How can she be left like this? Take her back to A&E?

[Fearsheisdying]

Posting for traffic has honestly I'm terrified something is seriously wrong with my Mum and don't know what to do so please be nice.

Last week she started with some pain that she says feels like it's right at the very bottom of her ribs and radiating round the sides. She was in agony, basically screaming with pain so I took her to A&E on the advice of 111. All obs and ECG were normal but the blood tests were abnormal. They were going to do a CT scan but then decided as her obs were ok and they didn't think there was a bleed as no fall/injury, they were not going to do a CT scan there but would refer it to the GP to arrange BUT because of the blood test results and recent weightloss, they wanted it done urgently under the "2 week rule" and from his grave tone, I highly suspect he thinks it's cancer and serious. They couldn't/wouldn't give her anymore painkillers because of the painkillers she's on for severe arthritis but these are not touching the pain.

Fast forward to today, she has been in absolute agony since Thursday and seems worse today and can barely move. She's exhausted and crying/screaming in pain. My sister called 999 today but they said as not life threatening they won't send an ambulance but had to speak to GP within an hour. GP receptionist tried to say no appointments so we couldn't speak to GP but after I explained the issue (and she could hear my Mum crying out in pain) she finally agreed to pass a message to the GP so currently waiting to see if GP will call back today or not. Mum says if I take her back to A&E we'll be sat for hours again and nothing will be done but I can't just sit here and watch her in so much pain and do nothing.

What do I do?! Do I make her let me take her to A&E? Do we wait to see if the GP will call? Just feel so helpless

Your poor Mum - just a word of warning to make sure someone actually has referred her under the 2 week rule?
The hospital could have / should have done it themselves to avoid any delay. Any doctor (NHS or private, hospital or GP) can do this if you’re in England. Paperwork can take time to be received and processed by the GP practice, and unless their letter is really clear that they haven’t done it then the GPs might presume that the hospital have arranged.
Whether you end up in contact with the GP or hospital next please make sure someone has actually sent the referral as the clock doesn’t start until it’s sent.

and thats helpful how in this case?

So sorry your mum is in pain and glad she’s got a prescription now but just wanted to say ignore people telling you to go to A&E and ‘demand’ anything. You can’t just demand scans or antibiotics and if you do and the doctors don’t think they are necessary they can just walk away or call security - people need to stop spreading this crap before we lose more poor staff from A&E.

Based on the description that you've posted my first thought was shingles. Could it be shingles do you think?

I agree with @hattie43.

Of course we may be all wrong. How could we possibly know when we’ve never laid eyes on her? No one knows and that’s why she’s been referred for a scan. But it sounds like the scan needs to happen more quickly and OP shouldn’t be afraid to push for treatment for her mum.

This is absolutely shocking, no one should be left in this much pain for so long. I really hope the oramorph helps but surely if her bloods aren't right they shouldn't be leaving her two weeks. Do you know what it was they saw in her bloods they were concerned about?

From your description it does sound like gallstones, pain radiating around ribs and pain in sides is how it presented for me.

Any chance you could go private?

@Blort a screaming patient is still screaming and breathing so fair enough to get family to take her.

Good Lord. Diverticulitis should be treated with antibiotics asap. A ruptured diverticuli ( one of the little pouches that has become infected, think that’s the right word for one) can be life threatening.
OP, appalling treatment. If they’d decided on a CT scan it should have gone ahead while your mum was at the hospital. Leaving it for a GP to arrange, at the same hospital, is a needless delay. Words fail me with the crap service we're supposed to put up with.

Private doesn't deal with emergency stuff like this.

Last I heard they have medically qualified personnel and scans.

@Choppies no one shouldn't shout and stamp over it but I have found that a polite "I hear what you say and am not going to be confrontational but I'd be grateful if you will please note on my (my husband's/child's/parent's) record that I have requested a scan, bloods, xray, etc, and you have disagrees and refused usually does the trick. My mother had sepsis, I had a broken back - they aren't always right particularly F2s

@Fearsheisdying hope you or your sis can stay with her at nights as it is extremely scary being ill and having no one to talk to.

They don't have A and E facilities.

Has she recently had an illness or chest infection? I had pleurisy once years ago after a chest infection and the pain was excruciating and no pain killers would touch it. I was crying in pain and ended up in hospital a&e thinking I was dying. The pain was mainly under my breasts/rib area radiating round to my back and shoulder. Coughing, breathing or moving was absolute agony. It took months to resolve. I never realised how much pain I could be in from something like that.

Many private hospitals do.
And even those that don’t have medically qualified personnel and scans.

I'm sorry but you are wrong - they don't deal with life threatening emergencies.

And she needs continuity of care. It is not as simply as pay for a scan. That may show what the issue is. Or it may need further tests. She has been referred under the two week rule last week. Her scan must be very soon now.

My mum had this two weeks ago, kept being dismissed as GORD, turns out she had a gallstone blocking her gallbladder, she ended up with sepsis and went into septic shock and nearly died. Take her back asap.

OP this could be serious or it may be relatively minor. Pain does not necessarily indicate seriousness.

@monicagellerbing Sorry to hear about that. I thought a blocked bile duct caused jaundice which is very obvious to anyone?

Oramorph got and taken so fingers crossed it helps even a little.

@Englishash my sister did earlier but we're in a strike area and basically not a CAT1 call so they couldn't attend.

@PinkDaffodil2 so the A&E dr should've done that? I'm sure he said it would be passed to GP to do so I'll make sure to find out asap.

@Lochjeda I didn't see the full results but inflammation marker was elevated, blood count was low and something else that I can't remember. I think the alarm bells went when I said she's lost weight recently (she thinks she hasn't but she definitely has). It doesn't help that she's become quite immobile from the arthritis and relies on a wheelchair when out as she can't walk distances.

Goodness, I had it a couple of years ago and went to the ER (I had a fever and was afraid it was my appendix). I'm glad I was listened to. I'm so sorry about your aunt.

I’m not wrong, no.
OP’s mum is not having a life threatening emergency. But she does require urgent investigation which, trust me, is well within the scope of a private urgent-care clinic.