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Matesrates

Well-known member
I’ve got a virus, slight temperature, very sore throat, cough, headache and it’s starting to go to my chest so I know from previous experience I need antibiotics. It’s not Covid, did a test yesterday afternoon and this morning, both negative.

Rang my GP this morning, in a queue for 27 minutes, they say they’ve got no appointments this side of Easter and they’re only telephone appointments, so they said ring the walk in centre.

Another 19 minutes, spend 10 minutes going through all sorts of assessment questions and they tell me they can’t deal with it and I have to ring 111.

I’ve now died.
 
Matesrates said:
I’ve got a virus, slight temperature, very sore throat, cough, headache and it’s starting to go to my chest so I know from previous experience I need antibiotics. It’s not Covid, did a test yesterday afternoon and this morning, both negative.
Rang my GP this morning, in a queue for 27 minutes, they say they’ve got no appointments this side of Easter and they’re only telephone appointments, so they said ring the walk in centre.

Another 19 minutes, spend 10 minutes going through all sorts of assessment questions and they tell me they can’t deal with it and I have to ring 111.

I’ve now died.
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I shouldn’t laugh but it’s a joke isn’t it.

Keep posting on here it’ll stop you dying.
 
Matesrates said:
I’ve got a virus, slight temperature, very sore throat, cough, headache and it’s starting to go to my chest so I know from previous experience I need antibiotics. It’s not Covid, did a test yesterday afternoon and this morning, both negative.

Rang my GP this morning, in a queue for 27 minutes, they say they’ve got no appointments this side of Easter and they’re only telephone appointments, so they said ring the walk in centre.

Another 19 minutes, spend 10 minutes going through all sorts of assessment questions and they tell me they can’t deal with it and I have to ring 111.

I’ve now died.
Click to expand...
Wife had an issue last week, rang doc's at 8:00 on Thursday, went in at 9:30, back for blood test 1:30 same day, results back on Monday. All seems ok now I'd add. I thought that was an excellent service. That's in Blackpool, where do you live?
 
Matesrates said:
I’ve got a virus, slight temperature, very sore throat, cough, headache and it’s starting to go to my chest so I know from previous experience I need antibiotics. It’s not Covid, did a test yesterday afternoon and this morning, both negative.

Rang my GP this morning, in a queue for 27 minutes, they say they’ve got no appointments this side of Easter and they’re only telephone appointments, so they said ring the walk in centre.

Another 19 minutes, spend 10 minutes going through all sorts of assessment questions and they tell me they can’t deal with it and I have to ring 111.

I’ve now died.
Click to expand...

Could still be covid. Medics are apparently calling the BA2 variant stealth Covid as people keep testing negative well after starting with symptoms.
 
Maybe, although I did 2 tests yesterday and one this morning, plus I’ve had my spring booster almost three weeks ago
 
Sooty59 said:
Wife had an issue last week, rang doc's at 8:00 on Thursday, went in at 9:30, back for blood test 1:30 same day, results back on Monday. All seems ok now I'd add. I thought that was an excellent service. That's in Blackpool, where do you live?
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Cleveleys
 
Depends on your GP and you can blame privatisation, we now mainly have 'groups' of practices run like businesses who struggle to service the community and we still have the odd independent like St Annes Old Links which have no problem giving you an appointment asap.
 
Matesrates said:
I’ve got a virus, slight temperature, very sore throat, cough, headache and it’s starting to go to my chest so I know from previous experience I need antibiotics. It’s not Covid, did a test yesterday afternoon and this morning, both negative.

Rang my GP this morning, in a queue for 27 minutes, they say they’ve got no appointments this side of Easter and they’re only telephone appointments, so they said ring the walk in centre.

Another 19 minutes, spend 10 minutes going through all sorts of assessment questions and they tell me they can’t deal with it and I have to ring 111.

I’ve now died.
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My condolences, Mates. I'll look forward to reading your posts from the afterlife. 😁
 
EagleDay said:
My condolences, Mates. I'll look forward to reading your posts from the afterlife. 😁
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Thank you. Update

So I went and walked in to the walk in centre,that you can’t walk into without an appointment. Very good actually, in and out in less than half an hour. One slightly alarming conversation with the nurse though. I told her I’d taken lateral flow tests, yesterday and this morning and they were both negative. She said, we’ll your symptoms suggest you are positive and the tests don’t show positive if you have symptoms 🤨 Eh, I said, then what’s the point of them, she said, I know.

So you have symptoms, you take a test and it’s negative whether you’re positive or not. Worrying.
 
