To think many people overeact to minor illness and injury?

[Ihaveabloodyheadache]

Friday I woke up with some loss of hearing in one ear and a feeling that it's 'blocked' somehow. It's itchy inside and a bit red/swollen and a bit painful, with a 'wet' feeling inside to though no discharge, my balance has been knocked off a bit but nothing major and I feel under par and a bit snotty and grotty.
Considering it's gone on 3 days and got progressively worse, I'm going to give Dr a call later for a routine appointment. I'm not comfortable, but I've been to work and am coping with paracetamol and ibuprofen for now.
But according to a couple of friends and relatives, I'm courting absolute disaster by not either going to the local minor injury unit over the weekend, or demanding an emergency appointment this morning.
I'm not dying, I'm not in agony, I can wait.
Would anyone go to a minor injury unit for this or have an emergency appointment?
My personal opinion is that if everyone rushes to the on call services, or gets an emergency appointment for something like this it's hardly going to help an already struggling NHS is it? And it's not an emergency.
AIBU to think that people overreacting to minor problems like this are a strain on the NHS and people should be prepared to wait when it's not an emergency?

Antibiotics are far too over prescribed too.

This does not necessarily need them.

I have MS. I am presumably one of the people you are trying to help by giving me more time with the NHS.
Go to a doctor, get it sorted. Stop being a martyr and dragging it out.

I think I would have quietly made an urgent appt with my GP but probably not bothered mentioning it to my friends, family, Mumsnet.....

Most ear infections are self limiting anyway, I think waiting 3 or 4 days to see if it starts to clear up makes a lot of sense. I am prone to ear infections and only ever go to the GP if it is prolonged.

Some people do seem to panic at the first sign of minor illness rather than taking steps to self care or taking advice from a pharmacist.

I find struggling into work when I'm snotty and achey just pisses off my colleagues tbh, complete with pointed "Don't pass it to me" remarks.

I usually prescribe myself a day of rest and then if not better (unless it's clearly just a cold) go to the GP. I've had shingles and pneumonia both diagnosed on a weekend at a walk-in - should I have waited to pass some kind of martyr test?!

You are being silly in not going to the doctor today.

Doctors don't appreciate people who waited too long to be seen and end up with more serious problems that could be avoided.

And I never see a doctor for less than a 3 day fever.
I do think your ear should be looked at.

No I'm not driving to work. I don't drive anyway.
Perhaps the Dr will give me a medal, perhaps not if it turns out to be wax blocking my ear and not the horrendous infection, that is going to lead to me having to have iv antibiotics in a hospital bed, that a lot of pps have diagnosed.
Included symptoms for background, not martyrism (not even sure that's a word??) This could be an ear infection, but with that I would expect more pain, discharge, temperature etc, in which case I'd have gone to an out of hours service - to not do that isn't being a martyr, surely it's common sense?
And I shouldn't tell people if I'm not willing to go to an emergency appointment or out of hours centre, Erm I really don't understand that concept at all, does that tie in to being a martyr?

Your symptoms don't seem like wax either.
Red and swollen usually indicate infection, which could be local and not give a fever.

It's your hearing. What do you need it for anyway?

Op you are saying people overreact to minor illnesses, I think what the majority of people here are trying to say is how do you know it's a minor illness? We aren't medical professionals (or assume not) so what's wrong with using a service for what it is intended for? Also people have different pain thresholds and l, as someone that is rarely ill, certainly couldn't tell you whether I had a bacterial or viral infection and so would rather see a doctor/nurse for confirmation and appropriate treatment, even if that is them telling me that I just need to rest and drink fluids!

I wouldn't want to risk it with an ear infection, tbh. You're not a doctor - don't self-diagnose and get yourself seen by a professional!

Yes, you're not a doctor, we're not (medical) doctors, even a gp here wouldn't have looked at your ear, so nobody can decide if it's nothing or not.
Only the GP. :)

You may be right about lots of people overreacting OP
But IME many, many people underreact to things.
This leads to serious illness and emergency interventions. Emergency interventions are expensive and more likely to lead to complications.

I know someone who loves to tell us all how much hates being ill and how how bad she is at it.

In fact she enjoys being unwell and the attention it brings her. Getting something seen to promptly would mean less attention and fuss.

So she 'doesn't like to bother anyone'. Until she does of course and the world has to start revolving around her.

DurhamDurham 😂

OP I had similar to you once. Left it a bit, finally went to GP and i had an infection that had spread from my ear to my jaw. This meant I couldn't close my jaw properly for a week. I still have slight hearing issues with the affected ear.

Go to your GP. It's rather a good idea.

"And I shouldn't tell people if I'm not willing to go to an emergency appointment or out of hours centre, Erm I really don't understand that concept at all, does that tie in to being a martyr?"

