To go to A+E about something that's neither an accident or emergency?

[FiveSugarsPlease]

My right foot hurts. Really hurts, and has been hurting for three weeks.

At first I thought i'd sprained it and it would go away itself, but for the past few days, I've been struggling to walk for longer than 10 mins at a time.

I have no idea how it happened. Can't remember tripping or anything like that. I can just recall it starting to be a bit painful when I walked.

I've been managing to get around the past few weeks by tilting my foot slightly so that pressure is going to the outside of my foot rather than the sole. Pressing my foot, the pain seems to be in the centre at the top, about an inch below my middle toes. My foot has swollen, and my lovely summery flats don't fit.

I called the GP and asked if I could see a doctor today just to get it checked over. She asked symptoms etc and said it sounds like a sprain. The next appointment is 2 weeks time (and she made out I was lucky to be offered this, as most appointments have a 4 week waiting time).

Ideally, i'd like an x-ray or thorough check of my foot as soon as possible, as it could possibly be a fracture.

If I were to go to A+E about this today, will I be turned away/told to get a GP appointment?

It's not an emergency, as I can still walk (albeit painfully), and the pain's only present when I put pressure on my foot. When i'm resting, my foot just has a heavy feeling (because of the swelling) and I can't flex my toes.

It's not an accident either as I can't think what caused it.

In fact, it's so much of a non-emergency, I think I may even leave it until Monday if I decide to go, as I've left it too late now and would be late for school pick up.

More of a WWYD, I suppose.

You shouldn't attend A&E with a problem you've had for 3 weeks.

A minor injuries unit, or walk in centre is the better option.

Or call your surgery back and say you really must see a GP today; a painful swollen foot does need attention but not necessarily in A&E.

Go to your GP as you have stated it is neither and accident or an emergency. It would be extremely inappropriate of you to go to A and E and I would send you away to your GP.

Plus no history of trauma means you would be highly unlikely to get an xray anyway.

Also my stress fracture got more and more painful as I continued to walk on it after being told it was probably plantar fasciitis by the doc in A&E!

At A&E on Sunday, where we went because my husband was actually near to death, the Sister told me that every person they see costs a minimum of £600.

So, also every non accident or emergency costs £600.

That is what every one of us should think about before going to A&E.

Our A&E department won't see you if the injury hasn't happened in the last 48 hours.

Minor injuries would be the best place to go.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2334877/A-E-Its-like-war-zone-Dying-women-shunted-corridors-make-space.html

Read that article and then maybe you might realise why A and E is not appropriate! By the way that happens to be about my hospital and that is why I am so against people just 'popping in' for things that so not require emergency care!

You need to call your gp back and say it's something that can't wait that long. If they say they can't fit you in then you need to say that you are going to A&E and will make it clear there it's because the GP won't fit you in.

Last time I did that they magically found an appointment (with a nurse which was fine for what we needed), but I couldn't let a baby be in pain for the amount of time they wanted to make me wait. The nurse said I had done the right thing.

Btw there are no minor injury type units here either. They used to have a walk in GP surgery on the hospital grounds, which was great, but they shut it recently.

Wow I had no idea about walk-in Minor Injury Units! I've just googled and found 6 around my city. It's amazing these aren't advertised!

Hope your foot gets seen to OP.

i dont think ybu to go to a and e , you may have a long wait, but if you go early on it shouldnt be to bad.

you have been suffering for a week? its swollen and you can barely walk for more then ten minutes?

have you bandage it your self? you can get ankle ones that cover your foot ankle, bit which would help, you deff cant wait two weeks for one.

go to a and e. failing that if you really dont want to go phone the doctors back, say you want an appionment tomorrow morning. dont tell ehr why.

Fakebook I tell ye Minor Injury places are marvellous. And because every idiot rocks up at A&E you get seen in no time flat.

I have to call my GP at 8am to get a same day appointment, can't you call first thing Monday rather than wait two weeks? Either that or an NHS Walk-In centre would be good, I've used them before for minor injuries, although once was told to go to A&E for an X-ray, but that was a very recent injury.

