Shall I just go to A&E…

[Igo]

I have been having upper right abdomen pain since Saturday (currently a full ache) temp around 40.4 comes down to 39.2 with some tablets, I feel sick and woozy had horrific bowel movement

pain come and goes in waves when it’s bad I can’t move, hurts to breathe, can’t stomach food cause immense pain…been taking tramadol and it’s not touching it!

pain got really really bad yesterday each wave lasted around 2 hours, dh phoned 111…after 9 hours they still hadn’t called back, phoned again at 6…was phoned back at 10pm asking me to go to urgent care for an appointment at 10.30pm which was impossible as I live an hour away…they then told me they had no other appointments and was told to call my Gp or go to a&e if it got worse

doped up on tramadol again and got about 4 hours sleep

attempted to contact my Gp 33 times…finally spoke to a receptionist and all she would offer me was an appointment in 7-10 days

phoned 111 to be told to contact my Gp as they were open

literally it’s my last resort do I just turn up? Pain has been ramping up again for the last 15 mins I can’t keep shoving tramadol down my throat but I don’t want to be sat in a&e in agony while nothing happens and I’m left in a chair like last time

I also think it is this, bad news is the operation won't be instant, 2 month waiting list at the moment, they'll manage it with painkillers in the interim.

That sounds like gallbladder. good luck

@TinyTear No shit Sherlock. OP posted to say the surgeon has said it's gallbladder related.

I’ve only had it twice, both soon after having my kids. the first time, the pain was so bad, I inadvertently let go of the pram. Fortunately, there was no traffic coming.

You must feel huge relief just to be able to hand off responsibility for your care to someone else.

that’s the bit that gets so frightening. If you could get timely advice, you’d have some idea of what to expect, what the next step might be if it gets worse.

When you can’t get an appointment/admission until you’re passing out with pain (and then some), it’s really really frightening.

Save your no shit for another time. or for everyone else who also said "Sounds like cholecystitis"

The last OP post said she hadn't been seen by the surgeon, yes the post above mentions gallbladder but not as a certainty, but maybe I misread... I will give you that

Anyway @Igo hope you go on the quick list to get it out, i had mine out in less than a week from my first attack. My GP told me to pack a bag, go to A&E and not leave...

I'm glad you've gone in and hope you get some respite from the pain soon.

I've had gallbladder issues and it really is the worst pain the world! Much worse than labour & child birth, and I've 4 x dc's.

Once they whipped mine out it was instant relief though! Although mine was slightly more difficult as when they got in there it was all infected, full of pus and stuck to other things around it. Luckily for me my surgeon still managed to remove it via keyhole surgery, just a longer procedure and longer recovery.

She will have been seen by a surgeon (the registrar most likely) to be given a surgical bed.

You did the right thing. Hope all is well.

When you're recovered @Igo I really do hope that you make a visit to your GP surgery and complain about this bit:
attempted to contact my Gp 33 times…finally spoke to a receptionist and all she would offer me was an appointment in 7-10 days

I'm pleased you are in the right place getting the right attention but Jesus! you should have been able to see a GP before 7-10 days. Sure most illnesses that people need to see their GP about would be recovered in that space or require the patient to go to hospital because it would have worsened considerably in that time frame.

That is disgraceful.

Hopefully you're on the mend by now!

Oh hopefully all is good. The high temp would suggest it was infected. I've also had cholecystitis but ended up having to have a CT scan to find out where the infection was as they couldn't figure it out, only that I had a very severe infection somewhere. I didn't need to have it removed thankfully and I haven't had a recurrence since.

Given that you haven't posted since this morning, I'm presuming you're in surgery. Thinking of you if you are. Hope all is well.

That's what it's like in my area. If you don't manage to get through first thing in the morning, they tell you ring back first thing the following morning or they'll offer you an appointment in 1-2 weeks and tell you to go call 111 if it gets worse. This is why A&E is over capacity. People can't get appointments with their GP so they end up in A&E!

Do you explain to the receptionist it is urgent and if you cant be seen you will have to go to A and E?

Certainly with my gp if you insist it can't wait they will squeeze you in - with a phone consultation to start with at least. Ive also tried turning up in person and insisting that my son needed to be seen that day. This worked too (he still ended up in hospital mind, access to a gp can't always prevent that)

Sounds very much like gall stones.

CousinTime

Most gps currently being trained aren't planning to work full-time. We have a shortage and they're paying far less for their degree than they would elsewhere. They can expect a salary that doesn't require them to work full time despite costing a bomb to train and our hospital doctors being on their knees.

No that is not bloody fair to anyone.

Also, that's some biased reading of the op's posts. Are you unable to comprehend that she didn't have time to get to the appointment she was offered because they offered it almost straight away? Or you just not care about the finer details of whether the patient actually sees the doctor, as opposed to having been given a fantasy opportunity?

Yes and they simply shrug and say, sorry, all our urgent appointments are taken.

I had cholecystitis once OP and honestly thought I was dying. I've had 4 DC and had never felt pain like it in my life. I was vomiting green bile, deathly pale and literally screaming on the floor with pain when DH got home from work - and he had to be screamed at to call an ambulance doh

I had 5 days in on very high dose IV antibiotics and morphine but it never recurred and I didn't have any gallstones ... I get the odd twinge if I eat high fat dairy but nothing that a Buscopan tablet doesn't sort.

Hope you feel better soon.

Hope they can get it sorted for you soon OP. I'm shocked by your GP's unhelpfulness.

I am old enough to remember a time when you could phone a GP's surgery at any time of the day to make an appointment....none of this phone on the dot of 8am mullarkey. It is so frustrating that even if you miss out on that day's appointments, they are still not allowed to make you one for the following day and you have to join the race again the following morning to try your luck once more. Impossible to achieve if you are working or commuting.

@Whitepouringglue

Its a bummer. but serial governments have got it wrong. as surgeon said to me its a problem training med students when hospitals cant afford to hire them.

So glad you went in,fingers crossed you've been seen by now and are getting the help you need.

How are you OP? So sorry you had to go through this. Having to make a considered decision what to do when you're frightened, in pain, not thinking clearly is awful. Hoping all is under control.

I'm surprised more GPS aren't being sued to be honest

Our GP has a walk in clinic most afternoons for people who need to be seen soon but there are no appointments left.. One GP available and you just go don and wait to be seen. You might wait an hour, but you'll see a doctor.