to be angry with this Dr in A&E??

[whenskiesaregrey]

I am currently 5-6 weeks pregnant. Yesterday I started getting some pain down my right side, predominantly just below my right rib. I was a bit worried but tried not to let it bother me too much. I had a mmc in August, and don't know if I am just reading into things too much.

Today, at about 11am, I started getting sharp pains in my right shoulder. I was in work at the time about 150 miles from home, and wasn't sure what to do. So I rang NHS Direct, who weren't that helpful to be honest. I remember from when I was miscarrying (there was a period of about 7 days where no-one was sure whether I was miscarrying or the pregnancy was ectopic) the midwife told me, if I ever had any shoulder pain to admit myself to hospital straight away. Having googled this, I know that it can be a sign of some internal bleeding, or irritation. I was worried that I was so far away from home, with a 2 hour journey at least. I also have my 2 year old DS with me, who was being minded by my dad at the time. There is an A&E about 5 miles from where I was working, so after about an hour I decided to go along.

After waiting for about an hour and a half in A&E, a Dr took my blood pressure and pulse, and then walked off. The Dr then came back in and asked what the problem was, so I explained. He then walked off again. 20 minutes later a nurse came in and requested a urine sample. I asked the nurse would it be better if I left my bladder full incase they were going to scan me, and she said 'we won't scan you here love, we don't do gynae stuff'. I was then told to go back to the waiting area. At this point I was wondering what I was actually waiting for if they wouldn't scan me, or they didn't do 'gynae stuff'' I waited for another 45 mins, and another Dr then shouted me in and asked what the problem was, so I explained again. He asked me if I had injured my shoulder, and if I had full range of movement etc, which I do. He then paused and asked 'so, what is it you are here for'. So I said that I was concerned about the possibility of the pregnancy being ectopic and that I had previously been told to look out for shoulder pain. He chuckled and said if I wasn't being sick or bleeding (which I'm not) it won't be ectopic. He said he had never heard of shoulder pain as a symptom of an ectopic pregnancy. I said it was a midwife that had told me about it previously, so he said 'I'll ask if anyone else has ever heard of it'. He then stood on the other side of the curtain and shouting around the assessment area 'has anyone ever heard of shoulder pain being a symptom of an ectopic pregnancy?' to which I heard a few replied of no. He then returned to the cubicle, shrugged his shoulders, laughed and said 'you must have misunderstood what you read, this isn't ectopic'. At which point I picked my coat up and walked out.

AIBU to be upset at his attitude? And AIBU to go to A&E with shoulder pain at 6 weeks pregnant? Is he right and have I misunderstood? I was so annoyed when I left; I felt like he spoke to me like a child. I explained to him I had had a miscarriage in August, but he still treated me like a silly little girl. Am I just being hormonal?

Sorry for such a ramble, I just wanted to include as much detail as possible.

Right shoulder tip pain is also very common after an op it's the gas( for want of a better word ) that they put into your system when operating on tummy area to move other organs out of the way and it needs to escape after the op, I had it after havin gall bladder removed it hurts like buggary, moving around and peppermint water us helpful

Is helpful

Thanks OP, that's exactly what I was wondering. My shoulders are round, they don't have anything I'd describe as a tip! I'm guessing it means at the top of your arm but I don't know.

Hope you feel better soon.

"Is this shoulder tip? It is about 1-2 inches from the very corner of my shoulder, so when it refers to 'shoulder tip' does it mean the very very tip?"

I'm pretty sure the shoulder tip refers to the tip of the shoulder blade, i.e. the pointy bit which is part way down your back.

Disgusting treatment Complain to PALS

www.pals.nhs.uk/cmsContentView.aspx?Itemid=944

I hope you feel better soon.

Please make a formal complaint. More than one reason. ON a lesser note he needs lessons on bedside manners. More worryingly never having heard of shoulder tip pain as a possible sign of ectopic pregnancy is rather dangerous IMO.

BTW shoulder tip refers to where your arm joins your shoulder.

Hope you are feeling better soon OP.

I complained of shoulder pain when I went in for a procedure. Turned out I was probably having a miscarriage but I was scanned by a consultant to make sure it wasn't an ectopic.

The nurse who saw me before and after the scan said that any mention of shoulder pain gets alarm bells ringing and they will always take it seriously. Rather 100 scans with nothing to be concerned about than 1 ruptured tube.

I wonder why this hospital is so poor at recognising this, he really made me doubt myself. They mustn't have a maternity department, but they are still an A&E.

