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Original poster

Was I an a&e timewaster?? What should I have done??

123 replies

Applecrumblelipgloss · 14/06/2022 11:46

if I am in the wrong for going to a&e then I’ll definitely accept it, I just need to know what to do in future if it happens again!

I was recently on holidays with my boyfriend and had a reaction to something. I’ve got no history of allergies and I’ve never had anything like this before. My entire face swelled up like a balloon. It started on the Thursday with my forehead going from normal to being extremely puffy over about an hour or so- I could press it with my finger and it left a big dent about an inch deep! I went to sleep and woke up on the Friday with my entire face massively puffed up and swollen. It was horrific looking. I was coming home the next day anyway (on the saturday) and I guessed it wasn’t urgent like anaphylaxis as it was swelling over hours rather than minutes and I otherwise felt fine, and I went to a pharmacy who gave me topical aloe Vera and some antihistamines.

I landed back home the next day and by now my face was even worse. It was so swollen that one of my eyes was pretty much closed over, with the other eye getting worse too. The gp was obviously closed and I was starting to worry as it wasn’t getting better and I didn’t want both my eyes to close over or my mouth or throat to swell as the swelling was spreading and worsening so we went to the pharmacy who said go to a&e and don’t wait for the GP to open

When I got to a&e and saw the doctor she was so dismissive and it was obvious she thought I was a time waster. She said there was nothing wrong with me and it swelled over days not hours so wasn’t an accident or emergency and it was a gp matter. She said keep taking antihistamines gave me some antibiotics and said it could be a bite or might have been a sunburn reaction as I was mildly sunburned. She said go home and it would just go down over the next week. She was clearly annoyed at me for going as it wasn’t an urgent thing and had happened over 1-3 days so not really an emergency which I understand but my eye was pretty much swollen over now and the other eye was going the same way. I was also worried about my throat swelling as rest of my face was still getting worse and was huge at this point and she said that won’t happen. She kept sighing at me and I overheard her saying I shouldn’t be there and I went home as soon as I got my prescription

Thankfully it did go down but my face took 7 days to return to normal again. Since then it happened again and I just ignored for a week or two until it went down as I’m not sure what to do and i didn’t want to go back unnecessarily and waste their time when I’m not actually unwell and it’s just swelling, but getting a GP appointment is impossible and I’m worried about the swelling being worse next time

Was I wasting A&e time for going for this? What should I do if it happens again? Has anyone else had this happen to them? I’m going on holidays with my boyfriend this summer and dreading incase this happens again or that its worse next time😩

OP posts:
ISeeTheLight · 14/06/2022 12:47

You should have called 111 who would have booked you an out of hours GP appointment.

Workwork21 · 14/06/2022 12:47

Antarcticant · 14/06/2022 11:51

Willing to bet that if you'd phoned 111 they'd have sent you to A&E.

This

mrsfoof · 14/06/2022 12:48

You should have called 111 for out of hours health advice. It wasn't an emergency.

iRun2eatCake · 14/06/2022 12:49

Nurse here and l would have gone A&E also as you were not improving

Mariposista · 14/06/2022 12:52

Of course you're not. You had a scary allergic reaction on your face/eye. I would be reporting that doctor for dismissing you. One thing is turning up with a sore big toe, another is a sudden allergic reaction.

dawngreen · 14/06/2022 12:52

Its not right for her to give her a hard time because she considered it not an emergency. How is a person with no medical knowledge expected to know that?

If some thing seems really bad you go to hospital. I would have worried about my airways swelling too.

Laiste · 14/06/2022 12:55

Same here with GP appointments - you have to get on the phone on the dot of 8am and just hope you're not already so far down the queue that all the days appts. are taken.

I had to go last week. I had mobile in hand ready for 8am, but got distracted by DD dropping her co-co pops all down her front and didn't start ringing till 3 mins past 8. I was number 31 in the queue by then! 20 mins of hanging on to get to speak to receptionist.

You just have to hope that your phone doesn't lose signal or decide to just cut off while you slide your way down the queue.

The do keep a few free slots for emergency appts. at ours. Which is good.

Thehonestybox · 14/06/2022 12:58

If you would've rang 111 they would've sent you to A&E, and those calls take AGES, so you would've wasted your own time as well as theirs. You did the right thing and the Dr was really rude. Them being short staffed is not your problem to fix, you were there because you were worried for your life and you haven't done 8 years of medical training so hoe would you know it wasn't an emergency?

ErniesGhostlyGoldTops · 14/06/2022 12:58

Some doctors are absolute wankers.

My DMum went back and back to the GP with her changing posture and back pain. Each time she was given painkillers only.

Eventually I saw red, took her in and she saw a locum who sent her straight to hospital.

The hospital doctor spoke to me like I was a hillbilly because Mum had such advanced bone cancer and assumed we had prevented her getting seen.

I let him have both barrels and he still didn't apologise and was a snotty asshole to me the whole time DM was in his 'care'.

Some of them are just assholes.

WTF475878237NC · 14/06/2022 13:00

I would have called 111 for an appointment out of hours.

Danikm151 · 14/06/2022 13:05

That's the problem with walk in centres being closed down. More people now have to go to A&E to seek help.
If you can't get a GP appointment are you expected to suffer?

Cornettoninja · 14/06/2022 13:06

Sorry you encountered such a twat of a doctor. If you wanted to be sympathetic then I suppose you could consider that hospitals are like bedlam at the moment and it’s possible the one you saw was incredibly burnt out… BUT that’s not your problem so you’re not obliged to give them that consideration.

Fwiw, I would have gone to A&E too, although I would have likely tried to see a doctor before getting on a plane tbh but I understand trying to avoid that.

