Is a&e appropriate for this?

[buffoon56]

Chest pain that has been going on for a week or more? More like a tight ache than a stabbing pain. On the left hand side in the heart area. Slight breathlessness at times but no other symptoms. Online it says chest pain that has been going on for a week is unlikely to be an emergency which makes me think a&e is not the right place. Equally it's a nightmare to try and get a GP appointment and they may send me to a&e anyway.

I will get seen but just wondering the right course of action. I'm 90% sure it's a muscular injury and it's not debilitating at all but I feel like you have to be careful with these things.

If it has been like it a week I'm surprised you didn't call your GP earlier.

No absolutely not, you’re working and fine. A&E isn’t a place for ‘niggles in the background’. You need a GP who can check you over or refer you for tests.

This... whats making you consider going to a&e now, that hasn't been there all week (you've not been to the gp).

Apart from my niggles turned out to be pneumonia and I ended up being hospitalised as my condition worsened. You just don’t know.

edit: and they found something on my lungs which im Now being monitored for! Had I not gone they and I wouldn’t have known.

For anyone interested I am currently at a&e and been moved to the non urgent section after an ECG which I'm taking to be encouraging. Waiting on blood test results but really hope I can go after that.

That’s great you’ve had ecg and bloods. Wishing you all the best

If you're carrying on as normal and it's only a niggle .....not an accident or an emergency? I was at A&E overnight for 12 hrs with my adult daughter a couple of weeks back after she collapsed with stomach pains - reception checked everyone in and then you were called in turn for a first assessment through a screen. I was amazed at the number of people who'd turned up on a Friday night with something they'd had for days and he sent all the obvious ones home with a 'Call yr doc tomorrow'. Going just because you want to bypass your GP is why A&E depts are crashing .....with the proviso that if the pain gets worse, etc, etc. Hope you feel a bit better this morning.

How is it in there?

Are you still feeling the same?

Yes still the same discomfort and breathlessness. I feel a fraud for being here but they are taking it seriously and have taken bloods. Arranging an x ray too. Had hoped I'd be in and out quickly but been here since 9am and still no sign of getting home.

You're definitely not a fraud. They've got to check you over with those symptoms. It would be negligent if they didn't, so it definitely needs doing.

I hope you're at least comfortable for now.

You have definitely done the right thing. Let us know how you get on.

Hope all goes well for you and nothing too serious x

Any update please, OP?

111 - if I'm ever unsure I will juat call them. A few times they've called for an ambulance and other times they've given me an out of hours GP appointment. That service is brilliant.

How are you OP?

Sorry for lack of update - very busy day! As I thought, they suspect muscular injury or maybe anxiety which stacks up after the week I've had. ECG, bloods and X-ray all came back fine. I felt a bit of a fool but at least I can stop worrying about it now. Was a long ish wait in a&e - nearly 5 hours - but could have been a lot worse.

Thank you for all of the advice and support. I do think if in doubt it's always best to be safe.

That's great news OP
Now you can relax and hopefully you have a better week xx

Great update. Always better to get it checked, that’s precisely what they are there for.

No they're not, they're there for A&E. Still think you should have gone down the GP route rather than jumping the queue but then I'm in a grumpy mood this morning.

Good news, glad you are ok.

The automated voice when ringing our gp surgery has changed recently to say that anyone experiencing any chest pain should go straight to a&e and not request a gp appt. It says it several times whilst you are waiting to get through to the receptionist. So by their advice you did the right thing.

@Lifestooshort71 well respectfully I pay my taxes, very rarely see my doctor and haven't been to hospital (for myself) since having children and probably for several years before that.

I'm confident I would have been told to go there anyway either by 111 or my GP (who has a similar voice recording as pp described when ringing up). With it being a weekend and not feeling happy to wait any longer I did what I thought was the right thing.

Thankfully they were very kind and understanding about it. Anyway it's done now.

But OP said it was a niggle she'd had for some time, carried on with life as normal so could have contacted GP earlier in the week? Anyway, done now and I'm glad she's OK.