Should the GP not have been able to do this?

[ohthatbloodycat]

This strikes me as a bit ridiculous, but do correct me if you feel I'm in the wrong.
My 15 year old got her ears pierced as a birthday treat a week ago. I think the earring on one side had been fitted a bit too tightly; it had always been tender, but got sore last night. My plan had been to go to the piercing place in the morning to ask their advice.
This morning when my daughter woke up, the stud part at the front had completely embedded itself in her lobe. All you could see was the butterfly sticking out the back. Her ear became swollen and very painful, unsurprisingly enough. I should add that she cleaned them each day religiously, and the other ear was fine.
Because the skin had closed over it in the night, I wasn't able to pull it out myself. I phoned our GP surgery for some advice. The receptionist checked and then came back to say that the GP wouldn't do it, and the practice nurse was busy all day. I then had the faff of phoning 111 (on GP's advice) and they eventually sorted me out an appointment at the A&E hospital miles away. There was no time to take the bus (I don't have a car currently), so I spent £20 on a taxi there. And then the bus on the way home. My daughter wasn't numbed up, or anything like that. The nurse warned her that it would be painful, as he pulled the stud through the skin of her ear. And it was, but over quickly thankfully!
This seemed like a palaver for a simple procedure, that surely the GP could have carried out. Rather than leave the paediatric A&E department to sort it out, particularly as Covid cases have risen in my city.
Even the NHS phone operator sounded surprised that they had refused to do it.
AIBU?

That's happened to my daughter a few times, I don't know why the skin grows so quickly all of a sudden. I've just done it myself, takes a few goes and some salt water but it's not difficult or anything. Wouldn't have dreamed of phoning the daughter never mind attending A&E!

Strictly you should go privately for this as it's a complication of a cosmetic procedure

Agree you’re being unreasonable and rude OP. Your initial post clearly insinuates you did not go to the piercer, but rang for medical help first. So please don’t be rude to those who pull you up on your version of events.

Do you not have a local minor injuries unit?

This is not a GP issue. Maybe antibiotics for any remaining infection yes - but not earring removal.

@ohthatbloodycat the same thing happened to me when I was 11. I went to A&E to get them removed. I'm not sure if my mum contacted our GP but I know that my last two GP practices only do "minor ops" on certain dates/times and not as emergencies. The A&E staff are better equipped to deal with this kind of thing.

I just wanted to post because I don't think you were wrong to go to A&E or the doctor for this. They are the best people to deal with it. It's not a competition for most worthy... the triage system at hospitals deals with that!

@ohthatbloodycat

I did, so please read the full thread. The piercer (a well known, national one) refused to sort it.

Bet it was manky Claire's. They shouldn't be allowed to pierce. Gun piercing is terrible and often very unhygienic.

It's great a&e sorted it. However I think there should have been a charge.

FWIW a GP pierced my ears 45 years ago (friend of my parents and done as a favour because I was insistent and all my friends were going to a hairdresser who had a new fangled gun). All my friends were fine; mine got infected. Hence dd had hers done at Claires. They were brilliant.

I completely agree with above PP, gun piercing on the high st isn't done by properly qualified piercers. It's done by people with a 3 day training certificate.

If you want it done properly go to a decent piercing studio and have it done with a needle.

I can't believe gun piercing is still a thing, it's so unhygienic, studs are no good for healing.

Yabvu- not a gp issue at all. Minor injury unit would've handled it perfectly well.
As would anyone with some common sense for that matter!

I’m sorry for you. I think our GP would have sorted this - probably a practice nurse thing. It’s not your fault that the U.K. is unique (in my experience of other European health services) in increasingly rationing care except for emergencies, even before COVID. Routine preventative care and medicals, paediatric checks and dealing with situations like yours would I think be bread and butter stuff for primary care physicians elsewhere. I have found a private GP service at a reasonable cost that we use when we have to. There just aren’t enough GPs per head of population in the U.K.

[quote Sadsiblingatsea]@Summersun2020 “an already stretched GP”... are you a comedian? GP’s surgeries are barely open, they have never been less stretched.
Some of them even have time to develop lucrative side-hustles, like Dr Julia Grace, who is busy designing and flogging face masks.
Ain’t life grand![/quote]
Gp friend told me yesterday she’s handling upwards of 75 e consults every single day - alone . Working 6.30am-10pm Mon-Thurs and often Friday too . No lunch break and no toilet break . She’s just jacked it in as she was told she wasn’t working fast enough - said 5 min per patient more than sufficient; haha, no... Willing to bet she’s not alone, entire profession is falling apart very rapidly.

Gosh OP you've had a raft of batshit replies!

I've no idea why posters are doubting your story, it sounds perfectly clear & believable to me!

I don't agree with you that the GP should have done it. But I'm in Ireland, GP's mostly have to be paid by patients & would never do this. It would be off to A&E.

I think what happened was correct but definitely a faff for you. Glad it's sorted & DD is ok 💐

And yes Superdrug piercing is terrible, the very same thing happened to me - practice nurse yanked it out around Jan 2020 .

Personally, I would have just gone to minor injuries.

Is there not one near you?

Do people not have basic first aid kits at home ?

Gloves on ...

do correct me if you feel I'm in the wrong and then kicking off when you're told that... Standard AIBU right here.

This happened to my daughter. The GP pulled it out no probs, no fuss, no bother. Lots of blood, but she was ok. I cried.

I’d probably of just went to a&e straight away.
I can’t believe she wasn’t given pain relief or numbing. Ridiculous.
I’ve been to urgent cares many times in the USA and the first thing they do is numb anywhere there will be pain!!

@Romanoff

Personally, I would have just gone to minor injuries.

Is there not one near you?

Our minor injuries is open 10-4 and only sees people 16+ Anyone under 16 has to go to paediatric A+E at the local hospital for anything a GP can't deal with. Maybe OP lives near me or in a similarly shite area!

This happened to me when I was around the same age, pretty sure I ended up in a&e too, they just used a scalpel to cut it out, I can't remember if I was numbed or not.

I’m a practice nurse and it’s not something I’d remove purely as I’ve never done it nor had any training on it and frankly could cause a bit of damage if I cocked it up. I would give a go on my own child mind you.

And for the posters who say the surgeries aren’t open we’ve been triaging, seeing, calling hundreds of patients daily. Today I’ve seen over 25. But yeah, just sat there, developing a side hustle. I was remote triaging while pumping breast milk on my 20 minute lunch break. Fuck me. Fuck this.

To my knowledge, there are no "national chains" of professional piercers. The staff in Superdrug are just teenagers with a bit of training, national xhain or not, it's not the same as an actual piercing studio (they won't use guns for example, piercing should be done with a needle). If more people went to a proper independent who knows what they're doing, there'd be less of these incidents in the first place.

I once heard a doctor in an A&E talking about things that were an issue for him. He said he hated having to treat children who had problems with piercings, his view was parents should be prosecuted for child abuse. Might be a bit extreme but I suppose he knows more about it than I do.

I’m a GP. Have been for 15 years. Wouldn’t have a clue how to sort this and definitely do not have the equipment you’d need in the surgery. I’d have signposted you back to piercer or to minor injuries unit. My now dead ex-colleague gp who had been an ENT surgeon in a former career might have done it in surgery.

I would do same OP. GO to the hospital to get it removed if it is too tricky and too embedded

Same posters would bash you for not going to the hospital if you tried getting it out yourself and it got worse