"Wrong diagnosis and treatment"

I called NHS 24 for advice for a lump I had found on my neck which was causing distress and was extremely uncomfortable. I was advised to attend urgent care and provided with an appointment which I felt really reassured about.

On arrival, I was taken straight away, however felt really dismissed about the symptoms I was presenting with. I explained that I had been experiencing extreme fatigue, hair loss and now noticing a lump on my neck that was clearly visible. I was not scoring on my physical observations however was told I had some inflammation which was apparently causing this lump. I asked if the inflammation was caused by an infection however was not provided with answers to this. I was provided with a 5 day course of penicillin and told to attend my GP for bloods in the morning. With questions of having a potential infection and no bloods or further investigations being done I left feeling extremely unsettled. 

I phoned my GP the next morning and was told that it was extremely unhelpful to not have bloods taken at that time as it is now a case of waiting for this. My GP explained that she wanted to see me in person as she felt that inflammation and a lump was something she would need to see in order to send for bloods. When I attended my GP she immediately dismissed any inflammation causing this lump and to stop taking the penicillin, she also had a second opinion on this and both practitioners were extremely confused with this diagnosis. As a result of my symptoms I was presenting with including the large lump visibly on my neck I was then referred for an urgent ultrasound under the suspected cancer pathway. I also got bloods taken immediately. 

Overall my experience with urgent care in Forth Valley Royal Hospital has really lowered my trust with hospital experiences due to being dismissed with a course of penicillin and no further investigations. The practitioner did not investigate, nor did they ask for a second opinion which I am extremely upset about, as I am now having investigations for potential thyroid cancer in my neck. I have been reassured by my GP that this investigation has been done promptly and I have now been provided with an ultrasound urgent appointment to get this investigated, but this is after being dismissed and sent home, with it being on my notes that I attended urgent care with a sore throat, which couldn't be further away from what I presented with. I would have respected and preferred if the practitioner would have said they were not entirely sure what it was rather than dismissing a lump in my neck to be a sore throat. 

I feel that now I would never attend urgent care and my trust in services like this has been decreased massively. Without the support and urgency of my GP I would not have this urgent referral in place.