No smell and my GP - AIBU?

[Bel1038]

I haven’t been able to smell or taste since mid November. Had awful cold and still now, although main symptoms have gone, I’ve got non stop phlegm and a cough.

The GP won’t give antibiotics and I’m at my wits end. Surely this shouldn’t continue for so long? I am so miserable.

Why would you want antibiotics? You don't have an infection, you have a cold. Antibiotics don't work for viral illnesses like colds and covid.

Antibiotics treat bacterial infections not viral ones. Some things you just need to ride out.

You had COVID, not an "awful cold."

What do you want antibiotics for?

No you will not be asked to register elsewhere, that would be retaliation. The Surgery were on the straight and narrow once we wrote.

If you have reasonable request and are being neglected .. then yes.

Threatening letters when a GP quite rightly didn't prescribe antibiotics for a viral infection... not so much.🙄

I do not mention the need for antibiotics. My stance is towards "You, Surgery, has a duty of care towards me, the patient. Across a period of X I have tried to contact you to resolve my issue, you have provided no clear solution neither specified that a clear solution cannot be found. Take this letter on the record that should anything happen, I will hold you responsible."

Do any posters here know how Liability insurance works with Surgeries? Is the Surgery responsible for its own insurance or the Trust, or eventually the Government takes on a case should it go that far?

This is getting madder and madder 😆

The OP had a bad cold, or covid. It takes weeks to recover from that. Antibiotics do not treat viruses.

But sure, get the government involved 🤔

We live in a system which is at best broken, and people need to step up a gear for their own survival. The OP is demanding Antibiotics because they are not a Doctor and it is their only understanding.

I am sure OP pays tax and hence deserves the best care.

We live in a system which is at best broken, and people need to step up a gear for their own survival get a grip, learn the difference between a common self-limiting after effect of a cold and a genuine medical need to see a doctor, and not expect to be handed antibiotics for no reason at all. There, fixed it for you.

PS "the best care" doesn't equal "antibiotics on demand" and even non tax payers deserve to see a doctor when they need to

Did the last 5 years pass you by? This is completely normal for COVID, for which antibiotics don't do anything. All you've done is waste the GPs time, go to bed with a lemsip and wait it out.

Loss of smell / taste can be very distressing.

Unfortunately, there is no easy cure. Antibiotics won't fix it.

Look up the charity SmellTaste for support with this condition. There are things you can do to retrain your brain and improve your sense of smell.
www.smelltaste.org.uk/

When my son had this for a couple of months after COVID we saw the prescribing nurse who prescribed in with a new powdered preventer/reliever inhaler which worked really well - he still uses the inhaler for his asthma.

Edited to add she was treating the cough, the inhaler helped manage the cough.

You don’t need antibiotics if you’re improving, it’s highly likely viral, possible covid.
DH didn’t fully get his sense of taste back for almost a year after having covid.
Keep up your fluids, get plenty of rest and take some multivitamins and you’ll be better soon

I had no sense of smell from over 6 months, it’s a nightmare, you don’t know if food is safe to eat, you just question everything.
And food and drink is miserable, you can’t taste anything.

Then I had a sinus infection for a year !! Multiple antibiotics, which never eradicated it, until a pompous female doctor refused to help, and “ explained to me” how antibiotic resistance might occur.

Eventually got my specialist appointment who prescribed 6 weeks of antibiotics.

Keep going back to the doctors, ask for a second opinion, ask for a referral to hospital ( expect a long wait)

I think now, I would have sought an online private prescription, or tried to.

Good luck

You have my sympathy-viral infections can take a while to clear, but taking antibiotics will have no effect, apart from contributing to the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.