I am tempted to make a formal complaint. When I left the A&E I sat in the car and looked up the symptoms of ectopic pregnancy to see if I had been mistaken and felt like going back in and showing him. I really hope and pray it doesn't have serious consequences for anyone in the hospital in future.

that's shocking stuff but I'm not that surprised. Our local EPU (major teaching hospital) now has a policy that they won't do scans before 8 weeks even for women (like me) with a history of ectopic. When I rang up and pointed out that I was rushed into emergency surgery at 6 1/2 weeks when I had my ectopic, so 8 weeks would be rather too late, the nurse graciously brought forward the scan to...7 weeks.

I've also heard a doctor in that same unit (so not even just a generalist!) tell a woman that she could go home secure that nothing would happen in the next few days, as ectopics never rupture as early as 5 weeks. Well, through the ectopic pregnancy trust I know a number of women who ruptured as early as that, and some even earlier.

For such a common condition, the medical ignorance that surrounds it is utterly disgraceful. People must die because of it, or at the very least have their future fertility seriously compromised because of a ruptured ectopic that could have been picked up earlier.

OP, I hope you are ok and that you get reassurance asap. Complain in the strongest terms about that doctor! Copy in the chief executive of the hospital which ensures that it will get acted on.

Ooh, you went to Solihull? That's not really a proper A&E (closes overnight ), I always go to Heartlands (though have only used their kids service). If you do go back, would use different hospital.

Do make a formal complaint.

I am kind of thinking along the lines of saying you should go to Heartlands if you are still concerned, not really that far from Solihull hospital. They havea big A&E and a maternity unit.

TBH not having a maternity unit and being a part time A&E /MIU is no excuse for what he did and said. Not having the full capacity in fact makes it more important that staff are capable of recognising potential warning signs of more serious conditions and either ruling them out (properly that is) or refering to people who can.

So sorry to hear that libelulle, no wonder you have a strong opinion on it. I was always under the impression that it was commonly known how threatening an ectopic pregnancy was.

BOBS I'm not from the area so asked NHS Direct where the nearest A&E was to me. I was near the NEC. The lady at the reception asked me if I had ever been to Heartlands; I had no idea what she meant!

Are you still near the NEC or are you home now?

Tbh Minus, one of the things I thought might be happening while I was sat waiting was that they might be referring me somewhere else for a scan, obviously not. I am still rather annoyed that I had to wait 2 and a half hours, and pay £4 for nothing. But that's not my main issue.

I am home now, a lot more familiar with my local hospital, it is where I had DS.

Make a formal complaint. Dr was an arse. (dr) DH says it is a very rare symptom of eptopic pregnancy but as a dr dealing with a patient he was an unprofessional arse, as a dr dealing with a justifiably worried pregnant woman he was a giant unsympathetic arse and out of line.
Dr's are supposed to treat people and such they should deal with their worries and concerns as well as their physical symptoms (whether rational or irrational) they still need to be dealt with professionally and sympathetically. Most Dr's can do this to some extent, now and then a complete numpty slips through the training without realising they are an arse and then as patients we need to make sure they know that it is not acceptable to interact with people that way.
So make a complaint - it will go on his record and if he is a junior dr may even come up at his next training assessment.

I was less than 6 weeks when I had mine removed too. I was told I would be given an internal scan early on as a precaution if I became pregnant again but when I got pg I was told that they don't do that!?

I would definitely complain when you are feeling better OP. There is so much wrong with how you were treated. The doctor was dismissive, not at all reassuring, didn't seem to know much about ectopic pg, laughed at you and shouted your medical business all over the a and e. He needs to be told that these things aren't acceptable!

Please don't be tempted to make a complaint - just make the complaint. This doctor was outrageously rude.

Can I still make a complaint if I don't know what the Drs name is?

You are right and the guy had nno idea.

Ring your GP and ask to be referred on to an EPU. Early pregnancy unit. They often prefer to do external exams and can do them from about 7 weeks i think. Internal scans can be done earlier. They can also take your bloods a few days apart to see how your levels are increasing. Ectopics have a slower increase usually.

Good luck xx

Yes you can say when you arrived, plus they must have something on record.

Absolutely. If you give details of when you attended etc he will have had to make an entry in your A&E notes so they will be able to work out who it was. Even if it wasn't making a complaint could help identify procedural and or training issues in the department in general which would be of benefit to future patients.

I should think so. It will be on your notes who saw you.

Are you still having the pain? You didn't say, I think...

Could you go into your local hospital if you trust them to be competent?

Best of luck, I do hope everything works out for you.

Okay, once I know everything is okay (hopefully), I will make a complaint. Hopefully some actual notes will have been made, as he didn't actually do anything, and it was a different Dr that took my blood pressure, and a nurse took my temperature in the corridor. So, he did the least out of the three people I saw.