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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Posting here for traffic Have a perforated eardrum am in excruciating pain what would they do at A&E?

146 replies

doubleshotespresso · 04/04/2019 19:38

As above really....

GP prescribed antibiotics for this two and a half days ago, area is so swollen and painful I am unable to put head on a pillow, pain is not of this earth....

Any wise folks here have any idea what they might do at A&E if I were to go? Will they be able to stop the pain?

Feel like they need to take a Dyson to my ear but suspect it's going to take far more than this....

My God this hurts

OP posts:
Ilovemypantry · 04/04/2019 23:19

Seniorcitizen1
A&E = Accident and Emergency
I would say OP’s symptoms count as an Emergency, wouldn’t you?

OP. If it gets any worse, definitely go to A&E, they may be able to give you the strong painkillers.
Good luck 💐

iMatter · 05/04/2019 06:24

How are you this morning OP?

I hope you managed to get some help at A&E or else the antibiotics have finally kicked in Thanks

Pk37 · 05/04/2019 07:55

I was going to say are you sure it’s actually burst yet but you said it had.
My dd’s burst while she was asleep in the back of the car and she didn’t even wake up .
We only knew because of the discharge from her ear and the gp then confirmed it.
It did take a while for the AB to kick in and olive oil ear drops helped to lessen any thicker wax , her hearing was terrible for about a month but hopefully you’ll start to feel better soon

Original poster
doubleshotespresso · 05/04/2019 10:03

Hi-A long painful night, but managed very well with the help of vast quantities of cocodamol and the epsom salts in a sock combo...

Meeting is in a bit at the school, I am powering through til after this and then going straight toA&E (Could not get seen at GP earlier ).

I thought it night have eased up by now going by previous responses but pain is still raging and I am fraying now so will definitely go....

OP posts:
roundligament · 05/04/2019 10:25

I hope that you start to feel a massive improvement ASAP you poor thing keep us posted
Don't forget to take a laxative to keep bowels going xx

Seniorcitizen1 · 05/04/2019 10:33

llovemypantry nhs defines an emergency as a life threatening condition so don’t think ear drum issues not count as life threatening. 111 better option for pain reluef

Ilovemypantry · 05/04/2019 10:40

Seniorcitizen1
So you wouldn’t go to A&E with a broken arm or leg? Not life threatening but definitely needing treatment?

IHateUncleJamie · 05/04/2019 10:41

Oh @Seniorcitizen1 please give it a rest. 🙄 I correctly went to the Practice Nurse once for sudden bleeding from an incision. She sent me to Walk In at the hospital who took one look and dispatched me to A&E. IMO it just needed looking at and redressing so neither Accident nor Emergency but all the medical staff decided otherwise. If I’d have asked you, you’d have told me not to go.

Anyway @doubleshotespresso yes, please DO go to A&E. It sounds as if you have a buildup of pus and blood which needs to be released, better pain relief and possibly IV ABs. Flowers

bellabasset · 05/04/2019 10:48

Oh goodness, that sounds horrific and I hope they can help you with stronger medication and clean it all out for you.

ElektraUnchained · 05/04/2019 10:57

If it is this continously painful then there may be a deeper infection. The ear is too close to the brain to be casual about this. OP has already tried the doctor. A and E is the right call.

Seniorcitizen1 · 05/04/2019 11:02

llovemypantry the clue is in the title -Accident and Emergency - so of course if I broke my leg I would go to A&E because I had had an accident. Do keep up

BoobiesToTheRescue · 05/04/2019 11:05

I had this OP, my ear canal was swollen shut.
I had both inner and outer ear infection.

Aomoxicilin didn't work, they had to swab and send it off and get the right meds which was ear drops in the end.

It took 8 weeks before they did this.

Please don't suffer for that long, please insist on a swab, the meds you're on should have started to work by now.

JudgeRindersMinder · 05/04/2019 11:07

A&E May refer you to ENT to have the gunk removed from your ear by suction haha have your ear hoovered out). I’ve had this done a couple of times and the relief is immediate and immense. I hope it improves for you quickly, ear pain is hell

AIBUtopickanyoldname · 05/04/2019 11:09

the clue is in the title -Accident and Emergency - so of course if I broke my leg I would go to A&E because I had had an accident. Do keep up

How long should someone tolerate excruciating pain before it becomes an emergency? I’d argue that three days of intolerable pain tips over into the emergency bracket.

Nousernameforme · 05/04/2019 11:10

@Seniorcitizen1 An ear infection is not an accident or emergency you are right. But surely being in extreme amounts of pain is an emergency.

Op has tried self care there has been no improvements even though antiB's should have kicked in she can't get to see a gp. It is important she gets seen.

Seniorcitizen1 · 05/04/2019 11:50

Severe pain is not an emergency and so A&E is not first port if call. 111 is there 24/7 for these conditions. My son is an A&E Dr, and his dept like most if not all regularly miss the waiting time target. He and his colleagues are convinced that if they only saw A&E patients they would meet the targets - everyone who turns up at A&E has to be examined and even if not treated a letter has to be sent to their GP by the Dr. This all takes unecessary time that could be spent on proper A&E patients. There are many threads on MN that ask if they should go to A&E - they should go to nhs web site first for advice ir 111 not MN

LaPopie · 05/04/2019 12:02

Senior untreated ear infection like this can lead to mastoiditis, cellulitis and/or meningitis which are very much medical emergencies. As the medicine prescribed is not working the risk of these is real. A truly burst ear drum would also not hurt like this so it sounds like something else is going on. Sadly the quickest way to be seen by a specialist Dr is via A&E, it sounds like this is beyond the remit of a GP, it may require urgent histology and IV meds, how else do you propose OP avails of these? Amazon prime????

OP I hope your meeting went well and you are now at the hospital, I used to have this as a child and truly sympathise

roundligament · 05/04/2019 12:06

@Seniorcitizen1

Just because your son is an A&E doctor that doesn't mean you are medically qualified to assess someone.

Extreme pain is an emergency and IV access is always best for this (which can't be arranged at home)

IHateUncleJamie · 05/04/2019 12:07

Severe pain is not an emergency

Rubbish. Of course it is - because the cause of agonising pain should always be investigated.

If your DS is an A&E Doctor then I hope he’s not local to me if, like you, he’s obsessed with telling people they shouldn’t go to A&E.

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 05/04/2019 12:07

Severe pain is not an emergency and so A&E is not first port if call

It wasn't the OP's first port of call either and several pain IS worthy of A and E regardless of whether your ds's department meets it's targets.

StarlingsEverywhere · 05/04/2019 12:09

Usually once it bursts, the pain goes. So I’d get it checked out again in case the infection is more serious.

AIBUtopickanyoldname · 05/04/2019 12:10

Severe pain is not an emergency

I think you should leave it to your qualified son to dish out the medical advice.

StarlingsEverywhere · 05/04/2019 12:10

And FYI my mum went to a&e with severe abdominal pain which turned out to be a perforated bowel and led to peritonitis and sepsis. You absolutely can go because of severe pain.

TheMobileSiteMadeMeSignup · 05/04/2019 12:11

When DD used to get recurrent ear infections we would hold a heat pack just behind her ear and that would help ease the pain somewhat. Once it fully burst and drained the pain would go away.

Hope it clears soon.

IHateUncleJamie · 05/04/2019 12:11

There are many threads on MN that ask if they should go to A&E

And you/ScarletBitch are obviously trawling through them to berate people for going to A&E. Massively irresponsible.