I think to many people "not making a fuss" would mean just quietly slipping to the pharmacy or minor injury unit without even bothering to mention it to friends and relatives.

MargaretCavendish - Who said I even mention it to anyone? If I feel I need the GP, then I'll go, but I get lots of ear infections due to problems in childhood and antibiotics don't work. My best friend and I are in daily contact because we support each other and she may text "you ok today?" and I may say "yep - ears are shit again" but that's about it.

You're spot on. I am continually amazed by people using MN to ask whether they should go to A and E with very minor injuries and illnesses. No common sense applied. There seems to be a view that 111 and OOH is for routine stuff and people refuse to wait for appointments so system gets clogged.
Slight allergy/heat rash turns into probable meningitis
A spot or infected hair follicle turns into a septicaemia risk.
Bad behaviour- see GP as must have a label to excuse it (not suggesting genuine ASDs, severe mental health problems shouldn't be recognised).
Teenage or adult angst - becomes anxiety and needs medication or counselling- instead of acceptance that everyone gets anxious sometimes and the best way to deal with it is to confront demons.
We overuse the health service.

Lionqueen -
I appreciate that people have different pain threshold, but my symptoms are relatively minor, compared to what you would expect for an infection other than a minor one, that can wait to be seen routinely. I feel it's a minor illness because it's uncomfortable, but not laid me up, not caused me to be off work, and I have no discharge from the ear itself.
I realise if it is an infection that no treatment will make it worse, however I haven't said I'm not going, I've said it doesn't qualify as an emergency, I am going to the doc because there is a problem, just not one that IMO, needs treatment immediately. In a perfect world, we'd all get treated at the first symptoms, but it's far from it, and with the cuts made to services, and therefore those services stretched, surely they should be reserved for things that can't wait a few days to see if they self resolve?

I'm with the op and I see a lot of people rush to the GP on day 2 of a sore throat or ear or a cough.

Most will clear up on their own within a few days...even bacterial infections very often will if you look after yourself, plenty of fluids/gargling with salt water or other recommended home remedies etc.

I wouldn't mess around with a young baby but all else being well, you're unlikely to drop dead or lose your hearing over one weekend. Yanbu op.

Yabu.

The NHS is on its knees because of cuts, not people using services that are intended for them.

For example, my two local walk in centres have now been closed (cheers tories) so guess where we are now told to go for minor ailments?

A&E

They said it would be a separate clinic called blah blah but it isn't. You go into the same reception, sit in the same (now inhimanely packed most days) waiting room and use the resources that are supposed to be for emergencies.

Crumbs, the op has a red inflamed ear which is leaking something and has therefore affected her balance. Should she wait a week or so for a standard gp appointment then you think? Seeing as we aren't discussing any of the examples you have used?

On the other side of what you are saying there are people that genuinely feel worried and judged about using the service for what it is because there are people like yourself saying that it shouldn't be. I had tonsillitis and needed to get medical help this weekend, but I was worried about wasting their time because of opinions like yours! As it was the doctor said I should have gone in sooner.

I think a small amount of people using it for the wrong reasons are ruining it for those who actually need it (such as the OP does imo!!)

I've had many ear infections over the years, org my ears are slightly fucked even though I went to the doctors straight away!

I think the example you have given regarding your ear is unreasonable purely because ear infections can quickly turn very, very serious due to the proximity of the ear canal to the brain. I have them regularly due to the fact I have narrow ear canals [and probably the fact that I swim outdoors, but everyone kindly doesn't blame that part of my lifestyle] and have always been given an antibiotic prescription the same day from my GP, or from the local walk in. I am totally against the misuse of antibiotics, but after having sepsis I do now take them without complaint for ear infections and cellulitis / wound infections.

The advice now is to never put Olive Oil into your ears. It can cause bacteria to flourish - it's best not to put anything in your ears apart from drops. You can try an OTC medication, but three days in, I would honestly go to the GP.

Hearing loss can be a sign of neurological issues too - very unlikely but also very necessary to get excluded.

I do think you are being reasonable to say that there are people who misuse the NHS and attend GP prescriptions demanding antibiotics for viral infections when actually they need to spend a day in bed, resting, rehydrating and eating good food.

'I feel it's a minor illness because it's uncomfortable'

Yeah. That's what I said when the GP tried [and failed] to admit me to hospital with suspected sepsis.

I was seriously regretting it 8 hours later in resus.

Some people are just medical drama llhamas...my Mum is one, she loves the attention.. I once had a small red bit at the side of my nail and she was being very dramatic saying I had to go to the GP's for anti-biotics. I was just thinking a bit of Tea Tree would do the job.