Page 6 | When is it appropriate to see the GP

ChickensAndChops · 2023-12-26T23:54:07+00:00

My wife has flu/covid/other viruses are available She has been ill in bed since Friday and is no better. She has only left bed to go to the toilet and has probably only drunk about 500ml of water since then. No food. Says she feels sick but hasn't been sick, has headache, aches, pain and fatigue. We don't have any covid tests and seems silly to get one now at this stage. I really want her to go to the GP tomorrow once it's open as she is hardly ever ill like this (probably the 2nd or 3rd time in 26 years together). She doesn't want to waste anyone's time but I think that she needs to be checked over. She has now agreed I can call the GP surgery in the morning who will triage and see if she needs an appointment but is this enough? YABU leave her be she is fine without intervention YANBU call the GP in the morning

CaptainThomasPatButtonHall · 27/12/2023 18:13

Drop her to the door, stay while she's triaged then go home with the kids.

willingtolearn · 27/12/2023 18:51

The OP has taken the medical advice of those he has consulted with locally, who presumably have spoken to his wife and conducted an assessment. Those medical professionals who have put their professional registrations on the line with the advice they have given.

Quite wisely, he is sceptical of the numerous self stated medical professionals here on mumsnet giving a wide variety of different advice, none having actually seen or assessed his wife and instead offering instant diagnoses and treatment plans without any evidence.

EightChalk · 27/12/2023 19:33

The not being able to breathe deeply seems concerning - have you looked at the symptoms for pneumonia and compared them with what she has? Might be worth noting them in case she develops any more of them, as she seems to have a few already.

HappyHamsters · 27/12/2023 19:35

willingtolearn · 27/12/2023 18:51

The OP has taken the medical advice of those he has consulted with locally, who presumably have spoken to his wife and conducted an assessment. Those medical professionals who have put their professional registrations on the line with the advice they have given.

Quite wisely, he is sceptical of the numerous self stated medical professionals here on mumsnet giving a wide variety of different advice, none having actually seen or assessed his wife and instead offering instant diagnoses and treatment plans without any evidence.

No one is forced to post here

BeaRF75 · 27/12/2023 19:37

For a virus (Covid or anything else), there is nothing that the GP can do, so you would be wasting everyone's time. Just get some liquid into her. Otherwise, it's what a doctor would call "therapeutic use of time".

marychristmas44 · 27/12/2023 19:48

@QuestionableMouse you sound far too invested in this. The op has spoken to medical professionals, he doesn't have to do what strangers on MN tell him. Chill.

MumblesParty · 27/12/2023 19:51

Out of curiosity OP, how had you not heard of 111? I’m pretty sure everyone is given that kind of information when the have kids.

Towerofsong · 27/12/2023 20:00

Based on her extreme lack of fluid intake and difficulty breathing I also think you need to call 111 now. NOW!!

Your wife is not well enough to make a rational decision.

It is therefore your job to take that decision out of her hands.

NOW!

Lemsipper · 27/12/2023 20:13

Probably because the wife carries the mental load of such details

Original poster

ChickensAndChops · 27/12/2023 22:02

Lemsipper · 27/12/2023 20:13

Probably because the wife carries the mental load of such details

🤣 I was a stay at home dad for 12 years! My wife is the career partner and thus the mental load falls to me mainly which suits us. Don't be so sexist.

Anyway my final update - the tablets have worked a treat, she's now had 1.5 bottles of lucozade and is even considering toast. 111 doc was right and I'm pleased we didn't rush off to a&e. Won't always be the case but this time seems to be ok. She's still a bit breathless but feels this is due to coughing. That part we'll keep an eye on and get her chest listened to by the doc in the next couple of days if it continues in case there is infection there.

OP posts:

marychristmas44 · 27/12/2023 22:07

I'm glad she's feeling better @ChickensAndChops

At the end of the day you know the situation better than some faceless strangers on the internet.

Zanatdy · 27/12/2023 22:10

Yes she needs medical advice. I only stayed home with acute pancreatitis and drank only enough water to swallow pain meds for 4 days. I was so dehydrated my heart started going wild, kept in for 7 days when I managed to get myself to A&E. In hindsight I should have called an ambulance, dehydration is dangerous

MumblesParty · 28/12/2023 09:37

I’m glad your wife is improving OP. I assume the 111 doctor was told a very different story to the one on here. Trust me, a doctor who says there’s no need to examine a patient who has consumed just 100mls of water per day for 5 days is taking a huge medicolegal risk. I just don’t buy it.

As I said when I first posted, if that was her genuine fluid intake, then she needed blood tests to check for organ failure. But as I suspected, she was clearly drinking more than that.

There’s something a bit strange about this whole thread.

