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?

Just for future reference OP, DD and I both had the same problem so I slathered olive oil over lobes a couple of times and they popped out easily after a few hours. The skin wouldn’t have healed over, the earring was just stuck in the ear.

OP, sympathies to you and your daughter. A similar thing happened to my DD. Her ears were pierced by a professional piercer and one became embedded after she accidentally knocked it. I took her to the minor injuries unit who looked at it - literally - they barely even touched it - and sent us to A&E. Promised DD there would be numbing.

A&E nurse was hardcore. Proper scoffed when DD asked about numbing. She rummaged around in her earlobe and pulled the earring out. Another nurse had to hold DD down. It was pretty brutal and bloody. The nurse said she'd seen a fair few cases and it was mostly the result of the earrings being too small for newly-pierced ears. Having seen her no-nonsense approach, I would probably have a go myself if it ever happened again.

I have to say I was amazed that the minor injuries unit didn't even attempt it. And the whole thing took hours and hours because the hospital was miles away and we were obviously bottom of the triage list!

YABU for going to Superdrug which is not a proper piercing place.
Ears shouldn’t be pierced with earrings that have butterfly backs for this exact reason.
Go to an actual piercer (with more than a 2 day training course) when it heals - who would have been able to sort this out without taking up NHS time.

Why would you not of taken her back to where it was pierced? They'd of been the best people to help with such an issue.

Similar thing happened to me 30 odd years ago when I was at junior school. I slept in a new pair of birthday earrings with a small butterfly and one became embedded .
I was referred to minor procedures at the local hospital where they froze my ear and cut the butterfly out. I was gutted when they told me I couldn't have it repierced for a few months as had to let it heal properly. The nurse told me I could still wear an earring on the other ear but I refused as only boys wore one earring then. After all the hassle I didn’t bother getting them pierced again until I'd left school.

Also you need to carry on cleaning thoroughly even though it’s out. Gun piercings are very prone to infection given they’ve essentially been done with a device designed to tag cattle.

I had something similar- got a teeny butterfly caught in my earlobe somehow. Was about 14. Trip to A&E to remove it. It was a quiet evening so when I managed to almost fiddle it out, they bumped me up the queue, gave me gas & air and yanked it out with some tweezers!

My dad was livid because he missed the Monaco Grand Prix.

@Scbchl

Why would you not of taken her back to where it was pierced? They'd of been the best people to help with such an issue.

The OP did go back to the piercer, but they were unable to help. Besides, the NHS website advises making an urgent GP appointment if you think a piercing may be infected.

@Scbchl

Why would you not of taken her back to where it was pierced? They'd of been the best people to help with such an issue.

Why do people keep saying this?. Its an ear problem, not a jewellery problem.

When even 'who can take their child for medical care the least' becomes competetive on mumsnet

This happened to me as a teenager - I'd had it done at some weird clinic type place (years before getting pierced in shops was a thing) and when my mum took me back there, they sent us to A&E. I don't remember how they got it out or whether they numbed my ear though.

GPs don’t seem to do anything like that. They refer or give prescriptions for thé odd thing. Might have expected the practice nurse to be able to do that though.

'Refer or give prescriptions'. I like the sound of that. That sounds like a cushy number. Maybe Lord Bethell was right, lucky to have a job.

Why would you not of taken her back to where it was pierced? They'd of been the best people to help with such an issue.

Why would you think this?

A proper piercer would have been able to resolve this for you. Superdrug is not a proper piercer. They probably used a gun instead of a needle, and the earring was probably too short to accommodate the swelling. Professional piercing jewellery is longer to allow for that. Next time
I recommend a proper piercing studio that uses a needle and offers a selection of appropriate jewellery that doesn’t have a butterfly back.

@Staffy1

GPs don’t seem to do anything like that. They refer or give prescriptions for thé odd thing. Might have expected the practice nurse to be able to do that though.

People who say dismissive crap like this about GPs are also the first people to complain if anything goes slightly wrong. Most HCPs have learnt the hard way that going off-piste from the normal processes, to try to do a patient a favour, only ends in tears. Very often, the more you put yourself out for a patient, the more they complain.

I'm sure the delightful @Staffy1 would be the first to lawyer-up if her precious DD got a keloid scar after a botched butterfly removal.

@ohthatbloodycat

Thanks for the latest, slightly less batshit responses. I don't mind being told I'm in the wrong, but to be accused of not trying the piercer first is beyond the pale really.

In your OP you say your PLAN was to go to piecer BUT it was grown over when she woke SO you called GP. You’ve now clarified you went to piercer first but there’s no need to get melodramatic about “accusations” and “beyond the pale” because your OP logically implies that you didn’t.

