Hi, I’m feeling very low right now and just need to vent really.
I end up in A&E every 5/6 months due to a condition I have. I was diagnosed with this 16 years ago and have had numerous operations and take tablets daily. It’s quite an unusual condition and I generally have to explain it to HCP. I understand this completely though as nobody can know about every condition.
I was taken in to A&E last week due to a flare up with my condition, which I couldn’t control with my pain meds/oramorph etc. The paramedics were wonderful, very reassuring and empathetic. I was taken in to a room in A&E and by this time I was barely awake and not really with it all, due to all the medication that I’d been given but I was aware of two staff members that were doing my Obs laughing at me. They were saying “she’s obviously not that bad….she’s done her eyebrows before she came in” then a bit later “If she had time to do her make up she should have shaved her legs” then lots of giggling.
Now I get everyone needs to have a laugh sometimes and I used to work for the NHS and I know just how tiring and stressful it can be but these comments made me feel awful. I wanted to sit up and say “actually this is yesterdays make up but I felt too unwell to take it off last night” but I just didn’t have the energy.
I felt embarrassed and mostly sad, sad that someone would almost question wether my pain was genuine, just because my eyebrows still looked ok.