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?

Receptions should not be triaging that is atrocious whether they have been trained or not. Our surgery has its issues but at least the only people who do triage are doctors.

Well, ours does - and I generally get to see a doctor within a week. It's not like 'that rash can't possibly serious' advice, it's more like 'you can see the nurse for that kind of thing, shall I make you an appointment for tomorrow?' Perfectly sensible and works just fine, much better than a lot of people's surgeries if MN stories are anything to go by.

There is a bit of a difference between telling you that a nurse can deal with a particular complaint and triaging.

OK then, I apologise most profusely for my incorrect use of the term triage. I meant it in a 'directing you to the most appropriate form of care' way.

You have done the right thing. You DO NOT necessarily need antibiotics for an ear infection, the body is capable of clearing most minor infections by itself. If it goes on too long or causes you excessive and unbearable pain, the yes antibiotics may be needed.

We have growing antibiotic resistance precisely because people go rushing to the Drs at the first sign of an ailment. Time is a great healer and diagnostic tool. Leaving something a few days as you have done is very sensible.