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

How the hell do you know it's mot life threatening ?

Oh your poor mum. I do hope the medication at least helps the pain, even if it is just masking the problem

Can go to a&e if pain not controlled, and check nothing ruptured or anything.
can use 111 for pain relief also but really worsening abdo pain in an elderly person a&e is the best bet even tho it is a long process. Could be lots of different things

@Thereisnolight You know damn well what i meant And i think its about time @MNHQ put a stop to this nonsense because its fucking dangerous Its like a cult

I appreciate what you are saying @Thereisnolight , you don't believe that the OP's Mum can possibly be in any imminent danger because she doesn't meet the current incredibly tight criteria for an ambulance.
They always used to safetynet in A&E, the whole 'if the symptoms don't improve or get worse do X ' . The symptoms haven't improved and have got worse.

She has been assessed as not having a life threatening emergency. Of course that could change. But it could for anyone.

I don’t know. I never said it was or wasn’t. It would be very strange if I could tell over the internet.

That's actually not a bad line of thought.

My mum had this and was downsized with internal shingles.

?? Ok luv

@Dymaxion Her symptoms have not got worse and she now has morphine to tackle the pain.

A&E can do 2Ww but often defer to GP which is a bit annoying as A&E not less busy than GP and is delay for the patient.
I doubt the 2WW has been done yet if passed between A&E and Gp.
Could be lots of different things that affect that area, heart, lungs, pancreas, stomach, aorta, things in the abdomen that irritate the diaphragm can give referred pain back there.
I hope pain is controlled soon and get to the bottom of it.

I had gallstones (and eventually a blockage). Despite being in agony on and off for months my GP did nothing so I got a private referral for a scan when I couldn’t take the pain any longer. Scan was done 24 hours later. The doctor that did the scan spotted the gallstones and blockage in my bile duct and immediately contacted my GP and told them it had to be sorted ASAP. So, I dispute that there is nothing that a private hospital could do.

Her symptoms have not got worse and she now has morphine to tackle the pain.

Is an increase in pain not a worsening of symptoms ?

Blockages normally lead to vomiting and jaundice and are treated as a medical emergency by the NHS. You would be admitted to hospital.

Have done “suspected cancer” referrals in A&E in the last 18m. Def possible. Maybe area dependent?

@Dymaxion The pain has not increased, the painkillers were making no difference so the OP contacted the GP again.

@AttentionAll the OP stated that her Mum wasn't prescribed any additional pain relief due to being on pain relief already for arthritis. She says that the pain has got worse since Thursday.

In general if you think you need to go to A and E then go. But it is not a shortcut for tests. Tests will be carried out if it is an emergency. Otherwise you have to wait. Two weeks is not long to wait for an important test where it is not an emergency.

we will have to beg to differ.

@AttentionAll yes, I’d started to turn yellow on the day that I went for the scan which is why the urgent fax (it was ten years ago) went through to my GP. My GP still didn’t treat it seriously - they gave me a list of private consultants to contact. The doctor that did the scan had told me that I would need to be admitted to hospital in the next couple of days so I knew the seriousness of the matter. My husband went through the list until he could get one to see me the next day. Luckily his wife was his secretary that my husband spoke to her and she took it very seriously. The consultant referred me for emergency ERCP to remove the blockage which was carried out privately at a NHS hospital - because it has to be done somewhere with intensive care facilities. I then had my gallbladder out at the private hospital a couple of weeks later.

Oh and the consultant was seriously unimpressed with my GP.

She is in PAIN The NHS worship has got so strong that its ok to leave a person in pain?

@Dymaxion sorry I missed the pain had got worse.

@Lozzybear You should report your GP. If you had turned up at A and E it would have been taken very seriously.

Do you have a private GP. Because NHS GPs do not give list of private consultants to contact.

Glad she has the oramorph, I would be checking her OBS myself any change and straight to a&e. Make sure she is on the 2ww pathway. What's this country come too ? I am petrified of getting seriously ill and left in pain we are a rich country and our healthcare resembles a much poorer one.