Would you go to A&E for a cough?

[LeopardPrint21]

Had a cough for 7 months. Have had some tests done for gastro as the GP initially thought acid reflux, have literally today been referred for chest x-ray and lung tests.

It has gotten to the point where I cannot stop coughing. Literally having fits of coughing every few minutes and this lasts from the minute I wake up until the minute I go to sleep and sometimes throughout the night too. I also feel unwell with it and I’ve felt unwell since the cough started at the beginning of the year. I feel like I can’t cough up whatever is there but I also can’t swallow it back down so it just feels stuck in my throat and all the constant coughing is leaving me feeling like I can’t breathe properly.

I have been in tears all day because I genuinely can’t go on like this, I dread every second of the day because of how bad it is. I am at my breaking point with it.

Would you go to the hospital for a cough that is constantly there and you’re never getting a let up from it along with everything else I’ve written?

What.the.fuck.are.you.on.about?

Are you on the right thread ?

This is shocking, but A&E will not help. You need to call a private hospital in the morning and get some further tests done. You won’t get them at A&E.

They would if she went.

Please don’t use a brown inhaler without medical advice - certainly not on the recommendation of someone on here.
Brown inhalers do not break up phlegm. They contain a steroid drug (beclometasone) and can make things worse if not prescribed correctly. You also need to be shown the correct technique for inhaler use, including the use of a spacer device. Among the side effects is severe oral thrush if not used correctly, which would make you more uncomfortable.
If your cough is relentless and affecting your breathing, and has recently got much worse then go to A&E.At the very least you will be monitored and get a chest X-ray.

It's a potential emergency. No one actually knows until she gets bloods, a scan etc and the GP stops fobbing her off.

The reason Jess' rule exists is because she was fobbed off for 5 months at her GP and ended up dying from stage 4 cancer.

Because things change and progress?

A&E absolutely can order tests to be done. You're talking utter nonsense

Yes please go, my mum had a cough for months on end and was fobbed off, turned out to be lung cancer - just to add this was not picked up on an X-ray but an MRI and also PET scan. Sometimes X-rays can’t pick up on them. I’d be going to AnE, bugger what anyone thinks, get yourself in there and get sorted! You have nothing to lose by trying

OP some of the responses you're getting on this thread are making me so angry.

So many people suggesting that if it's been going on for 7 months it's chronic and therefore "can't be serious" - which is a load of nonsense. Chronic conditions progress, things change, and our body's ability to simply cope with them reduces. The only thing that's relevant about the 7 month timeline is that it represents a terrible lack of care by your GP.

Others saying that A&E won't possibly do anything unless your arm is hanging off - again, absolute nonsense, the people commenting that are in no way qualified to make a medical assessment of what does or doesn't require emergency treatment, or speculate on what an A&E doctor can or cannot do. They can potentially offer tests or scans, they can treat, they can provide relief, they can get you admitted to a ward.

If you're feeling like you need to, go to A&E.

Yes, you might have to wait, but then you'll be assessed - and they will be far better placed to make that assessment than some random people on Mumsnet

@Springisintheairohyeah and @HumberSquid You find the thought of people dying because of medical negligence funny? Why?

Of course she will.
a chronic cough for 7 months that has suddenly progressed needs investigation. At the very least she will be monitored, have blood tests and a chest X ray.

I would and hope you do go to A&E @LeopardPrint21 I’m not going to go into too much detail but I’m currently going through some serious health issues and I’ve been told if my oxygen levels fall below 90% (I have a monitor at home) then I must go to A&E.
If you go they will X-ray, monitor your oxygen levels and give you something to help stop the spasm that’s making you cough.
By the sounds of it you’re getting worse - if you feel dizzy after a coughing fit or your nose or fingertips feel tingly or numb it’s another sign you are not getting enough oxygen.
It may not be an accident but it IS an emergency if you’re coughing to the point of not being able to catch your breath and unless someone has experienced that they’ve no idea how frightening and awful it can be. Along with your other symptoms you really really should go.

Can you not see that yhe symptoms op is getting could be a sign of someyhing sinister? And that time would very much be of the essence if so?

There's been cases given on this thread if catastrophic outcomes when treatment not given soon enough.

These symptoms are serious and debilitating and getting worse.

If I was op I would go. Sorry you disagree but there you go. Things arent black and white when it comes to medical problems, and nobody else is advocating for you except yourself.

The op isn't taking about a little cough or a bruised fingernail here.

A friend thought she had a sort of covid or suchlike, 4 weeks of cough, could not sleep at night, exhausting cough. She went to A&E - GP kept fobbing her off with an inhaler. She waited 4 hours, it is true, but after 4 hours they did all her bloods, a chest X-ray, a CT and released her with antibiotics - pneumonia. She was amazed at the speed (once she was triaged) and the speedy resolution. They also told her she should have presented earlier.

Tbh I’d call 111 and say you’re struggling to breathe etc and get yourself to a&e. I know it is not an emergency nor accident but you’re desperate. Trust your gut and your body. You need help. Please go seek help. I’m worried it’s something sinister

I’m team A&E if you’re struggling to do something basic like breathing you need help. Marry that with all your other symptoms it’s quite worrisome.

You’ve been on my mind and I’ve come back to say - if you feel A&E is where you need to be, go. I’m sorry you haven’t been able to get the help you need.

Do you have a partner who could advocate on your behalf? On a separate issue from what I wrote about earlier, I was only really listened to when DH went in to talk with the family GP. The GP has tried some avenues; they didn’t work. You sound exhausted (understandably).

Agree, it's worrying that the pp and some others don't think difficulty breathing is an emergency. On ringing my GP the first thing you get is a recorded message saying if you are having certain symptoms (including difficulty breathing) to hang up and dial 999. Haven't RTFT so don't know if this has been mentioned already, or if it's a countrywide thing, but I'd have thought it was obvious anyway.

OP, this sounds horrible for you and I think you need to trust your gut. I'm not medical but I have respiratory issues that have landed me in A&E in the past, and I do feel that exacerbations of any existing problems need to be taken seriously.

At least ring 111 and tell them exactly how bad you feel.
Or just go to A and E.
I wish you all the best.

Are you on blood pressure medication?

A&E will not do anything, no bloods nothing as you’ve had it for 7months. It’s neither an accident or an emergency. They also will not refer you. They will simply say nothing they can do there and will write to your gp to suggest they refer with the appropriate pathway. A&E will also not expedite any existing referrals. This is partly why the waiting times in A&E are so long, imagine having this conversation multiple times an hour, every minute adds up.

It is not an emergency if OP has had it for 7months. When did common sense go out of the window?!

Have you any thoughts on the knock on effects for others with more acute problems? Clearly OP is not struggling to breathe if they have time to post on here for opinions. it’s a 7month old problem! exaggerating symptoms to get seen quicker is just wrong. Imagine your sick relative being delayed being seen because this person in front of you is exaggerating their symptoms…you’d be livid. Morally it is wrong.

The misuse of A&E is so widespread that this is a big part of why it’s in crisis. If OP went to A&E, they would most likely send them to the urgent care gps who would basically send them home with advice to get gp to refer!

A&E staff can see through people lying about symptoms. Nothing grates more than this.