I would say (as a completely NON medical person) that you may have broken your foot? That to me is a completely justifiable reason to visit A & E.

YANBU

Yep I tore the ligaments in my ankle a couple of months back and it sounds similar, the minor injuries assessed it and gave me a support bandage, told me to take NSAIDs (ibuprofen and the like) with paracetamol and gave the usual RICE (rest, ice, compress, elevate) advice and referred me for an x-ray to confirm no fracture. An ankle injury is a bugger but there isn't much more they can do, so is follow that advice and maybe go to the GP Monday morning at 9am to avoid the engaged phone and get a same day appt.

Thanks, IKnowWhat. I'm in Scotland, so used the NHS24 site. It's only giving me the option of finding a local travel clinic, sexual health clinic, dentist, pharmacy, hospital of travel clinic.

I will call on Monday to my GP about another same day appointment, but the phone is constantly engaged, so I don't hold out much hope. All I want is to determine what's actually wrong (sprain/fracture) and to get something to help me move for longer than five minutes at a time.

Not a comment on the OP because I know you were only asking because you can't seem to get a GP appointment which IMO is part of why so many people go to A&E but....I am surprised at how many intelligent and sensible people misuse the A&E service.

No opinion to contribute on A&E or MIU but it sounds like you could have a condition called plantar fasciitus. It might be worth googling and seeing if any of the stretches help soothe the pain. Rolling my foot over a cold drinks can helps me (though obviously this would be a bad idea if you do have a fracture!)

OP, can you pop down there on Monday as it opens instead of hanging on the phone for ages?

Ouch!

Sounds like my stress fracture, for which I'm currently in a boot and on crutches as I have to be non-weight bearing. The placement and pain sounds similar, though I didn't have swelling.

I tried Minor Injuries (told my shoes were too tight!!)

Then A&E - xrayed but stress fractures don't show immediately, told to come back a week later if the pain didn't go.

Then fracture clinic - told to go away as I wasn't in enough pain for it to be serious.

Then GP - referred to Physio.

Physio (7 weeks later!) - told it could be a navicular stress fracture and I wasn't allowed to leave without blood tests and crutches. If it turns into a full break it will need pinning surgically. So now I'm waiting for an MRI to confirm, 11 weeks after I first noticed the pain during a match.

Not impressed. I'm an athlete, accustomed to injury and managing my pain - wish someone had taken me seriously in the early stages.

So, if it were me, I'd go to a walk in clinic or A&E - and not take no for an answer if your treatment is below par or your diagnosis isn't clear.

Good luck!

Well, I just used the link suggested above to look for Minor Injuries clinics. The only thing that pops up is our local A&E. Now, I know that it's an A&E unit, but presumably plenty of people who don't know the area that well would also head there for sprains?

five sugars try googling minior injurys in .... should bring some up in or a round where you live.

i dont see why its a misuse though.. 3 weeks, its not getting better, still swollen.... id see that a pretty bad thing, esp if gp wont see her.. though i do have to ask why have you left it so long?

I was just going to suggest what ClipClap said. PF can be very painful.

We have to phone my GP at 8am to get a same day appt. yes it's a ball ache but if you keep dialling you will get through eventually. Better to waste 30 minutes of your time on the phone than the time of the a&e

TSS, I can imagine they would be pretty empty. We had a minor incident about 5 months ago when DS put a hanger in his mouth and pulled it out resulting in a gash that bled for about 2 mins. If I'd had known about these places I would have taken him there and not A&E as suggested by the 111 person on the phone.

It's misuse because it is not an emergency and could be dealt with by a GP. I'm not blaming the OP, it sounds like a nightmare to get an appointment! The system is crap.

It's unlikely to be a normal fracture if you haven't injured it and stress fractures take a few weeks to show on xrays and may require a bone scan. I'd phone today to book an appointment for next week.
If it's rapidly getting worse and is red and swollen it may be infected in which case you'd need seen sooner, either way it's GP not A&E though