Been told not to attend A&E by gp receptionist..

[shallwego]

Hello,

Following from another thread of mine, regarding painful ovulation (will summarise below)

• Been TTC for almost 3 years

• Had bloods taken by GP (day 21 bloods) and was advised at the time that this would show endometriosis or PCOS issues

• Had a GP appt yesterday to get the ball rolling with fertility help, mentioned that I get very painful ovulation, and she advised that endo / PCOS wouldn't in fact show in bloods, only a physical examination would determine this.

When I'm in / around ovulation, I get EXTREME crippling cramps in one side of my ovaries / lower abdomen, radiating across my pelvis. They're so awful I often feel like I'm going to split in half. When I sit and then stand again, I can barely stand up straight. It's crippling and lasts a LOT longer than the seconds / sometimes hours that others explain and experience during this time of the month. We're talking days. Sometimes 2/3.. and the pain is MUCH worse than my period pain.

I phoned the GP reception today, as I'm having a really hard time with the pain today. They've advised that nobody can see me there until 2nd week of January; and so I must get on with it until then. Fine, but pain killers are literally not touching the pain and I don't know what to do with myself. I'm at work and can't even stand straight. It's like someone's sawing me in half from hip-hip..

So I asked the receptionist if she would recommend I attend A&E for guidance in the meantime.
She almost screamed 'NO' at me. That they're under pressure (which I'm fully aware of and understand completely) but I honestly don't know what to do with myself 😞

So my question is.. would I be unreasonable to attend A&E after work? I just want help and answers. I'm so scared and in so much pain.

@shallwego I think you need to read between the lines and take the advice that’s appropriate to you and you can act on. Hope you get sorted.

Everyone else? I haven’t been on here that long and I really don’t get the vitriol that some of you have thrown at this person. Yes I agree that A&E shouldn’t have time wasters, but some people battle through pain whilst doing parenting/work. A&E has different sections usually for different things (minor injuries/out of hours GP etc). Even if they dont, the triage process is there to prioritise. The oncoming 7 hour wait time would easily put off someone who wasn’t in pain.

I went, pain free after 3 days following an accident. Why? Because I fell down the stairs and after 3 days my arm had refused to stop bleeding and I needed stitches, nothing I could get from my GP. Glad I wasn’t on here then

Im glad you got help in the end op. However you are clearly not in excruciating pain if you are posting on here and working! People in excruciating pain literally cannot focus on anything else other than that pain! This is not a medical emergency and people screeching at you to go to A&E are part of the reason people have such long waits! A&E is not a defacto GP service!

🙄 Bore off.

@bloodyplanes you honestly can't comment on the levels of pain I may or may not be in. People deal with different levels of pain differently. Please read ALL my posts where I've explained numerous times that I'm working from home, at my home desk where I can get up to try to help the pain whenever I wanted to.

As I've said upthread, the extent of my working is questionable.. I've managed to fire off a few emails and finished earlier to attend my appointment. It's sad to feel the need to explain myself.

@bloodyplanes exactly. People don’t seem to understand the literal function of A&E. it’s not somewhere you decide to go later in the day when you’ve finished work 🙄

OP, dont waste the time and energy by explaining yourself. Those people are not interested and often havent even read your first post properly, let alone the following ones.

@niugboo can you honestly leave the thread alone, now? You are completely missing the point and clearly extremely arrogant and not willing to take into consideration anybody else's explanations, including mine.

I've told you so many times, I was at home, I managed to fire off a few emails. You really do take joy in kicking people when they're down, don't you?!

@wickedstepmothfker oh dear.

accident and emergency is a distinct service. Minor injuries may be located nearby or within but not the same. If OP had suggested that I would have said no in the same way as I did to accident and emergency because it’s not the appropriate service. Similarly with a fracture clinic. They aren’t the same thing.

Out of hours GP is an option but I am aware of none that offer walk in since covid. You are supposed to contact 111 first. There are a few walk in clinics left I believe but not many. Either way, again not accident and emergency.

Who made some posters here the arbiters of who is/isn’t in real pain?!

My sister WFH and had a horrible boss. She went back to work a few days after major surgery. Her stitches came open and she started bleeding, but she was so scared of her boss and her precarious contract that she insisted on waiting 20 minutes until the official start of her lunch break before she’d phone anyone. I’m glad she isn’t on Mumsnet or I’m sure she’d have had people telling her that she couldn’t really need medical attention if she was able to ‘work’ (i.e. sit quietly at her desk) for those 20
minutes. If you haven’t ever had to worry about what might happen to your job if you have to leave work early, even in an emergency, then count yourself lucky.

