To ask if this is an emergency?

[Soitis83]

Posting here mainly for traffic.

The last week or so I've felt terrible. Finally took an iron tablet and felt so much better.
Problem is that better didn't last very long so I took another one..then another and then another. All together 80mg, one packet is mixed with other things and one is just 20mg.
I've convinced myself I'm going to die. Please someone reassure me I'm going to be okay

Please tell me you've cancelled the ambulance. There will be someone out there having a heart attack or stroke that really needs the ambulance. I know you didn't ask for one but please cancel it if you haven't done so already.

It took 11 hours for an ambulance to get to my 88yo mom after a fall. Now I sort of understand why.

Sending you big hugs! 💐

Ahh I'm so sorry you've had to deal with all of that.
I've had CBT in the past. I had panic disorder and depression but thought I was out the other side before I suddenly just felt all dizzy and sick. I still feel dizzy and out of whack and have no idea what's causing it. I thought low iron, I hoped low iron because then there's a way out.
Whatever happens, I know there's light at the end of the tunnel. If someone told 20 year old me I would feel happy again, I would've laughed at them. So I know I can get there again, just might take some time.
Thank you so much, as much as I wish you didn't have to go through that, I'm glad I can relate to someone and not feel so alone xx

I'm not sure there's any assuming to be done.
If you or I were to call 111 and tell them we're at home alone with tiny children and we've been taking tablets one after the other and now we think we're going to die, they're going to send an ambulance as the system will say overdose and the human will say red flags for decision making and potentially a very poorly person.

Thankfully OP is safe, has acknowledged they could do with some input from health professionals but not via ambulance or A&E, has not taken a dangerous amount of medicine and has a trusted friend on the way.

There’s a ‘read all’ button on the bottom of the OP’s posts so you can read her updates if you don’t want to read the whole thread.

Yeah I did a while ago dont worry

❤️

This thread only serves to reinforce my conviction that 111 is a bloody menace and that were it abolished, Emergency departments would be less congested, ambulances less overstretched and overall outcomes better.

I'm glad I wrote this now as I would've still believed I needed that ambulance and could either still be waiting and in a panic state possibly giving myself symptoms that don't exist, or taken away one from someone who truly needed it. I wish I knew how much of a non issue it was an hour ago

@WilfredsPies I didn't know you could
do that. Not that I can see that option. I'm on a phone and can't see the 'read
all'

If you are prescribed iron it is usually quite high to get your levels up, those gentle iron tablets like OP has are more of a maintenance type tablet so quite low, I take similar as I am a bit borderline anaemic and I do think the box on these things does promote a feeling of wellbeing so probably that may have influenced OP feeling well after taking a tablet

Or exploding black poo.

@ArmySurplusHamster you’re so right. It’s not fit for purpose. The call handlers seem to have no qualifications, and just follow a random check list. Sometimes they miss serious things, and other times they send a blue light ambulance for someone with a broken finger nail.

As you mention dizziness, palpitations, being not quite with it. Ask your GP to check your thyroid. These were my main symptoms when I had postpartum thyroiditis. Initially misdiagnosed as low iron. (My iron was low but was not the chase of the dizziness). If you do have this you have my sympathies but you can get help. Get yourself to the gp

OP, I promise you, you will not die from that amount of iron. It's nowhere near the max dose listen in the BNF. You will be absolutely fine.

Gently though, please see your GP about your health anxiety and consider some therapy. I'm a mental health nurse, and I know it can be debilitating.

My number 1. advice is also stop sitting and dwelling on symptoms/body checking, if that's something you do. And stop googling everything. Psychosomatic symptoms are real symptoms but they don't have a physical medical cause. People with healthy anxiety get these a lot. The best thing you'll do is distract yourself.

Obviously address your actual health problems, but do so via the GP, not the internet, as it will make your anxiety far worse.

Be gentle with yourself. Some people in this thread are very mean, when you're clearly feeling very anxious and distressed. Tights hugs. You'll be alright.

Ah, I didn’t realise you couldn’t see it. I’m on my phone and it’s there. Although, to be fair, it’s ’see all’ rather than read ‘read all’.

Go to the doctors Monday and ask for full blood count done. I've been suffering with extreme dizziness and fatigue amongst other things and was found to be deficient in iron, haemoglobin, ferritin, folate and b12. I'm taking 520 mg of ferrous fumarate for low iron so you should be fine. Low B12 can cause anxiety, so there may be something going on with that. Having just lost three family members one after the other, you have my sympathy for how difficult it is and I don't have a small baby. Look after yourself.

Those H&B are slow release and only contain 17mg of iron plus whatever else OP took, an ambulance would not be sent for that.
If OP has health anxiety she's no doubt been in a state and perhaps it was more as a welfare check.
OP you really need to get help for your anxiety as it's an awful waste of resources you calling unnecessarily and having an ambulance despatched.

Someone else suggested this to me too. I'll definitely mention this to my GP. I hope they take me seriously.
Do you feel okay now?

I once called with on and off chest pains for the last 6 weeks. It turned out to be anxiety which wasn’t helped by the call handler saying ‘I’m sending an ambulance because you’re having a heart attack’
It’s just a bit of a ridiculous service

op, definitely speak to your gp. can you tell us roughly where you are? Posters may be able to signpost you to some local pp help. Theres quite a lot of support in my area for example.

You're absolutely grand OP but just to say I had really intrusive health anxiety and it was agonising so I totally understand. Would really recommend you getting some additional help to get on top of it. I only did so because my brother "gently " pointed it out and supported me with some amazing resources, I was absolutely spiralling and couldn't see it myself at the time. I needed CBT combined with medication in the end.

It's no way to live and it's so important to address, even though it's tough and often deep rooted. I had no anxiety about actually dying, but a morbid fear of hospitals as it turned out.

It's great you had this thread and cancelled the ambulance. I understand the posters who are frustrated and upset after seeing loved ones struggle, my health anxiety stemmed from seeing my Dad die and carted off in ambulances numerous times while very young. Hope you get some sleep tonight and feel better in the morning.

All of that is a huge possibility as I'm vegan too, which would mean naturally I would be low in these things. My GP is so hard to even get an appointment let alone get them to do anything about it but I'll try my best as I cannot go on like this. This has been very helpful, thank you. I hope you're feeling better now?

I suddenly just felt all dizzy and sick. I still feel dizzy and out of whack and have no idea what's causing it.
this can be a symptom of anxiety btw

Yes I feel much better now but it took quite a while. It's very common after giving birth but often misdiagnosed. I felt truly awful whilst I had it. It caused me health anxiety because I knew something was wrong but I did not know what. Affecting my mood, I had a tremor in hands and legs, brain fog, heart palpitations. I could not focus my mind, stopped driving. Even supermarkets would overwhelm me. In most cases your thyroid repairs but it takes time.