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Original poster

a&e bad experience

329 replies

cucumberpeach · 21/01/2026 23:57

Just having a little moan as feeling a bit sorry for myself. I know people go through worse things.

I woke up with agonising abdominal pain which worsened all day, vomiting and everything and not keeping anything down. DM called the GP for me and they sent for an ambulance which took several hours to come (not complaining, it's not their fault, obvs there will have been more serious cases to attend to).

Eventually they came and I've now been in the hospital for hours in agony. They didn't give me pain relief, had to beg for it several times. It helped but then wore off and they ignored my polite requests for more. They actually shouted at me when I tried to lie on the floor as it brought relief. They told off a kind lady who went to ask if I could be seen as I was in a lot of pain for misleading them as they thought she was asking for her own mother and asking on behalf of someone else is apparently 'against the rules'.

After asking at the desk four times over the course of an hour they gave me a codeine pill but I'm dreading it wearing off.

Just a bad experience and still haven't seen the dr. Upside is seeing how kind the patients are to eachother, we're all sticking up for eachother! One women was stroking my hair as I lay on the floor in pain.

I realise nurses and medics have a really hard job btw. Just quite miserable at this point.

OP posts:
Timeforeastereggs · 26/01/2026 09:17

DameM · 25/01/2026 14:43

It is absolutely normal to have sub cutaneous anti coags in this 'world I live in'. I had a query dvt once, it was negative after scan but my on the ball gp prescribed it I administered it then popped to the hospital to be scanned.

I'm not talking about performing major surgery on oneself but anti coags whilst awaiting scan are absolutely routine.

Anyway, I digress. As I say some gps are great and actually see and review their patients before sending to hospital, some aren't. It is a postcode lottery and shouldn't be they should do a very basic assessment so a&e at least know what their concerns are rather than a very vague 'abdo pain' which can be anything from a urine infection to a lifetime threatening <and actually requiring a&e> aneurysm.

Edited
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TDLR: OP did the right thing by going into A&E and if you can’t see that GPs referring someone like OP who was in extreme pain and can barely walk to A&E isn’t the issue here it’s a pity.

Not saying that there aren’t general issues with GP or the wider NHS system but I really don’t see how you can feel she shouldn’t have went on this occasion.

But I’ll leave it here with this as we seem to be going round in circles and we’ve made our points.

DameM · 26/01/2026 10:19

Timeforeastereggs · 26/01/2026 09:17

TDLR: OP did the right thing by going into A&E and if you can’t see that GPs referring someone like OP who was in extreme pain and can barely walk to A&E isn’t the issue here it’s a pity.

Not saying that there aren’t general issues with GP or the wider NHS system but I really don’t see how you can feel she shouldn’t have went on this occasion.

But I’ll leave it here with this as we seem to be going round in circles and we’ve made our points.

Edited
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'TLDR' as opposed to your rather lengthy post immediately before mine?! Riiiight. I think what you mean is you cannot challenge my points effectively.

GPs need to see their patients with non specific pain then send to a&e. Unless chest pain, collapse or bleeding obviously then you bypass gp and ring 999.

Natsku · 26/01/2026 10:47

DameM · 26/01/2026 10:19

'TLDR' as opposed to your rather lengthy post immediately before mine?! Riiiight. I think what you mean is you cannot challenge my points effectively.

GPs need to see their patients with non specific pain then send to a&e. Unless chest pain, collapse or bleeding obviously then you bypass gp and ring 999.

Show quote history

Severe abdominal pain is also an a&e job though, especially upper abdominal pain which should be treated with the same priority as chest pain.

Diydanny · 17/02/2026 14:47

Decoart · 23/01/2026 06:44

Glad you are OK OP.

When my daughter was having chemo and at risk of sepsis we were told she had to have antibiotics within the hour. And it was best to drive ourselves rather than an ambulance as it would be quicker.

The worst incident was 7pm mid week. Temp spike so to A&E - queues outside in the cold to be checked in it was January. Daughter could barely stand. The admin person ran out of paper for the wrist band machine strolled across the room stopped for a chat and to get another roll then strolled back. The clock was ticking, we didn't push to the front as everyone else was at deaths door too.

Finally saw a nurse only 5 mins left in the golden hour she had to call the on call consultant covering to find out which antibiotics to give her and then couldn't use her picc line. We were in a tiny non sterile office as no bays.

We were then put in a room with 10 other people for 6 hours as no beds some of whom were vomiting her bloods indicated zero neutrophils so no defence against infection. I thought at one ppint the old lady next to me died and called a nurse.

When my daughter needed the toilet it was covered in vomit I asked if there were any cleaners on site and they just laughed at me. So I said we are going home I've had enough, they were really shocked, then they said oh there's a bed sorry it was ready an hour ago on a general ward. I left her and drove home at 3.30am.

My daughter was then seriously ill for several days. We were lucky and got moved to a Teenage Cancer Trust Ward. I will never forget her screaming in agony every time the morphine wore off. The nurses on the Teenage Cancer Trust were incredible.

A and E reminded me of the pictures you see in war torn field hospitals. The lack of basic humanity and care from the A and E staff was dreadful. We found out by accident later she was also given the wrong antibiotics and shes contracted a hospital acquired superbug which will affect her for life.

This was a major hospital which was recently showing off on Stand up to Cancer. I couldn't watch it.

I would just say her Oncology team and Teenage Cancer Staff are incredible. A real credit.

That is such a horrifying story. You must have been so scared.

Somebody above said NHS staff are lazy. I have to confirm that this is the only experience I have had each and every time I have been either in A&E with my mum or on a hospital ward with her. It is endemic. Nurses appear to do the minimum they can get away with and they do that badly. Slapdash does. If you are a nurse and take umbrage at this then look around at your colleagues next time they are stood/sat around together laughing. There is nothing wrong with that… but when there are patient needs to care for? Just no.

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