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Loads od people are getting covid like symptoms and not testing positive . I had a bad cold / virus recently recently and was quite poorly and had to go to hospital as I have a separate lung condition . I was told it was almost certainly a non covid virus . We are of course all more sensitive to viruses and infections and feeling more ill than we may have without the pandemic and lockdown s we have lost immunity.

Ive read more than once in the last few days ( just read an article in the huff post ) that covid isnt being diagnosed as covid especially with the new variants . Seems that diagnosing covid is becoming more problematic the more the virus changes.

Hope you make a speedy recovery Matesrates.
 
TotallyTangerine said:
They aren’t prescribed for a virus but sometimes a respiratory virus can develop into a secondary bacterial infection if you haven’t been able to clear your lungs properly and that’s when antibiotics are prescribed…
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Over many years antibiotics have been wrongly prescribed likes toffees to get rid of patients. Total waste of money and ultimately dangerous as bacteria became resistant.
 
Shandypants said:
Over many years antibiotics have been wrongly prescribed likes toffees to get rid of patients. Total waste of money and ultimately dangerous as bacteria became resistant.
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Yes, they are definitely way over prescribed but I disagree that they’re a total waste of money… sometimes antibiotics are what’s needed..
 
TotallyTangerine said:
Yes, they are definitely way over prescribed but I disagree that they’re a total waste of money… sometimes antibiotics are what’s needed..
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Yes I've had them for an infected horsefly bite and a boil. They worked but I get fed up of hearing people with a cough wanting antibiotics.
 
Shandypants said:
Yes I've had them for an infected horsefly bite and a boil. They worked but I get fed up of hearing people with a cough wanting antibiotics.
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They can be nasty bites.. pesky horseflies!

A few years ago I went to my hairdressers who showed me a bite on her leg which I didn’t like the look of at all and made her promise to go to A and E. The doc she saw said she should be glad that someone had encouraged her to get it looked at so promptly as it was tracking up her leg and could have developed into sepsis. They administered iv antibiotics and sent her home with some which did the trick. I guess I’m making the point that you can’t condemn them across the board. They can be life-savers. Conversely though, my sister in law wound up with ulcerative colitis following a strong course which has had a lifelong bearing on her life…

My bugbear is when a generic antibiotic is prescribed blindly when a culture could be obtained and the correct ones prescribed.
 
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Matesrates said:
I’ve got a virus, slight temperature, very sore throat, cough, headache and it’s starting to go to my chest so I know from previous experience I need antibiotics. It’s not Covid, did a test yesterday afternoon and this morning, both negative.

Rang my GP this morning, in a queue for 27 minutes, they say they’ve got no appointments this side of Easter and they’re only telephone appointments, so they said ring the walk in centre.

Another 19 minutes, spend 10 minutes going through all sorts of assessment questions and they tell me they can’t deal with it and I have to ring 111.

I’ve now died.
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Easter a little early this year.
 
TotallyTangerine said:
They can be nasty bites.. pesky horseflies!

A few years ago I went to my hairdressers who showed me a bite on her leg which I didn’t like the look of at all and made her promise to go to A and E. The doc she saw said she should be glad that someone had encouraged her to get it looked at so promptly as it was tracking up her leg and could have developed into sepsis. They administered iv antibiotics and sent her home with some which did the trick. I guess I’m making the point that you can’t condemn them across the board. They can be life-savers. Conversely though, my sister in law wound up with ulcerative colitis following a strong course which has had a lifelong bearing on her life…

My bugbear is when a generic antibiotic is prescribed blindly when a culture could be obtained and the correct ones prescribed.
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My general rule is to not automatically trust anything I'm prescribed, there's a lot of hacks out there.
 
Lytham_fy8 said:
My general rule is to not automatically trust anything I'm prescribed, there's a lot of hacks out there.
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I think people are generally now more genned up on medication that they’re prescribed and rightly so! I guess it’s slightly different for me as I tend to know what I want before the consult and ask for it..

Have to say though that I’ve (reluctantly) lost some faith in the medical profession. My brother died in 2018 from oesophageal cancer and it was a nightmare getting the correct diagnosis. I knew (from experience) that he had it because of the symptoms he was displaying. In desperation we paid to see a private gastroenterologist who argued with me that he didn’t have it and refused to scope him (which we were willing to pay for.) By the time he was eventually scoped - a long wait because the gp didn’t send the referral off in error and he was eventually slotted in by a sympathetic lady in endoscopy who took pity on me - it was too late and it had to spread to his liver. I have to say I felt quite bitter at the time but the treatment he received thereafter was excellent.
Sorry didn’t expect to tell you all that.. it’s quite cathartic…
 
TotallyTangerine said:
I think people are generally now more genned up on medication that they’re prescribed and rightly so! I guess it’s slightly different for me as I tend to know what I want before the consult and ask for it..

