To wonder about a&e alternatives and when its quietest

[Eatinghurts]

A private GP service have said my symptoms should be assessed f2f and I may need an abdominal xray. They are concerned about a partial bowel obstruction my NHS GP is suggesting an appointment in 2 weeks.

while I vommitwhen Ui eat and my stomach is bloated and hard I feel quite well and can’t face A&E. Anyone know when its likely to be quietest or if anywhere else wghere could get abdomon examined, urine dipped and xray if needed?a To wonder if the is a service better than A&E and if A&E is place to go when it will be quietest

You go onto the surgical assessment unit after being in A&E, or perhaps if you have something very serious and you've seen your GP that day, they may call A&E and you can bypass inital triage and go to the surgical assessment unit. Otherwise, they don't pre-arranged appointments in the surgical assessment unit.

You can Google or go on the NHS website and find the closest urgent care clinic to you. Or call 111 to get an out of hours appointment or do an emergency request tomorrow morning for an appointment with your GP. You can also do an online triage form with 111, if you just search 111 online form and at the end it will give you the list of places it thinks you should go to, so A&E, or wait for a call back or whatever, or the location of a clinic etc to go to, so if you dant find an urgent care etc it will tell you where you should go.

I was told that 4-5am is the quietest time at A&E. Hope it's all sorted soon, OP.

PS I have no idea how I managed to reply to a different poster, sorry. I can't change it via the edit function. New site look malarkey?

@ArthriticOldLabrador Its vomiting reasonable vollume happens maybe 90 minutes after eating feel shivery and rung out afterwards.

If I dont eat it does not happen.

Last week was every 5 to 10 minutes one day and went yellow green and bile like but given urine results said UTI.

There are options like that but you need to be referred in by a GP. If it’s an option you could see the private GP again and tell them about the long wait to see the NHS GP and ask for a referral to the surgeons. Again it does depend on local pathways but might be worth asking.

Don’t leave it. A friend was extremely ill with something similar. If it were me I’d go to A&E tonight. I certainly wouldn’t wait two weeks for an appointment.

I think you need to go to A&E. Take a charger, phone and a book. If you can get there early in the morning, hopefully it won’t be too busy. I don’t think it’s worth the risk of not going - you could have a kidney infection or bowel adhesions. I’ve had both and ended up being admitted for 9 days with a serious kidney infection.

You should go to A&E, it may be a wait but you need to. Mention the colour of your urine, the vomiting and when it happens, the timing or frequency of the pain as well. Also be specific about the things the private GP suggested as well. Also mention your results being positive for protein in your urine, all of that will mean you are seen in reasonable time as certain urgent things need to be ruled out.

Requested a GP appointment this morning that is when was offered an appointment in two weeks time.

in a diferent area I was once told to go to SACU for a specific time by my consultants secretrary. Obviously had to wait but quieter environment than A&E and was seen quicker felt to avoid tests vbeing done twice. I get quite anxious in health settings so wish there were another way. In London am I likely to find a private GP offering f2f appointments. The GP call was through my health insurance. If someone examining and listening would be enough to rule out an obstruction would be worth a cost not to go to A&E.

I would go to a and e

Youre probably a day or two away from fecal vomiting which I 100% do not recommend

a bowel blockage can be very serious and go wrong very quickly

No definitely A & E stop worrying and just go , if you feel that bad go now , if you can manage some sleep and get there early morning then do that, take some drinks and a book , you’ll be in the right place, if they don’t thing it’s something to be concerned about they will send you home and at least you’ll have peace of mind and not worry yourself to death.

Go after 7am and before 9am if possible. The day shift will be in by then.

To those saying that 4-5am is the quietest time in A&E - well yes it is, but it's also got the least staff so you won't actually be seen quickly.

You need examining but also need imaging so need to get medical care. Not totally inappropriate for a&e. If this is early obstruction could get worse.

Interesting I've just come off a medical forum I'm in which was discussing the lack of an intermediate solution for people who weren't acutely unwell but had worrying symptoms. In the olden days when I initially worked you'd phone the local consultant and they'd see you that day or the next. Sad times.

Yes as I said, GPs if you see them on the same day or a consultant can call A&E and instruct them to bypass you and go to surgical assessment first instead. However, it's harder for a private GP and they did not do this, so you cannot skip A&E and go to the surgical assessment unit first. They don't as I also said do pre-arranged appointments unless you are referring to the call from a GP or consultant.

