Can I go to hospital for stitches and not give details?

[indecis]

As above really - I had a stupid accident which has left me with a very bad cut on my arm which just isn't healing, however for complicated reasons I suspect the doctors will think someone has done it to me and that would create a lot of problems in my life. How much can I not tell them?

If the injury is quite bad,and not healing properly,and you think it needs stitches, then you need to get it fixed, in case of any infection flare up.

You will obviously be asked how the injury happened, that is the norm.
You have to be honest, it helps the nurses and doctors with the treatment they provide.They are not there to judge you, but would help you,if you divulged any untowards problems to them.

If you have a good relationship with your GP then call and see how quickly you can get an appointment with them, remind them about your concerns and ask if they could look at it.

Good luck.

OP, you can get wound closure strips like these if you prefer to avoid A&E:
www.amazon.co.uk/JFA-Medical-Wound-Closure-Strips/dp/B01MG97DOS/ref=asc_df_B01MG97DOS/?hvlocphy=9045999&linkCode=df0&hvptwo&psc=1&hvnetw=g&hvadid=218230020648&hvpone&hvlocint&hvpos&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl&hvqmt&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&hvtargid=pla-432536029324&hvrand=4464787560903912129

You have nothing to worry about, they see this stuff every day. You trying to lie will cause more alarm than going in and telling the truth.

Go in and just say that you fell. If they ask how, say you met a friend for a boozy brunch and tripped over in your new heels and make a joke.

Make a joke of your clumsiness and you'll be in and out by bedtime, nothing to stress about. I also don't imagine the court can access your medical records without good reason? Your competency isn't in question, is it?

Alcohol is legal. You are a naturally accident-prone person. It was dark. You sustained an injury. You haven't done anything wrong!

Doctors have heard much worse, many times. Be open and answer any questions honestly - the questions are more to ascertain what to do with you (will there be dirt or bacteria in there, has infection had a chance to take hold, have you had a tetanus injection recently) than to cause you issues in your private life. If you don't answer the questions, though, as PPs have said, that in itself is more likely to raise alarm bells.

ha i always wonder about those who lie about things stuck in their rear. Surely you just tell the truth and get it over with instead of telling a lie you know they wont believe.

Have you made an appointment yet?

Depends on how old the wound is really. It might have gone beyond suturing. It will probably need looking at to make sure it is clean with no little bits of infection-inducing dirt lurking in it. Have you got an MIU near you where they can look at it and dress it for you. They will ask you how it happened to ensure you get the right treatment but only to rule out that there were no rusty nails or etc. So you tell them that you tripped and fell over a paving slab which is in essence what happened!

I tried to run through a patio door once (when sober), that wasn't pretty. I was asked whether someone had hurt me when I went to A&E, but I answered that I was that stupid and had ran into a door! I also ended up in A&E after getting up from the sofa clumsily

Most of my friends have seen me fall over, even without a drink in my hand.

I have long suspected I might have dyspraxia.

The medics will believe that you had an accident. They see loads of them and know what they look like.They are not in the business of contacting any other authority unless a crime has been committed so please don't worry. Just tell them how it happened.

Do please take yourself to A&E before you develop an infection. You can be stitched or taped to make the wound neat.

Just tell them , we've all done stupid stuff. I'm as blind as a bat, hadn't put my contacts in , went to take the rubbish out & tripped over the cat who was rushing in the door. I needed 2 stiches in my leg because I gashed it v badly on the concrete step. Lesson learnt that without my contacts in I am a danger to myself!

Family members here dyspraxic clumsiness is endemic

Yeah, it’s not good to get so drunk you hurt yourself to the extent you need medical attention. That shows bad judgement. However, it looks even worse if you can’t look after yourself enough to see a doctor when you need to. Especially if you’re worried about custody, you need to show that you know when it’s appropriate to get medical help.

If you're drunk enough to fall and need stitches

No one needs to be drunk to fall. A and e was created for a reason., not everyone in there is drunk.

OP
I broke several toes over a couple of years on a raised concrete thing in the garden. About 2 inches high. It's now been removed. I have three times fallen down stairs and really hurt myself (broken arm, broken coccyx, broken leg) countless other times where no major damage was done. I broke my ankle really badly stepping off a low wall while hanging washing out. I have no recollection of my legs having zero bruises, even now I'm sporting 6., and one on each arm. And I dont even know how I got bruised. It's so normal to me, I reckon I must be dyspraxic. I no longer have a coffee table, it's just not worth it to me.

I feel your pain, OP. I'm seriously clumsy too, to the point that my DDad brought it up in his speech, on my wedding day .

Mine is a combination of hyper-mobility in my hips/ankles, poor eyesight, and poor balance. I've been like this since a child.

In the last couple of years I've fallen down the stairs and broken my wrist (it was dark and I didn't have my glasses on), fallen down the garden stairs and broke the very bottom of my leg bone. Fell UP the stairs and broke my toe. Fell down the stairs, head first into a 1930's glass front foot.

I am beginning to think that I should live in Norfolk/the Somerset Flats, in a bungalow...

To add insult to injury, one of the children I teach asked me the other day if I was okay (did I have a black eye?). Turns out my tired lines under my eyes actually look like a black eye when I've got a mask on.

My DH is starting to get worried that he's going to get reported...

Front foot???

Front door

You absolutely do not need to say anything other than how it happened (if they ask)- tripped on paving stone, gashed on gate.

Being drunk at the time has no relevance to any medical treatment now.

If you go to the GP’s surgery or to A&E it does not need to be a confessional session.

@StrangeToSee

You don’t have to say you were drunk if that’s the embarrassing bit. Just say you were rushing and tripped over something/slipped in a puddle of juice?

This ^

As someone who can trip over flat nothings (as me grannie used to say), I totally sympathise, but all ou need to say is you tripped (over a rug if they want details), didn't realise how serious it was, and didn't want to go to A&E unnecessarily in the middle of a pandemic.

Go to a pharmacy and ask a pharmacist. If its not infected you might be OK with wound healing stuff they have like jelonet dressings. If it looks bad they'll tell you to see a doctor/walk in centre. Then you can just say you fell over and caught it on something.

My best advice? don´t get caught telling a lie, that will look so dodgy.

You dont have to say you were drunk. Just tell the truth. U trip over paving and fell into gate.

I wouldn't advise lying about how you got it (slipped in juice or tripped on rug) because:

1. you might not get the right medical treatment
2. there's no reason to - you haven't done anything wrong
3. if it transpires that that's not really happened, this will raise suspicions about the cause because you've lied about it

I once had to get stitches for a cut on my head caused by walking into a street sign while looking at my phone. I felt like an idiot but I still told A&E what happened.

If you refuse to tell them, that's when they would worry. Even then, they have to respect your confidentiality outside of very limited circumstances.

Honestly, 'I got drunk and fell over' would be one of the least remarkable explanations presented at A and E that day. They literally do this every Friday and Saturday night. No-one will give it a second thought.

Pages and pages of people relating tales of injuries sustained whilst not drunk
Why is this news to anyone?