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.

Well I can comment that. Because literally nothing you’ve described warranted it AND it was sorted by your GP. Which was the appropriate place. Not A&E.

And of course I agree re severe pain, but I’m also aware of WHO should treat it. And it clearly wasn’t that severe because you’ve not had a painkiller prescribed that’s consistent with severe pain levels.

Hi op if the pain is that severe i would definitely be going to a and e. It was suspected for years that i had polycystic ovaries, however all blood work came back with normal hormone level ect.
After trying to conceive for eight years and being passed pillar to post i fell pregnant naturally and it wasnt until my 12 week scan that the found a large dermoid cyst on each ovary ( 11cm and 15cm)
Apparently the risk of ovarian torsion ( which is the ovary twisting and blocking the tube) was unbelievable. The specialist consultant i saw said that the pain can be worse than childbirth and if you dont get it seen to quickly enough it can irreparably damage your ovary.
It could be something completely different, but i would risk anything at all when i comes to it. Hope you get help soon, sending hugs!

You are wasting your breath trying to explain! They don't want to hear it, even though the actions and treatment taken by medical staff all point to the fact that definitely didn't class this as severe pain or an emergency worthy of A&E! As an ex hcp i can saythat this sort of attitude is all to common in the general public 🤷‍♀️.

Plus to add - I'm not by any means saying A&E was the correct route. But it's also infuriating to hear that IF that was what I felt
was the correct way for me, I couldn't go for fear of being shot down by people like you.

Thankfully my GP was able to see me urgently within their urgent care slot, so I didn't have to attend A&E.

I also never once said that's what I wanted to do. I asked the receptionist what she would advise. Maybe that's silly of me, I don't know. But when you're in pain and just want some kind of help, you'll try anything.

I was driven by my partner to the GP. I did not drive myself.

I also didn't have an ultrasound, I had an internal examination.

I recognise one of their usernames and they’re a cunt to a lot of posters on mumsnet. 😉 It seems to be their thing.

Also, sudden severe pain isn’t monthly issues. Honestly. You can keep trying to frame this as it warranted a trip to A&E but it absolutely did not. Do you not understand that by definition because the Gp saw you and managed it proves that point? If it warranted A&E he would have transferred you.

@FallingsHowIFeel i hope that’s not directed at me because I rarely comment on threads.

When I saw the GP I was offered a referral to the hospital to stay on ward for pain management and the hopes of a scan slot coming up in the coming days.

I have awful anxiety around hospitals and would rather not stay in if at all possible, so I opted for the prescribed pain relief until I can get my referred scan appointment soon.

It’s probably the same poster doing an NC, they’re clearly a troll. At least I very much hope they are, because I hate to think of what would happen if they had a daughter who developed severe pain.

@shallwegoI’m going to disengage with this thread now because of the unpleasantness of some posters. But good luck with everything and please drop me a PM if you have any more questions about endometriosis x

Sure you were 😂

Sorry op i just want to add that i was only 28 and they had done internal examinations on me as well but didnt find them until i had an ultrasound because of the way they had grown. They ended up having to do and internal utrasound and mri scan to get a proper look at them.

If my daughter had SEVERE pain I would manage that and support her. And be relieved when she took priority over the woman posting on mumsnet.

Would you like me to get it in writing to prove to you?

I've told you so many times I've got absolutely no reason to be lying. What benefit will i get from that.

I don’t even know what NC is. It’s hilarious that when someone calls out behaviour the assumption is they must be a troll.

What on earth do you mean calling out my behaviour?

What makes you think that I'd want to make up a fake story?! I am not that sad.

I am not going to continue telling you the truth for you to dismiss me and make fun of the situation. It's cruel.

Just to reassure you OP, I have endometriosis and my ovulation pain is excruciating. I generally have to lie on my side and do my labour breathing exercises until the prescribed super strong pain killers kick in. I wouldn't be able to sit at a desk, I've passed out before! So the degree of pain you're describing is well within the range of "normal" amounts of endo pain around ovulation. Scans will help and then you'll know what you're dealing with but don't panic about the pain, unfortunately lots of us are out there dealing with huge amounts of pain on a monthly basis so you're not alone.

Yes, I recognise the name from other nasty posts they’ve made. Take no notice OP. These sorts of posters feel very important on here, they’re probably live very unhappy lives and behaving like this to others makes them feel better. Saddos.

I’m glad you’ve been seen now. I would use your private healthcare to be seen quicker to get a scan regarding your pain. I saw a gynaecologist privately, then had a scan all within 10 days. Diagnosis a week later at a follow up appointment.

Clarifying again this is absolutely not me.

Done with explaining myself to you, god forbid if you have children I dread to to think how you just parent them.

I've got no need to lie. It's sad that your mind automatically jumps to this.

To say you're experienced in pain is laughable really. Like nobody else is allowed to feel unwell because jt doesn't conform with your views.

That isn’t what I said. I said the Gp’s secretary was right. And she was. You just don’t like the reality.

And that's absolutely fine!! I didn't say she's wrong. I was merely asking for guidances

I didn't attend A&E, so there's nothing for you to worry about.

I can't help you with the fact you don't believe me. That's on you to decide. But I'm just trying to explain that I have no need to lie.

Please ignore some of these posters, their insistence that eveyones ability to cope with extreme pain is identical is ridiculous.

I have a friend who frequently works in extreme endo pain because she has no choice, and she copes as best she can. Doesn't stop her GP referring her to A&E sometimes and for multiple surgeries. If she listened to some people on this thread she would never get seen.

There are absolutely some people blocking A&E with unnecessary issues. Extreme pain is not one of them. There are several complications due to endo/gynae issues which cause pain and ignoring these because you have endo which also causes you pain is dangerous.

No wonder women's health is so under prioritised when we are criticised for reaching out for medical help when in pain and told that we aren't in enough pain. How many men have ever been told not to access medical help because their pain isn't enough 🙄