Unsure what to do after falling

[NCforleg]

On Saturday night I fell down some outside steps. They were metal and it had been raining. I have a graze on my knee and ankle.

I have had very little sleep since due to the pain. Pain that is making me feel very sick. BUT there is no swelling or bruising, and although I have a slight limp I am walking on the leg.

I've tried to attach a picture. I just don't know if it should be checked, as there is no swelling or bruising, but then there is pain. If I should be checked, minor injuries or a&e? I really do not want to be wasting anyone's time.

Thank you. And if you recognise me then 🤫

If it's still open. Ours was closed a few years ago you're making a lot of assumptions
FFS I'm making zero assumptions - I said it MAY have been kitted out with an xray machine in the 8 years since her previous visit. I would say it is assumptive to ignore the NHS advice of calling 111 for such an injury to ask THEIR advice on where best to go, given their knowledge of the OP's address and to just presume that A&E is the only place that can help, despite it being a non life threatening situation. I'm saying don't make presumptions based on an experience 8 years ago or on facilities of MNers in different locations, just follow NHS advice, call 111 and ask!!! And maybe in the doing, skip a visit to A&E! If they confirm A&E are the only route to getting help then great, at least you know you're then following informed location specific advice!

Thanks to sport and horses, I have broken many bones, needed stitches after being split open by a horse kick to the leg, dislocated things etc and never once have I swollen. Not even a jot. Some people just don’t, apparently.

So if you continue feeling so much pain it is making you nauseous, do get checked out, even if it’s not swelling. 111 should know if you have a local minor injuries unit with x-ray facilities.

Please note this is not AIBU .

I have dressed the graze and put a support on it (the ankle as well as my knee, is quite painful), took some cocodamol I had already and arranged myself with pillows etc so I was sleeping with it elevated last night.

So now I have had a better nights sleep (always helpful) the pain is not as bad this morning and I'm still waiting and seeing. It's worth mentioning (sorry if it's a drip) I rolled on my (other) ankle at the end of last year. The pain went on for 6 weeks, before I went for an x-Ray at a&e, but was only minor ligament damage so nothing could be done. With this in mind, this was why I asked for advice. I'm not one to go rushing off, I'm the opposite and will avoid getting checked where possible . As a teenager I also walked around for three hours with a cut down to the bone before being dragged to a&e for stitches (also have a high pain threshold so it wasn't actually that painful).

Anyway oops went off a bit there. Thank you to those who replied.

I'd say go and get it xrayed.

I've walked around with (at separate times):
a broken femur (just the bit off the end);
a cracked elbow;
a broken back;
a broken wrist (twice, the same one)

On the whole no swelling, some had interesting bruising; all made me feel bloody nauseous and things went black and fuzzy around the edges at first.

It may be different where you are, but I had to have an X-ray at the hospital last week, and it was clear that some people waiting had been directly referred by their GP. So you may not have to go through A&E as well. I just had to hand a form from the doctor in and wait for the X-ray, no appointment needed.

Hope you get it sorted soon.

You should get it checked out. You won't win any prizes for toughing it out, just give 111 a call.

The pain making you feel sick is really not normal!

People on here can be so rude about the whole A and E thing. Yes no one should be going if they don’t need to but a nasty fall down some steps where someone is in severe pain with nausea is a perfectly reasonable reason to go - they’ve had an “accident” ffs, not every walk in centre or local injuries department will have the facilities to assess something like that- ours wouldn’t.

I have broken my ankle walking down some steps when I was 11 and I was so worried about getting told off for being late home I actually ran home on it and it was only later when it swelled up and became super sore that I realised I’d done something pretty awful!

My step dad twisted his knee walking the dog and didn’t think much of it but 2 days later developed a blood clot behind the knee and needed surgery!

So sometimes these things don’t always show up right away.

It's not a question of not getting treatment, and urgent treatment at that, it's just following what the NHS are literally pleading people to do, which is calling 111 and getting advice before just showing up with what is classed a non life threatening injury. Not toughing it out or suffering in silence, just asking via the proper channels first. As the OP did it 3 days ago it's horrid for sure, but not immediately life threatening. As I have said multiple times, if 111 advise that A&E is the way to go then great, but don't please assume it's the only option. My BF frequently runs A&E here and it's often having to be closed down due to being over stretched, meaning blue lighted accidents end up at hospitals miles away. He says if more people listened to the many campaigns the NHS has run on calling 111 or GP or pharmacy first (depending on the time and problem) it would help enormously. Oh, and don't vote Tory

Call your GP and explain to reception. Here , a GP or advance nurse practitioner would see you and assess. If an X-ray was indicated it could easily be organised and A&E would not ( rightly) need to be involved .In the adjacent county there are minor injury departments at the old cottage hospitals which would also be suitable.

just follow NHS advice, call 111 and ask!!! And maybe in the doing, skip a visit to A&E! If they confirm A&E are the only route to getting help then great, at least you know you're then following informed location specific advice!