I would still go to A&E or at the very least do the online 111 triage form, as protein in the urine, the colour, the vomiting all need some more urgent treatment than 2 weeks. Or call your GP tomorrow to get an emergency appointment if they think you need to go to the surgical assessment unit they can call for you to perhaps skip inital A&E.

Thanks @Frolie what treatment did you have for adhesions. Understand nain thing is surgery that creates more probs.

your kidney infection sounds nasty. I dont think I have this as normal temp.

My mum had a volvulus and we had to wait in A&E, had x-rays etc, and then the SDEC. The doctor who could unblock it wasn't in until 8am and we arrived at about 7pm. It took 15 mins to unblock it and her stomach went totally flat!

They kept her in as an inpatient for a couple days just for obs. She is elderly so if she was younger and healthy they probably wouldn't have made her sleep there.

I had an operation to divide my adhesions. It’s not a common operation, as they often prefer to leave them alone. However my surgeon advised that due to the severity and my young age (I was 27 at the time) I needed them
dividing. That was 20 years ago and they haven’t bothered me since. I’m grateful it was a success and the surgeon was right, thankfully. I did develop IBS in my early 40s, which possibly could be connected (?) but I don’t think it is, because I manage this with a LowFodmap diet which is effective.

Please go to A&E and get checked out. You’ve been suffering long enough and you need to be assessed by the Drs and probably have a CT or some type of scan. Good luck x

I had very successful surgery for adhesions.

I had a kidney infection with no fever. Serious kidney infections actually lead to temperature drop rather than increase 'riggors' they call it. Along with flank pain, vomiting and/or diarrhoea. Diverticulitis I another which can present quite similarly, although without the riggors.

@Musicaltheatremum a system to get examined and immaging without A&E would be fantastic. Perhaps a service GPs can rreffer to or patients with conditiobns couldhave open access to call.

for example little GP can do for kidney stones but to get a scan blood and urine tests and prescribed pain relief would help jkeep people with non obstructing stones out of A&E.

@Iwrotethelyricstoaxlf agree fecal vonitting is horrendous. I had this with parralytic illius after surgery ibam hopefuoll that itvisnt this bad. Am still passing wind.

Another post to say you need A&E. If you go in the daytime you might get streamed directly to surgical assessment but less likely at night depending on the hospital set up (I’ve worked in A&E for decades and in the middle of the night where I work you would stay inA&E for assessment but daytime you would get streamed directly to SAU)
I would suggest turning up from 7am onwards. There’s usually a flurry of activity as the day team come on and hopefully you’ll wait less time. Good luck!

thanks going to get some sleep and go when i wakeup.

They do have that for some conditions like cytic fibrosis they can often call their team directly and say they have an infection etc, sometimes they'll be a waiting list, but they can call if they have any concerns etc, obviously that's a serious condition where anything can really be triggered quickly. Similar for patients with sickle cell disease, again obviously attacks are common and serious, they also need to be with specialists as soon as possible and sometimes depending on the area IBD as well.

It would be a hard system to managa having almost another A&E, as you'd likely need more staff as not everyone would see their GP and so you'd still need a triage system for everyone as someone who hadn't seem their GP may need to be seen quicker, and patients would be pushing GPs to always do so, you'd need both an injection of more cash and staff. I know gynaecology often have a clinic called Same Day Emergency Care which is for those who don't need to be seen on the day in A&E, so are sent home but given an appointment in SDEC a day or two later as they need to be seen before a normal secondary care gyne appointment.

OP has your vomiting subsided or not? What are your plans for the morning? GP emergency appointment or A&E? I'd go with A&E but it is up to you. You need quicker access to scans etc than GP can offer.

eicieed to go to A&E, given GP was unable to help yesterday.

They seem to have had a tough night, still berry busy and people waited over 12 hours in a chair without being seen.

the vomitting has stopped but only happens when I eat, which I have not eone. Its not like the constant vomitting of a complete obstruction.

have been here an hour and not yet been triajed.

Around here you could ring 111 when GPs aren’t open, and they’ll send you right then to the out of hours GP which is essentially more civilised A&E - next door to A&E so at the hospital if needed, but with appointments. Yes it will probably be the middle of the night but sounds like it would be worth it. I have 3 kids and have never had to go to A&E, but have done a few middle of the night hospital trips to the GP and one child admitted to hospital from there. Good luck!