get your point re the rest tbh.

WorraLiberty · 26/05/2013 22:56

She was running round, not complaining of any other symptoms, it was obvious to me at this stage it was not A&E worthy

But it's not obvious is it?

It's not obvious that by tomorrow she could wake up with an infection or an infected splinter that could have been prevented or removed, had you bothered to take her to see the GP at A&E.

Just because she's running around and not complaining, doesn't mean it doesn't need washing.

Onesleeptillwembley · 26/05/2013 22:59

You had yourself and even your husband there. Why on earth could you not take her to A&E? Using a none excuse makes it seem like you just couldn't be bothered. Grazes on the eye that could introduce infection are not always visible to the naked eye. FWIW I think you're being irresponsible, almost to the point of negligence.

AnitaBlake · 26/05/2013 23:13

I honestly wouldn't have waited so long. a&e all the way.

I think the major issue us the system has been mismanaged for so long, people expect what they demand, not what they need. Now the system has to manage expectations as well as medical problems.

arethereanyleftatall · 26/05/2013 23:50

Yes, they should have sent a Dr round, at your convenience of course, to check her out. Wouldn't do to have your day disturbed. And, how date they ask you questions to work out what was wrong.
y??

arethereanyleftatall · 26/05/2013 23:52

In case that wasn't clear, YABVVVVU

MissBetseyTrotwood · 26/05/2013 23:56

In this case, I'd have A&Ed.

However, both times I've used 111 it's been awful. Neither time have we received our call back from the doctor.

Our local hospital has a GP walk in next to the A&E and in both cases I've given up waiting on 111 and gone up there. It's not pleasant, given that it shares the waiting area with the A&E of a very busy hospital but at least we've been seen when it's been necessary.

Gingefringe · 27/05/2013 00:38

Any injuries involving bamboo canes can be serious (the Japanese used bamboo to torture POWs) as they have tiny barbs in them that can work their way further into tissue.
DH was chopping bamboo in our garden and a tiny shard flew into his eye, he eventually went to A&E but had to have some minor surgery which was very painful and it took weeks to heal properly.
You should have gone straight to A&E rather than risk your DC's eyesight.

olidusUrsus · 27/05/2013 03:09

My DD came screaming in from the garden, she has speared her eye with a bamboo cane. she was screaming and nearly vomiting.

Out of interest, if a kid comes to you with a bamboo spear in their eyeball, is the best course of action really to yank it out yourself?

missingmumxox · 27/05/2013 03:28

I predict in the next couple of months you dd will wake up in agony, unable to open her eye and you will need a&e, short way up is she needs eye drops, long way round up will spend more hours in a &e to be told eye drops, with a scratch to her cornea,
One of my dts when a baby and all unco-ordinated scratched my eye, watered a bit and painful, fine 15 mins later, fast forward 4 weeks and the most pain I have ever had.

sweetmelissa · 27/05/2013 03:37

I too injured my eye some months ago. It was painful at first with blurred vision, then it seemed to settle down and so I didn't go to A&E. As others have said a couple of days later it was agony and I could hardly see at all. The small scratch has got infected and I needed hospital treatment. Totally my own fault for not going sooner. Please take the advice given here and take your daughter to A&E. Also as others have said, eyes are the one thing that should ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS be checked by a medical professional.

wonderingsoul · 27/05/2013 07:10

in this case i would have just gone to a and e, eyes are seriouse stuff, bamboo has little bits that cant be seen by the naked eye, your husband could have taken her while you where at home with your baby. children get seen very quickly aswell.

what did the hospital say in the end?

fwiw. i phoned 111 up yesterday becasue my 4 year old had lost his voice for 4 days and yesterday was just so sleepy and crying which isnt like hi m. ( he also has a habbit of gettting tonsialtiouse) i had to phone 111 up, they phoned back with in 2 hours, said he needed to be seen with in 24 hours and already had a time slot for me at the hospital. considering, i think it was a pretty good, i was seen with in 20 mintues of my time slot too.

the only thing i was really pissed off i s that they have stopped the out of hours doctors appointment at the local hospital in my town, so had to travel 40 minutes by car, the buses dont run sunday, and i dont have £60 for a taxi, so i was lucky to get a lift but what about others who arnt so lucky? how can they take away such a thing, thats so needed in every town.

dribbleface · 27/05/2013 07:20

Blimey OP getting a hard time. I understand your point and agree its daft. YANBU

Sirzy · 27/05/2013 08:46

What was daft about 111 saying a child with an eye injury needs to be see in A and E dribble? I think in this case they were spot on and the problem came because the OP didn't want the 'hassle' of doing that!

Sallystyle · 27/05/2013 09:05

Is there a reason why someone can't take an EBF baby to A&E?

I hope her eye is ok, OP.

Montybojangles · 27/05/2013 09:13

Eye injuries need hospital review, they have the correct eye drops (with dye or to dilate pupils) to be able to assess for injury adequately. OOH do not. Why on earth didn't you just take her? Just because it settled doesn't mean she hasn't damaged or infected her eye.

111 is worse than useless in some areas, but this isn't something they should be dealing with I don't think.

I hope your daughter (and her sight) are ok.

goldenlula · 27/05/2013 09:19

Our normal doctors surgery may have refused to see you for this, in their opinion accidents (as this was) are for minor injuries or a and e.

Sallyingforth · 27/05/2013 09:25

111 is/will be a great service when used as it was intended, but it's expecting a lot for them to remotely diagnose possible eye damage.
I hope you will have covered the canes now, but if it happens again take her straight to A&E.

rainrainandmorerain · 27/05/2013 09:27

People missing the point here.

Yes, the OP should have gone to A&E with that sort of eye injury. Even a GP does not always have access to specialist opthalmic eye instruments - in order to look at an eye injury like this, you need the whole 'blue dye and special light' kit to see if there is a scratch. Which means going to A& E.

However - yes, the out of hours GP service has been eroded to the point at which people ARE needlessly arriving at an over pressured A&E service because they don't have access to less urgent care. Same with dentists. Which is partly the point the OP is making.

Yonionekanobe · 27/05/2013 09:29

We had a fantastic experience with 111 last weekend. Rang, went through a couple of minutes of screening questions and were in front of a GP half an hour later, the 111 operator having made the appointment there and then.

Twinklestarstwinklestars · 27/05/2013 09:31

Our ooh service is great and so are our minor injuries locally.

I wouldn't ring 111 for an eye injury I'd go straight to minor injuries who would check whether we needed to go to the local eye hospital (dp has been many times with work related eye injuries).

I also don't get why you can't take the baby.

Montybojangles · 27/05/2013 09:36

Perhaps if people weren't calling 111 and wasting the time of ooh services on things requiring specialist assessment then 111 and ooh could cope better rainrain , it works both ways.

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