Should NHS secretaries really ask if you have googled your symptoms and out of work hours checkups?

I have been suffering from mild numbness in my peripheries for many months now particularly when sitting in certain positions (legs up will cause numbness in my legs and feet) however it seems to have been happening more easily recently. I have also been suffering from sharp pains from my lower colon from my prostate area to my bladder and blurred vision. I have been able to ignore these as symptoms of ageing and having little time for exercise.

About a week ago I started to feel mild sensations in the left side of my face and today I experienced many mild hallucinations. Not the type where you see things that aren't there but the type with vivid patterns and anomalies. For example, in the bathroom there is a light with a cycle rate and fine tiles on the floor. When I took a certain position there was a very vivid and well defined diamond grid (rotated 90 degrees) flashing rapidly. Seeing motion that wasn't there especially in the corners was very common. I suspect that the grid was from the refresh of the light and the cells in the retina remaining active for too long but this is a mild guess. Many hours later I was spinning a pen and could see a blurry after image of it.

This was quite alarming so I decided to go to A&E with the hope that I might be able to have some very quick common tests. Perhaps blood sugar levels or blood pressure. I have done this once before. I have no time during working hours and would not be able to see a GP soon. My hope was that something would be better than nothing..

The lady was very nice and I have problems with verbal communication which does not help but what really did not contribute is when she asked if I had been googling my symptoms. I think she could not understand what I wanted. I explained that I found this visual phenomena alarming I don't think that when I said it could be nothing or something serious like degenerate eye disease and I would like a general quick check for anything that can be checked quickly and efficiently that might detect a possible cause. She seemed to think I was suggesting specifically that's what I thought I had. She did help by referring me to an eye clinic. Putting someone on the defensive in a crowded area trying to explain symptoms that are not comfortably talked about is not particularly helpful. I hadn't finished explaining the symptoms I have had leading up to this and when she said that I couldn't. I supposed it could be worse, she could have asked if I we're imagining it when I said I was having mild hallucinations

I appreciate these symptoms could be anything. I think it is fair to say that they fit a pattern that suggests neural interference, it would probably be something attacking the neurons or a lack of something they need (neurotransmitter, sugar, oxygen, etc). There are thousands of causes for those. On top of that there could be multiple causes (the hallucinations could be anything from nicotine withdrawal as I have recently stopped smoking and the purported possible symptoms of smoking fit to degenerate eye disease). I suppose I was hoping that something would be better than nothing and to my knowledge things such as abnormal blood sugar levels/circulation/blood pressure are very easy to check for.

Explanation of symptoms and questioning of the helpfulness of trying to dismiss complaints by accusing a person of googling their symptoms in a manner that implies hypochondria, I believe there is a reasonable possibility that I may have a health problem or more causing these symptoms. I would like a general check up looking at blood for easy to test for and obvious possible causes. However I am greatly restricts by my work. What options are there for people who cannot easily take time off and not even spare much time on a Saturday? I find having a GP is next to useless. Should I seek out a private practice? What can I expect to pay for a one off or small number of visits of this type? Does the NHS provide any services specifically for the working man to accommodate for his working hours? I feel like I am in a vulnerable group here that just isn't catered to by society. I cannot access the majority of health services I pay for with my tax money.

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