To go to A&E?

[PinkLobster]

The advice on here will be 'ring 111' but I suspect they will call a potentially over-cautious ambulance anyway... and I'm not sure whether I'm just being a wuss and my symptoms are 'just' flu.

Came down with Covid about 2 weeks ago. Fairly mild. Back at work negative last week and fine bar light residual cough.

Friday and Saturday the cough ramped up. I've had a temp of 38.5c since. Painful chest, barking and chesty.

Awful night last night but today I'm going from bad to worse. Temp hovering just below 40c, paracetamol and ibuprofen not helping.

Rang GP this morning- despite ringing the second the line opened there were no appointments by the time I'd got through the queue. OOH appt booked but not until this evening.

Lying here feeling practically delirious, going more and more downhill, pouring with sweat, and panicking that this is not normal!

Or is this normal with flu or maybe a chest infection?!

No stiff neck but had to turn bedroom lights off as they were hurting my eyes.

7 hours until OOH- should I just hang in there until then?! Genuinely unsure.

11 hours wait to see a doctor in A+E when I was there on Tuesday night. Heating on overdrive. Icy blasts every time the doors opened. Horribly uncomfortable chairs. Bright lights. Packed with people, so a great way to catch something extra. A lady in a wheelchair rocking with pain still had to wait over an hour just to get triaged and was then dumped back in the waiting room without anything done about the pain. Don't do it.

A&E = Accident and emergency
Is it either of those? I think not.
Otherwise G.P. or O.O.H.

Thanks again all.

ADVICE 100% TAKEN ON BOARD.

DH and I have been seriously poorly this weekend. Yesterday I was delirious. Couldn't move, didn't drink anything for 24 hours, mild hallucinations. Some viruses are just horrible. Definitely not an A and E job. . .

Sounds scary OP - but also sounds normal of a horrible flu/virus which seems to be raging at the moment.

Try and sleep, keep sipping fluids and take painkillers.

I'm sorry to hear you're feeling so rough.

I felt like this last week, I was so ill with the same and I thought I would need to go to A&E but then I knew there was no point. I couldn't cope with sitting there for 9 plus hours and would be rather be feeling like death in bed.

I had a chest infection plus the flu - please try 111 to get yourself on antibiotics it made a massive difference to me within a few days. You will know the difference between just a cough and the searing pain of when it needs assistance.

Hope you feel better very soon x

Sounds like flu or a chest infection. Not sire there's much A&E could do, you'd likely be waiting for many hours on uncomfortable chairs surrounded by other sick people and they'll just tell you to go home and rest or give you antibiotics. Your out of hours appointment can do the same thing so wait for that.

Well thats quite a snooty post.
Are you a doctor who has examined and diagnosed OP? Then you have no way of knowing either.

Do you have a pulse oximeter? Please borrow one if not, as the important thing is to keep an eye on your SATS. How we feel is not necessarily an indicator of what our blood oxygen is doing.

I had this too, except mine wasn't covid. I had a mild cold which almost went, then came back with a vengeance and really floored me. I went to the doctors too as I genuinely thought I'd got pneumonia, but no, was just being a hypochondriac. It was a nasty bug though and I don't think the cold weather helped. Take paracetamol and vit c and d until you can get to the doctors. I got 5 days of antibiotics and an inhaler which did finally shift it, but I was poorly for a week. No energy whatsoever, banging head, terrible cough and chills.

I'm glad you've taken the advice on board OP.

But (I know this is easier said than done) you need to calm down a little bit and try not to panic.

Lying here feeling practically delirious, going more and more downhill, pouring with sweat, and panicking that this is not normal!

You are not feeling practically 'delirious'. You're typing very coherently, so try to calm down and don't convince yourself you're actually worse than you are.

Get well soon

I would ask someone to call you to make sure you are okay every couple of hours

Are you getting breath properly? Is your capillary refill fine? No blue lips etc?

Unless you are struggling for oxygen then I think you'll be more comfortable in your own bed than in a hard plastic chair

I went to the doctors too as I genuinely thought I'd got pneumonia, but no, was just being a hypochondriac.

I'm going to my GP later today because I'm concerned I've got pneumonia, if I haven't then fine but I'd rather get it checked out. If it's "just" a chest infection then hopefully I can get some antiviral/antibiotic to help shift it, my fear is that if I don't get it sorted soon then I will end up in A&E over Christmas because there'll be no alternative available. It's all well and good people saying don't go it's only a chest infection but how do you know when it's a chest infection or pneumonia or pleurisy? I wouldn't know the difference unless a medical professional told me.

My mum has been sitting outside a&e in an ambulance and now in an assessment unit since yesterday afternoon. Hospital is rammed, staff are great but overwhelmed, there are no beds, this is a big new hospital.
Other surrounding hospitals are the same according to the paramedic crew. If you have an ooh booked I would try to hang on, if there are serious change's reassess but it might be the quickest way to be seen.

That's dizziness and seems to be part of the flu bug going around. Are you drinking lots of fluids?

Sounds like all my other friends who have been ill recently, only they've been much worse. Not worth A&E.

I really hope you're feeling better soon. It's so hard trying to decide when to be seen isn't it. After all when you're not a doctor and you feel like shit and you can't ask 111 because they are so busy. Get well soon

Poor you, sounds horrible and understandably scary

Drink plenty of water and take paracetamol

How are you feeling @PinkLobster ?

Thoughtful of you to ask @Dizzywizz

OOH doctor was great. She felt it was a weird delayed continuation of my recent Covid or just one of the other nasty viruses going around. Chest didn't sound great but nothing too worrying, she was sure it was viral so nothing to be done for now other than keeping a close eye and going straight back if I get worse.

She felt it was the very high temps that were making me feel so awful (rather than the very high temps being caused by something sinister!) so that was v reassuring.

After another night hacking with 39 temp the fever has FINALLY broken this morning so hopefully I'm over the worst!

Very grateful for all the original replies (even the blunt ones!). In the 37.2c light of day today considering going to A&E yesterday was madness, maybe the fever addled my brain

Glad you’re beginning to improve. Understandable to be worried if you’ve not experienced symptoms like that before, and the trouble is our minds always jump to worst case scenarios and common sense goes out the window. I (almost) convinced myself I was dying when I had covid, and decided there’d be nothing A&E could do so would be best to quietly slip away at home 😳 Turns out it was mild delusions and I’m still here 😆

@PinkLobster hope you're feeling better soon 💐

Out of curiosity, did they do a test to check if it was viral or bacterial? My GP was sure mine was viral but thankfully did do a pin prick blood test to double check and mine was actually bacterial so I'm now on antibiotics.

Have you got some decongestant tablets too? You can have them along side the paracetamol and brufen.

This made me smile @VillanellesCoat!
'decided there’d be nothing A&E could do so would be best to quietly slip away at home 😳'

@ElEmEnOhPee nope, no test.

@bakebeans I took some Beechams all in one liquid this morning to get some decongestant down but it's upset my stomach 🙄🤦‍♀️

Glad you’re feeling better OP. Definitely sounds like an ooh check was a good idea. Get lots of rest and take it easy. There’s so many strange bugs about at the moment you probably caught one as you were getting better.