To go to a and e because I can't get an appointment with GP?

[Mamadoll]

I have been trying to get an appointment for almost 2 weeks now and I'm at the end of my tether with my symptoms. I was treated for helicobacter (stomach bacteria) a few weeks ago and within a week of stopping treatment my symptoms have come back with a vengeance. It's making my life a misery; I struggle to eat much and can't sleep properly for the constant pain in my stomach/ chest.

I really hate wasting people's time but am I supposed to just put up with this until after new year?

I had similar symptoms and phoned 111 who advised me to go to A&E. I couldn't walk though with the pain and found it hard to breathe so I'd say although you're in pain maybe not best to go to A&E.
111 have doctors and nurses available to talk to.
My surgery have only just introduced the sit and wait appointments because they have merged which I am very grateful for. Before that it was so hard to get an appointment.

Google a walk in centre or call 111

Don't be the selfish one who blocks up an A&E bed they don't need.

I’m going to go against the grain and say go to a&e, chest pains are considered an emergency.

Don't be the selfish one who blocks up an A&E bed they don't need.

They won’t make it to a bed if they don’t need one.

Noone truly knows the op's symptoms

People jump on the "Dont go to a&e wagon"

No-one can see inside this womans body, noone knows whats going on.

Afew months back, i felt ill, headache, leg pain, weak, just wanted to lay in bed... Would you of all said "Not to A&E, people will catch your illness, its not an accident or emergency, blah blah"
Yes you would of...

When i arrived it was a 5-6 hour wait. Packed room.
I didnt wait, i got seen straight away, attached to a heart monitor and admitted...

Noone knows what is going on in anyone's bodies.

Ofcourse i dont want people going to a&e if they dont need to be there, but i can honestly say iv been to a&e ALOT and NEVER had to wait longer than an hour, because if you are there with a real emergency, then you wont wait, so maybe dont judge what other people are doing untill you know 100% facts

Surely your GP will have emergency appointments you jsut have to call early enough

I was at A&E last night with my DH-
The waiting room was packed with what appeared to be people with minor ailments , flu symptoms & minor injuries- I was there for a few hours and they never progressed from the waiting room.
The staff were far too busy dealing with real emergencies and the only people they were treating came in by ambulance and were prioritised (Like my DH)

Go and see your local pharmacist. When DD2 was really ill our local pharmacist phoned the GP surgery and asked for a GP to see her, which they did.

I got BADLY told off and denied treatment at a and e years ago as they called me a time waster.

My throat was closing up and I could hardly breathe they said it was ‘just a virus’
Ended up leaving sobbing. An hour later had to call an ambulance and was admitted for some reason my uvula had swollen so badly it blocked my airways

Call 111 and follow advice. Other than that, I would rather go to the gp in person and refuse to move until I was seen.

This thread is frightening. Its really making me appreciate my GP & local surgery. If I've had an urgent reason to see a GP (something that unfortunately happens regularly) I will always get a phone appt that day with the duty doctor. One of the GPs is allocated duty doctor for the day.
If its urgent they put you on the call back list. They phone and triage you on the phone and give you either advice, arrange a prescription or tell you to attend the surgery where they see you immediately. Otherwise I can pretty much always get a regular appt within 48 hours. They open the phones at 0830 for appts the day after next.

The time I called 111 I was sent to a OOH clinic at the hospital where I saw a GP who triage me and sent me to A&E

I read so many horror stories on here about issues with appointments I'm really appreciative of the system our surgery etc have.

Surely your GP will have emergency appointments you jsut have to call early enough

Surely you RTFT and know that's not how the OP's surgery works.

I have called my surgery every morning at 8am to try and get an emergency appointment and your call is put on a list so by the time they answer my call there's nothing left for that day and am told to call back the next morning

Could you go there in person? That way you could get booked in before the list is full.
We regularly have people waiting outside at 7:30 onwards so they can get a slot.

Not everyone has Walk in centres nearby people. Actually, the usual choice is between GP and A&E, and most GPs don't have drop in appointments. I can't even book my 6 weeks post natal check up despite going there at 8:30 am in person!