Luckily there is no actual requirement for people to be in such excruciating pain that they can’t sit or concentrate on anything else before they’re allowed to go to A&E. Despite what many MNers seem to think!

@FirewomanSam when were you last in accident and emergency? What do you think they would have done when she arrived exactly? I can tell you. Triaged after several hours. Determined that she wasn’t in a risk of anything life threatening and stuck her in a waiting room where she would have sat. For more hours. And when she is seen she would have had nothing done that the GP couldn’t have done as we discovered. Because there was no reason to go. It’s not about how much pain you’re in, it’s whether it’s an emergency and this clearly was not.

Where you are working from is irrelevant, if you were in unbearable pain you would not be able to concentrate on your work or focus on posting on here! Check out the pain scale that medical professionals use and the definition of severe pain!

Exactly this!

Literally from NHS.

An A&E department (also known as emergency department or casualty) deals with genuine life-threatening emergencies, such as:

loss of consciousness
a sudden confused state
fits that are not stopping
chest pain
breathing difficulties
severe bleeding that cannot be stopped
severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis)
severe burns or scalds
stroke
major trauma such as a road traffic collision
feelings of self-harm or suicide
Less severe injuries can be treated in urgent treatment centres (walk-in centres or minor injury units).

this in no way qualifies. On any level. Advice is clear, if you aren’t sure ring 111. Don’t just show up.

You're a delight!

You don't have to believe me - that's fine. I've got no time and am not deranged enough to decide to fabricate and lie about something like this to get a kick from it..

It's NOT and I've told you this so many times; an ongoing issue. My FERTILITY issues are ongoing, in the way that they are unexplained and I'm still awaiting further assistance here.

The pains I'm having are a new thing all together. I sincerely hope the next time you need guidance, people are kinder to you.

You could have easily been kinder but you've taken joy in being cruel and rude. I hope you never have to experience pain like this, and then get shot down for merely asking for help.

Why are some people so hell bent on dismissing OP’s pain? One poster in particular appears to be obsessed with her. It’s quite disturbing.

A couple of years ago, as I said upthread, when 111 sent me there with abdominal pain. And yes everything you describe happened, but if it had in fact turned out to be appendicitis or something like that, I reckon they would have been glad I was there at A&E and not sat at home waiting for it to get excruciating enough to justify the trip.

Ive got a few people that appear to be obsessed with my thread! It's strange indeed.

Please see below guidance.

If the pain is severe, you can attend an emergency department.

Please also note I didn't actually GO to A&E so your argument is completely unnecessary

As I already said I have a history of actual severe gynae issues and have been blue lighted in. AFTER calling 111.

On the two occasions I was taken directly one was after my partner called 999. Because the time before he had driven me in as I was unable to speak let alone call anyone or contemplate getting myself there, he was told off as actually I had need faster treatment than him driving me.

I am WELL aware of accident and emergency is for which is precisely why it’s so infuriating to see someone who manages to ring GP, get on with work AND argue the toss on mumsnet about it still maintaining that A&E was the course. You were in pain. I get that. And? It didn’t warrant A&E.

The NHS page on abdominal pain also says to call 999 or go to A&E if your pain is severe or if your stomach hurts to touch.

The main point is that thankfully nowhere in the guidance does it say ‘if you can sit at a desk and send an email then you’re not in enough pain’!

You can't possibly comment that it wasn't something I needed to go to A&E for. You should understand s'more than anyone if what you're telling me is true that severed pain needs to be dealt with.

I didn't go to A&E I don't know how many more times I can explain this to you. What I do with my time and around pain is completely my discretion and nothing to do with you either.

You are so harsh it's untrue.

@FirewomanSam posting on mumsnet, a coherent conversation with the GP’s receptionist and any degree of work is NOT severe pain.

Are you missing that this severe pain didn’t prevent all those things and the OP was able to get to the GP and have an ultrasound, all of which determined that this was not something acute or serious.

As I already said I have a history of actual severe gynae issues and have been blue lighted in. AFTER calling 111.

Hang on, after calling 111? You mean you were well enough to use a phone? When you were supposedly in pain? You can’t have been in that much pain if you were able to make a phone call, surely?