a&e bad experience

[cucumberpeach]

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.

Yes obviously that's not great but it's health and safety issue isn't it, a trip hazard as well the floor is of course dirty. They should've asked her politely but maybe they are sick and tired of people lying on the floor instead of GPs managing their own patients.

Its hell on earth. Husband has prostate cancer, had his prostate out, they took the catheter out after a week. He was in agony on the floor a few hours later. His lips and ears were blue. Managed to get him in the car - 12 hours wait in A&E - to be seen. Its a urinary infection. I screamed at them its not a urinary infection. Suspected kidney failure and leaking urine into his body - his operation had failed. Its inhumane and watching a loved one writhing around in agony is torture. And the staff are eating and laughing and having a joke. I appreciate they need to eat and probably see awful things but its the worse place on earth. He was in hospital for a week. He then had an infection and another 10 hours to get back onto the ward.

Exactly. I'm always quick to show thanks for good care, but I've seen an awful lot of the standing chuckling round a desk don't give a shit brigade. There was an elderly person left on a trolley in a corridor for hours some weeks ago who was later found to have passed away, poor sod. NW. Admitted on their own, no one to keep an eye on them.

Emergency care in the heart of a big city here does not seem to have improved at all. It's a frightening experience at the best of times, but when you have staff who don't seem to give a shit it is even worse.
@cucumberpeach so glad to hear you are home. That poor young man. I hope he is safe now.

I was in A &E last year with breathing issues. It was a very long wait to be seen. Eventually I was admitted to a ward at another hospital. An ambulance came for me at 2am. By this time the group of patients waiting in the same area all knew each other’s names and what was wrong with them. Everyone was really nice. When I finally left, accompanied by two very cheerful ambulance people, everyone was wishing me all the best, take care, love you etc. It’s lovely how people stick together in the face of an unpleasant situation. I’m sure the staff were doing their best but they were absolutely snowed under.

Sounds like food poisoning

I think that camaraderie keeps you going. It was boiling hot when I was in with my husband and extremely busy. I had to fill up the water jugs as they were empty. I had bought a multi pack of chocolate bars and passed them to the two elderly people who were waiting hours with us. The lady said it was the best meal she'd had - bless her. Whenever I go now I take ibuprofen and paracetamol in case we're not seen for hours waiting in agony (always keep spare in the car) and food.

I was in A&E two days ago. I had rung 111 when the vacuum pump on my abdominal wound suddenly stopped working, noone knew how to advise me so I was sent to A&E.
I waited 8 hours, it was extremely busy and my husband who accompanied me stood most of the time so that people who were actually sick could sit down, and yes there were people laying down flat on the floors. Most of the staff and most of the patients were good humoured and getting on with it which helped a lot, it was also a lot easier for me as I was only in post operative low grade pain, I just needed a decision made on the best care for my wound.

Having said that it was still an experience I would rather not repeat, and I think the system needs a complete overhaul, I know we all love our NHS but it really isn't working well at the moment.

I was admitted to A&E (also with stomach pains) a couple of years ago. Went in 'normal' but in pain. Was given something VERY strong when I arrived which totally spaced me out. Couldn't function. They were asking me to provide a urine sample and something so simple, I just couldn't manage it. Went to the loo and didn't even lock the door. Was wandering around, completely lost and almost incoherent. Couldn't even source a drink of water (NB: Always carry a bottle of water with you if you get admitted) Told the nurse I couldn't do the urine test and she got angry and accused ME of taking something! I said I was only given whatever you administered. I was on my own and never felt so disorientated in my life. Sent text to ExH about a cousin of mine I haven't seen for over 20 years!
It did make me angry that they accused me of taking something dodgy. I work 7 days a week (two jobs) and was also just finishing a part time degree at the time. I don't even drink or smoke. Was finally discharged by EOD. Still don't know what caused it. Goodness only knows what they have written in my notes about me. I was completely out of it.
Incidentally I had a routine appt at the same hospital two weeks ago. My gosh, it bought back weird flashbacks. I can laugh about it now though!
Hope you feel better soon x

Who put the vacuum pump on, surely you were under the care of a surgical team? Did you try ringing the ward or clinic where is was first applied?

