My Doctor / 111 Conflicting Advice

[Seahorse77]

I rang my GP this morning because since the weekend I have been suffering with what I thought was Flu (have all Coronavirus symptoms as well). When I spoke to GP she said all sounds like Flu but have I travelled to any of the Countries with Coronavirus? My reply was yes but the cut off is clearly stated as the 19th Feb and I already did the online 111 question and it said I was fine.

GP said no the advice is it can have a 24 day incubation period (I have read about this) which ties in with your travel dates and when you became ill. She said I had to ring 111 and seek their advice. Rang 111 and advisor checked with nurse and she said I'm fine as their PHE / NHS guidance is still from 19th Feb.

As of tonight my entire chest is tender and hurts when I breathe in but it's just Flu so that's that I suppose!

Anyone else had conflicting advice and what did you do?

Contact 111 again tell them you have got worse

Surely if you can say your symptoms started before the 14 day period ended, then they have to test you? It's really frustrating that people are getting conflicting advice, I really hope you get it sorted. Perhaps your GP could do a flu test? At least then you'd know if it's flu and if it isn't there would be more argument for a Covid test.

@slipperywhensparticus Thank you for replying. I did think that but then thought I could ring my GP again tomorrow and say 111 said I'm fine so can I have an appointment to have my chest checked?

This is insane, you obviously need to be tested. For a start , if they tell someone they are not at risk of CV they might pitch up , coughing, in A & E, and put people’s lives at risk.
Would your GP organise a test ?
This isn’t giving me much faith in how the authorities will deal with CV when the situation is much worse than this.

But OP, if you go into the GP surgery to have your chest checked, and you do have CV, then that could make everyone there ill.
I think ask your GP what to do, say you suspect CV.

@Gammeldragz - sorry I think I've not been clear.....so 111 advice is if you have been to one of the countries in the last 14 days which I haven't. I was there beginning of February but GP has said incubation advice is that it can be 24 days before symptoms show from when you travelled which would tie in with when I was abroad and when my symptoms started. I explained this to 111 and they were adamant and said only if you actually been to the country 19th February onwards. What to do 🤷‍♀️

@SirVixofVixHall it is insane isn't it - I feel like I tried to do the right ring by calling 111 after speaking to my GP but got no where.

If I ring my GP tomorrow and she says they can't see me incase I do have it then surely she does need to push for me to be tested - or I ring 111 back and say someone needs to see me!

How many days after you left did symptoms start? 19th is only 14 days ago from today, which is fine if symptoms start today/tomorrow but if you'd had yours a week and came back on the 16th say, it should qualify for a test. I'm just being logical of course, that doesn't mean 111 will be!

It is like some horrible tv drama ! I hope your GP insists on a test.

@Gammeldragz I travelled back on 2nd February, tail end of last week didn't feel 100% but got worse over weekend. GP said that would still place me in 24 day incubation period. I explained it all to 111 but her reply was if I hadn't been in the country since 19th Feb I was fine 🤷‍♀️

Where have you been? Northern Italy or Iran/ China etc?

@bitheby N Italy

Oh god this sort of thing concerns me. Why can't they test people who have clearly been to infected areas? I wonder if it is that they are hoping that people who are mildly affected don't get tested so that it keeps the numbers low.

Hmm, so even tail end of last week would be pushing it. Still, there are always outliers and I would certainly be thinking of that if I were in your shoes. Definitely call the GP back tomorrow, I don't think they can influence testing for covid but a flu test would be a good idea.

GP here. No GP in the land can test you for flu, and definitely not for Corona virus, an we cannot organise a Coronavirus year either.

Please do not go to your GP with symptoms. Remember that flu is common and corona virus incredibly rare.

Not year, test - autocorrect fail.

Please do not go out if you think you have it. Please don't. Just keep badgering them on 111. Ring gp if you want back up somehow but do not go spreading it about.

I would say call 111 again , if they advice it's just flu then request them, that you need to be seen by gp tomorrow. They can put that on the system for you if need be. 111are experiencing a high volume of calls due to obvious reasons so please be prepared to hold. I hope you feel better soon op.

Ok. So they don't know how long it's been circulating there but it's more recently than China. Was it one of the towns that are in lockdown or elsewhere?

Do they have estimates of when they think it started circulating there? Because if it wasn't until 19th Feb then you just have a big standard flu/ virus.

*bog

This article says it could have been circulating in Italy since mid January.

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/28/coronavirus-may-have-been-in-italy-for-weeks-before-it-was-detected

@PlonkyPlink where should she go then if she has respiratory problems and 111 doesn’t want to know?

I've read about cases of people getting it a month after being in contact with people

Not sure I trust the 14 day period

Don't go to a medical facility. I'm not a GP but that's the last place you should go if you suspect you might be infected as that's where you have the best chance of infecting a load of vulnerable people.

If it was me, I would continue to self isolate and call 111 regularly in case advice changes and they decide to test a wider group. At some point you'll stop shedding whatever virus you have and no longer be infectious anyway.

Any update @Seahorse77