As others have said just google to see if theres a walk in centre in your area. As the name suggests you dont need an appointment just turn up and you will be seen.

If calling 111 what are your expectations? Be clear if you are just needing a gp appointment. They follow an algorithm and when you mention chest pain it's highly likely to trigger them sending you an ambulance. I'm a paramedic, we have absolutely no treatment for stomach ulcer or h.pylori. We would just be assessing you with regard to whether its cardiac pain or not, and strictly speaking this cannot be ruled out without a blood test in A&e, Leaving us with your history as given. If you're vague and unsure of what you think is causing your chest pain a lot will drop you off at a&e for them to see you (no skipping the queue unfortunately you'll be waiting as if you'd self presented). If you're sure its ongoing/possible ulcer/h.pylori that you've seen your gp for in the past but its returned and you just need to see them again as per there advice then I'd either direct you to a walk in centre or to keep trying with the gp/phone earlier.

Basically what I mean is if 111 tell you to goto a&e or accept an ambulance this is them fobbing you off/being defensive. They protect the gp time as it's very scarce, and telling you to goto a&e protects the service-its known most wont follow the advice so doesn't affect a&e but it protects the system should it turn out you were actually having a massive heart attack. They can make you an oogp appointment where you will be seen by a doctor promptly, they can do/prescribe/refer for further tests if necessary. If you're seen face to face by a gp and they say you need to goto a&e for a particular test then they should provide you with a letter/referral on System1 and it should be a much quicker process+where you need to be.

If no walk in centre maybe pop in to see a pharmacist, they're medical professionals and may offer a quick assessment/OTC medications whilst waiting to see your gp.

I would see what you can get privately. It's frustrating but the NHS is hugely short of GPs and the situation you describe seems to be normal now. It doesn't sound like the situation is going to change at your surgery and A&E will be an ordeal and you may get fobbed off.

Firstly "should I go to A&E" is a bit pointless to ask (sorry OP) as are insistent responses not to go. Very foolish. NO ONE can possibly tell whether the OP needs to be seen.

However it would NOT be wrong to err on the side of caution and go if you have chest pain etc. You have no certain idea what is causing it.

I was listening to Radio 4 the other day and the caller had secondary breast cancer. The only symptom was a persistent cough. After seeing her G.P repeatedly, she phoned 111 and luckily the person on the phone was clued up and sent an ambulance to pick her up. Cancer had returned big time.

A heart attack can present as indigestion. Two cases that can seem trivial on the face of it.

Having had GR myself, the acid can get in your lungs through aspiration causing pain, tightness and inflammation. You can buy nexium, ranatidine, (and take both of these together as far I know) rennie and gaviscon. All these can be taken at different times.

You can buy slippery elm and mallow from the health food shop to sooth your oesophagus and stomach. Avoid all grain and hard to digest foods for a sort while until you get another appointment.

I know it hurts like hell. Very sorry you're suffering but if you feel worse do go A&E.

If you need medical advice and you can't get a gp appointment and there is no walk-in/minor injuries unit near you then NHS management for your area has effectively decided that A&E is to be used to replace adequate primary care.

In the absence of any other medical help available then A&E is your only option.

What else do you do? Not seeking medical care when you need it could be very damaging for your health and well-being and from the NHS's point of view is only a short term solution as you will end up needing more serious and more expensive acute care later on.

More people need to wise up to the fact that in many areas the NHS services are simply not working as they should and so people are forced to use whatever is available to them.

Good job we've got another 5 years of the Government that is actively choosing to do this to the NHS.

Digressing slightly but did you know that around 39% of attendees at A&Es in England are discharged requiring no treatment or medication.

Not a&e ring 111 and go to out of hours

Go to your nearest walk in centre.

You need medical advice as potentially if this infection doesn't clear up you could develop a stomach ulcer. Ring 111, I don't know where you live but where I am if you ring 111 they can arrange an appointment for you with an out of hours GP.

FFS, cancel the cheque! She doesn't have a walk in centre! Many areas have no walk-in centre.