Should I go to A&E?

[CharChar91]

Yep sorry I'm that person tonight.

Should I go to A&E or wait until tomorrow to battle for a doctor's appointment?

2 weeks before Christmas I got that covid-like illness that's going round with a corker of a cough. I then got actual covid over Christmas and was super fluey for 3 days then felt better aside from the horrid cough.

I just carried on until last Tuesday when I thought it had developed in to a chest infection so I managed to get a phone call with a doctor who prescribed me 5 days of amoxicillin.

Tuesday night I got severe chest pain. Called 111 Wednesday night as it was still there, left hand side, under my boob and in to my back. Lying down and coughing were making me want to pass out it was so painful. Both doctors I spoke to said they thought it was inflammation as it was sore if I poked it, carry on with amoxicillin and paracetamol/ibuprofen.

I've now finished the amoxicillin, my cough is not nearly as frequent but still 'powerful' when I do cough. The pain is still there, made worse by coughing, breathing deeply, exhaling fully, lying down, moving or lifting my left arm. It's to the left hand side of my sternum, across the top of both sides of my chest and back and in my left shoulder.

I feel terrible at the thought of going to a&e and them telling me it is just inflammation, but on the other hand 5 days of this pain is taking its toll. What should I do?

I would go- the amount of people I’m hearing about who have pleurisy etc untreated- do you have a crackle In your lung maybe? How is your breathing when you are not coughing? Are you bringing anything up?

Ignore my comments-
you have severe pain that’s in your left arm, and won’t go away,
I would take painkillers and see how you are- if you have then yes go to a and e-
definately

Sounds like pleurisy. OH had this following a chest infection. You need to be seen. It's frightening I know

Call 111. Let them decide.

Yes, I've had pleurisy and pneumonia following a nasty chest infection that I didn't get sorted quick enough. I was really ill and in pain still 6 weeks later.

This was a decade ago and I still get recurring pleurisy after being ill with a virus even now. It does sound similar. You need someone to listen to your chest.

Definitely sounds like pleurisy, after covid I had 3 months of pleurisy and it was hell. Only rest and painkillers will help it but please go to hospital and get checked out. You definitely need an X-ray.

Go to A & E get checked out. You sound proper poorly to me. 💐

You need to go to a&e.

Yes definitely go to A&E.

Personally I wouldn't sit in A&E all night. I'd rather try to be comfortable in my bed and get on the phone to a GP first thing tomorrow.
It sounds serious but not an immediate emergency but I'm not a HCP.

Hi all, just wanted to say thank you for all of your advice the other night. I was taken to A&E the following morning quite unwell. I'm at home now resting and recovering. Take care all x

I'm glad you went and were treated. Take care of yourself. I hope you feel better soon.

www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/conditions/heart-attack/women-and-heart-attacks is something that all people should read and know about and point people towards when worried about chest pain. Even though it most likely isn't heart related, it is always important to get it checked out as the op did. Too many women's heart attacks are not recognised as such at first.

OH I didn't realise that it was a heart attack 🙈

It may well not have been @justasking111 I have no idea whether it was or wasn't. But I guess that's the point of my post. Chest pain along with the symptoms in the link should always, always be assessed, rather than guessed at.

What did they diagnose?