To go to A&E?

[Extraordinarytimes]

I have pneumonia. In September it was severe, my lung collapsed and I was hospitalised for a week. IV/oxygen but no chest drain or ICU needed. Discharged without monitoring equipment as they advised this was just for borderline patients, and they were happy that I wouldn’t need it. (CRP was 280 when I went in, 70 when I left). I was terribly ill when I left (wheeled out) but nothing at all like when I went in.

Over the intervening months I… haven’t recovered. Seems to be I pick up a cold from the children and it goes straight to the pneumonia. I am on my 5th course of antibiotics since coming out of hospital (so 6 courses including the IV). I have recovered from infections, but seems the pneumonia just sits and waits for the next cold to flare up again 🙄 After the fourth course (last week) doc said I had to go to hospital for IV antibs. I refused as I really wasn’t that sick, and managed to get the fifth course reluctantly prescribed (coamoxiclav) which I am coming to the end of. He said he would note my refusal, and if I was any worse, or didn’t improve, to go directly to A&E as they were at the end of what they can do for me. I have checked my notes, and this is indeed reflected there.

I have a day left of this last course, and am getting increasingly worse. I don’t want to go to hospital, but also can’t think of any alternatives.

So here’s the AIBU. I’m ill, but I’m not THAT ill. There is no emergency. I don’t have a fever (temp is mildly raised) I have a lot of pain in the pneumonia site and in my chest and back but although it’s sufficient to cause insomnia, it’s not severe. I am breathless but can make a cup of T, I’m tired and weak, but can go up the stairs OK. I put away some laundry earlier for example. When I cough it’s absolutely huge, but I’m not coughing a lot; it’s brought on by exertion I think so really easily avoided 😂

AIBU to go in?
I don’t want to sit in A&E all day and then be turned away (and make the Q longer for someone else who has had an accident or needs emergency care). We have a sick child at home so there are also those logistics to consider; DH doesn’t want me to drive myself as he feels I would be unsafe; he’s probably right.

Flip side is, I stay at home without any more drugs and… hope a miracle occurs? Or wait until I am ‘really’ sick. There doesn’t seem to be a happy medium of getting IV antibs in the community; really this would be the ideal. If I was admitted it would be a waste of a bed.

WWYD?

Anyone been in a similar situation?

Go to a and e
Seriously

Can your GP not refer you with a call and a letter to the medics in ambulatory care day unit? This then bypasses the need for a+e and starting again
this is what my GP did when I had pneumonia and had already been in the system etc might be worth asking them

Just go

I think going in maybe your best bet.
I can totally understand why you are reluctant but I've learnt from experience that there are not really any other options.
A family member has a long term condition and regular treatment. Unfortunately there are side effects and occasional complications. The only way to get these sorted and often on the advise of the nurses in his treatment team is to go to A&E. At the time they are not urgent but can become urgent if not managed. It's absolutely bonkers but sadly the state of access pathways in the NHS. You'd be better to get seem sooner rather than later. Take care

@Mmsnetternewbie unfortunately not; we are in a strange trust and there is no way for them to refer in for urgent care. I did ask for a referral to the pneumonia clinic, but they refused as they said it would be a months-away appointment.

Just go to A&E. Who likes going to hospital? No one.
You've been advised to go by doctors. What is anyone sensible on here going to say that's different?

No miracles. Get treatment.

You have to go. You’re already about a week late going and the doctor wanted you in. You’re just going to get worse when the antibiotics finish. Really shit though for you!

GP wanted you to go last week but you decided to try another week. Sadly that’s not worked. That’s all I needed to see to say go to A and E.

pack an overnight bag, charge your phone and go down. Good luck.

Similar - but I didn't know I had pneumonia. I'd had a cough which would be bad first thing and last thing at night, also when I took a breath in order to speak. This was an 11 month cough with an uncomfortable feeling of a bowling ball in my back.

I'd gone to the doctors because one of my children had a rash and ended up being rushed to hospital in an ambulance with a pulmonary embolism. I don't know if it was a consequence of not having taken the cough seriously enough.

I didn't know how ill I'd been until well after I began to get better. It took 5 months of continuous antibiotics.

So the point is - I didn't realise how ill I was. So you could be worse than you think.

And I didn't think pneumonia was so difficult to shift.