Why have you gone straight to blaming GPs?

There are any number of reasons why people end up in A&E. Failures in primary care is just one reason.

Somebody who's in so much pain they can't sit up, and need to lie down should be on a bed. At the very least they should be on a trolley. Yet they're left to suffer.

At my last trip to A&E (paed) the waiting room was stuffed with children in pain. After several hours, we were taken to a bay so DD could have some tests. All the other bays were empty.... she was the only one on the other side of the waiting room. Yet sick children were left to suffer for hours on hard plastic chairs. Some of them were fine to do so, but there were several who weren't, who were really suffering. They could have been lying down but weren't offered that.

Funnily enough the majority of the nasty bitches at school who were horrible bullies ended up becoming nurses.

I also had an ex who was a doctor and ended up being a grade A narcissist. I genuinely think he had some sort of undiagnosed mental illness.

Makes you wonder.

I saw this too - I once ask the nurse 3 times over the course of 2hrs for the pain meds I watched the dr approve in the system … kept saying I’ll check but she never did just sat chatting with others. I waited until nurse change over and new nurse sorted in 10mins.

Glad you are safe home. Hope you are ok - I am worried about your pancreas. Did they give you that ct scan?

it didn't cost him nothing, unless neither he nor his parents have ever paid tax in their lives.

In defence, when my DD had an issue, an ambulance arrived quickly, admitted straight into A&E, and after a series of tests and scans, we had a bed up on the children's ward. We never made it up there, as the tests all came back, reviewed, and we were allowed home. Whole thing was about 5/6 hours. They even provided us with freshly made sandwiches in A&E - no cost!

The nurses and doctors were fabulous, especially with a very scared child. It still took her a good couple of months to get over the incident - but that could have been much worse with uncaring staff. (And tbf the school supported her really well as well).

I wonder if the difference is we weren't at a big city hospital, but a smaller rural "large" town?

And I'm sure each hospitals leaderships teams must make a massive difference.

Exactly. Collapsed, seriously ill or bleeding, you'll be seen quickly. Tummy ache but otherwise stable you will have to wait.

I've noticed that too. The worst seem to gravitate towards mental health or a&e.

The police have a reputation for being bullied but actually the majority are decent people. The real bullies & narcissist are in the NHS

I was abroad in a European country and I ended up with DVT - a blood clot in my leg that unfortunately went up to my lungs (pulmonary embolism) after getting off my 3 hour flight .i am late 30s, don’t smoke or drink and I have absolutely no history of blood issues or been hospitalised for anything in my life and this came a shock.

Their ambulance came within an hour then a&e took a blood test within 2 hours of me arriving then did a scan on my lungs within another 1 hour. Then almost immediately admitting me and giving me life saving injections and putting me in a blood transfusion for anaemia once they’re analysed the imaging scan . They were brilliant and I’m grateful.

I am still so traumatised by the whole thing, but I kept thinking if this was in the UK I wouldn’t have got treated fast enough.

Here in the UK I went to the a&e a few weeks later upon returning to check if the clots had came back after my flight back as I’d been feeling off. I ended up being in there for 28 hours, no bed - sat in a chair.

They kept focusing on the absence of a swollen or red leg to dismiss my concerns, even though I tell them my leg wasn’t swollen or red (it doesn’t go red as I have brown skin!) when I had the DVT/ pulmonary embolism.

I am on blood thinners so I’ve been told it’s under control anyway even if any more blood clotting does happen. But my issue was when the doctors are saying I don’t have it based on a prescriptive check list.

