Doctors ignoring me for a year and now it's come to this

[Laurawharton]

Aibu to think I should go to a and e tomorrow (really don't want to as I know they are busy) or just face the fact that no one cares
Had a lump appear by my eye last Christmas. I thought it was a spot until it didn't move for 3 months so phoned the doctors who wouldn't see me face to face but told me that it would need to be off in a strict 6 month time scale if it's not gone by then. 6 months later I phoned to say it's still there and now larger. I had a different doctor who basically said 'and why are you telling us that go private it's cosmetic'. Phoned again to get a face to face as everyone was screaming cancer at me, finally got a face to face and told they don't know what it is but yeah go private to have it off or join a over 2 year waiting list.
Anyway about a month ago it grew big again so phoned them as I was concerned as it's so close to my eye and was starting to mess with my vision and give me headache and that side of my face kept going numb. They said they referred me but still heard nothing. Now it's the size of a golf ball red and angry closing up half my eye. Swollen both my eye lid and my under eye. Painful as hell I Carnt sleep don't want to eat, put it this way I was a size 16 now even size ten is a bit big on me. I Carnt sleep properly, people keep staring at me when I go out so I no longer want to leave the house. I saw the doctor again and all he said was he will send fresh pictures along to my referral.
I don't know what to do I'm scared I'm going to blind in one eye due to the pressure and I'm not sure how my face will now look after it's gone if they ever get round to it. How long can they leave me in this much pain.
Is it worth just going down a and e and seeing if they will do anything? my partner has already stopped me twice from taking matters into my own hands aka self removal. My thinking was if I mess up they will have to something, I know it's not the right thing to do but I'm so scared and in so much pain.

I don't think it warrants A&E unless your face is still numb or you're in so much pain that over the counter analgesia isn't managing it.

I do think it needs reviewing by a GP and either phone 111 and they can make an appointment for you or contact GP tomorrow.

op if you were to ring GP and or dermatology, i suggest Tuesday, normally better than monday,
or at least monday afternoon

Did she lose the weight just last night and woke up like it?

No, then its not an emergency

Is she losing weight because of the lump, is she losing weight because she is low because of the presence of the lump or pain of the lump, or is she losing weight because of another reason?

What will A+E be able to do about the weight loss?

They will drain it.

If you cant eat or drink thats fairly life threatening.

That looks like an infected cyst that needs draining ASAP. Hope you get sorted at the hospital.

But when you know that nothing gets done when you do try you try to live with the issues.
Have you never had an issue where you have gone to the doctors and been fobbed off or given the wrong diagnosis repeatedly.

I spent nearly 60 years trying to access an allergy test.
It took me presenting to A&E with my skin peeling off my face to get one

She hasn’t been refused help by her GP at all - she’s been seen and referred accordingly.

Why are so many posters perpetuating this myth? Talk of making official complaints and contacting the practice manager. Jeez.

The OP has had consultations with the GP who referred to dermatology. One assumes they saw a benign sebaceous cyst or similar, and marked it as routine. The OP then provided updated pics as it has grown and the GP has expedited the referral.

This is a delay in an outpatients appointment, not the GP at all.
And it’s not an eye problem, it’s a skin problem. It needs treatment - probably oral antibiotics and excision at some point. But the OP hadn’t been ignored for a year.

Are you serious? @Fladdermus
I do hope not.

Those symptoms are for someone who may have had a stroke. The OP is not disorientated.

That advice is not aimed at someone with an infected cyst or boil on their upper cheek/ temple that means it hurts when they try to speak.

