more unwell person ponderings

[baratron]

How long do you "need" to be ill for before you go to the doctor? That's the question I'm currently pondering.

I've been ill since last Thursday. Struggled on working on Friday & Saturday, and have been basically in bed or sitting on the sofa in a sleeping bag ever since. I don't seem to be getting any better. Have snot & a sore throat & a cough & a slightly raised temperature - I don't think it's anything other than a virus, but I'm just not getting better. If anything, today I am worse than I have been because the cough is so bad. I feel crappy & chilled & wheezy and - the thing that never happens - my peak flow is down. Not by much, but enough.

The thing about living in a country with free state-sponsored healthcare is that I can in theory just walk into a doctor's tomorrow for nothing. But because I live in a country with free state-sponsored healthcare, I'm aware that it's a limited resource. If I had to pay for each doctor's visit I'd be broke by now, but at least I'd feel entitled to have them look at me and go "Yup - it's a virus. Nope, we can't do anything." Whereas, as it is, I feel guilty if I go to see the GP with anything less than full-blown bacterial blergh. Free healthcare is great for regular maintenance of a chronic health condition & preventing it from getting any worse. It's not so great for feeling that you have the right to have your sore throat examined and declared to be just a virus.

Or maybe I'm just too public-spirited for my own good.

Comments

[ailbhe]

I can - and have - call my GP on the phone and they call me back when they have time. Usually they say "you are doing everything right" but occasionally they come up with something new.

[baratron.livejournal.com]

I haven't had much luck with that. In fact, I was horrified in booking an appointment with my GP a few months ago to find that my records were red-flagged that I'd failed to show up for an appointment that I'd booked - when I know I was told it was a telephone appointment and the GP would phone me! I specifically remember waiting in all morning and being annoyed by the lack of phone call, then not being able to get through to the surgery when I tried to phone them :/

I think the reduction in peak flow is enough that I should probably go in & have them listen to my lungs. They can't really do that over the phone.