8 hours and no call back from NHS Direct

[Colabottle10]

And I've called twice now to chase them up to be told they are 'busy'.

7 weeks pregnant and put on metroclopramide on Thursday for excessive nausea. I haven't left the house since xmas eve, I'm either in bed asleep not feeling sick or on the sofa feeling sick. I can't do anything else. Sipping small amounts and nibbling on crackers but the nausea is over-whelming.

GP was less than helpful, told me to pull myself together and what else did I expect when pregnant. I pushed for medication.

Before pregnancy I suffered severe migraines and was on daily medication for them (luckily they seem to have subsided since becoming pregnant). I was also prescribed domperidone for the sever sickness I would have. Think heaving for 20-30 times 3 or 4 times a day over a period of 2 days. I want to ask a GP if I can take this instead of the the metoroclopramide, that's all. I need something stronger as I have no life at all at the moment.

I am lucky in that we have horses and animals that are my passion but I have no delight in them anymore. I just want to sleep so I don't feel sick. I'm not sure I can do this for another 7 or 8 weeks.

OH is being great.

Anyhow - i called NHS Direct this morning at 10.30 and other than ringing twice now, I've heard nothing back from the supposed GP that is calling me. So I've read around the NHS website, the pregnancy sickness website and various other bits and I have taken a domperidone and plan to call the GP first thing in the morning for another appointment with a different GP in the practice. I just think it's bad service. I know I'm not a priority, but 8 hours and still no call back I think is really bad :(

Your probably better off waiting to see your own practice tomorrow. I'd just ring them 1st thing. I doubt there is much 111 can do for you. Hope you feel better soon.

That is pretty shit Probably the service is massively overloaded and they are struggling to cope with the volume of calls, but appreciate that much help to you now!

Metaclopramide did bugger all when I was going through this. I didn't try domperidone, although my GP did say it was one of the medications they could use for severe pregnancy sickness. I did get some relief with a combination of cyclizine and ondansetron, though, so please don't give up on pushing your GP for different treatments.

Good luck - it is so, so horrendous to go through this, and can be so hard to explain to doctors/midwives exactly how much you're suffering. I found it helped to list the things I could no longer manage to do and tell them how much weight I'd lost - that seemed to help more than explaining how horrendous I felt (I think some will just write that off as 'overdramatic pregnant woman', sigh).

They won't be able to answer that for you - they'll have put you on the bottom of the list, but it's not something that is likely to ever get a call back. If you're lucky, someone might call you back and tell you to see your own GP. They really should have told you that but the initial call handler maybe didn't grasp what your query was.

I do hope you feel better soon - whilst it won't be classed as requiring OOH treatment by the NHS, it sounds horrendous and I really hope you find something to alleviate the sickness.

The weekend after new years is always one of the worst times... Ridiculously busy.

Having had hyperemisis 5 time I feel your pain I really do but as anchor says - whilst it won't be classed as requiring OOH treatment by the NHS, it sounds horrendous and I really hope you find something to alleviate the sickness

Just repeat the mantra

Hi cola,

Sorry you're having a bad day. I had to make an ooh gp trip, took ages to get through on 111 (over half an hour) but as I'm pregnant they prioritised me, and I got a call back within an hour. The out of hours gp was lovely and very sympathetic and I'm now on cyclizine (which has seemed to help).

It's not normal to be constantly vomiting and gagging, regardless of what some hcp seem to think. If you dont think you can wait until tomorrow morning, call back asap and reiterate that you're pregnant, unwell and would like to see an out of hours gp.

Would post Cake, but if you're feeling like I did earlier it won't be a good move!

Also, look up the list of GPS at your practice. Often there is a page listing the different GPS and their interests. You may be better off trying to get an appointment with anyone who has a special interest in women's health / family planning.

Thanks guys. I called a pharmacist in the end and have taken domperidone. Don't know if it's mental but already feeling a bit better and have managed a banana.

Back to Drs tomorrow.

GP def didn't take it seriously.