To feel silly that I rang 111 and they sent paramedics?

[TypicallyEnglishMustard]

Hi, I'm sat here feeling a bit ridiculous.

I have asthma, and I've been coughing like crazy the last ten days, bringing up loads of mucus (sorry), but no cold or anything, felt fine in myself so carried on as normal, just been using my inhaler loads more than I normally would.

I felt weird this evening, and the cough was way worse, then I suddenly felt like I couldn't catch my breath properly, and was feeling dizzy and had pain in the middle of my chest. Used my inhaler, but felt no better, and started to panic. My fiancé rang 111, and I thought they'd maybe direct us to the OOH clinic, but paramedics were called out to us instead. Really great, because I was really starting to panic, and was having waves of feeling like, "I can't breathe, I really can't breathe."

Anyway, lovely paramedics came, and examined me really thoroughly, but my chest was absolutely clear, nothing wrong at all... I basically just have a really bad cough but deluded myself into thinking it was worse. So I got paramedics out at night for a cough.

AIBU to feel that was silly and I need to calm down next time, or is it okay that we rang 111? I feel so embarrassed that that's what they came out for.

Breathing into a paper bag is outdated advice, I'm afraid. It can be very dangerous, especially for any one with asthma or heart problems.

Definitely don't feel silly - as others have said you did exactly the right thing. What you have is potentially life threatening.
I may or may not have a clotting disorder - have definitely had at least 2 dvts and likely one PE (diagnosed as pneumonia)...all for no apparent reason.
Therefore any sudden pain in the chest accompanied by breathlessness I should get medical help...fine - but of course as soon as I get a mysterious pain in the chest I get frightened and I start to panic ...so I get breathless. and so that makes me panic more and then I really can't breathe...
(And any mysterious certain kind of pain/swelling in my legs etc for no reason I need to get medical attention too)
At first (many years ago now just after I did nearly die with a massive DVT ) I was in and out of A&E on a regular basis. I spoke to my consultant about it, what could I do to stop me panicking? I knew I was overreacting, felt awful about wasting their time, I was so embarrassed but the panic took over etc and she told me I was doing exactly the right thing...I should never regret going to A&E when I didn't need to because I would never regret not going if I should have done - I wouldn't be alive to regret anything.

I haven't had a clot for years (or probably not - long story) - I feel safer and I am very good at calming myself down and not getting so panicky -even so a couple of years ago I called 111 (or the equivalent at the time) to get an appt at OOH and they sent a blue light ambulance - I was mortified, couldn't apologise enough to the ambulance men etc, etc (I was fine) ...and one of them said exactly what my consultant had said all those years ago -followed by 'you don't want to actually die of shame do you?'...

SomedayMyPrinceWillCome Mon 11-Jan-16 23:21:37
I work in A&E & you would not believe the minor crap that 111 sends ambulances to ( not saying that's you at all). It's a shambolic system driven by badly programmed computers

This ^. Ds had a horrific nose bleed. It was not life threatening. But it was bad enough that he was spitting blood clots out as well as the blood from his nose. 111 sent us to a&e although it finished during the assessment call to them because he had been feeling sick and dizzy. It was over kill and out of hours doctor's appointment would have been sufficient. Both the Triage and Doctor said he should have been sent to outpatients and were relieved that I agreed. That said it did highlight the fact that ds was mildly dehydrated and needed encouraging to drink more as they struggled to get a blood sample from him. But still out of hours could have established that easily enough.

My brother is asthmatic and if he had your symptoms I would want him checked out right away.

Asthma can get scary serious very quickly.

Please don't feel silly.

That said Asthma, heart issue and a whole heap of other stuff is not minor crap and really really should be no need to feel guilty for the sending of an ambulance.

111 sent an ambulance because ds 4 had a high temp and was sleepy...I just wanted to talk to an ooh doc...ambulance came, gave calpol, ds perked up, they insisted on taking ust a and e!

Don't feel silly.
Our NHS is amazing, our paramedics are amazing. They are there for you.
If you feel a bit of a debt, do your bit by telling all your friends and neighbours what does and what does not belong in A&E ( Your ingrowing toenail can go to a GP - or here's an idea, if you are actually quite well off enough, to a private podiatrist. Your cold can go to the pharmacist at Morrisons. They are well trained and patient, and have a degree in ManFlu)
But your asthma was rightly checked out by our own superheroes.

I don't think you should feel silly for them having sent out an ambulance for breathing problems in someone who has asthma.

Now do you have an asthma plan and have you had a review recently. If not get yourself upto date and checked out. This will help you identify when you need emergency care to.

You can have serious problems and still have a clear chest, it's silent asthma. Main system is just coughing so yourself to the GP tomorrow and get yourself checked out.

Please don't feel silly. You are asthmatic, couldn't catch a breath and had a pain in your chest - 111 absolutely did the right thing, as did your fiancé.

111 is far from a perfect system, but imo they did nothing wrong in this case.

It's great that you are feeling better, but if you can't breathe and have chest pain please don't hesitate in calling them. Better to look silly than the alternative if you don't call them and it is something.

You might want to speak to your GP if the cough doesn't clear up though. Could be your asthma meds need tweaking.

We had the same for DD when it turned out she had tonsillitis. Her lips were blue which caused alarm but I knew she was ok and it wasn't more serious, they insisted. But I was told off for being 'brave' by not taking in my youngest with croup, breathing problems are serious so don't feel bad.

