To want to go to A&E!?

[hollowtree]

My first AIBU so go a little easy- also feeling extremely sorry for myself!

For about 2 weeks I've been having chronic headaches (think can't drive/lights hurt) which I put down to sleep deprivation. On my worst days I used the codiene I was given after my EMCS! Naughty I know but when you have a small baby and no time for the bloody doctors you'll do anything.

Last few days been feeling a bit fluey- temperature, fatigue, aches and pains along with the usual cough/sore throat/stuffy nose.

Then, last night around 2am I woke up with this excruciating pain in my ear along with (what sounded to me like) a firework display in my head! Followed by fluid leaking out from my ear all over my pillow.

So I thought- happy days: must have been an ear infection/abscess which had sorted itself out and explains the headaches and temperature.

But the pain is getting worse. And I'm feeling so dizzy and just so so shit. My head is banging, my neck is aching and my body feels like it's giving up on me.

I sort of want to see if I need fixing, and getting through today has been a struggle let alone waiting all of tomorrow for an appointment on Monday 😓 WIBU to call 111 and ask if I should be worried or if I need to go to A&E?

I read a thread on here recently about wasting NHS resources and now feeling guilty please tel me WWYD

I'm so glad you're starting to feel better, OP x

Christ on a bike hollow, what a horrible situation to find yourself in! Don't dwell on the "might have beens" though will you, just concentrate on getting better.

Oh, op. wishing you a speedy recovery.

Just RTFT, oh my goodness OP. So glad you got help and praying your on the mend

My goodness OP! Wishing you a speedy recovery

Bless you OP, you sound so chipper even tho you've been so unwell. Hope your feeling better and on the mend. 😊💐

Glad you got taken in eventually and properly managed.

This is why spending a few extra minutes doing a proper check would be far less costly in the long run as it could have been nipped in the bud, saved an ambulance call-out etc....

I would complain to 111 about them not calling back.

I would advise PALS that you would like the doctor who treated you in A&E to know that he missed the early stages of sepsis by not checking you out more thoroughly and you ended up unresponsive and back in hospital via an ambulance.

Well done, hollow. Take it easy and don't feel afraid to represent if you start to feel worse rather than better, once you've been home a while. It's ok to feel a bit up and down, but if you've been generally feeling gradually better, then you get gradually or suddenly worse, don't ignore it -get seen again .

Glad you persisted and are finally getting the care you need OP.

Can I ask are you absolutely certain about your vital signs (temperature, blood pressure and sats) not being recorded on your earlier visit? I only ask because it seems so outrageously negligent that a more likely scenario would be to forget what had happened to you in the hustle and bustle. But if that didn't happen, I would not hold back on making a complaint. Observations of vital signs are cheap, and take just a few seconds, and they yield masses of important information, particularly for sepsis screening. That's the beauty of them. It is the most basic healthcare and if it was not done by any of the medical staff you saw, and if their absence wasn't noticed by the next team member, then frankly that unit sounds too dangerous to be in operation. It sounds like a massive systemic failure. I'd expect a volunteer first aid crew to take temperature. For a hospital to fail to do so in a symptomatic patient is horrifying.

Had a horrible feeling something like this would happen hence my earlier post. I've been checking this thread all day as I had a feeling you didn't sound good.
My mum felt the same and sadly she passed away. Was found in her bed 24hours after discharge from hospital, deep in sepsis , went into Cardiac arrest, and well the rest is history.
So glad you've finally got the care you need. Good luck and get well soon.
Please never be scared to 'make a fuss'
Better feeling a bit of a tit then being no longer with us x

Glad you are starting to get better - don’t ever be afraid to go back!

WELL DONE MR HOLLOWTREE. So glad he was keeping an extra close eye on you OP.

Sincerely hope that you’ve got this infection under control now, and I’m sure the docs have, but never be afraid to ‘cause a fuss’ with your health again. And I totally agree with PPs that when you’re feeling better you need to make a formal complaint. The Dr who assessed you in A&E last night did not do his job properly.

Goodness me OP! Had a horrible feeling that something was afoot when no updates this morning, Thank goodness for your DH.

Absolutely horrified at the lack of care during your initial A&E visit. Stuff of nightmares.

It does seem that whenever someone starts a thread like this, there is an underlying/subconscious awareness on some level that the OP 'knows' that something really isn't right. Must be an instinct of some sort which kicks in. The you strat doubting yourself as it is perhaps 'only a cough' or something. Someone mentioned a sense of impending doom?

Wishing you a speedy recovery

Ps don’t let them discharge you if you still feel unwell. They often discharge earlier than they would do otherwise if they are busy - not your problem how busy they are. Refuse to go home until you are really confident you are well enough to do so and you know what treatment you need going forward and what to look for in case things get worse.

Little swede - I think it’s people who have been in similar circumstances with themselves or their families that can tell the warning signs. If you’ve never had a serious infection you don’t know how quickly things can get serious.

Rainbows - yes absolutely and thanks to mumsnet people with that experience are able to advice OP and other who've been in similar situations that going to A&E is the right thing to do.

Thank goodness for MrHollowTree! I’m glad you’re finally getting the treatment you needed - you were right, you did need hospital treatment!

I agree with pp. When you’re better, you need to complain both about the atrocious treatment from 111, the lack of obs in A&E and the dismissiveness of the doctor (who may not have missed the early signs of sepsis if you’d hand your obs done). Get well soon.

(((It’s good to see your post xx)))

I was extremely worried about you, but trying not to freak you out.

Make sure DH checks you out through the night.

Am I now allowed to give virtual slaps to all the fuck nuggets?!

Re warning signs - When I went to A&E in Sweden, I went into A&E with suspected pneumonia, had phoned equivalent of 111 who told me to get to A&E asap. I think it was the rapidly worsening symptoms that was the red flag. Went from 'just' having flu, coughing with a steady temp of 38 for a few days to suddenly feeling really, really unwell and temp spiking to nearly 40. Nurse I spoke to picked up on this or would probably have been told to go to GP in morning. Turned out not to be pneumonia but needed oxygen and steroids as had developed some weird asthma like attack (not asthmatic before) so think the A&E trip was necessary.

WARNING FOR EVERYONE

DO NOT!!!!!!!!

DO NOT TELL SOMEONE NOT TO GO TO A&E

EVEN IF THEY ARE POSTING ONLINE!!!!!!

Sounds scary little swede glad you got treated

You are allowed, Annie.

Thank god the OP didn’t listen to some of the posts towards to start of this thread.

The competitive not going to A&E on here seems to have gone a bit far these days.

Glad you're finally being treated properly OP.

I had similar symptoms including the leaking fluid from the ear. It wasn't infection fluid it was spinal fluid leaking from my ear (and later nose when I blew it). After a lot of investigating turned out I had a medical condition whereby my body decided it wanted to produce too much spinal fluid. The headaches, dizzyness etc was pressure on my brain.
Hope it isn't anything too serious OP.

@tygr would love to hear more words of wisdom from you.

I’ve been worrying about you without wanting to give any wrong advice.

So glad other people told you to keep an eye out.

Sending lots of well wishes 😘

Gallon