To go to A&E

[sorearm]

Posting for traffic ....

I feel over at the gym 2 weeks ago, twisted my ankle and hurt my arm. My arm took the brunt of the fall.

I tried to carry on exercising but decided to leave. I was able to drive home and it didn't hurt to bad, thought I've just pulled a muscle.
By the Monday it barely hurt, I did hitt work out, I can feel the strained muscles but nothing too bad.

Roll on to the end of last week and it really started hurting. I can't rotate it at the elbow. Popped to the GP on Monday and they refer for an X-ray, because I cannot rotate it.

Had to wait 2 days for the referral form, went to the X-ray dept today for them to do the X-ray.... only to then be told I have to wait 2 working days for results.... given the extended BH weekend that means no results till around Wednesday .

I am not in terrible pain, it's just flipping awkward..... I can't not rotate my arm, I can not straighten it out. I have a two year old who I am running around after, I can't drive, and it's been two weeks since I did the injury.

would IBU to now go to A&E to get it looked at sooner rather then later?
I purposefully didn't go before so as not to take up much needed space! But by time I get results it could've been broken for 3 weeks! Possibly healed awkwardly!

What would you do? Wait it out or go??

I've had a few X-rays and when something showed up the radiographer referred me to the minor injuries unit rather than sending the results to my GP. Is that what could have happened with you? The other times when nothing has shown up of concern it's just been sent to my GP.

YABU it happened weeks ago. Clue is in the name. Wait for your gp referral X-ray. If your gp thought it was urgent they would have sent you to a&e or got you a same day X-ray.

A&E can only refer you for an xray which, as you've had one so recently they won't want to do. You've waited over 2 weeks already, bones start to fuse after around 7 days if broken so the outcome won't change if it's today or next week you get the xray results

Wait. It's not an emergency and you're not in excessive pain. You have already had the x-ray. Hospitals and ED departments are under huge strain and the bank holiday makes it even worse. Wait.

That’s not an a and e job. It’s alrwady being treated just not as fast as you hoped, a and e isn’t a fast track system

Yabu
It's not an emergency, you've already been seen by a doctor who has assessed it will be ok to wait a few days and you say yourself you are not in agony.

No I don't think you need A and E. You've had an x ray, if it's still hurting go back to the GP or a walk in centre.

Being fed up because you have to wait a few days for your x-ray results is absolutely not a reason to go to A&E. Unless there's a massive dripfeed coming, YABU.

Yabu. A&E is for immediate and serious emergencies only.

What would you expect A&E to do?
By your own admission you aren't in destabilising pain and I doubt they would expedite your results.

If we (radiographers) see a fracture and the injury is recent ,we would send you to A&E , however, as it's an old injury it's not considered urgent , if they're not massively busy I would have sent you to fracture clinic but if they were snowed under I would have requested an urgent report was sent to your GP.

No drip feed, promise.

Thank you, I kinda knew I was BU which is why I haven't just gone! I'm just frustrated is all. My husband is always one for running to A&E for everything and I have all week been saying no! Just wasn't expecting to be carrying a limp arm for another week!

Thanks all xxx

I can understand why you'd want an x Ray with immediate results.

I think it's that psychological response that 'GP referred to x Ray so must suspect fracture - so now I'm convinced it's fractured etc' response. Especially when you've carried on for weeks assuming it'll heal and is probably nothing.

But I'd wait. I doubt anything could happen now even if you got immediate confirmation of a fracture. Purely for same reasons of results delay - it's BH.

Where I live, if you think you’ve broken a bone, the only option is A&E really - no minor injuries unit and the GP will say “what do you want me to do, I don’t have xray vision”

In fact, a still have a messed up ankle from a GP misdiagnosing a sprain 20 years ago, which was actually a fracture (found out six months later when I fractured it again and went to A&E for an X-ray).

If you hadn’t had an X-ray already, and you have a set up like here, I’d say go. As it is, I think you should wait for results.

YABU, not an emergency or trauma. A&E wouldn't do a new X Ray because they cost money, two days will make little difference at this point.

Why spend the hours waiting in a corridor only to be told no?

If you can't rotate your wrist , you might have fractured your radial head, which there's not much treatment for apart from rest.

A&E wouldn't do another X-ray not because of money but because it would be irradiating the patient for no good reason.

There’s no way an ED will x-ray under the circumstances you’ve described. X-ray is generally under resourced (hence your wait) across the nation and they (quite apart from radiation issues) have other pts who will have a far greater demand for the service in an emergency situation.

I hope all turns out well with your injury. Rest up.

A+E will absolutely not xray an injury that old sorry - I used to work there. Rest it and await your results.

You’re lucky only waiting 2 days for results. My hubby has had a chest infection for nearly 6 weeks and had 2 lots of antibiotics. Gp referred him for X-ray and said they would tell him when he had the X-ray they would tell him if there was anything serious that needed treatment. He had the X-ray and they said he could go home. He had to insist that they look at it. The radiologist said nothing serious showed up but he needs to go back to his GP who will get the X-ray results in 3 weeks!

When I fractured my elbow (and had it seen after a day) there wasn't anything they could do anyway. They gave me a slightly better sling than I had made at home and sent me away with a referral for physio several weeks later (longer than 3). I then had physio a few times to recover movement - when I started physio my elbow was seized up and couldn't rotate or straighten it. If you've done similar, there may not be anything they can do for you at the moment. Elbow injuries are a pain!

I honestly have no idea if it's broken, I keep swaying!
My DH has broken many bones including his elbow and he has kinda convinced me I have!
I've never broken a bone, I can do up my own bra, brush my hair.... but I cannot turn my hand upwards or take weight on it..... in my "no medical background" opinion I would've said it's not broken..... but if it's a sprain it blimming hurts when moved certain ways and it doesn't seem to be improving!

It could well be a radial head fracture , the telling sign is lack of rotation, there is no treatment for this though .