Have I been a twat or should the GP surgery have given me an appointment?

[Isgreasl]

For context I am a single parent and I work full time so I may be feeling a bit overwhelmed with stress. I don’t know if I’m being unreasonable.

I have had swelling on my toe after falling. It swelled up really fast and has lessened since but the bruising is still bad. I asked for an appointment for the GP to review and I was told to go to a minor injuries unit as it might need an x ray. Minor injuries is 40 minute drive (we are remote) and will take almost an entire day to be seen. I can’t go in first thing as I need to drop DD at nursery (unless I wanted to take her with me which I don’t!).

I have asked them again for an appointment and asked for it to be escalated as I’m not happy with being told to go to minor injuries. I’m really exhausted and confused as to whether I’m in the right here?! From what I’ve read it’s usual to have a few signs looked at with the toe to decide if an x ray is needed and that this is something a GP could do.

If it’s your big toe go and get it xrayed. I hurt my big toe and when I looked it up that was the advice. I ended up with a boot and crutches. You may not, but it’s worth checking. It took a while to heal, and the crutches were quite helpful.

Well they don't know if it might be broken do they? 🙄.

When I lived in the back of beyond in a developing country, we had a great book called "Where there is no doctor"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_There_Is_No_Doctor

There are many things, like this possibly broken toe, that one can treat oneself. I'm not recommending that everyone become their own doctor, but it might help the NHS if we recognized that in some situations, the doctor can't really do anything more than you would do for yourself. It's up to OP to decide whether she really needs an X-ray, or simply goes ahead and treats the toe as if it were broken.

I would call 111 for a toe

Exactly what i was thinking

I'm struggling to see why people are suggesting ring 111 or go to minor injuries for a (potentially) broken toe. There's literally nothing they can do apart from x-ray it and go "yep, it's broken"

Doesn't matter. There is no treatment for a broken toe.

Not with a big toe. It is treated differently to a smaller toe. It has to be set straight and it’s healing reviewed after a few weeks as it can result in surgery

Yes it does!! I was xrayed three times over a 12 week period for mine and had to wear a boot, it’s not the same as a smaller toe

What do you expect them to do?

FFS can people not actually do anything themselves nowadays without calling 111, it is a toe!

When did you injure it? I’d only seek medical treatment is the swelling was getting worse or persisting (i.e for weeks).

NHS advice: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/broken-toe/.

A GP can't do anything for a injured toe and neither can minor injuries or a&e. The treatment for broken toes is rest. Buy a support thing from a pharmacy. Ask for some pain killers. It's not a trauma wound or infected so there's literally no point going anywhere.

YABU

hope you apologise to those whose time you have wasted and take yourself to minor injuries as they said

That’s terrible advice, I broke my elbow, didn’t think anything of it, carried on as normal and even went to sleep with it, it was only the next day when I couldn’t straighten my arm that I went to the hospital, it’s not always obvious when something is broken.

Its best to get seen op you don’t know what damage has been done, when I broke two toes they were just strapped but it’s always best to get it seen.

Yes there is! It even says on the nhs website. The f you suspect you’ve broken your big toe you need it to be xrayed

No, because they don’t have X-ray vision. It’s swollen, sore and red. It’s injured, that’s all they can tell you.

I just strapped mine to the one next to it, ime it’s pretty much all they do anyway tbh, unless it’s a real mess.

If you think it’s broken then you need to have an X-ray. But there isn’t anything you can do if it’s just swollen. I injured my toe had to have toe nail removed at A&E. You can get something like this for it.

My Dd broke her big toe and a small bone in her foot we wouldn't have known without an xray she had a boot on for weeks and was under orthapedics for 3 months

why are you so angry and dismissive do you expect people to hobble about in pain?

That’s not strictly true. When I broke my toe I was told this, but I was certain it was dislocated. They eventually x-rayed and realised it was snapped clean off & out of place. They were able to manipulate it back to where it should’ve been. Had it healed wrong I’d have had no end of issues. That being said, there was zero doubt it was broken in my mind. They say ribs & toes there’s no ‘thinking’ it’s broken.

Because often patients booking inappropriately IS the reason others can’t get appointments.

I’ve worked in primary care for 26 years and people have totally lost the ability to use any common sense or seek guidance regarding their health. We have a massive resource base literally at our fingertips yet so many people’s default is to call the GP.

The poor receptionists have to filter out the amount of dross people try and book in with so that people who genuinely need care can get it.

@Isgreasl kindly yes you are being a twat. The GP cannot tell you any more than you can see with your own eyeballs. You have a swollen bruised toe after an accident, no one can tell if it’s broken without imaging, which cannot be done in a GP surgery. Get to MIU and they can advise.

I broke my big toe during covid and went to the minor injuries unit at my local hospital. I didn't think it was broken but after a couple of days the nail was really swollen and blood building up under it. I had an xray after they (sorry) put a hot needle in the nail bed to release the blood and swelling - it actually felt heaven as it was throbbing before they did it. Once they x-rayed and determined it was broken that was it, no treatment other than paracetamol. the nail fell off eventually and grew back but it still aches if I do certain exercise. My advice is as others have said, unless you are concerned about the swelling and pain then just ride it out and dont put pressure on that foot as much. Its annoying but a trip to the GP or MIU is not going to do much.

You would need an x-ray to make that decision.
Hence why GP refers you to minor injuries.

I wouldn’t do anything for this. Broken toes doing gymnastics and dancing quite a few times. Just put ice on it to reduce swelling.

Even if minor injuries x-Ray it and it’s broken, they wouldn’t do anything for a toe. Paracetamol, rest, ice.

Far too minor for a GP appointment.

No gp doesn't have xray vision

If you are walking on it then it isn't broken. If you break your toe, you know about it!