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.

did you mention to your gp receptionist by law they have to give you an appointment within 24hours if you need one, they always seem to magically find one when you say that!

I had a foot problem and went to the walk-in unit of a local general hospital. The problem was treated (examination, x-ray, tetanus, dressing) within the hour.

Our walk in centre is part of the AnE department - you just go to AnE reception and they send you on to walk in, or AnE bit.. Apparently lots do this now - I'd never heard of it until last night when I was there though.

I've just found one! There is a minor injuries unit (it calls itself acute hospital) dept in the same hospital as the A+E! Just at the opposite end. I shall go after school with dd. I'm so happy! It's open 9am-9pm 7 days per week.

I feel so silly.

I've left it so long because I was convinced it was a sprain and would go away in a few weeks, and I could work/walk so long as I took plenty of pain killers beforehand.

But now the painkillers don't work and it has swollen and gotten more painful. I am so relieved! Hopefully i'll find out what's wrong today.

Thank you one and all.

You could make a private appointment to see a sports physio. They would know if it was plantar fasciitis, sprain or break. Might be £30 well spent if you are self-employed.

That's good news. Keep us updated

I was going to suggest just going to the GP's before they open.

Good luck.

My advice is to take it seriously. 4 week's waiting is too long. Can you buy or borrow crutches in the meantime?
My husband sprained his foot years ago, had x-rays but they couldn't find anything. Walked on crutches for ages and eventually it healed - except that the bones didn't heal in the correct position. Five years on, that foot is bigger than the other and buying shoes is a nightmare. Ideally he would need two different sizes. He still can't run and walking for over one hour becomes painful. A doctor friend told him that clearly there must have been a tiny fracture somewhere.

thats great news.

hope you find out the answers and get some thing to ease the pain, i woudlnt be surrpised to come back out with crutchs though.

good luck

Don't feel silly. You asked, we advised and hopefully you'll get it sorted asap!

A sprain can be much worse than the name suggests. My torn ligaments come under 'ankle sprain' and I've been told it could take up to a year to heal properly with physio etc, I did it on the 2nd April and it's still swollen and uncomfortable now. I'd second a private physio for an assessment. Best 30 quid I spent in relation to this.

Glad you can get it checked. I had a painful foot/ankle but no trauma and ended up at a&e after 6 days. They found 3 fractures in my foot an ankle, ended up 10 weeks in plaster on crutches!

Glad you found a minor injuries unit, they are great! I had to visit our local one 4 times in 6 weeks recently and the longest I waited to be seen was 20 mins with dd on her second trip after re opening a wound on h chin a week and a day after the first time she did it!
One of my visits was with my mum who had hurt her ankle. It was a Saturday and both my dh and dad argued with me that if I really thought she should get it checked I would need A&E as they do not X-ray. They do, but only up until 4pm but we were in time. Within an hour we had been seen, x rayed and plastered.

Good job OP. Hope it gets sorted today.

Is it bad for me to be a little excited about the next time someone has a minor injury in my family so I can tell them to go to a MIU?

I hope they can get you sorted - sounds painful.

Phone NHS 24. You may find that they refer you to the hospital.

How the F can you be diagnosed with a sprain over the phone ??? Or did the Gp call you back ?
Glad you have found a minor injuries clinic and hope its nothing serious.

Sounds like a broken metatarsal to me. PF is usually painful on the bottom of the foot. Please tell us what it turns out to be OP so we can see if anyone has diagnosed you correctly :)

Glad you have found a MIU.

Anyone PLANNING a trip to A&E is being completely unreasonable. It's either an accident or emergency and you need to be seen immediately or it's not and you seek alternatives.

I would go to a&e
minor injury clinics here don't have x-rays and could only refer on to fracture clinic or a&e anyway.
the minor injury clinics here are a bloody joke anyway: they don't see children, don't do stitches, don't x-ray...

I have a similar thing, swollen painful sole. It only started yesterday but I can't walk on it already Just been to the GP and have been given antibiotics for 10 days. Says its a foot infection but the cause is a mystery (no wounds/bites etc)

From the location of where you said the pain is, it could be something called mortons neuroma. Google it. It won't show up on an X-ray.

Dh had/has the same thing.

I'm glad you found a solution OP. If I were you, I would write to your GP about the appointment booking system. Ours used to be like that but I (and no doubt many others) have complained and now it is much improved.

Hope it's nothing serious.
I had plantar fasciitis a while ago and it was agony!

If you go to A&E don't go on Monday thinking it will be quiet, it's often one of the busiest times as everyone who wants to enjoy their weekend decides they are too ill to go to work come Monday morning so they go to A&E. Seemingly the quietest times are about 5am on a weekday morning.