Also I would not call Superdrug a reputable piercer at all. Was it with a gun or a needle?

@FlyingBattie

OPs Child is 15 and quite able to consent to ear piercing. It's not in any way child abuse, that is insanity. There is an argument against piercing babies or very young children but FGS, a 15 year old should have some body autonomy and be able to get their ears pierced if they want to!

Maybe speak to the doctor who was fed up of treating children who were needlessly in pain.

There is a very vocal "Never go to A+E unless you are almost dead" narrative on here. It's dangerous. A+Es should have methods for dealing with time wasters, but random people shouldn't be telling people if they are sick enough to need A+E or not. It might vary but where I live they would tell you not to go to A&E for this sort of thing, the NHS message is that A&E is for accidents or emergencies, just like is says on the tin, and this wouldn't be considered either. You would go to the Minor Injuries Unit which to be honest is better particularly with kids as it tends to be quicker and you don't sit there for hours when quite rightly people coming in after you but more seriously in need of help keep getting put to the front of the queue. You generally see nurse practitioners and I've been a few times, with GC and myself, and they are great. The only issue currently is they have had to close at times due to staff shortages so we need to travel to neighbouring town. I think this might be due to COVID but I'm not sure.

People who say dismissive crap like this about GPs are also the first people to complain if anything goes slightly wrong. Most HCPs have learnt the hard way that going off-piste from the normal processes, to try to do a patient a favour, only ends in tears. Very often, the more you put yourself out for a patient, the more they complain. I'm sure the delightful @Staffy1 would be the first to lawyer-up if her precious DD got a keloid scar after a botched butterfly removal

@MissLucyEyelesbarrow, you seem delightful yourself. No, I wouldn’t lawyer up, that is completely the opposite of what I am like, so keep your stupid judgement to yourself as you don’t seem very good at judging people. My comment about GPs is my experience. They don’t do things like that. Do you disagree with that, as you have described it as going off-piste? So why are you attacking me for saying it? Wind your neck in.

@ancientgran

There is a very vocal "Never go to A+E unless you are almost dead" narrative on here. It's dangerous. A+Es should have methods for dealing with time wasters, but random people shouldn't be telling people if they are sick enough to need A+E or not. It might vary but where I live they would tell you not to go to A&E for this sort of thing, the NHS message is that A&E is for accidents or emergencies, just like is says on the tin, and this wouldn't be considered either. You would go to the Minor Injuries Unit which to be honest is better particularly with kids as it tends to be quicker and you don't sit there for hours when quite rightly people coming in after you but more seriously in need of help keep getting put to the front of the queue. You generally see nurse practitioners and I've been a few times, with GC and myself, and they are great. The only issue currently is they have had to close at times due to staff shortages so we need to travel to neighbouring town. I think this might be due to COVID but I'm not sure.

That's fine if you have services in your area. Like I said upthread, our MIU is open 8-4, and only sees 16 years +. All paediatric patients have to go to A+E here. I wish everybody had the same access to non hospital services. It seems like a lottery!

@Staffy1

GPs don’t seem to do anything like that. They refer or give prescriptions for thé odd thing. Might have expected the practice nurse to be able to do that though.

Oh FFS. Just piss off

I agree there’s a lot of pressure to ‘help someone out’ and save them a taxi fare. However, it’s really not a good idea for anyone to step outside of their competence. Sometimes that’s unpopular but that doesn’t make it the wrong decision, and I’m afraid you’re being unreasonable to begrudge the taxi fare here OP. You didn’t go to a top class establishment (which I can understand as there’s little regulation and it’s not necessarily obvious, thanks @TheBodyPiercer for the link!) and what is a cosmetic procedure went wrong. You received treatment straight away, weren’t waiting hours and it resolved the problem.
Minor injuries were set up to take the more minor end of a&e visits, they’re great but don’t exist everywhere. I presume if GP sent the child to a&e there isn’t such a facility that could deal with it. Also some minor injuries are on the a&e site so it’s difficult to tell which you are seen by

I've never had a piercing (no, not even my ears) - I'd know not to use somewhere like Claire's but I would have thought that Superdrug was pretty reputable, you know, being a pharmacy and all that. People are quick to scoff on here, but people don't know what they don't know.

@Feetupteashot

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

Well I don't necessarily disagree with that, but most people who have complications of cosmetic procedures end up getting them fixed by the NHS, and they're probably much nastier, time-consuming, expensive things to fix. This was probably a few minutes of the NHS's time and no more.

I agree with you.