The thing is 111 is not staffed by medically qualified people, in the way NHS Direct was. They have to follow a chart on a computer when asking Qs about symptoms and it seems that often callers are told to ring for an ambulance, or they might do it - not sure, or a paramedic. I know that A & E staff get very fed up with people arriving by ambulance when it isn't necessary. I'm not blaming the staff at 111 - I'm blaming the government because it's cheaper to run 111 with non medical people.

I know how you feel 111 sent the ambulance round when I had a UTI in third trimester - glad they did in a way as I was having minor contractions and only 33 weeks but at the time it felt silly.

They know which conditions can deteriorate rapidly.

They always send one for chest pain. This happened to me and I was also really embarrassed but the nice paramedic said it wasn't my fault.

I also had an ambulance for chest pains last year too. I felt really embarrassed though the gas and air was great

Don't feel embarrassed. It did sound scary and it's best to get this checked

Hope you're better soon

Combination of shortness of breath and chest pains will always get you an ambulance from a 111 call, and quite right too - although many calls will not need hospital you can't expect a computer and an untrained call taker on the end of a phone to discriminate between a lift-threatening asthma attack +/or heart attack and something less serious. We are very lucky to live in a place where we get such generally excellent healthcare.

YANBU, better safe than sorry really does apply with asthma and breathing problems.
I lost a good friend to asthma because no one knew CPR. I've done St Johns every few years ever since.

When I was pregnant with my DD I had hyperemesis. Day after day of endless vomitting. Then one night when I was 16 weeks, same routine but I fainted after one particularly bad vomit. DH phoned 111 who descended paramedics. I felt like a right twat as there was absolutely nothing they could do for me, apart from take me to the hospital in the ambulance (and despite the constant puking, I could easily have done that in a car).

I always remember them coming up to our house with all their gear and looking at me and my sick bucket clearly thinking "why have 111 send us out?! What are we meant to do?!" They were so nice to me though. It's not your fault they got sent out- don't stress!

that's nothing!

111 sent me an ambulance the first time I experienced really intense heartburn!

in their defence I literally thought I was dying

As a paramedic I would say don't feel silly, you didn't call them out (and even if you did don't feel silly) we get very many unnecessary calls and shortness of breath in an asthmatic doesn't make the unnecessary list.

If it makes you feel any better calls I've been out to include someone who grazed their knuckles on a cheese grater, didn't even need a plaster, someone who had a spot (small, not swollen just a red spot) on their leg, and many people who want us to say they shouldn't go to work because they have a blocked nose (normally healthy people not those who have other issues) all of which I was nice and polite to, checked them out, wrote my reams of paperwork and politely suggested an alternative care pathway should it happen again.

Hope you feel better soon and don't hesitate to call back if you don't or feel worse.

Oh goodness I am so glad that the paramedics came to you!! I don't have asthma so I don't have direct experience of not being able to breathe but my dd does so I know about it second hand iyswim. Utterly bloody terrifying!!

You didnt call them - 111 took the decision to send them to you!

I am very cross about utter numpties who rock up at a&e/call an ambulance with, say, a paper cut or call the police because the kebab they just bought is cold!! You are not one of them!! It is very kind of you to feel worried about it but I am glad a) that they came to you but mostly b) that you are ok (although surely a cough producing that much phlegm is a sign of something, infection perhaps?).

I called 111 when my mother had twisted/sprained her ankle. She'd done it two days previously, there was hardly any swelling but she was insistent that she wanted to see a doctor - however, when I tried to take her to Minor Injuries she reckoned she couldn't get into the car. She then wanted to call the doctor out, which I thought was massive overkill so 111 was the compromise.

When they heard that she was on Warfarin and had slight swelling, they said with great emphasis that I had to get her to A&E immediately. I queried it - I said I realised that they were worried about haemorrhage, but given that this had happened two days previously it really didn't seem a likely risk, but they were still insistent on her going to A&E. OK, I said, but in that case you'll need to send an ambulance because I've already tried and failed to get her into my car. At that point they decided that maybe they'd think again, and got a much more sensible doctor to phone who simply recommended what I would have done anyway, i.e. strapping it up and rest, and a lot of ambulance time was saved.

I am not sure why they got rid of NHS Direct. They were pretty quick to send you to A and E but at least it was nurses and doctors talking to people a lot of the time, and surely there were not so many ambulances being sent out?

Paramedics on here - I am interested to know generally (not just with regard to 111 etc) what percentage of your callouts are for daft stuff. (By daft I mean if it was on AIBU you would get a roasting for wasting paramedic time, like the cheese grater incident).

Don't feel silly. Asthma can kill, and you needed to be checked over. Hope you feel better soon - and do call them again if you need to.

I do understand though. My vision once went totally black whilst I was out with DS, 111 sent blue lights and everything. I was so embarrassed. I told them on the phone I suspected it was a bad migraine starting but they insisted. Can understand why just looking at that symptom, but I apologized constantly to the paramedics. Felt like a complete waste of their time

Don't worry at all. You sought the appropriate response, you rang 111 for advice. The advice they give is their responsibly and I think it sounds about right in this instance.

It is worth going to your GP today though if you can and requesting a chest x-ray. I have had pneumonia twice with nothing picked up when listening to my chest. It was only with an x-ray that it was diagnosed and treated both times.

The thing is that they're damned if they do, damned if they don't.

What if someone died because they decided over the phone they were probably just having a panic attack? The lawsuits would be more costly than the "check just in case" service...