111 have said they need to send an ambulance

[Anxiouspatient]

I recently had surgery and then developed a hematoma. I had the hematoma removed the day after surgery and have been feeling absolutely out of it ever since.
Today I’ve just not felt right and have felt nausea which has got worse throughout the day. I decided I needed to call 111 to see what the advice was, I expected them to say a clinician would call me back. They said they are going to send an ambulance which I was not expecting. Now I’m waiting for the ambulance which potentially could be a while. I wasn’t extremely worried before but AIBU now I really am.

Pack a bag in case they need to take you in! Hopefully they are acting out of an abundance of caution.

Hopefully, they are just being cautious OP. But here’s a hand to hold while you wait.

111 can be very keen to refer to A&E to remove all doubt. Think about it like that. It might be a wait but then you'll be checked out. Pack that bag and take entertainment, snacks, water, and your phone charger.

Pack a bag is good advice. Chargers, power pack, wash bag, pyjamas, wet wipes if you have any, flannel if not, any meds you normally take, change of underwear etc, etc.

Hairbrush, I always forget a hairbrush.

Have you got anyone who could drive you in to A&E , it would likely be quicker and turning up in an ambulance doesn’t necessarily mean you get dealt with any sooner . Hope you feel better soon

Can you get a lift or a taxi, I would try to get there sooner rather than later .

Thank you for the hand holds, I think the anxiety is making me feel so much worse. I’ll wait half hour and if they haven’t turned up I’ll get a taxi.

Tell the ambulance people you got a taxi and 111 they can liaise with A@E

111 are ridiculous when it comes to ambulances. DD once poked me in the eye by accident and because she had a dirty fingernail and it began swelling and it was a Sunday evening I thought I’d better call to see if I needed to worry about it such as an infection. They were gonna send an ambulance!! I told them it’s fine I was only looking for ways to self medicate.

It's just being cautious. They need to rule out infection etc.
you are no sicker than you were before you made the call, the anxiety is horrible I know. They will check you out, and if they think you'd benefit from seeing a doctor they will take to one. Keeping you safe and well can only be a good thing can't it.

I thought they’d got a bit better with that but I guess it depends who you get.

If you had surgery then I imagine they want to rule out sepsis or any other post op issue.

I agree, it will be to rule out sepsis. You’ll be in safe hands. Pack a bag with a phone charger.

Yeah, I’m worried about that too now. I don’t have a fever but do feel generally awful.

111 are ridiculous. I’ve spent the last 12 hours on a ridiculous wild goose chase around my city with a severely ill child thanks to 111. 8 hours in I had to demand an of hours appointment with a GP, was told that service doesn’t exist on the weekends and had to educate the medical professional on where and how it did and how they should contact them to get my child the antibiotics that everyone was telling me they needed to start immediately. As soon as I saw OOHs we were on the right treatment immediately (my kid had had the same condition before so I knew exactly what we were dealing with, what the red flags are, and what the treatment is.

Sorry to hear you’re having to go through that.

I had an ambulance sent following a call with 111, paramedics were lovely and said all looked good and had my child not been under 2 they wouldn’t take her in. Thankfully they did as within hours she got extremely unwell.

I don’t say this to scare you but just if they decide your clinically fit, please still be seen 🥰

111 will have red flags for when an ambulance should be called. But just because it’s a red flag on their system, it doesn’t mean you are a red flag.

I called them once because I had stomach flu and I was struggling with the toilet side of things so wanted to see if I could see an out of hours doctor. I had an ambulance blue lighted to me. The first thing the paramedic said when she saw me was “you called 111 didn’t you?”

Same thing happened with my children a few times, and it’s got to the point that when I see they have the same issues they have when they get unwell and I know it’s not serious enough for a trip to the hospital, I see a local private GP as I know soon as I mention those symptoms to 111, they’ll blue light an ambulance.

So I know it’s terrifying, but it really doesn’t mean something is seriously wrong. They have their checklist and your symptoms are simply in the red flag category.

Just because 111 have said you need an ambulance, doesn't mean you ‘have’ to have one

You can make your own way to hospital if you think that is what is needed

But why didn't you just refuse the ambulance?

Op hope you're ok

Has the ambulance arrived?

Given your surgery and complications, let them review you and specifically ask if the way you feel could be due to sepsis.

It was quite a while ago, but it was my first 111 call and I remember thinking that they meant a doctor would do a home visit. I certainly wasn’t expecting an ambulance.

They came fairly quickly and did what seemed to be thorough checks on me, they were satisfied that I wasn’t showing signs of sepsis and quite normal symptoms considering what’s happened. I think it was just to be cautious. They’ve not advised going to the hospital tonight but have advised to check in with my consultant tomorrow. I’ve had surgery before but the recovery wasn’t anything like this, it’s going to be a long road I think.

Glad they've checked you out. Definitely better safe than sorry with potential sepsis. I hope your recovery continues without further setbacks. It does sound like it could be a long old road.

Agree with others that 111 really do go over the top. There's loads of publicity everywhere telling people not to go to A&E unless it's a genuine emergency, but they'll send an ambulance for a chipped toenail.