To leave a&e?

So pleased to hear she's doing well.

Glad she got home, you can't beat your own bed. Belated happy birthday, enjoy the cake!

@Helladelinquent oh my dear, so much of this resonates!

I hope your mum feels fine after a rest. She might be like mine from the sounds of it - mine could have a pacemaker but won't in case it prolongs life.

hopefully it was just a blip from being dehydrated etc. I'm having to ask mum to eat these days.

and it's your birthday? I hope you get to have a proper birthday later this week?

You won’t regret getting her home x

My Dad passed out sat down once and we also spent a long time in A&E... I think there's always more concern when someone passes out sat down (so not when standing up or exerting themself)

It turned out he had a tumour so we were really glad we stuck around and got the results. As frustrating as it is, so often symptoms are ignored so it's really good they're doing all the checks.

Go and get her some food and a giant cup of tea! Then ask her whether she wants to stay and wait it out. If they say she can't have food, tell them to do one. That age with no food inside her could lead to a fall, a broken hip etc etc. She could easily be tachycardic because of the dehydration.

Your poor Mam and you. I'm in Ireland and know how bad hospitals are, people would actually rather suffer at home than sit in one. They are appalling for food and drink after 5pm, most don't even have a vending machine.

I think seen as you've both done this long, I'd stay, if she goes to her GP he'll just refer her back to the hospital. Sometimes they get the x-rays done quickly, as soon as it's done tell the doctor you're back from x-ray, they're sent pretty much immediately by computer to the a&e.

If there's a McDonald's near by to get drinks, we usually have to go to centra's or McDonald's for drinks as the hospitals never have anything. Also inform them your mam hasn't eaten or drank. Very important... Her blood sugars may have dropped and they can give her some glucose.

No, best get her checked-over. My mum fainting out of the blue in her late 70s was the first indication there was of a condition for which she'll be on medication for the rest of her life. There are usually other earlier symptoms but she hadn't had any of them. She was initially a bit annoyed that someone phoned for medics, for 'funny turn' but ultimately it turned out to have been a sensible call.

My BIL had what the hospital thought was a chest infection but they wanted him to stay and have more tests done. He refused as he’d been at A+E for over 8 hours - later that day he collapsed and died from DVT.
If the staff at hospital think you should wait then I would wait.

I'd be off home now myself, problem with A&E is they have easy access to all the kit and some doctors just seem to love running tests for the sake of it.

The CT was clear, take her home and let her get some rest.

@Helladelinquent if you see any accompanying people who can go in search of food and drink, do ask. Our 22 hour stint, I went to the vending machine many times for others and took two unaccompanied ladies to the loo.

I should probably take out personal liability insurance....!

I don’t know about her staying or going, but I just wanted to mention something. Is it a Catholic mass she was at? If so she might not be aware but she doesn’t have the obligation to fast before mass, this is from Canon law:

“Can. 919 §1. A person who is to receive the Most Holy Eucharist is to abstain for at least one hour before holy communion from any food and drink, except for only water and medicine.
§3. The elderly, the infirm, and those who care for them can receive the Most Holy Eucharist even if they have eaten something within the preceding hour.”

Sorry if you/ she already know this and maybe she wasn’t deliberately doing the fast but I thought I’d mention it just in case because she’s free to eat before mass which might be helpful to know in the future x

Take her home, the 'cure' is worse than the problem at the minute she needs to be home sitting with her feet up with a cup of tea and something to eat and then in her own bed. If they needed an xray they should have done it hours ago before the doctor did his assessment. If you can, make an appointment for an xray at a fixed time tomorrow. All assuming you can stay with her tonight just in case she does get worse.

@EmeraldRoulette similar to my mum but she was much younger. I did her discharge and the nurse signed off on it because the distress was causing more problems than the benefits at that point. Mum was on end of life care though and they still wanted to keep her in which seemed pointless. Best decision I made for her.

I'm in ireland too and I'm sorry to say that she will just have to wait. A and e is shocking right now, no matter the county.

The nurses should have changed over by now, I'd find a nice one and ask if they can give her a reclining chair or small trolley so she can lie down.

In our a and e they will bring tea and coffee out around 10 ish, it's a hangover from covid, otherwise I'd pop out and get something cos dehydration is going to make everything worse.

I don't know her medical history of course

i do have an 86 year old mother for whom the priority now is to keep her out of hospital

last similar A&E visit was 22 hours wait before admission. She had had a stroke and needed a rehab place after

prior to that, I effectively removed her after an 18 hour wait but they did then emerge to say nothing was wrong except tachycardia

it's a dreadful judgement to have to make

she has also refused to go to A&E twice after that. I had to call an ambulance but even they understood why she said no.

what is the reason for the chest x ray and frankly, how does she feel about dying? My mum doesn't mind and would rather do that than be kept in A&E that long again.

if the chest x ray is a precaution, it usually means that they don't want to be sued.

She did have to go in for a broken wrist after a fall but anything heart related, she now doesn't want to go.

it does have to be your mum's decision. I left the room while she told the relevant people so there is no way I can be accused of influencing her either way.

she's had a DNR in place for years.

@RosesAndHellebores they dont do tea! They don't do water. You have to go to a vending machine. Mum went to A&E alone in lockdown and only got food because a kind paramedic got her a sandwich. She couldn't have walked to the machine. That was the time I barged in to remove her (having been told they wouldn't let me in). I finally decided if she was going to die, it was not going to be on a trolley in A&E.

We spend endless hours in a&e with my late mum and her mental heath really suffered as a consequence. If the scan is clear and just want to do a chest xray as a precaution but you are happy that she’s ok I’d get her home. If she can manage a few more hours and you think it would be worth it then wait but you know your mum and if the fainting was a one off then I don’t see the benefit of an xray. If you feel she needs to go to the gp then you could take that route another day.

Sorry I’ve not read the whole thread but I’d get her home then go through gp if needed x

The poor pet. Surely someone could get her a sugary cuppa?

It's an Emergency Department. Nurses should be medicating people, triaging the waiting room/ambulance queue, suturing, breaking bad news, putting on plaster casts, ECGs, blood tests, answering endless queries about the waiting time....not dealing with requests for cups of tea. Get a grip.