To take dd to A&E or wait to see GP

[Dewdrops1]

Hi all?

I know you can’t diagnose on here but concerned I may be wasting A&Es precious resources instead of waiting to see GP tomorrow.

we’ve just come back from holiday in Europe. 2 days ago DD who is teenager woke with a big egg sized lump on one side of forehead. No injury. She said she did squeeze a spot gently but not sure if that did it. Nothing obvious seen other than swelling. Yesterday the lump went down but the swelling spread to center of forehead and in between eyes and top of nose. The swelling has ‘flattened’ out but over a larger area and makes her forehead look slightly distorted. There’s no redness but is slightly warm to touch and tender. Dd said it’s giving her a slight headache and uncomfortable feeling.

Im worried it could be some sort of infection and it’s going near her eyes, or could it be a bug bite and I’m overthinking. So would you take her to A&E or go to GP tomorrow? The swelling isn’t massive but never experienced swelling spreading on forehead like that before (moved away from original lump) so not sure if it’s something I need to be concerned about (also nothing similar on google).

thanks for your advice in advance 🙂

Because how does the gp know it was a cyst without an ultrasound? They’ve made a guess and prescribed antibiotics hoping for the best.

It’s now up to op to be able to accurately monitor her Dd overnight to ensure she’s ok.

If it was swelling in the hand or leg you can wait a few hours. When it’s in the head like this it is a huge cause for concern, as plenty of people have said.

The first consultant who saw my DS didn't want the bother of admitting him as he was about to go on holiday. He said as much to his registrar who was brave enough to challenge him but she was overruled.

Well I don't think you could have terrified the op more if you tried with tales of eyes popping out and drilling .

I'm sure if there is any screaming in pain and eyes popping out she'll seek further advice.

A&E now. There’s a reason that area of the head is referred to as the ‘triangle of death’.

Is it?? I’ve never heard of this before so I just googled it and it didn’t even include the forehead. Is it a medical term?

Blimey, I think some of the posters on here must be the descendants of the toothless old tricoteuse who sat and knitted next to the guillotine! Talk about having a half glass empty mindset!

😂

The swelling is more between her eyes now and not as obvious on her forehead so perhaps that’s why she wasn’t as concerned?I just don’t understand how it’s moved from that lump on top of forehead to between her eyes and eyebrows. I did show the doctor the photos how it’s progressed in 2 days. I just don’t see how a cyst can just appear within a few hours and then burst overnight like that with no pain? I will monitor tonight and take straight to a&e if any worse. She’s been given flucloxacillin 500mg 4 times a day for 7 days.

Yes it's a barrel of laughs and positivity on here!

wtf. It doesn't include the forehead.

<you are joking i hope >

Seriously op, cysts burst the fluid migrates hence bumps change and spread. As you say keep a close eye and any pain or whatever ring 111.

I thought it was called ‘the triangle of sadness’ because of the lines and wrinkles on your forehead.

There is a hilarious and totally unforgettable crazy movie called the ‘triangle of sadness’
that is worth a watch. It’s MAD!!

@Janiie I just want the OP to realise how serious this can be. And why sometimes doctors don't take things as seriously as they should. There wouldn't have been any screaming in pain if he had been treated appropriately in the first place.

This EXACT thing happened to my husband
he had a small spot, I gave him some elemis to put on it and it “drew” the fluid to the top so he popped it and the fluid remained under the skin and spread just like this. It spread across the forehead, then down into the eyes the next day and eventually just drained out itself. He went to A&E, they gave him some antibiotic cream and also said it was a cyst. It cleared up within a week or so but for the first few days he looked so swollen in his face it was like he’d had an allergic reaction!

That prescription is identical to the one I was given for cellulitis last year op, so the gp seems to be covering their bases

Anything can be serious. There aren't any worrying signs, if anything changes the op will seek further advice. Your descriptions of eyes popping out and screaming are totally inappropriate.

Very random thought, but is there any chance it could have been triggered by an insect bite abroad? That first photo looks like insect bites I’ve had and reacted to in the past - I’m ridiculously sensitive to bites.

@viques I see us more as people walking around with a sandwich board which declares 'Doom, doom, you are all doomed'

In a similar situation with my mum right now-she has an abscess. We are waiting for an out of hours GP as she said she couldn't face sitting in A&E for hours. She did that on Friday but wasn't as bad then. Doctor was going to prescribe antibiotics then but changed his mind in the end. But it's worse today.

We rang 111 and had an option of various urgent care/walk in centres but would that be any quicker and better than A&E? Wouldn't they send you down to A&E anyway? Out of hours doctor is going to be 6 hours estimate.

Flucloxicillin is a strong antibiotic and I've had it myself for cellulitis, so it sounds like the GP is taking a cautious approach. But as others have said, keep an eye on it and review the situation tomorrow.

@Janiie why inappropriate? It was a classic case of orbital cellulitis which can very quickly develop from an infection near the eyes. The OP has said in latest updates that the swelling is now very close to the eyes. In DS 's case it is thought it developed from an insect bite.

I am passing on my experience in the hope that if the OP's DD is unlucky enough to get similar symptoms she will know immediately what to do and can avoid the distress my poor DS suffered. I do not need your permission to do this. You are not the thread police.

That’s a good, strong antibiotic prescription. I think the GP is taking it seriously even though there isn’t a clear cause. Sounds sensible but as others have said any change, heat, redness or fever and I’d head to A&E

@Dewdrops1 @Janiie

I know this is a really serious matter and I personally definitely err on the side of caution esp as pp have said.

It's such a worry op and an unknown.
Hopefully the antibiotics will start to work by morning.

However... Janiie comment made me laugh out loud and I had missed the frog eye and drilling into sockets 😂👁️🐸.
Poor op!

Hopefully it's giving you a little laugh op 😂🐸

Oh I’d be off to hospital with that.

It certainly has @DeerOhDear ☺️
Theres been a WIDE range of opinions and experiences, from putting germaline on it to eye drilling 😬 Thank goodness I’m a level headed person (most of the time!)
Everyone has been so helpful though 💐