What do you do if you need a dr but you aren't well enough to leave the house?

[trytopullyoursocksup]

I think i have a chest infection or similar, ill in bed for a few days with fever etc and my chest is very sore and congested. I think I need a dr who would probably prescribe anti bs and steroids. (I have asthma). things might look different in the morning, but over the past few days i have been getting kind of worse not better and I am in no shape to go anywhere. What do people do under these circs? I have been told before that chest infections can't be diagnosed / prescribed for over the phone.

Ring 111 - I had a good experience with this last week, it doesn't take as long as you might imagine

Ring 111 and tell them you are breathless going to the bathroom,if you're that bad you shouldn't be dragging yourself in a taxi to the GPs.

@trytopullyoursocksup do you have anyone nearby who could help you? It sounds like you're having trouble looking after yourself. Poor you - it's miserable feeling so rough. X

Honestly from your posts, I'd recommend going to the hospital.
Chest infections can quickly lead to pneumonia and then sepsis.
Please call 111 now.

I was in hospital in immense pain with complications from an operation- I couldn't even walk to the toilet but I did use my phone - great distraction from how bad I felt - until the morphine kicked in - but in between I was so grateful to be able to internet.

no, there is no one here. my kids have gone to their dads (thank goodness) and I am on my own. I don't really know anyone local very well but I think I could ask someone to go to the chemist for me, probably

Ask for a home visit. You might have to say exactly how ill you are and why you can’t attend as they will try to persuade you tipgo to the surgery.

it's actaully really easy to type on a laptop half lying down. Much easuer than trying to talk on the phone or go anywhere. it does make me feel tired though but it is possible. it's just finger tips

ok thanks everyone for all the good wishes. my gut is telling me that if I can drag muself to the GP it will probably turn out safer and qucker in the ned. anything else is going ot turn into the kind of faff that i just don't have it in me. otusde chnace of a home visit - but what will 111 do?

111 will assess the severity of your current situation.
They can book drs appts for you, advise you to go to a walk in centre/urgent treatment/a&e or ring an ambulance.
They can get a nurse or dr to call you tonight and get you a prescription.

Good luck. I hope you do get seen today 🤞

If you call 111 they might be able to get you an appt with an out of hours GP. I was in a&e a few days ago and it was a 9 hour wait so not sure you could deal with that. Paramedics might wonder why you hadn't tried for a GP appointment but also might get you onto a trolley in a&e which would be more comfortable than a waiting room chair. Now I think of it the 111 script asks if you have breathing difficulties or chest pain and usually sends an ambulance if you do.

I don't think I want an abulance, do I? I mean if I need medical attention I think that's pretty much the slowest / most inconvenient way to go about it these days, no?

Where I live if you call 111 they can give you a specific time to attend urgent care to see a doctor. Worth seeing if this is similar in your area. I hope you feel better soon x

yes it started on Friday but it was just a sore throat and a cough then. This is something else. Saturday was bad, Sunday was brutal and it's been downhill ever since

As you have asthma I imagine you have a pulse oximeter you can use- what are your oxygen levels like?
If they are low you will need to be seen urgently (but you'll know that).

I don’t want to worry you OP but two weeks ago I had your symptoms and dragged myself to the GP (it was genuinely awful I could barely walk, fortunately I had someone who could give me a lift).

GP sent me straight to a&e where I spent the most uncomfortable 16.5 hours of my life before being admitted for 5 days.

pneumonia is not to be messed with. I’m still breathless and in pain all the time now. (Although gradually improving)

When my husband had pneumonia and was unable to talk or leave the bed, let alone the room the doctors called 999 on our behalf for him to go to the hospital

On a subsequent occasions when he could feel he had a chest infection the GP prescribed antibiotics and steroids remotely and we collected them from the local pharmacy.

Never seen a GP in person since before Covid.

I've been prescribed antibiotics for chest infection over the phone. She could hear my chest rattling, my breathing and cough. Prescribed with strict instructions to call back if I got worse or didn't improve in a few days.

Was grateful as I also really would have struggled to get to the surgery and in my case I knew it wasn't necessary.

Does sound like you should be seen though if you're asthmatic too.

Our GP will prescribe anti biotics over the phone.

You need to be seen you might need IV antibiotics , if you are on your own and gets much worse you might not be able to make the decision to call for help yourself as you can get confused and too ill to care.

My mum has this problem frequently. She lives alone and has COPD. When she has a chest infection, she cannot get out of the house to the GP, she isn't able to walk to the car, nor is she safe to drive (she is extremely breathless when 'well', so normal viruses and bacterial infections floor her). The GP prescribes her broad spectrum antibiotics over the phone and her friend collects them for her. Obviously this is an extreme scenario, it isn't best practice and wouldn't happen for a bog standard chest infection case, but it does happen.

I'd call your GP practice for advice. Get well soon.

Try this crowd or similar. I have done this before and had a prescription sent to my local chemist within minutes.

https://tapgp.co.uk/homepage-googleppc/?gadsource=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwrcKxBhBMEiwAIVF8rKL5lKffA5pshOsIA2XD8KZlVXETod3SXY4ffKEKd_AEbiuYIGZodxoCG18QAvD_BwE

Don't bother with 111

I rang them last year over an issue with my stoma. It was about 1 pm on a Sunday when I called them, the "emergency" GP called me back at 5 am on Monday.

Can someone drive you to the GP?

I think if you can't get out to see your GP then you'll just have to deal with the infection without antibiotics

This really makes me worry there are people who are so ill with infections and can’t get seen that it goes beyond a point of no return. Not everyone can get out and not everyone should. Do you want a heavily infected person sat next to you in the waiting room? We need more doctors but the government refuse to open more slots in the training.