I get that a&e is busy, but was not expecting to be spoken to so rudely

[mitsicar]

Went to a&e tonight. I have a foreign object stuck in my ear. I did not know it was in there until someone looked last night before I left my house and said i should get it looked at. Wasn't able to go to a&e today as my son had his own medical appointment in another city that I have waited months for and we were in a hotel for last night. There was no way I was cancelling it for my own ailment.

The pain has got significantly worse. Have shooting pains into my jaw and cheek bone and my ear is making clicking noises. This is since about lunch time today. Went to a&e this evening and the triage nurse asked me how long it had been in my ear. I said I suspect a few weeks, but I thought I just had an earache and it went away after a while so thought it was gone. Got some new foam ear plugs last week (which obviously pushed the foreign body in further!) and am now suffering for it. I hadn't finished when she cut me off and said 'well I don't really understand why you have picked this evening to come to a&e' and told me I would be better off going to my GP. I am in some pain but ended up leaving because she just made me feel like I had done an awful thing by heading straight after my son's appointment. I spoke to 111 earlier in the day and they told me to go to a&e asap because I could risk my hearing and that whilst it isn't life threatening, it is both an accident and an emergency. I asked if I could wait until morning and they said no. This was the 111 dr not the triage staff. I have no idea if this is the correct advice.

AIBU to think I didn't do anything wrong? I told her a medical professional has looked at it (a friend of mine who is a dr of 30 years) and said it needs ent because of how far in it is and she actually rolled her eyes at me and said I should see an actual GP (I suspect by that she meant my own GP?) and that a&e were sending everyone to minor injuries and that cases like mine are the reason she now has a 6 hour waiting list.

Is this normal for a&e now? Is it so awful working there that being rude has just become the norm or do most people have a better bedside manner? I haven't been to a&e since I was a child and was really shocked by the way I was spoken to, after being advised to go there by 111 and a trusted friend who is a medical doctor (GP).

To add, she didn't look in my ear.

Would you have done anything different? Am I missing something?

Hope you’re ok now Op, sounds really horrible and painful.

Absolutely ridiculous!
I’ve had something retrieved from my ear before by a nurse at my local GP surgery!
it was really far in, and she said it was touching my eardrum.
she was actually quite shocked it had gone in so far because of the size of it 🤣

I hope you're okay, OP, and that they got it out. You did nothing wrong, you followed advice. I hope you're home now and pain free 🩷

Recently? Or years ago?

I would absolutely think is a minor injury matter. You may need an on call ENT doc to retrieve it - I doubt the GP could do it if very far down ?.
i expect the nurse was just overwhelmed and busy but I think she was wrong to say you shouldn’t be there. If you been in the major trauma department then yes, but not minor injuries
hope u get it sorted soon

Slightly off topic, but now all I can hear is Basil Fawlty saying, "is this a piece of your brain?"

You should learn to read.

My advice would be that you read the thread, or at the very least the OPs posts.

@GentlePanda takes the prize for the most infuriating post of many that are quite infuriating enough. GP sent her to A&E, it was an accident that became an emergency due to terrible delays, risk of infection, hear loss

Have you tried using a magnet?

W us minor injuries includes most breaks… Poor you OP. I think you should just have stayed! As evidently you do too now! Hearing isn’t to be messed with. Hope it’s ok now

Another one who hasn't read the thread.....

@mitsicar please tell us it’s out now OP, I’ve been worrying about you! I hope you’re ok!

I don't think ✨the nurse✨ @ThisZanyPinkSquid is going to return to answer this question as to where she should have gone after the GP told her no.

Come on....surprise me...

Hope you're doing ok @mitsicar and not still sat on an A&E hard seat waiting!
Wishing you all the best and hope the ear has been fixed.

I don’t know about the rest of you however in our local A&E to be seen in minor injuries the wait is 3 times longer with a GP referral.
That hardly encourages anyone to try and get a GP appointment, wait to have that only to then be sent on to hospital anyway.
Not to mention only being able to get an appointment with your GP at a certain time in the morning if you’re lucky!
The woman was rude. You should have told her you followed advice from 2 different doctors one on 111. I hope you get it sorted soon @mitsicar

Oh I’m so sick of being told to be grateful to the nhs and its staff. Let’s face it, most of us hate our jobs but because we’re not ‘overworked and underpaid, saving lives’- ha! 13 hr shift with no break for me this week, we don’t get a pass to be rude. They receive decent perks, including fantastic holiday allowance etc. if they don’t like it, they could move on.
I don’t think you were wrong op. Hope you get it sorted soon.

Also my gp is a 4 week wait for an appointment. So I would absolutely be at minor injuries.

@mitsicar hope you’re okay

I really would consider filling a complaint.
It doesn’t matter what sort of day she’d had, you were suffering and needed to be seen. Her attitude made you leave and prolonged your suffering!
I do hope the proceedure went well and you’re ok @mitsicar

I’m a GP. We don’t have the equipment to remove deep foreign bodies. Please go back to minor injuries/urgent care.

She did.
About 16 hours ago 😂

You should have stayed despite her rudeness; but equally you could have seen your gp before this point! Why did you wait for it to become so bad before you sought any medical help?! Next time you have pain, go to your gp when it begins! Xo

Don’t worry I had a consultant say I shouldn’t have called paramedics after having a reaction to an infusion. I had a mews of 5. I told I didn’t ring them 111 did as I had chest pain. I binned him after being in contact with PALS. He was a twat.

If you want it removed - understandable just be prepared to wait as most other A&E cases will get triaged and placed ahead of you.