Piss take waiting in A&E for an very very long time,

[SubwayAllTheWay]

I had a very sore neck, couldnt move it and was getting shooting pains every 5 mins. As I was near the hospital, I went in at 11am today. I was seen at 3pm. So i had to wait for nearly four hours with shooting pains to the point I had to leave the A&E reception to shout out my pain.

AIBU that this time takes the mick? I know ambulances have priority but If it takes that long, I would have phoned for an ambulance because then atleast i would get seen early.

It took the piss because there were people who seemed to be happy, able to walk but a sore wrist and they got seen after an hour of being there.

I didnt go to the doctors as i was in so much pain i thought i might faint and A&E seemed better idea as they could do a scan and find out the cause.

The triage nurse could clearly see you weren't a serious case. A and E is for urgent cases - ones where the person is bleeding, has a broken bone or a head injury or is experiencing a medical problem that deteriorates quickly such as a stroke or a heart attack. Anything else is for the GP.

So after waiting for four hours, would posters actually wait for another 2 to 3 hours for a scan? So that total time spent in the hospital was 7 hours? Would no one loose their patience?

All the posters on mumsnet must be saints!!! Live must be very peachy for them.

A percentage of our taxes go towards the NHS. Go, yes its free as you dont have to pay for it when you get there but you pay for it through your taxes.

I'll see you your trapped nerve and raise you biliary colic - four hour wait, there were people busy trying to die around me (i was an ambulance admission) so i waited my turn - i did however ask for painkillers as someone suggested and i was given them.

So you went to the hospital to get a scan but then didnt want to wait?

Alllllriiighty then.

YABU, you didn't have an accident, nor was it an emergency.

Should have gone to GP.

Subway would you expect someone with a suspected stroke to be told to wait so you could get a scan for a trapped nerve?

you taxes don;t even come close to covering the cost of NHS care

I am no saint but I would not have gone to A+E for neck pain - I would have seen a GP or gone to a walk in and WAITED

This boils my PISS.

Just wait until you have to hand your credit or debit card over when you go to A&E.
On top of paying your bloody taxes.

You might have thought you were an emergency, the trained staff clearly knew better. Obviously, as you were able to walk out and leave, and are now able to start threads on MN, you are not critically ill.

You should have gone to the GP.

You would not have been seen any quicker if an ambulance had brought you in, you would have just been given a free lift to wait in exactly the same queue.

WelshMaenad - my Dad (in his 80s) had horrendous sciatica last year.
He was severely hampered by it but, like you, never dreamt of going to A&E.
Oh, and by the way OP, my Dad has paid taxes for about 65 years (still does due to his work pension). Doesn't make him entitled though.

Have you watched '24 hours in A&E'?

They do not 'do ambulances first' they do people who need life saving interventions and urgent treatment first.

It isn't a sort of fast track drop in.

YABVU.

But sorry you had such a long and painful wait all the same.

I would feel impatient, and I would feel fed up, and I would feel mightily pissed off if I'm honest. But I would put my logical head on and realise that the reason I wasn't seen for four hours was because other people had more urgent problems. So, no, I'm not a saint, but I'm fairly logical. I hope with all my heart that if some day I ever end up in A&E with something life threatening, the staff attend to me first, instead of dealing with someone who has a sore neck, however painful that sore neck might be.

I've had a trapped nerve and, yes, it is painful, but, no its not a&e worthy, thats what doctors are for, especially as you refused treatment and just took painkillers anyway. Can't believe you have the nerve cheek to moan at having to wait 4 hours when you shouldn't have been there anyway. YABU.

YES i would wait, the NHS is a service not a miricle factory. My mum had to wait for four hours for an APPOINTMENT, that she had for a CAT scan, she was as arsey and unreasonable as you are being actually. Yes she was scared, yes it was a fucking long wait but when i saw the state of the people who were being put through as emergencies before her, i told her to shut the fuck up. Yes, i actually said that to my mother, because she was being an entitled twunt and i swear alot.

So bad you didn't stay to complete treatment. I love how you are able to diagnose other people and their need for care to.

DS has severe asthma, whenever he arrives in a and e he pretty much gets taken straight through. He doesn't always wheeze with his attacks so nobody else in the waiting room would know what was wrong with him. Without fail selfish idiots other people complain they have been waiting so why is he going through.

Just be greatful you are well enough to be able to wait. For those who arrive in an emergency 4 minutes could be the difference between life and death let alone 4 hours

I think most of us are suggesting that you shouldn't have gone to A&E in the first place, which might have avoided that 4 hour wait. Your GP might have been able to give you the same prescription more quickly. Even a pharmacist might have been able to recommend over-the-counter painkillers or advice to apply heat/ice etc.

In future if in doubt you can call NHS Direct who can give you advice on what to do and where to go if you need to be seen.

So, that is a resounding YABU then.

"So after waiting for four hours, would posters actually wait for another 2 to 3 hours for a scan? So that total time spent in the hospital was 7 hours?"

No, because i wouldn't have gone to A&E with your condition in the first place. I would have gine to my GP and got a referral for a scan if necessary.

They looked at you and assessed you as not having a stroke. They gave you painkillers,

There is usually such a long wait in A&E because people like you OP go there instead of your GP.

I had excruciating abdominal pain, I didn't know I was pregnant at the time, I was seen straight away due to the symptoms.

I had an ectopic pregnancy and my fallopian tube had ruptured.

No one else sat moaning about a sore neck or wrist would have seen that as I was taken in by ambulance.

If you would have been seen before me then there would definitely be something wrong with the system.

YABU

If I thought I was seriously ill enough to warrant a&e then yes I would've waited for the scan.

minimoumou "this boils my PISS" fantastic, im going to have to steal this phrase :)

Would posters actually wait for another 2-3 hours for a scan?

Of course they would if they were actually ill and needed the scan! They wouldn't have much choice! Unlike you, who was well enough to choose to go to A&E, and well enough to walk out!

To clarify, I have had a trapped nerve more than once and wouldn't dream of going to a&e.

OP, Google the delightful phrase "wallet biopsy", because that's what we'll be having here before much longer.

It'll make your hospital visit that was extended to four hours by a good triage decision seem like a pleasant day out.