Why waste a phone call when for that type of injury they're going to say it needs an x-ray? Do people really need this level of handholding for what's blatantly a black and white injury? Use some common sense.

I swear some people are weird on here. If someone came on that they'd chopped something off there would be at least that one person who would say ring 111 first as 'if you can post on mumsnet then you're obviously not that bad' and then it would be 'make sure you make your own way there's because ambulance services are for the dead.'

Get it seen too. DD2 fell on a trampoline and hurt her leg. No marks, nothing but she said it hurt. After a week of trying to get her to walk on it I gave in and took her to A&E. It was fractured. I felt terrible, still do and it was 4 years ago.

@gamerchick "waste a phone call" Are you serious? You'd prefer to potentially waste several hours at A&E over wasting time over a phone call to be sure? Am I losing my mind or are you privy to OP's local facilities? (That she's not sure on herself given her last MIU visit was 8 years ago) Or just making wild assumptions based on your locality?

Stop catastrophising. Common sense is to seek treatment ASAP and check what's available by following NHS recommended guidelines. I'd suggest people that ignore NHS recommendations and go straight to A&E for everything are the weird ones. If you are desperate not to 'waste a phone call' then a simple check on the NHS website or an email will tell you where the nearest xray facilities are or who can refer without waiting several hours in an A&E waiting room. (As believe me, triage would not prioritise a possible broken bone over blue lights, children etc) OP's title was "unsure what to do". This is literally why 111 was invented.

Or you could just insult people saying to follow guidelines, ignore NHS advice on what to do in this scenario, and you do you...

FWIW I fell down the stairs and fractured my sacrum. I called 111 the same morning who got me in at the GP on an emergency appointment at lunch time. GP assessed me, gave me codeine and referred me for a same day xray that afternoon at a local community hospital I didn't even know existed. I walked straight in and it was xrayed, no waiting for hours in a horrid waiting room, no fuss. Then I was referred for physio which was a few weeks wait. (No surgery required).

NCforlegs don't take any notice of the nasty comments. We come here to be reassured yet some people enjoy telling somebody off just as if we were in nursery! I've had enough of being talked down to and these days won't have it!

I've re-read the thread. The only nasty comment is one calling the people that say call 111 for advice if you're unsure as that's what they're there for "weirdo's". Literally everyone is saying seek medical advice.

Seek medical treatment OP. Don’t leave it too long.

I'll just leave this here, this is what the NHS say in case it helps anyone else. I was simply advising OP follows it. If that makes me (or indeed the NHS) a weirdo or nasty or a waster of phone calls, then I'll take that.

When to go to A&E:
"An A&E department (also known as emergency department or casualty) deals with genuine life-threatening emergencies"
www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care/when-to-go-to-ae/

If the OP is unsure what to do (as per thread title):
"NHS 111 can help if you have an urgent medical problem and you’re not sure what to do."
www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/nhs-services/urgent-and-emergency-care/nhs-111/

I hope you feel better soon OP

Justonemorepancake great advice clear and concise. Hope the OP will seek medical advice asap.

To update so we can move on. I visited my local pharmacist as he can clean up and deal with minor injuries and has done on many occasions for me before.

It was easier than 111 as a, he can actually see my leg and b, he knows the area, where everything is and can also book emergency gp appointments if needed.

Given the fact my toes are warm to touch but to me fill freezing(a new symptom since last night not a drip I forgot), I have been advised by him to go to a&e to be checked as there is nothing else in the area.

Well done OP. I hope it goes well and you get some proper sleep soon!

Wow, just did not see that coming. Just like a total shock that is ending up in a&e anyway. Who would have thunk it?

Good luck OP.

Hope you're okay and it's nothing drastic.

Very glad you're going to get it checked further.

We often overlook the local Pharmacy in this Country as a source of quickly accessible advice, unlike in Europe where they are the first port of call.

Hope you get seen quickly and it's not too serious.