to think this is a ridiculous reason to go to A&E?

[PregnantPhD]

So a friend posted on Facebook they hurt their back a month ago. Went to A&E over the weekend about it and have been diagnosed as having a trapped nerve. Ffs no wonder A&E is so full when idiots go about something they did a month ago! Maybe IABU but to me it just seems ridiculous and really irks me. I didn't want to cause a shitstorm on Facebook and be accused of being unsympathetic so thought I'd ask here instead.

Trapped nerves can be extremely painful, and the pain can be sporadic. I think YABU.

Prepare for a shitstorm and of being unsympathetic here OP.

Maybe the pain had got so bad they couldn't take it any more? Maybe they got scared?

I would have thought the out of hours GP would be more appropriate but maybe their condition worsened and they were in agony and not thinking straight?

I think YABU.

Never had it before but the pain is supposed to be unbelievable.

I've had a trapped nerve in my neck and the pain was horrendous. Yabu.

YANBU,,this is not a valid reason to go to A&E IMHO. The clue is in the name, Accident and Emergency. This is neither.In Ireland, if you pitch up at A&E without a doctors referral letter they charge you euro 100

The pain can be horrendous, and other warning signs can prompt a trip to a&e.

I had a very painful back for a couple of days, I then had urine retention so went to a&e.
I was diagnosed with cauda equina syndrome and didn't leave the hospital until 3 months later.
Yabu.

Having worked on a neurosurgical unit it isn't ridiculous necessarily. Back pain can become very serious very quickly, have seen patients admitted at 8am and in theatre by 12 noon due to what was thought to be minor back pain actually being serious spinal chord compression. Back pain that is severe and unrelenting or presenting with other symptoms (inability to urinate, sudden urinary incontinence, loss of sensation between legs etc) is always worth getting checked out.

Pain can also be an emergency in many cases if unmanageable with OTC or prescribed medications , I've been admitted to hospital several times with severe pelvic pain/period type pain when they couldn't manage it with tramadol. That wouldn't be an unusual scenario with back pain. Benefit is A&E can assess quickly, refer for a rapid neurosurgical r/v or MRI if needed and can also organise stronger analgesia in the short term.

Of course, if your friend was only in very slight pain or hadn't seen her GP for meds already, etc then that's perhaps a different story, but you didn't say that and I don't imagine she discussed the full story on facebook anyway.

TDH
In Ireland, if you pitch up at A&E without a doctors referral letter they charge you euro 100

This doesn't make sense! The whole point about A&E is that you don't have the time or opportunity to see a doctor first! (And that it's serious enough of course.)

How do you get a referral letter if it's 3am on a Sunday morning?

Twitterqueen, you go via the OOH GP. They refer you if necessary.

I assume this rule doesn't apply if you are in a car crash or have a heart attack.

YABU.

You've clearly not suffered with trapped nerve or been close to someone who has.

I've had to take my DH to a&e more than once for issues with his back whilst he was waiting for an operation because he was crying out in excruciating pain in the middle of the night and needed morphine. We don't go to a&e at the drop of the hat but it was absolutely necessary.

I recently wrenched my back on holiday, over the course of a week I got increasingly desperate with the pain. Now if you think a trip to the local A&E is an overreaction then wait for this... Eventually I was air lifted back to the Uk by private jet and then by ambulance to A&E. it was not an overreaction though, at A&E it was found I needed immediate spinal surgery.

God I couldn't imagine charging for inpatient care - I've had patients who've been in hospital for 2-3 years in some cases with severe brain damage/minimal conscious state, would they waive a charge in that sort of case? Even those who aren't in that sort of state but ill enough not to be fit to go home , unable to work and earn, unable to claim DLA/PIP , partner unable to work as caring for a child and then charging them money? I couldn't do that.

I suppose it stops people from coming in purely to get morphine or a warm bed though.

Presumably lots must take out insurance to cover themselves and make it easier financially.

I don't know, I trapped a nerve in my neck once and I would have merrily chopped my own head off to make the pain stop.

As it was, we had a minor injuries unit nearby back then so I got a lift there and they were able to help. It was a weekend so could not go to GP.

That unit had closed down now so I'd have to go to a&e.

Thanks Sashkin and Maybe83

How are you doing Sciatica I lost your thread amongst all the fuss.....

YANBU

Stay off FB if it makes you mad.

I had a baby with no need for pain relief at all. I have quite a high pain threshold and but when I had a trapped nerve (and a slipped disc) I vomited with the pain. It bloody hurts.

Google cauda equina, YABU.

I have sciatica and regularly get trapped nerves. I can understand it being sporadic but she said it has been causing her agony for the whole time. I just don't understand in that case why she didn't call out of hours or book an emergency GP appointment tomorrow?

Maybe she was scared? Some people really panic when they have pain.

I was once dragged to hospital and was waiting to be admitted (ok so I did need to be there) and had to wait hours for a bed in the a&e. There were a lot of time wasters there but I think most of them genuinely thought they needed to be seen urgently (even if they did just have a hangover or a cough).

YABU
pain is personal, scarey, often debilitating and can suddenly deteriorate. I doubt the full backstory behind the decision to attend A&E was posted on FB