I think if I’d been in the UK instead of abroad, the NHS would also have dismissed me on the basis that I don’t have any of the other risk factors for DVT and that it was only a short haul flight. So they would have refused to do the scan that showed the blood clot.

I’ve been a lot less worried about it since hearing the treatment for new blood clots is blood thinners which I’m already on, but honestly I am just glad I wasn’t flying into the UK the first time I got this based on how prescriptive they can be about symptoms.

@Figcherry ah yea but see the downside is you have to live with the French in France so .... swings and roundabouts 😂

I'm sure that is a factor, but I've had to go with the other child for an A&E incident (same place), that wasn't requiring ambulance etc. We went in (on advice from 111) prepared with food, drinks, pack of cards etc and we were seen quickly, efficiently and out the door again after an x-ray. Took about 2 hours?

All staff friendly, explained things clearly, and lovely to deal with.

Hence wondering if size/location of hospital is a factor too.

Oh and I meant to add that basically I think the NHS is in chaos and needs urgent help based on what I’ve seen of A&E. i don’t know if their non urgent departments are as bad

I don’t know if that’s more money, organisational change or increased staffing or what but it’s not fit for purpose. It’s not right that a nation like the UK with all its resources has such a terrible A&E.

I’ve also had issues with GPs not taking my concerns seriously but that’s maybe another issue. Although I do wonder if some of the people who end up in A&E are there due to GPs fobbing them off.

We have been in A&E in 2024 twice and again this weekend , twice were ambulance rides, first arrived in 10 mins, mine took 15 mins, DH was unconscious having been in an accident and was bleeding from the head in a pool of blood, I actually thought he had died at first, one of those times one blow to the head will kill you immediately. Mine was chest pains having had a severe reaction to a new medication I had been put on, I have a heart condition. I had also been vomiting pretty much non stop for 14 hours so needed IV anti sickness meds. The other time I was sent was with suspected Cauda equine, which can paralyse you having been seen by an out of hours GP. That visit took the longest as they wanted an MRI which I had to wait for.

The NHS is in a state there is no denying that and they do make mistakes but the way they triage if they get it right means threat to life is always seen first and the big issue now is people attend because they can’t see a GP. I also think access to unsubstantiated information online about conditions has people panic. I was a nurse when very young. I really dislike how people have to explain their injuries and personal details in front of the waiting area. It does mean I could overhear clearly their medical issues, quite a few should absolutely have not been in attendance and it was a GP job. Ambulances are categorised by job which is why they ask so many questions, if non urgent you will get bumped down.

It’s always been underfunded. When it was founded in 1948 its budget after the first year cost double than anticipated. The development of modern medicine and our capacity to survive when chronically ill is part of its demise.

I totally agree. Small city here and our hospital is pretty good. We've never had to wait long in A&E, we have a walk-in out of hours GP, to people with winter bugs and tummy ache don't tend to go to any anyway. Also, our GP first directly to the children's assessment unit. So with kids you bypass it unless its an accident.

The last time my family called an ambulance, it arrived in about 20 minutes taken straight to hospital, straight onto a bed, bloods taken and treatment started within an hour. This was for something that required admission and a few days in hospital, but wasn't immediately life-threatening like a heart attack or stroke.

We've never had to wait long. But equally, we've never gone to A&E for something that could have been dealt with with a GP, or by going to a pharmacy. I don't doubt that there are pockets of poor practice, and times when people wait far too long, but I think we hear about the bad and not about the good.

I'm surprised in this instance that an ambulance was called, when it sounded a lot like a tummy bug.

Doncaster is fucking appalling. One of the doctors there was aggressive and shouted at me as I pleaded with him for help - even just a blood test as I felt very very unwell - so unwell I was being sick and couldn’t even drink properly. I made a formal complaint and no action was taken.

I'm glad you are okay now but why on earth did you call an ambulance when your mother had a car and could have driven you?

My husband said IV morphine was the only thing that stopped the pain of an inflamed gallbladder. Oral morphine didn't touch it.