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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think people who post here asking if they should go to the doctors

40 replies

user123346 · 16/03/2017 21:28

or to the vets are complete morons.

If you or your child is sick/ injured and your worried. Phone up 111 ( how difficult is it, really?) or go to A&E. Likewise if you're worried about your pet, for godsake, call up the vets and tell them on the phone the symptoms ( as pets can go down hill very fast).

Am I the only one who sees these threads and feels like this?

OP posts:

gamerchick · 16/03/2017 21:32

Well vets maybe but i roll my eyes plenty at threads where people are urging he OP to go to a&be when it's probably not needed. Some people panic and just want some other human input to calm their brains, these types of places can be ideal to talk a person down who's feeling panicked.

SpecialFlowSnake · 16/03/2017 21:37

What about when it's a stubborn and dentist-phobic husband? I am wondering if you saw my thread. I have NEVER been able to make him do anything. And he is a capable professional adult.

MrsPigling · 16/03/2017 21:40

I posted something similar in a facebook group a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't sure if I was being melodramatic! I was in pain, but not agony, bit worried and not thinking straight. I'm not normally a panicky person and can normally make rational decisions, but it's not always easy when you're in the middle of it! I didn't want to cause a fuss if it were nothing and have read about how stretched the NHS is...

My online friends got me to call 111. I had my appendix out about 5 hours later :)

Waitingonasmile · 16/03/2017 21:42

Sometimes people just want reassurance they are doing the right thing. It's better post here than not do anything and potentially die surely.

highinthesky · 16/03/2017 21:45

Agree with Waitingonasmile.

There are plenty of us on here with the skills and experience to point people in the right direction. I'd rather people asked than stewed and worried.

Crunchymum · 16/03/2017 21:47

Moron is an offensive term.

PlayOnWurtz · 16/03/2017 21:47

Yabu. I asked for asthma advice AFTER I called 111 (who were shit and said it wasnt urgent) and had some fantastic, calm, rational advice of how to manage my dc's presentation at that time because dh was adamant we listen to 111. We ended up in a&e (I recognised that actually I needed to stop pissing about listening to dh and go with my gut) in the end. No hysterical GO TO A&E NOW! posts just calm helpful people

IvyLeagueUnderTheSea · 16/03/2017 21:50

I think that people who are called User23764828352735491741792369826 should be made to change their usernames, but that ain't happening any time soon.

PurpleDaisies · 16/03/2017 21:50

There isn't a vets equivalent of 111 and there are plenty of things that can be managed at home if you know what to do.

Sometimes people just need a bit of reassurance that they're doing all the right things or telling to go to the doctor/phone 111 if it looks like they're not.

missyB1 · 16/03/2017 21:52

No they are not morons! How bloody offensive are you?! I was a nurse for 25 years and I'm married to a Dr, I still dither sometimes about whether to go to make an appointment with the GP.

Itscurtainsforyou · 16/03/2017 21:53

YABU and a bit of a twat frankly.

I asked for advice last night about a rash my son had - I was concerned it might be scarlet fever (so would need a gp appointment the following day, I was already planning on taking my other child for a different reason). It certainly didn't look like meningitis so didn't require an urgent 111/a&e trip, but also it could've just been viral and I didn't want to waste time/NHS resources.

It's just like asking a friend what they think, a sanity check. I'm not sure what harm that is to be frank.

SuziePink · 16/03/2017 21:54

I think YABU when perhaps people are just panicking and there's not a lot wrong but I know exactly what you mean when it comes to people posting that their child has a very high temperature or something else that would spark worry in a childless (for the next 6 months anyway) person such as myself.

It seems like a lot of people forget about 111 and the fact their local GP surgery will most likely have someone on call... perhaps if things were slightly clearer and the government wasn't intent on screwing up the NHS it would be much easier for all.

pointstaken · 16/03/2017 22:03

You are being incredibly U, and it's because of people like you that A&E are as bad as they are. (not the only reason, but a very big one).

A&E are for medical EMERGENCIES, people dying, bones sticking out, unbearable pain, or a panicked mother with a very sick newborn of course.

It takes 3 to 4 weeks to get an appointment to my local GP. Asking for people's advice in the meantime can bring a much needed peace of mind.

