A&E Tonight, GP Tomorrow or Woman Up?

[MoonOnTheRain]

Just curious to see what most people would do. Don't want to waste anyone's time.

I'm anaemic, taking daily iron supplement, but the reason for the anaemia is ongoing. Last blood test about 6 weeks ago.

I'm under a consultant, but no recourse to message them. Expecting biopsy results in about ten days, when hopefully treatment plan will be come up with. Consultant will be in touch then.

Last week, have felt more tired and weak. Am pretty much on bed rest due to issue, plus anaemia. Tonight while going to loo, almost fainted. Made it back to bed, but couple of hours later, heart still pounding and feel dizzy. Feel quite unwell. However didn't eat much today, just didn't want it, so that could be part of it. Have now forced small snack in.

Not sure what I should do. Go to A&E tonight? Emergency GP appointment tomorrow if I can get one? Or am I just being a total drama queen and should just woman up until results are in, in ten days?

Wow. I didn't expect your latest update.

Hope you are ok OP but you're in the right place and they'll look after you.

Just goes to show you shouldn’t get medical opinions from a bunch of strangers. I wish you’d gone to A&E Sunday night OP. Wishing you all the best x

Hope you're feeling better soon op 💐💐💐

All the best OP, hope you get the treatment you deserve x

Best of luck OP! You are in good hands now xxx

Sending positive thoughts OP x

Oh my goodness OP. So glad you're now getting some help. If you're able (or a family member can) I'd really push for a blood tranfusion. Blood loss for that long cannot be mitigated by oral supplements alone. 💐

They need to do scans to see why you are bleeding - are you taking any hormonal contraceptives?

Just read this thread, good luck OP, I hope they can help you. 💐

Hope you're okay soon. I have had a racing heartbeat and it is a terrifying feeling. In my case it was a reaction to a fairly high does of Vitamin B3 (not some crazy mega dose either) which I was taking, on medical advice, to lessen my risk of a recurrence of skin cancer. I live in the country which holds the number 2 spot for skin cancer rates. The racing heartbeat went away when I stopped the Vitamin B3. This was a very rare reaction and most people just get flushing as a side effect. My doctor took it seriously and gave me an immediate ECG to check I wasn't having a heart attack.

Some posters on here though should be truly ashamed of their advice and perhaps reflect on it in future and never bleat on that its neither an accident nor an emergency when their medical knowledge would fit comfortably on the head of a pin.

Hope you're okay, OP.

Read the thread. She’s in resus!

Hopefully they will find you a bed on the ward and you are not stuck in resus all night.

Glad you have got seen and hopefully this will leap your diagnosis and treatment forward.

Make list of everything you have forgotten to bring on your phone, I had an overnight stay after being sent by the GP and I had nothing useful. Luckily I got out at lunchtime the following day. Not that I begrudged them I was on a ward with a cpap user, another on a nebuliser and a snorer but even with oramorph giving me chilled out sensation I got 2 hours sleep.

Hoping you get more answers in the morning

Yes, I did so then edited my reply straight away.

I’m glad you are being seen hopefully blood and an iron transfusion will help. This thread has been me so annoyed by posters dismissing anemia as none urgent. It can be life threatening and it’s scary.
It’s also massively dismissed by medical professionals until you are in crisis which it should never have to get to.

@pinkblueyelloworange
@Glitterballofdreams
@Ineffable23
@L4ura171986
@Jellybunny56
@RabbitsEatPancakes
and most especially @TeenLifeMum

You must not offer medical advice on Mumsnet ever again. You are not qualified and your ignorance could one day prove dangerous and possibly even fatal to a poster who took the awful advice you so confidently dispense.

@MoonOnTheRain, I hope you're being well looked after!

I've been severly anaemic myself in the past and it's horrific.

So glad to hear you are finally getting the help you need. Fingers crossed you get some answers soon and start to feel better

My mother had heavy vaginal bleeding and had to go to A&E which saved her life. She didn't realise how serious it was until she became really dizzy and unwell from the blood loss, and they treated her imemdiately.

Don't spread life-threatening misinformation.

This thread has reminded me of one a few years ago where the OP was bleeding heavily and flooding through her clothes at work. She was berated by quite a few posters when she mentioned A&E and was pretty much told it was a heavy period and to get on with it.

Fortunately the OP ignored those comments and went to hospital where it turned out she had sepsis.

Im glad you’re being looked after @MoonOnTheRain and hope you feel better soon. I’m also an anaemia sufferer and know how bloody awful it makes you feel and how difficult it is to get decent medical treatment.

I get so frustrated by these threads. I've been replying saying to get medical advice over and over, but there are so many people giving advice to wait and see when they don't know all the circumstances and they're not medically qualified. And even if someone says they are medically qualified we don't know if that's true.

I also remember a few threads like this in the past including one where a pregnant woman who was alone and so ill she couldn't get out of bed was told by a number of posters that she would be making a fuss to call for urgent medical attention.

Always, always call 111 as a minimum and don't take any notice of A&E gatekeepers online.

Oh sorry Sir!!
The OP asked what we would do…which is the whole reason posts like this are created, to offer our personal opinions (which as you might be aware, differ from person to person 🙄) this does not mean OP has to take ours, or anyone’s advice. Not once did we claim to be medical professionals either. Geez get a life mate

What is the point of the Health board here if opinions are not allowed from the non medically qualified? Many will have had similar issues and can say what they did and how it worked out, or not.

As to advice as to what to do, well we all know ourselves when things warrant A+E, just like the OP. There is far too much judgment of people who may not appear to have an "emergency". But it's far better to sit in A+E than die. We are not talking about a sprained ankle or a cut finger here.

The fact that many are berated for even considering A+E in what often looks like a serious issue must stop. It is putting probably vulnerable people off getting help because they might feel awkward at the hospital. Stop.

I am fairly certain I said that "111 sounded like a good idea", so not quite sure why I am on the naughty list. I stand by the fact that if you haven't eaten much food and feel dizzy, eating more food is a good idea. I didn't say not to go to A and E. I didn't say to wait overnight. I asked what the person had eaten and said calling 111 sounded like a good idea.

Also, I do think it's worth noting that the OP didn't actually say that their anaemia was due to extensive, ongoing, chronic bleeding, initially.

I'm really glad that the OP will now be getting the treatment they need, but if you don't include information like that when explaining a problem, literally anyone could make an incorrect suggestion.

Just because someone asks a question on a public forum, doesn't mean that you're the right person to respond. It is entirely possible and extremely desirable to exercise some judgement and restraint.

You are clearly not medically trained. And even by lay person standards your knowledge is poor.

What on earth possessed you to get involved and to recommend a very definite course of action to the OP with such confidence? Absolutely appalling.

Now, if you do get a thrill from medical threads, fair enough, but the right thing to do is to either express sympathy or suggest that the OP seeks advice. Those are literally your only options.