Is this 111/A&E worthy?

[RandomBanto]

My husband is hardly ever ill. We're talking never been in hospital, only been to the doc a handful of times in the 20 years we've been together and generally hardly ever gets a sniffle.

He's come home from work today saying he's freezing, then said he was boiling, aches all over, shivering, feels slightly sick, aversion to light and has a headache. Checked his temp which was 40 degrees and have given him Paracetamol and he's gone to sleep (he never take tablets etc hence me giving them to him, he doesn't need mothering!(

He said all this came on suddenly about 3pm and before that he felt absolutely fine and had his lunch which was just a basic marmite wrap and crisps and fruit so can't be food poisoning etc.

He said it doesn't feel like covid as he's had that before.

I'm really worried as Paracetamol hasn't brought his temp down but he is asleep as seems OK at the moment. His mum says I should take him to a&e or call 111. AIBU to let him sleep?

YABU wake him up and call 111
YANBU leave him be he's ok

Mm. That’s a sign of meningitis. Can he put his chin on his chest ok?

111.nhs.uk/triage/check-your-symptoms

Can he bend his neck enough to kiss his knee?
If he can't then take him to A&E as that can be a symptom of meningitis along with the aversion to light.

However my dd had a virus a couple of weeks ago which included migraine and aversion to light, so hopefully it's that.

Thank you,never heard the chin on chest thing and I didn't know you could do a 111 checker thing online. Will do that now and possibly wake him up to do the chin on chest thing.

I'd missed the aversion to light so had voted to let him sleep etc. But then reread and see the aversion to light. Think I'd want to ring 111 for that. Hope he feels lots better soon

My son had exactly these symptoms last night. I was concerned about how high his temp was but after keeping up with the paracetamol every 4 hours, sleep and fluids he is much better today. I woke him up last night to ensure he had his paracetamol when it was due. Someone we know had these symptoms last week so there is a bug going round (possibly flu). He tested negative for covid

Tonsilitis? I had this with symptoms being a sore throat, temp of 40, fever/chills, muscle aches, nausea and abdominal pain (glands in lower abdomen swell with tonsilitis) - sepsis usually follows on from an infection elsewhere and doesn’t tend to just come on itself out of the blue.

The aversion to light could just be a headache, the feeling cold can be a sign of a virus, nothing is screaming out to me as a worry but you know him best. 111 might be a good call

This has told me to call 999! I'll go and wake him now but not calling 999 unless he can't touch his chin to chest etc. Seems a bit too extreme.

That sounds like the flu or Covid to me. I wouldn't even think it gp worthy unless it got a lot worse it lasted more than a few days. Yes there's always serious rare possibilities but it's also pretty textbook for common winter bugs.

I had a severe headache and light aversion with covid btw.

It really sounds like he just has a virus! He's hot and cold because he has a temperature - that's completely normal. Just because he's rarely ill, it doesn't mean there is now something seriously wrong. Call 111 in the first instance.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/sepsis/

When I had those symptoms come on really quickly (4 times now) it was always a kidney infection. The last time I rang 111 and was sent to a&e as was at night and they said I couldn’t wait to see a dr in the morning.

I would wake him and see how he is and then call 111 as a minimum I think, I also wondered about tonsillitis, can you see any white spots etc on his tonsils?

I wouldn't say it's worthy of 111 or ED if he just has a fever and feels unwell. Most of these illnesses are self-limiting and viral. I'd see how he goes.

I really would call 999. You’ve been advised to by 111, you’re saying it’s very out of the usual for your partner. Let medics assess the symptoms and make a decision as to be worried or not
it’s horrible when things come out of the blue and easy to think ‘it can’t be that bad’, but far better to get it checked out with the light aversion/nausea

If he’s asleep and breathing normally then I’d let him rest. Sleep is the best healer there is.

I had chemo last year and had so many episodes of high temperature, shivers and feeling rubbish, and after my first hospital admission, I decided to try a good nights sleep before contacting the hospital. I never needed to go in the next morning, my temperature had always come down and I always felt better.

Hope all is ok OP, stop updating the thread and deal with your crisis.

And yet the 111 symptom checker says otherwise?

Please ignore the posters telling you to wait and see. I don't think they read that you wrote aversion to light, which is a worrying symptom.

I hope he will be OK.

Dh had exactly those symptoms with covid. Can you go out and get a test? Or get one from a friend?

I work in A&E if I saw a patient with these symptoms I would want to rule out meningitis. Sudden onset, headache and photophobia with a fever.

Ring 111. You will get to speak to a clinician who will give more appropriate advice than MN.

Christ, 111 sends everyone to a&e! Wake him, more paracetamol, fluids, temperature check after half hour. Repeat until morning unless he declines. Do chin test - no harm in doing that. Check for rash and do glass test. I suspect he has a nasty virus.

Right his temp is now down to 38, he is sleeping fine and doesn't seem distressed. His extremities are not cold or too hot. I'm tempted to let him sleep now and see how he goes. I'm going to be up for another 3 hours at least (bit of a night owl) so I think I'll just keep checking on him and see if he wakes up and go from there. I've asked if anyone had covid tests but no one does so I'll have to go out in the morning and get some.

Bloody hell I don't know what to do for the best. It feels so wrong to wake him up!