But I also understand the reluctance to go to A&E.

Better to be safe than sorry?

I've voted YNBU to go to A&E, but I think you're being very unreasonable to refuse the Dr's advice before, and to consider not going in now. I suspect your voting is going to be screwy because you've kind of asked the opposite of what you're doing.

You are THAT ill. You really are. Please go to A&E. You're not going to make someone who has had an accident and is badly hurt wait longer - that's what triage is for. They'll jump ahead of you if they need to be seen sooner.

You're ill, the GP has said they can't help and you need hospital treatment. So go.

Unfortunately you sound like your at the point of needing iv antibiotics and futher investigations. The pneumonia should fully resolve if not you do need tests like sputum culture- where they test what you cough up and see what bugs it's growing and possibly a ct scan to see if the recurrent infections have damaged the lung. This kind of history can lead to a lung condition called bronchiectasis which needs managing with good antibiotic therapy and physio long-term. Don't panic it's not likely to shorten your life . I working a chest clinic which is were you need to be seen. Currently waits are horrendous as we were the department hit by COVID and now no funding. Admissions and a&e attendance is your best bet now before it gets bad. Can't promise but our home iv service is only accessible vis consultant care yours maybe the same.

What's the alternative? Carrying on like this?

The GP has already told you to go to A&E. Take the medical advice you've been given.

You need to get this cleared from your lungs. IV antibiotics are apparently what you need and you can't get them another way.

Go to A&E!! Get a book, some snacks, something to sit on maybe, and just go. You would not be depriving anyone of a place in the queue - you need that place because yes, you are that unwell (even if you don't recognise that).

Think of it as saving the NHS money and time - you go to A&E, get sorted with IV antibiotics, and hopefully that's you fixed - no more time spent at the GP and no more cost to them of their time and constant oral antibiotics prescriptions.

Maybe you should have listened to the doctor a week ago and gone in and got IV antibiotics. You say that the doctor told you to go to A&E if you didn't improve or got worse so why are you dithering about on Mumsnet. Do you think anyone one here knows better than the actual medical professional that has already told you what you need to do. I honestly don't understand people like this that won't take the advice of the doctor, make themslves worse and then come on mumsnet to get a solution.

CRP was 280 when I went in, 70 when I left).

😳

Even just reading that is an alarm, I live by my CRP results.

After reading everything you've written, just go to hospital, it's where you should be.

You are at the ‘really’ ill stage. Your gp has even told you to go to an and e. What more do you want? You are wasting anyone’s time or resources in going - it’s exactly this sort of things that hospitals are there for.
You cannot look after anyone else properly whilst you are sick and not looking after yourself.

GO! Just take a packed bag and still it out. You need to be seen. Nag over.

Go before you get worse

You should go to A&E.
You need a chest X-ray and possibly further imaging to see what’s going on.
Your story makes me wonder if there something obstructing part of your respiratory tract somewhere, so the infection is not clearing up completely hence the recurrences.

Thanks all. Suitably nagged (actually thought posts would say total opposite) so have sorted overnight childcare, half packed a bag and am now having a little rest before I grab my toiletries and wait for DH to get back and we can go.

Some of the blunter responses were really what I needed to read. What AM I doing dithering about on mumsnet? I am going to blame it on head fog through illness. Does make it hard to think straight!

OP - just go. Seriously I’m someone who stayed at home with acute pancreatitis for days - I was so sick when I finally went. It just made me sicker and longer recovery. You have a very good reason for going, go in and get yourself better

Glad to hear that MN has managed to convince you that YANBU to go to A&E when a highly-qualified medical practitioner has advised you to go to A&E (twice) Hope your wait isn't too long, and they can help you get better.

The first part of your post was me thinking 'don't be so dramatic'. But doctors are doctors to make this sort of call. If you are no better (you aren't) then go. Similar to me some years ago. Told to go to hospital by GP, but felt ok, so was given antibiotics. Was no better in 2 days so went back to GP, emergency admit to hospital, 50/50 chance of dying. 3 weeks ICU.
So GO.

Emergencies aren't always dramatic. Often the most ill patients don't realise they are ill because they can still talk and walk. I've nursed many, many patients in HDU/ICU who could still talk, send messages, browse the internet, read newspapers, etc.

Definitely go

Your GP has had 8 years of medical training. Listen to them.