The dreaded lurgy - anyone else?

MerylStreep

It appears the government have no plans to test passengers arriving from China. 😡

This is sheer madness. So many will be returning from holidays back home, be it in NHS, Universities, etc, etc.

ElaineI

GagaJo

DGS has had it since the 19th. Horrific cough. Waking him up at night, making him sick. At times he's OK but at others, he's conked out. Very odd how it comes and goes although he is very stoical and often denies being ill when he clearly is. Only a slight temperature. Not covid.

My DGS is same. He is 9. We had to take him to Sick Kids last night as he had a coughing fir for 1 ½ hours and could not catch his breath at all. Scary. Had chest x ray and has streaks in his R lung so antibiotics changed. He also has scarlet fever.

Elaine and Gagajo- how are they? So awful for little ones, and especially at Christmas.

I am feeling much better- head still a bit wolly and coughing, but nothing like other colds or Covid I have had in the past.

I've been ill for 18 days with a terrible cough, tiredness and loss of appetite. Now I've woken up with terrible pains down my lower back, which I assume are because of lying around all day and not having any exercise. My son came for Christmas but he had to fend for himself as I was unable to do anything to help. I will try phoning doctor this afternoon but will be surprised if I get through. Worst ever Christmas.

So sorry to everyone suffering

It seems that some are worse than others. I still have a productive cough and feel unwell. I had been working too hard before Christmas and seem to be very run down.

maytime2

Glad to hear I'm not the only one. It developed as an ordinary cold on 19th December and has just got progressively worse. On Boxing Day I had bleeding from my right ear ( which meant my eardrum had perforated). I've always had problems with my ears and hearing since getting measless at the age of 3. I wear a hearing aid in my left ear,
Tried to get antibiotices on 27th December.
Phoned 111 and was on the phone for 3.5 hours before it got answered. Then waited a further 3 hours before speaking to a nurse who said I would have to speak to the out of hours Dr. with a view to getting the antibiotics. I knew by now that I had no hope of getting them until the following day. The out of hours Dr. rang me up at 1.15 a.m. to tell me to get in touch with my surgery yesterday morning.
Finally, after holding on for 45 mins mananged to speak to the surgery. I finally had the antibiotics at 4.00 p.m. yesterday.
The downside to taking this amocycillin is that it is making me feel nauseous but I need my ear to heal as quickly as possible. I've always classed my right ear as my "good" ear and at the moment I am nearly totally deaf.
Who would think it would be so difficult to get hold of antibiotics. Why on earth can't pharmacists be allowed to prescribe antibiotics when surgeries are shut

Two weeks ago today I started going down with the lurgy - laryngitis, very sore throat, lethargy, earache, nausea and within a day or so a chest infection. I know from past experience that once it goes to my chest only antibiotics will shift it. On the Saturday, to avoid the situation you found yourself in, I got a private prescription for ABX which helped a lot with the chest infection.

I was so ill, and lost nine pounds in a week but by Xmas Day was feeling half human again and managed to have a good day.

Two weeks on I'm not quite back to normal but getting there!

How do you get a private prescription, Riverwalk?

There are a number of ways Sarah.

Many years ago I went to a private walk-in clinic but I saw that they were closed; another is an on-line/phone consultation wherein they then send the medication by courier, I nearly did this but they had no appointments until late Saturday afternoon then it would have taken a few more hours for the meds to arrive.

So I phoned my pharmacist at 11.00 and he put me in touch with a local private doctor; I had a phone consultation (as a nurse I was happy with the service and advice he gave) he faxed the script to the pharmacist and I went to pick it up, all within an hour.

Thank you - interesting. I shall look into that locally.

and yet! This is pure madness. One of the biggest medical threat now is antibiotic resistance. How can a doctor prescribe without a proper consultation? Really dangerous- paying for it makes no difference to the seriousness of the above, and actually makes it so much worse.

Oh don't be so sanctimonious!

These past three Covid years online/phone consultations have become the norm.

When I have a chest infection I need antibiotics - doesn't matter if the phone consultation was with my NHS GP or any other qualified doctor.

Private prescription for ABX is an interesting idea. I keep missing the window of time to phone my GP because of being awake in the night.
If what I'm coughing up changes colour to brown or green, I would consider doing this. If it has blood in I would ring out of hours though.

Sarah/Riverwalk - I only wish that it was that easy to get a private prescription in my locality. I live in S.W. Wales. If you think the NHS is dire in England, it's even worse in Wales.

Fleurpepper

and yet! This is pure madness. One of the biggest medical threat now is antibiotic resistance. How can a doctor prescribe without a proper consultation? Really dangerous- paying for it makes no difference to the seriousness of the above, and actually makes it so much worse.

