Waited in hospital since 10pm to see out of hours gp. It's now 2am. Do I give up and go home?

[GrrrlPwr]

There's 5 people ahead of me in the queue. Receptionist has no idea how long they will all take.

Do I go home and plead my GP for an appointment tomorrow?

Feel so stupid to have waited so long and to go home. But I ache so much. I need to go to bed

The NHS needs an overhaul, too many top dogs not enough nurses. Too much waste, too many time wasters, using ambulances like a taxi. We need to stop shitting on our pride and joy.

Faint
At least then you get to lie down

" Envy of the world."

It is a reminder to keep a gargle in the house. There are so many things we can do before going to the hospital. We should not rely on antibiotics until we are sure we have a fever, and there are a few measures that can be taken. REMEMBER it is dangerous to go where there are other people, and especially other sick people. If you have tried everything, then consider the chemist first.

Try gargling with salt water or bicarbonate of soda. If the soreness continues, it sometimes helps to wrap something warm around the throat and that will open up the small blood vessels bringing oxygen to the area to help healing.
If you also have a fever keep ice bags in the freezer - very cheap from Chinese sellers on ebay - I would not be without them as I have CIDP and ice helps with pain. If your temperature goes down with ice, then it isn't anything serious, such as covid. The same goes for a cough: take a cough medicine and if the tickly cough goes, it isn't covid. My favourite cough syrup is white port. Mil for mil it is cheaper than cough mixture and a lot more effective, but only if you take a tablespoon of it and do not give it to anyone under 18. You can try the ordinary port, but the white is better.
There is also Vic rub. It is not just for breathing. If rubbing it on the skin, apply some vaseline to the skin, especially with babies. Thinking of Vaseline, did you know that a cotton bud dipped in vaseline and put into each nostril stops crusts appearing, which harbour germs and viruses. This is particularly useful to stop children picking their noses. Tell them you can tell if they pick their noses because the nose gets thinner! A bit like telling them they only grow while they are asleep so if they don't go to bed they won't grow. It is half true. It also gives them a good rest and they are less likely to be ill.

You don't have to have a fever to require antibiotics and the OP wasn't at the hospital.

** it wasn't A and E ,it was a GP which is where she should be.

Childrenofthestones. I agree with your sarcasm. It most certainly is NOT the envy of the world. If it was it would have been copied. It is failing. If it were a private company the receivers would have been called in decades ago. There are not enough beds and staff for the people who need it; not enough ambulances to transport sick people. It is not as though the NHS treats the elderly: it does not, unless they have a road accident. Residential care homes have to pay even for a GP service, and pass that on to the residents, who are also stung for the cost of any visiting NHS nurse, and the services for a care assistant to take them to hospital, as that is an extra service, and it makes my blood boil to hear of elderly patients blocking beds, because it really does not happen on that scale, and anyway, the NHS pays the SS up to 12 weeks residential care to take the patients from hospital to care home, and by 12 weeks they are usually dead.

What is the alternative? Should people pay to be seen in emergency rooms. and refunded if they are really ill?

The trouble with that is if you have tonsillitis chances are you can't speak to them, and if you can, they assume your tonsillitis is not all that bad.

@llizzie

The trouble with that is if you have tonsillitis chances are you can't speak to them, and if you can, they assume your tonsillitis is not all that bad.

I could speak with my Quinsy.. just!

garlictwist That does surprise me. I would not have expected a doctor to deny medication like thyroxine. Look up the symptoms of not taking it.

I have to take thyroxine. At the start of the lockdown last year my chemist said they ran out of thyroxine, so I rang the NHS number who put me through to the ambulance service who knew who the local doctor was out of ours. He was in a town about 25 miles away, and he said he would prescribe some and leave them at the nearest hospital, but did I have anyone who could pick up the script and have it dispensed. My son lived on another 10 miles from the town. I contacted him and he said he would pick up the script from the hospital and have it dispensed, which he did, and brought it to me, quite a long round trip. When he reached me, he had to stand 6ft away and leave it on the step!

I think there's tonsillitis and there's tonsillitis
A colleague once was in work and said she had it and was a bit croaky, had some strepsils but was ok
I get it and can't swallow my own spit, have pus all over my throat, a temperature and no pain relief touches it. Last time my dad had to drive me to OOH as I was so out of it he didn't want me driving. Usually lose about a stone and am unwell for 10-14 days
The longer I go without antibiotics the worse it gets and it never ever improves without it. I know about antibiotic resistance, always complete the course but I must have had 75+ courses so far in my life

Ring 111 they usually get you an appointment

@ttcno2ml

Ring 111 they usually get you an appointment

Its not 2019!