Please really push your GP for a referral to investigate, head swelling is serious (ignore anyone who says it isn’t) and you need to know what to avoid/what to do. You saying you’ve had another episode since makes me wonder if it’s something related to the heat whether it’s the heat itself or sun cream possibly? Don’t ignore it or wait it out, it’s absolutely an A&E issue if you’re experiencing current swelling or at the very least an urgent GP appointment.

Littlegoth · 14/06/2022 13:06

111 would have sent you to A&E so not a time waster

Sqeebling · 14/06/2022 13:08

You weren't a time waster

She was just being practical and telling you how it is and getting to the point

You're far too sensitive and be thankful it wasn't an emergency.

It is what it is

Applegreenb · 14/06/2022 13:09

Nope, I would have called 111 and maybe seen an out of hours GP but going to A&E wasn’t wrong. I have had my lip and side of face swell due to allergies and I was told by my GP if it ever affects your mouth / tongue even slow swelling you have to go to hospital due to potential airway being blocked over time.

My GP gave me an inhaler incase it happens again as an emergency. See if you can get some
stronger antihistamines from the GP too.

Blameofmylife · 14/06/2022 13:09

Impossible to get a GP consultation? Or just difficult/time consuming? Can you re-register with a different GP? Or go into the surgery? Or phone at a different time of day and enquire about how to get an appointment? Or do an online consultation? Or phone 111 out of hours? Or do an online 111 consultation?

Herejustforthisone · 14/06/2022 13:10

Not a time waster. Airways can become compromised, the swelling was worsening. You did the right thing. Her manner was shit.

HenBob · 14/06/2022 13:10

No you weren't wasting anyone's time. I had a similar experience last year when I was suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum and lost a stone in less than three weeks. I spoke to a midwife as I was unable to eat or drink anything and she called ahead and sent me straight there. It was a lot of effort for me to get there, during Covid times also so much husband couldn't come in with me. They then acted like I was wasting their time and left me all afternoon waiting, where I thought that I might be given somewhere comfortable to sit and rest. When I eventually got in to see the doctor she kept saying things like this 'what do you want me to do about it?... It's normal to feel a little sick during pregnancy... You should see someone who is really sick'. Then she found out the only thing I'd kept down in the last few days was a glass of milk so diagnoses me with a milk allergy and sent me home. Absolute bollocks and I am still furious now. Unfortunately you can't control who it is that treats you so perhaps if I had been there on another shift I would have been treated by someone more compassionate.

The take home from all this is that doctors are human too, some of them are struggling with the pressure and stress badly, and some of them are pricks. And it seems you got treated by a bit of a prick, or someone who had just seen or treated something horrific so that your condition seems trivial to them. Try not to take it to heart and don't let that one individual stop you from finding out what's going on with you.

Vikinga · 14/06/2022 13:11

Stupid cow, of course it was urgent. I've had friends be admitted because a bite kept swelling up and led to cellulitis.

We're not doctors so we have to err on the side of caution!

100Roses · 14/06/2022 13:11

You wasn’t a time waster. My dad had this happen, gosh must be 15 or so years ago now. Face swelled over time until one eye was shut, other was going same way - he looked shocking! I attended our gp with him for emergency appointment (in the days when you could get through on the phone and they would call you in immediately if they felt necessary) and he was sent straight to the hospital then admitted for about a week.

They diagnosed some sort of body excema, although they did mention sun allergy too - I can’t remember the details of it as it was many years ago but he has to cover up and wear a cap out and about. Was told to keep out of bright sun (he has eased up on this over the years but as above covers up and wears a cap) and had to use medicated soaps and shampoos (not sure if he still does).

Mostess · 14/06/2022 13:12

I don't think you were unreasonable. How is someone who is not a health care professional to make a judgement call in such a situation?

Dixiechickonhols · 14/06/2022 13:13

Walk in centre or minor injuries if you had one but if none and a Pharmacist advised A & E I’d have gone. If you felt your airway was compromised it’s an emergency (not being able to breathe is an emergency)
I’d see Gp now for referral for allergy testing/epi pen in case re occurs and is more serious.

Ohmybod · 14/06/2022 13:13

I don’t think you were time wasting. My DH waited a week before going to A&E with a gradually worsening swelling to his arm (reaction from bite or something…and also after a hol). He was given a massive ticking off for not coming in sooner as he had an infection and the delay meant it took much longer and stronger antibiotics to deal with it. He had been to chemist and called gp in meantime. You just can’t do right for wrong sometimes.

Original poster
Applecrumblelipgloss · 14/06/2022 13:15

Sqeebling · 14/06/2022 13:08

You weren't a time waster

She was just being practical and telling you how it is and getting to the point

You're far too sensitive and be thankful it wasn't an emergency.

It is what it is

‘Far too sensitive’ seriously?!🤨 you weren’t there and as I’ve said in my OP she was actually quite rude and dismissive and I overheard her saying I shouldn’t be there and the way she said it implied I was a time waster. She made it plainly obvious to me that she thought I was a timewaster and was annoyed at me for being there.

I completely understand how extra busy doctors and hospitals are over the last few years so I’m not cross and I understand she was probably tired and overworked so I don’t blame her for being a bit sharp, I didn’t post because I was annoyed at her I was just posting because I didn’t know what to do if it happened again!

she was rude and dismissive to me and I understand and empathise with her, but that doesn’t mean I was being too sensitive by being a bit confused by the way I was treated

OP posts:
SweetestCaroline · 14/06/2022 13:15

YANBU however now that you have this in your medical history you will need to declare it for future travel insurance for at least the next year or so as they may not cover the costs if it happens again when you’re abroad. Although your EHIC/GHIC should cover emergency treatment in the EU, I’d try to find out what might have caused it before you go away again in case related to the sun etc. Glad you’re ok.