Piggywaspushed · 28/12/2023 10:08

It lost me at a fully functioning adult person with two children who has not heard of 111 tbh.

whyhere · 28/12/2023 10:18

WatchOutMissMarpleIsAbout · 27/12/2023 17:41

Just a word - I had pneumonia last year. I was fine one day but deteriorated really quickly overnight. Luckily my husband realised and I was admitted.

Me too!

MumblesParty · 28/12/2023 10:26

Piggywaspushed · 28/12/2023 10:08

It lost me at a fully functioning adult person with two children who has not heard of 111 tbh.

Exactly. All very strange.

MumblesParty · 28/12/2023 10:30

ChickensAndChops · 27/12/2023 22:02

🤣 I was a stay at home dad for 12 years! My wife is the career partner and thus the mental load falls to me mainly which suits us. Don't be so sexist.

Anyway my final update - the tablets have worked a treat, she's now had 1.5 bottles of lucozade and is even considering toast. 111 doc was right and I'm pleased we didn't rush off to a&e. Won't always be the case but this time seems to be ok. She's still a bit breathless but feels this is due to coughing. That part we'll keep an eye on and get her chest listened to by the doc in the next couple of days if it continues in case there is infection there.

Show quote history

Who were you a stay-at-home dad for for 12 years, if your kids are only 2 and 5? Or do you have older kids? Which would make it even more bizarre that you’d never heard of 111.

Original poster

ChickensAndChops · 28/12/2023 10:40

MumblesParty · 28/12/2023 10:30

Who were you a stay-at-home dad for for 12 years, if your kids are only 2 and 5? Or do you have older kids? Which would make it even more bizarre that you’d never heard of 111.

Show quote history

The kids that are here are our Grandchildren.

OP posts:

Original poster

ChickensAndChops · 28/12/2023 10:43

Just had a look back through my posts as I thought I'd explained we had our Grandchildren to stay as their parents have gone to new York but I must have typed it and not posted it. Apologies hope it makes sense now. She's had some toast and things are finally looking up.

OP posts:

Original poster

ChickensAndChops · 28/12/2023 10:44

MumblesParty · 28/12/2023 10:30

Who were you a stay-at-home dad for for 12 years, if your kids are only 2 and 5? Or do you have older kids? Which would make it even more bizarre that you’d never heard of 111.

Show quote history

we've always just used our family doctor who has always been brilliant, but I've actually been quite happy in the end with 111 care and I would definitely use it again.

OP posts:

Grimchmas · 28/12/2023 10:53

I'm glad she's on the mend. Watch for a dip when you finish the anti sickness meds.

I'm a bit 😳 that you wanted to take somebody with a nasty virus into a GP surgery instead of get advice on the phone in the first instance. Please go for the phone advice first in future.

Could be covid, even though you've had it mildly before. Previous results is not always an indication of future ones. Could also be flu, glandular fever or other nasty viruses- I hope she is able to make a gentle and full recovery and not end up with post viral fatigue.

One thing you could do is to purchase a fingertip oximeter for home. They are around £20, freely available on Amazon, and if one of you is unfortunate enough to be struck down with something this badly in future gives you an idea of blood oxygen levels to both know yourself how serious it may be, and useful data for 111 to triage you with.

Original poster

ChickensAndChops · 28/12/2023 11:14

Grimchmas · 28/12/2023 10:53

I'm glad she's on the mend. Watch for a dip when you finish the anti sickness meds.

I'm a bit 😳 that you wanted to take somebody with a nasty virus into a GP surgery instead of get advice on the phone in the first instance. Please go for the phone advice first in future.

Could be covid, even though you've had it mildly before. Previous results is not always an indication of future ones. Could also be flu, glandular fever or other nasty viruses- I hope she is able to make a gentle and full recovery and not end up with post viral fatigue.

One thing you could do is to purchase a fingertip oximeter for home. They are around £20, freely available on Amazon, and if one of you is unfortunate enough to be struck down with something this badly in future gives you an idea of blood oxygen levels to both know yourself how serious it may be, and useful data for 111 to triage you with.

Edited

Thanks, if you read all my posts you'll see I never intended to take her into the gp surgery without phone triage and a set Appointment in a one in-one out basis which is how our surgery operates since covid. It's also not covid we've tested yesterday and today to ensure. We're pretty sure now it was flu.

OP posts:

weegiemum · 28/12/2023 12:49

I'm loll? L b. V

Original poster

ChickensAndChops · 28/12/2023 22:08

weegiemum · 28/12/2023 12:49

I'm loll? L b. V

Pardon?

OP posts:

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 28/12/2023 22:34

Piggywaspushed · 28/12/2023 10:08

It lost me at a fully functioning adult person with two children who has not heard of 111 tbh.

To be fair I only heard of it fairly recently ,within the last couple of years.