I phoned 111 about an infection the other day, they prescribed me antibiotics over the phone which I went to collect from my local pharmacy. It only took about an hour, I was very surprised but relieved

Hi just updating
Thanks to those that actually read what I wrote! Wasn't very nice being sneered at while feeling this awful when of course I hadn't just 'gone to hospital'
Made the right call to go home. It could have been another 6 hours. On hold to GP for about 15 mins in the morning but got an emergency same day appointment. Checked by GP and prescribed antibiotics.

Thanks for the info about the apps with doctors. Had no idea that was a thing in the UK & is legal. Hopefully won't need it again.

The NHS is on its knees. It's only November. Never ever again will I go to an 'urgent' care center.

2 babies with suspected meningitis, one teenager with a broken ankle. He had been there since 6pm, I talked to his dad at 2am.

Nicest person in the whole place was the cleaner man. He was mopping the floor with bleach at one point.

And my Uber taxi driver, who may have regretted asking me how I was- teary!
But he said he'd had exactly the same the night before- people giving up and going home. Deciding that sleep was more important.

I absolutely hate being ill. I hated being in their patient 'flow' there were no signs up, nothing to tell you what was going on. No seats either. Horrendous.

I now think that everyone who can pay private should do so, to take the pressure off for everyone else. I know we shouldn't have to, but something is going to give. How many people dying waiting for ambulances will it take for the NHS to be funded adequately?

They found the money bloody quick enough for their buddies ppe contracts. Makes me so angry.

I now wonder if I'd said to 111 woman (no idea of her actual medical status) no I can't get to the urgent care center what the back up would have been.
I didn't know they can prescribe.

Notmycat- me too. You have described my version of tonsillitis exactly. I'm going to get them out next year privately. It's just too awful and bloody inconvenient to be so ill.

For those who are/were sneering- wait til you get tonsillitis like this, waking up to the pain of pustules in your throat bursting. Can't swallow your own spit. You'll sneer on the other side of your face then eh gah

Lol nannyKatharine, I sure nearly did faint. But asked for a chair. Thought the floor looked mighty hard to hit on my way down (nicely bleached mind you)

Glad you got your antibiotics, op.
Tonsilitis is awful and I wouldn't wish it on anyone

Read all the replies now. Even more flabbergasted as how mean people are! White rum are you fucking kidding me. When the pus is pouring down the back of my throat and I can't swallow my own spit. I bet you like homeopathy too. Jeez.

Cool down with some ice. Yeah right, you clearly never had full body sweats drenching your PJ's and bed, because of a fever.

I've had a quinzy, it can kill you if not treated in time. Every other time I've had tonsillitis and I've not been given antibiotics, guess what I'm back at the doctor's even iller, get the prescription and I'm starting to get better on day 3 of them.

Big hugs to the pp waiting at hospital during a miscarriage. Truly awful, so sorry for you.

As to why I went in at 10pm- 111 said that was my appointment time. Oh foolish me believed her. Nope, should have gone in straight away.

All the other local UTC it turns out were closing that night, presumably due to lack of staff. So we were all funneled into one.

Yes I have lost a whole weeks work, nothing boss can do about it as am too ill to work. Hopefully I can get some stuff done on Friday or over the weekend to catch up. Could affect me getting a perm job next year. So that's really shit.

I have been having a nightmare getting appointment. My doctors receptionist told me to go on NHS website and type in eConsult they have to give you an urgent doctors appointment. Not sure if that will help you

I had severe dental pain from an abcess & couldn't get an appointment for 10 days at the dentist, I went online & bought the antibiotics I had been prescribed before, they were delivered within 36 hours, cost £16.75, worth every penny.

The nhs is becoming less relevant to our lives as those of us who can afford it are forced to go privately. I'm not quite sure what we're protecting, not that I know what that means really.

I’m so sorry you’ve been through such an awful time and I’m glad you’ve got the antibiotics now.

I used to have tonsillitis at least a week of each month for many years until I was 14 and had them out. If they removed them as children when becoming a problem a lot of this wouldn’t happen. I used to get so ill with it and once I had antibiotics would improve so quickly. All the chest infections/ear infections and throat infections I had as a child all stopped once I had my tonsils out, it made such a difference.

I hope you feel better very soon.

NHS is the envy of the world

Where do people get this stuff from? I live in another part of the world, and I'm not envious.