GP’s have been doing online consultations since March 2020, nothing new.

I have been prescribed antibiotics and steroids over the phone in that time.

How do they listen to your chest on the phone?

Nothing sanctimonious about that!

Fleurpepper

How do they listen to your chest on the phone?

In my case all times I was wheezing quiet noticeably, short of breath along with describing other symptoms.

I suggest you take up your misgivings with the GMC as the U.K. GP system has been running like this for three years. Some practices still have phone appointments.

Yes, in some cases, the personal history and symptoms as you describe seem like a clear indication.

But in most cases, this needs to be confirmed by a thorough examination and listening to the chest. Antibiotics handed out over the phone, in most cases, will result in over use- and a significant increase in resistance, which is truly dangerous. As said, sheer madness.

Fleurpepper I think most of us are of an age when we are fully aware of the dangers of antibiotic resistance. I certainly do not contact my Dr unless absolutely necessary and prefer not to take any medicine let alone antibiotics If it can be avoided so please don't get all "preachy". And, if someone chooses to pay privately for medical care that is their choice.

I caught a nasty bug just after Halloween. I was very poorly with it for about 10 weeks! It started as a sore throat and runny nose and then travelled round my body. From my nose and throat it went to my stomach. It then went into a flu, hot and cold sweats. Then it went back to my ears and throat as tonsillitis. Then a chest infection. Doctor did a home visit as my family got very worried (I don't get ill) and he explained that because we have all been locked away for two years living with our own germs, our immune systems have gone dormant because we haven't been mixing.
The doctor did offer me antibiotics but I refused them as they wouldn't have helped as I had a viral infection and not bacterial.
I'm still not 100% because it sent my thyroid levels into free fall and I'm currently having to see the doctor every two weeks and I'm currently in what they call a thyroid storm - not nice, but I can't have my flu jab or covid jab as this might set back my recovery.

Fleurpepper

Yes, in some cases, the personal history and symptoms as you describe seem like a clear indication.

But in most cases, this needs to be confirmed by a thorough examination and listening to the chest. Antibiotics handed out over the phone, in most cases, will result in over use- and a significant increase in resistance, which is truly dangerous. As said, sheer madness.

I think you're living in cloud cuckoo land - when was the last time anyone on here had a 'thorough examination' before being prescribed ABX or any other medication.

Most initial consultations are by phone/online.

The doctor I consulted is a semi-retired NHS respiratory consultant, and I'm a still-practising RN - he could hear my reproductive cough, I described the sputum, symptoms and temperature. I'm happy that this man made the correct and reasonable diagnosis of a chest infection.

I doubt he needs any lectures on ABX resistance and over-prescribing.

toscalily

Fleurpepper I think most of us are of an age when we are fully aware of the dangers of antibiotic resistance. I certainly do not contact my Dr unless absolutely necessary and prefer not to take any medicine let alone antibiotics If it can be avoided so please don't get all "preachy". And, if someone chooses to pay privately for medical care that is their choice.

My comment has little to do with private or otherwise. Most of the private clinics running over the holidays have no knowledge of individual cases and their history. In the case of Riverwalk, the doctor she talked to was highly experienced.

Sadly, in so many cases, without examination or proper history- GPs and some private and VERY lucrative clinics- dish out antibiotics in a very dangerous way. Not talking about individual cases, but a general principle. Dangerous.

I hope everyone's on the mend now. It is a very nasty virus.
Is it flu or another one?

We tried to book flu vaccinations at our surgery today, as advised by DH's consultant yesterday - they are not doing them and advised us to visit a centre 35 miles away. The reason we didn't have them was because we were ill with Covid and the GP advised us to wait a few weeks to have vaccines. The receptionist really could not have cared less as she read from her script.
We have managed to book with a Boots pharmacy several miles away (our local one doesn't appear to be offering them either).

Lloyds pharmacies are doing them too - we had ours there. DS1 gets his at the Lloyd's in Sainsburys.

I’ve had all my Covid jabs and the flu jab. I haven’t got Covid because I’m testing every day, and I don’t think it’s flu as I think that comes on very quickly. This has crept up on me. I think we need a new jab for whatever nasty lurgy I’ve got!

Magsymoo

I’ve had all my Covid jabs and the flu jab. I haven’t got Covid because I’m testing every day, and I don’t think it’s flu as I think that comes on very quickly. This has crept up on me. I think we need a new jab for whatever nasty lurgy I’ve got!

Locally, my friend, a nurse, says they’re calling it Chinese flu…..