Should’ve been given antibiotics?

[ineedasleep]

Feeling weak and sorry for myself so be gentle. Warning description of sickness bug below.

I’ve been unwell for nearly 3 weeks. Chesty cough with delightful mucus, swollen and sore throat which is making me choke on my own salvia. Difficulty breathing at night and just unbelievable unwell and in pain. Throwing up due to cough. My body feels like it’s got the flu. I thought it was Bronchitis for 2 weeks and now I think I’ve got Strep throat. (I haven’t been this sick since I had COVID years ago).

Anyway, not to be a fickin martyr but I don’t ever go to the doctors for myself or to get antibiotics as I usually just think ‘I’ll get over this myself’ and I usually do get better but week 3 and I’m not getting better, probably getting worse.

My doctors have changed their appointment system last week and now do a triage with a phone call or seeing a paramedic. So anyway, I call up this morning, get told of the new system and they helped me fill out a triage form and that I’d be contacted by the end of the day. Luckily (or so I thought) I was told to come down to the surgery and see the paramedic this morning.

I haven’t got a car at the moment and so had to get myself and 3 year old in a cab to get to the doctors in time.

The paramedic gave me an examination, told me she could see I was very unwell, I had ‘crackaling’ in my lungs, my throat was very red but not swollen. Though she noted I had mucus she said she couldn’t do anything for me and wouldn’t give me antibiotics.

My face must have been one of disbelief because I was having coughing fits in front of her, gasping for breath and I have no voice left.

She said ‘if at any point you can’t swallow your own salvia or finding it difficult to breathe call 111’. I said ‘but I am finding it difficult to breathe and I can’t swallow my own salvia; I keep drooling’ (which I had told her earlier on in the examination). And she said ‘ok, well when that next happens you’re going to have to go to A&E and get seen by them and get antibiotics there’.

I was so sad. I just explained to her that I have no car, I’m a single parent and I can’t go to the a&e 10 miles away as the wait time is around 8 hours. I have no one who can help to watch my son so that option isn’t feasible considering I thought going to the doctors for antibiotics was the right route, not a&e.

She just gave a sympathetic smile and said there’s nothing she could do.

After trudging back home on the bus, feeling like I’m about to faint and having a forced afternoon nap with my son I’ve woken up like….I really should have antibiotics shouldn’t I? Or am I being dramatic?!

Antibiotics only work for bacterial infections, if you have a virus, like a cold or flu, then there is no point getting antibiotics.
You do sound terribly unwell, but I also wouldn't be going to A&E unless you really can't breathe.
I assume you've been doing all the usual remedies? inhaling steam (hot water in a bowl or the sink and a towel over your head; or a hot shower) 3 or 4 times a day. maybe a drop or 2 of olbas oil. Sterimar nasal spay or similar. Lemsip. lots of water, peferrably hot/warm. nourishing food. I like night nurse to help me sleep, and I prop myself up on loads of pillows which helps keep me breathing in the night. I'm just getting over mine - which lasted 4 weeks.
Hope you start to feel better soon.

Thank you for replying. Yeah I’ve been doing the whole shebang at home trying to get better. Obviously harder with a very unsympathetic 3 year old in tow haha but it’s throat that’s really got me now, I put up with the horrible cough for weeks but I feel like I’m being strangled in my throat I just thought I should have been given something

Shouldnt drip feed but my mum caught this from me and got antibiotics today from her doctor so I was shocked that I didn’t. 4 weeks is mad! I hope you’re ok now!!

Isn't the whole point of seeing your doctor first to unburden A&E departments? You did the sensible thing of going to the doctors. I'm surprised they didn't give you anything or any further advice other than go to A&E?!

We had to take our toddler to hospital the other week (fell over, hit his head and on 111 advice to take him) and the amount of people there with coughs and colds was insane although I can see why it's that way at the moment!

Hope you get better soon :(

GPs are avoiding giving Antibiotics at the moment it seems until you feel like you are at deaths door!

I had to get them online privately recently for a sinus infection. I get them about 2 times a year. Gp Used to give them to me after 3 weeks of suffering and it would do the trick.

This time they said I had to be suffering for at least 6 weeks and they don't give them for sinus infections any more... I ended up doing an online private appointment and prescription. Cost me about £40 plus prescription in total. But I got the enatibiotics and felt like incase getting better after 3 days.

Just shocking really.

Could it be Whooping Cough? So many people have had it here.

I dont want to alarm you but those are the symptoms of whooping cough.
I would call them back and inform them that you think you have this, a blood test will confirm and some clarithromycin wouldnt go amiss and some for your little one unless they have been immunised.

Whether or not you are given antibiotics shouldn't depend on whether you "feel like you are at death's door". If you are significantly unwell and have a bacterial infection, you should get them. Conversely, even if you are literally at death's door, you shouldn't be given antibiotics if you have a viral infection, as it's pointless.

Your experience sounds poor. I don't understand why you would need to go to A&E when you haven't had an accident, it isn't an emergency, and you're already sitting in your GP's surgery being examined. What's needed is for practices to have the resources to give convenient appointments, quickly test whether an illness is bacterial, and prescribe appropriately.