Call 111 by all means, but asking for other people's opinion is not a waste of time. It's very sad that we have so little medical support because of the current system, but that's the way it is.

There are some very good advice on here, people sending you in the right direction. Why do you think it's ever acceptable to pop to A&E (ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCIES FFS!) for a benign or non-urgent query? Your stupid behaviour is putting people at risk, the ones who need urgent medical help and won't get it because you delayed the staff.

I believe that your user name proves you are a troll, but hopefully other A&E time wasters might realise how stupid they are.

PlayOnWurtz · 16/03/2017 22:04

Look at the lady with sepsis. If she hadn't posted and got advice she may well have died (no exaggeration there!)

ImpetuousBride · 16/03/2017 22:04

Lots of unkind responses, hmmm... Speaking for myself, certainly wouldn't rely on mumsnet for qualified medical advice - even if a dr was visiting my thread, how could they diagnose me based on a post?!

Wouldn't forget some woman's posting with a photo of a glass full of (literally) bloody urine ... or another one about a haemorrhoid problem asking if she could attach a photo (of somebody's ass!). Hilarious yet ridiculous...

pointstaken · 16/03/2017 22:05

their local GP surgery will most likely have someone on call

not around here, it's 111 for any out of hours calls.

Dawndonnaagain · 16/03/2017 22:05

What an unkind post, user.

megletthesecond · 16/03/2017 22:09

Yabu. People sometimes doubt themselves and second opinions are invaluable.

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 16/03/2017 22:09

Adding to what High said, I am in theory quite capable of deciding whether I need a GP appointment/A&E visit/ambulance when it comes to my asthma.

In practice at 6.30am in the morning it turns out it's not that simple. Even after I'd booked the appointment I thought I might be wasting my GPs time. Sometimes you just need to hear someone else say it.

ExplodedCloud · 16/03/2017 22:13

There was a poster years ago who wasn't sure what to do about a pain and with the right questions MN diagnosed a ruptured ectopic pregnancy and saved her life too iirc.

I've asked myself on here about is this a GP thing because I have anxiety and it helps if people give me a bit of perspective. Last time someone made a passing remark about don't do X, that'll make it worse. I realised I had done that very thing which had indeed made it worse
So I didn't need the GP.

Adelie0404 · 16/03/2017 22:16

I think MUMSNET is great and there is good advice. I do think there is a bit of a "get down to A&E" which is often the wrong advice. I totally agree with pointstaken. Mind, I can get an urgent GP appointment same day if I have a good reason. Accept that many can't.

welshmist · 16/03/2017 22:17

I think people are reading so much about not wasting scarce NHS resources that they are concerned about being one of the worried well. If a group of people on here can help them decide whether to get a gp appointment phone 111 or go to A&E that has to be a good thing imo.

Heatherbell1978 · 16/03/2017 22:19

Not sure. I'm one of those people who posted - a few weeks ago I was heavily pregnant (baby now here) and posted about feeling increased movements and wondered if it was normal. If I'm honest I wasn't too worried as I was feeling baby plenty; just wanted other women's experiences. Cue being inundated with 'get yourself to a&e immediately' 'call your midwife now' responses which I felt were a bit unnecessary.

SourBubblegum · 16/03/2017 22:23

I think what some people (OP for example) fail to realise is that the NHS are very stretched right now. I only have one local gp practice, and appointments are a two week wait at the moment. I don't want to waste a gps time with an emergency appointment, a call out or a trip to a&e when it may not be necessary. I feel extremely guilty when I have wasted their time. Sometimes it's easy to doubt yourself though. I've not had great experience with 111, and equally it costs the NHS each time someone calls 111. I don't think anyone is BU, unless it is for sure a medical emergency, to ask for advice first, whether that be by a family member, friend or MNetters. Of course I agree if a child has a high fever, rash all over etc then I wouldn't waste my time asking for advice.

pointstaken · 16/03/2017 22:26

I wouldn't replace medical advice by advice on an anonymous internet forum, but asking for people's opinion can really reassure the poster, or encourage them strongly to call for help asap if needed. You can't diagnose someone, but having some advice and there are some GP/ medical staff on here can be so helpful.

Some posters are on their own with little children. It helps them a lot to have some opinion, instead of just waiting for daylight and praying for the best because they don't want to disturb the kids.

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