Dr advice Coronavirus

hi i am a main carer who is disable looking after my wife who has asthma and copd we just had call from gp surgery with no help or advice all though my wife has had a cough for 7 weeks now it sounds like a stinky cold or flu temp is normal , what a disgrace as like a lot of people we are vulnerable !!! all dr said that we are suppose to be self isolating so how do we get help

Have you called 111?

thanks for your reply , we have not called 111 at the moment as we did speak to own dr yesterday but my wife is getting worse , the goverment says dont call 111 or ambulance so if your in self isolating how do you get help , i was up the hospital a couple of times over a 2 week period i am still getting stomach pain and i have bronchiectasis … on my 8 th lot of antibotics since xmas due to bug in my spit

My personal opinion, after supervising my mum’s care for 14 months, would be that if your symptoms are getting significantly worse or you have new symptoms, then it might be sensible to call 111. You may be transferred and have a doctor evaluate you.

After all, 111 needs to cope with illness other than coronavirus too. It sounds like you have a serious concern and have cause to call them.

thanks for your reply i have been my wifes carer for 24 years with mental illness , infection etc in the past she has collapsed due to oxygen level going down i am on he waiting list phone line to 111 to try and get some help as wife wife now is saying her chest is hurting when coughing so possible infection , last year she collapsed and had a blood clot on the lunge we have aslo had complaints from hospital nhs service that we use it too much when dr rang back from surgery they said said she spoke to dr yesterday if no better talk to own dr next week your suppose to be in self isolating!.. we understand the service is under pressure due to Coronavirus but every one needs to be assessed

Don’t rule out 999…

Again, I’m no medic.

thanks for your reply as my wife is bipolar she got fed up with waiting over a hour on phone last night when she got up her cough , breathing was worse contaced 111 again ambulance was sent out after checks down they decided that the pain is possible down to all the coughing so muscle , they connacted dr surgery and they said wait and see and talk to own dr next week , then we had a text on the phone from surgery saying 5 dr are in self isolation and to use livi nhs app to 7 day support ,

Glad someone actually saw her.

thanks for your reply now my wife is complaining of stomach pain as well after coughing , we tried the livi nhs app but my wife has no id eg passport , drivers licence etc so livi wont talk to her through the online gp app the only id she has is a disabled blue badge which they wont execpt

How about national insurance number or nhs #? What did the surgery advise, if still open? Not uncommon for people to have no picture ID!

Just can’t make it anymore difficult, could they?

thanks for your reply dr surgery cannot comment about livi nhs app , no national insurance number or nhs no is accepted only photo id and only certain ones , so anyone with no id , drivers licence , passport , residence card , permit card , cannot get help with livi nhs app service

Another issue for Michael to share with the policy team, perhaps?

Time to alert your MP and local councillor?

If you continue to have worsening of your wife’s or your own symptoms and are unable to use the now recommended avenues to get advise and medical treatment, surely you have no alternative to use 111 (or 999 if needed), in my non medical opinion.

Anyone else have ideas? Comments?

we had another 2 ambulances out over 2 days for my wife due to cough has got worse temp 38.3 they came in with masks and aprons groves etc they done checks and discharged her again ,when speaking to a dr from out of hrs last night he said they are treating my wife as if she got coronavirus , i keep saying we have not be outside the uk or in a place that has been know to have this infection , i think my wife has a upper retract or chest infection but with out xray or a dr seeing her we wont know for sure , if she has got coronavirus then why have i not got any signs after all i do have bronchiectasis… i think that they are waiting for the worst to happen , in the mean time our chest freezer went down last night and food went will it i have managed to save some but not alot which includes diabetic food for my wife

we spoke to our own dr last week concerning blood tests my wife has to have regular blood tests for quetiapine levels in her blood and also terbinafine for fungial nail infection now now reception says its not urgent all though dr said to make a appointment last week , my wife has still got a dry cough and now a bit sniffles but we have only been in the back garden so they wont see her untill it is completely gone but wife has had a cough now for 11 weeks she is asthma and copd and both of us have issues with repeat infection eg chest

Can you contact your doctor online, without going through the receptionist?

Any new or worsening condions, symptoms and I’d be calling 111 pretty darn quick!

hi we have tried to do video call from surgery and to use livi but with livi nhs you need photo id which my wife has not got ,with my issues of chronic pain in spine it can look at several different things we have had ambulance out through 111 before and after covid 19 now we get a letter from ambulance hq saying about repeat times a ambulance is being called , we get a phone call complaining from dr surgery about the same issue all though we have said it is not us calling ambulance it is 111 so now we are concerned that w wont be able to contact 111 for advice and help outside of dr surgery hrs , all though dr did say last week that this time of year normal colds are about but they still wont see you as it looks like covid 19 … even for pre existing conditions if you have a slight cough or cold like issues