Most importantly, it (I suspect cyst) shouldn't be there and you have done the right thing so far - pursuing the GP and getting a referral.
The weight loss described is entirely achievable if someone has been (very understandably) fretting for over a year. It isn't helpful at this point to start speculating/worrying about whether this is indicative of a different issue as it may well resolve itself when the 'cyst?' is lanced.
Gp has taken photos and referred. Via further appointments, they can continue to add to the case file with updated pictures, measurements and details of further secondary complications (pain/difficulty with the eye etc) which may help to move OP up the priority list.
As might seeing the Optician; would be helpful to check for any eye damage, can give you peace of mind if there isn't any and could add further weight to your case.
Your best option is to try to find the money to see a private consultant (of which there are many suggestions above - although I would always recommend you do your own research as well) if you want this dealing with in a timely manner. It is likely not as expensive as you might think. At least make some calls and find out what sort of money they are talking about so you can make an informed choice.
Aside from the GP/Optician you could always ask the advice of your local Pharmacist - see if they know of anyone? They're a highly trained valuable resource that's often overlooked.
If you wait for someone in the NHS to help, you will be waiting for a long time and the cyst (assuming it is a cyst) will continue to grow.
A & E really won't be able to help you with this (at this point).
The good news is that cyst removal scars are very difficult to see once they are fully healed.
I wish you all the best.

Exactly.

The OP says she saw the dr a month ago and he referred her. Clearly it wasn't thought to be urgent then.

Then she says she saw him again I saw the doctor again and all he said was he will send fresh pictures along to my referral

So that means she's been seen at least twice within 4 weeks and had photos updated.

Call 111 or see a GP in the morning by turning up at the door and showing them.

If they say go to A&E, fine.

You still need to use your common sense she's having difficulty speaking because she has a swelling on her face. She's clearly not having a medical emergency. Do you really think she needs to call 999 for this

You sound like a gp. Only concentrating on one thing and not looking at the whole picture.

In terms of going private -

DH had a similar infected cyst but on his back. He was miserable as he couldn't lie on it and NHS route seemed to take a lot of to-ing and fro-ing.

Phoned up local private hospital, booked with next available plastic surgeon, was removed 2 days later.

Can't remember the fee and it was a few years ago.

On the basis of no update, safe to assume she's at A&E now.

Why not head to your walk in centre? It’s not a choice between A and E or GP, the walk in centre is there for things that need treating promptly but aren’t an emergency. It looks like it’s progressed and sounds like it could be infected in which case antibiotics are needed promptly, that doesn’t however mean an A and E visit is required. Or alternatively heading back to your GP tomorrow, as your condition has worsened. I hope you get sorted.

This is a delay in an outpatients appointment, not the GP at all.
And it’s not an eye problem, it’s a skin problem. It needs treatment - probably oral antibiotics and excision at some point. But the OP hadn’t been ignored for a year.

This^
It's due to hospital waiting lists and the OP needs to take that up with her MP. There's hundreds of thousands of people waiting for "urgent " hospital treatment across the country. The GP can't do anything about that

But it has taken them nearly a year for her to be referred.

So no one has seen this to establish what it is? so how can anyone say with any certainty whether it is a priority to be seen.

It is possible to get carbuncles on your face, in fact if you Google you'll find pictures which look very similar to your lump. They can be extremely painful and they don't always drain on their own.

I hope you get some answers today at A&E.

Its disingenuous of the OP to say she was ignored for a year. Really goady subject line.

She has been seen several times (or had phone calls.)

Clearly her GP was on the case, but they don't have a crystal ball and wouldn't be able to foresee it getting infected so quickly.

Likewise the OP ought not to have sat back and waited until it got so painful that she didn't dare go out of the house.

If she was referred to a dermo, the wait can be 2 years for non-urgent lumps and bumps that are not considered dangerous.

Of course A&E can do something. They can drain it if it's infected. I had something similar above my eye once (although it was much smaller than the OP's). It got drained at the hospital when I walked in to the A&E department. I must say though, this was at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, so it may be that another hospital wouldn't have helped as quickly.

A&E now! You don’t even need to ask! You poor poor thing.

@Kennykenkencat Do you not understand the timeline?

It hasn't taken a year of it being this size to get a referral.

She saw a dr when it was very small. That is why they said it was a cosmetic procedure.

They set a timeline to review it.

It's only grown so big quite recently.

It never ceases to amaze me how some people on here seize on one part of an OP and ignore the rest.
I can quite see how the OP has been ignored by the GP and also why she's so worried.

Go to A&E op, that looks infected and it’s worsened recently and is causing numbness and severe pain. It needs draining and antibiotics I imagine, and it’s very close to your eye, your gp won’t want to be dealing with that, and will probably tell you to go to A&E anyway. Infections can spread quickly, better seen sooner.