A pharmacist can prescribe antibiotics now.
Strange behaviour by the paramedic tbh, people shouldn't be attending A&E if the GP can deal with it.

Did she say she couldn’t do anything because she couldn’t prescribe, or because she didn’t believe you have a bacterial infection?

Cracking lungs usually means pneumonia, and pneumonia usually requires antibiotics. I’d want to be seen by an actual doctor.

I had pneumonia last year with the symptoms you describe. Have you had a fever at all?
I was eventually prescribed antibiotics but because the drs delayed prescribing them for so long I ended up hospitalised on a IV drip.
Any chance of a second opinion at the surgery? Can you ask to see a doctor not the paramedic?

I've got the same thing, yesterday I phoned 111, doctor phoned me back, went through the symptoms, looked at my GP records and said he was sending a prescription to nearest Boots and they would be closing in an hour so to make sure I got there in time.

24 hrs on I feel some relief, still coughing but it has taken the edge off and I'm hopeful it will continue to improve. Good luck I hope you get some help.

If they think it's viral then you won't gain anything by taking antibiotics. They can't prescribe antibiotics just so you feel someone has done something. She's given you the best advice for a viral infection.

They probably meant to go to a&e if you were really struggling for breath & even then if it's viral a&e won't give you antibiotics. They would give oxygen & drugs to open your airwaves eg Ventolin & steroids. Sounds like you are not at that point at the moment.

Take reassurance that she's throughly assessed you & you are doing the right thing & the advice of a&e is there if you deteriorate

Sorry you're feeling unwell there's some nasty viruses circulating.

Broncostop clears up phlegm.
I wosh nhs would just buy the swabs for bacterial infection. They are just guessing.

I had similar slightly pre covid-I think it was covid. I couldn’t get anything from my G.P either - just told it was viral.

Hope you feel better soon OP.

I had the exact same symptoms recently, I too saw the paramedic at my GP who didn't prescribe anything (I'm pregnant too so couldn't take most OTC treatments) the following day I went to the OOHs clinic and was seen by a GP and was given antibiotics and an inhaler. It returned again recently and I went to the walk in for more antibiotics. I would urge you to see someone again, do you have an OOH near you? It's unfair to be left like this! I know the absolute agony of the throat, it was awful, I have never been so unwell ever!

I hope you get sorted and feel better soon. Please go to a walk in/OOH x

Exactly this. I actually felt like I was choking and gasping for breath the other night but thought paying £70 for a cab and an 8 hour wait with my 3 year old would be hell on earth at 2am so I stayed in my bed choking.

I was shocked by the A&E idea as well. Surely I’m sat there, surrounded by doctors in other rooms could no one else just prescribe me something? Odd. I hope your little one is ok!!!

That's the problem. They don't know if it's bacterial or viral. They are guessing.

And no you shouldn't have to wait until you are at deaths door @CasperGutman but they want you to get over the infection yourself, until you are at the point you can't then they give the antibiotics. And they still don't know if its bacterial or viral as they don't test. So you do have to get to the point you feel like your dying before being treated.

That’s awful! So awful. The fact you waited and then went privately in the end is madness.

I would hope they could look at my records and just seen I very rarely have antibiotics and I’m allergic to penicillin anyway so I’m always met with ‘oooo how could we even treat you?!’ She even commented on how unwell I was but that she couldn’t do anything 🤦🏻‍♀️

It did cross my mind when it first started the cough was unreal, I’ve almost resigned to having the cough but it’s the choking feeling I have in my throat. It’s raw and I cannot swallow.

@ineedasleep yes indeed! It was a different GP. My one will look at my records and he knows I know when I have an infection and knows I will go to them when I know I'm at the point I need some help.

But this gp just said no. We don't prescribe for that anymore. And that was that.

I know someone from Ukraine who is equally shocked and said it was much easier to get health care there (pre war) and that the UK is very bad at prescribing. I can't say as I've never been. Just repeating what she thinks based on experience.

All of this is smashing advice and I think I’m going to call them in the morning because I just cannot even talk anymore. My voice is gone, I feel like my neck is the size of Wales!

To be honest it sounds more like you have pertussis (whooping cough) not always necessarily a whoop to be heard but that paroxysmal cough you describe where you struggle o breathe is quite distinctive. It is rife at the moment with massive community outbreaks. Vaccination doesn’t last for life. It wears off over time and we used to remain covered due to herd immunity but so many people seem to believe in Big Pharma and conspiracy theories these days that rates are dropping. Hope you feel better soon.

Exactly! I wouldn’t dream of heading down to A&E unless is was an emergency and this isn’t, I’m just very unwell and need some assistance. Without being too grim, I’m coughing up mucus that is yellow and green I thought that was a sure sign of bacterial infection but I wish they could just test for it like you said!

So she said she could hear cracking, but she didn’t believe there was enough to warrant medication. I’ve had pneumonia many years ago too and was wiped like this as well but it’s the choking sensation that’s truly worrying me. I’m not getting better just worse.

I think I’m going to call them tomorrow and get a phone call with a doctor. I have no energy to get a cab and bus back from the doctors again I wish they just sorted this today. I did have a fever about 2 weeks ago not now though. The fever was mad, 40 temp for 2 days and I still had to listen to baby shark on repeat 😩