Have to say though that I’ve (reluctantly) lost some faith in the medical profession. My brother died in 2018 from oesophageal cancer and it was a nightmare getting the correct diagnosis. I knew (from experience) that he had it because of the symptoms he was displaying. In desperation we paid to see a private gastroenterologist who argued with me that he didn’t have it and refused to scope him (which we were willing to pay for.) By the time he was eventually scoped - a long wait because the gp didn’t send the referral off in error and he was eventually slotted in by a sympathetic lady in endoscopy who took pity on me - it was too late and it had to spread to his liver. I have to say I felt quite bitter at the time but the treatment he received thereafter was excellent.
Sorry didn’t expect to tell you all that.. it’s quite cathartic…
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Pretty much the same as my Dad with throat cancer, except it's an easier diagnosis and the treatment he received afterwards was questionable.

Mrs Lytham is under strict instructions to never phone an ambulance for me, I'll take my chances in the car to Royal Preston or the RLI, just dump me in the boot if needed.
 
Matesrates said:
I’ve got a virus, slight temperature, very sore throat, cough, headache and it’s starting to go to my chest so I know from previous experience I need antibiotics. It’s not Covid, did a test yesterday afternoon and this morning, both negative.

Rang my GP this morning, in a queue for 27 minutes, they say they’ve got no appointments this side of Easter and they’re only telephone appointments, so they said ring the walk in centre.

Another 19 minutes, spend 10 minutes going through all sorts of assessment questions and they tell me they can’t deal with it and I have to ring 111.

I’ve now died.
Click to expand...
You voted for it.
 
To be fair, most if the staff will be getting pissed at the end of their shift, so mistakes are bound to be made.
 
Mrs Insider has challenged the NHS over the last couple of days.
The experience in Bury incorporating the local GP and "Northern Care Alliance" group hospitals was mixed.
It's too long a story for on here but just a couple of points.
Walk-in-Centres are now re-branded Urgent Treatment Care (UTC) round here.
She's had 2 visits 7pm-10.30pm and 2.45am - 04.30am at Rochdale so NHS met it's target.
The outcome from the first visit was poor hence the need for a second visit.
Also visited the GP at 9.00am. It's a health center amalgamating about 3/4 separate practices. There was not a soul to be seen. The receptionist said we are extremely busy. Sent home to await a phone from a nurse which did happen with 4 hours.
 
Lytham_fy8 said:
Pretty much the same as my Dad with throat cancer, except it's an easier diagnosis and the treatment he received afterwards was questionable.

Mrs Lytham is under strict instructions to never phone an ambulance for me, I'll take my chances in the car to Royal Preston or the RLI, just dump me in the boot if needed.
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Sorry about your dad, Lytham, that must have been tough.

Presumably, you don’t rate Blackpool Vic? I hope your boot isn’t full of crap then…time will be of the essence! 😀
 
Update. The walk in centre gave me antibiotics on Tuesday. On Wednesday I’d worsened considerably, so I called 111. They sent me to the Vic and can’t complain, Did a covid test of course which was negative, gave me more antibiotics to take as well as the other ones. Today, I’m only slightly better, still wheezing loudly, so I rang my doctor. They rang back just now and couldn’t understand why they’d given me more antibiotics and no steroids. So now, she’s prescribed different antibiotics and steroids. Hopefully that will sort it, because apart from aching ribs, and stomach muscles, plus a headache, I’m totally fed up.
 
They never give anti biotics out now anyway, they insist on paracetamol…and there’s loads of these cold bugs about at the moment..I generally prefer the hot toddy route…. purely medicinal of course…👍😁
 
Killingmesoftly said:
They never give anti biotics out now anyway, they insist on paracetamol…and there’s loads of these cold bugs about at the moment..I generally prefer the hot toddy route…. purely medicinal of course…👍😁
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There are indeed lots of cold bugs around at the moment.

I caught one at the end of Feb. Three weeks and I felt well enough to get to the gym. A week later I caught another one. Just getting over that now and have managed a day in the garden digging over, planting and watering. Lingering cough that annoys everyone but that’s their problem 😝

Two takeaways.

First when I was young a cold would usually be gone in a week. Now assume somewhere between 2 and 3.

Second - chicken jalfrezi please.
 
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