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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this 999 operator will be the death of someone?

36 replies

MadHattersWineParty · 04/03/2015 21:31

So, basically, at the age of 29 and out of the clear blue sky, on Saturday night I had a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in my lung)

I had had a few symptoms I should have listened to a bit more but I didn't, I continued as normal until on Saturday afternoon I found myself seriously out of breath doing things like taking a shower, and when I coughed, there was blood.

I was staying with my friend, she called the ambulance. She explained I was not able to talk for myself as was breathless and coughing up considerable amounts of blood at this point.

She's been put through to the ambulance department and basically she was told I was having a nosebleed, so I should pinch my nose and go to my GP in the morning if I felt I really needed to, and the breathlessness was due to me being anxious. My friend is very articulate. She stressed the symptoms several times, but was told an ambulance would not be sent.

We went out and flagged down a cab, while I'm in bits with chest pain and coughing blood into sheets of kitchen roll.

Things happened very quickly once at a&e, blood test then scan then on a ward to start anti-coagulant treatment. Everybody I've encountered whilst in the hospital have been fantastic.

It's all been put down to a contraceptive pill I switched to recently, but it was life-threatening, and if I'd followed the advice of the operator, things might not have turned out very well at all.

Now I'm a bit better, I am very angry. I have to complain don't I- do they still record calls?! Surely something has to be done, even if it's only more training. She could dish out that advice and someone might not go and get the help they need.

OP posts:
MrsTawdry · 04/03/2015 21:34

Well yes you DO have to complain! Poor you! It sounds dreadful. Flowers

Methe · 04/03/2015 21:34

Yes you do have to complain. That sounds absolutely shocking :( I hope you are feeling better now, it must have been absolutely terrifying.

Waitingonasunnyday · 04/03/2015 21:34

That is scary. Glad you are ok! Definitely complain. Thank goodness for your friend's persistence and the taxi being around.

spookyskeleton · 04/03/2015 21:36

Yes you should put in a complaint so that no-one else finds themselves in this position. However they do have a very strict pathway/script so not sure how they could have got it so wrong.

The ambulance service will have a complaints department so write to the head office with as much detail as you can in respect of the time of the call. They do record the calls so they will be able to identify and investigate it.

Hope you recover well.

cookielove · 04/03/2015 21:36

Yes definitely complain!

catsofa · 04/03/2015 21:37

Yes do complain, yes calls are recorded. Thank goodness you survived!

Catzeyess · 04/03/2015 21:37

That's awlful! I'm glad you are feeling better Flowers

Who tells someone who is coughing up blood and can't breathe they have a nosebleed?! Definately complain!

NameChange30 · 04/03/2015 21:38

I agree you should complain! Thank goodness your friend was persistent and got you in a taxi. Hope you're ok now. Flowers

Topseyt · 04/03/2015 21:46

Absolutely complain. Someone experiencing severe breathing difficulties and coughing up significant amounts of blood is surely an emergency.

I have no experience of the job of a 999 operator. I am sure it is no walk in the park and interpreting things from the other end of the phone must be difficult at times, but I find it hard to imagine, based on what you have said, how she could have been so certain it was a nosebleed. Should she not have erred on the side of caution and dispatched paramedics to assess you urgently? They would have begun some treatment and paged for an ambulance, I am sure.

RandomNPC · 04/03/2015 21:48

That's really bad, dangerous and should be reported. Breathlessness and coughing up blood is a definite red flag! Ridiculous to make the assumption that anxiety is the cause, absolutely ridiculous.

RandomNPC · 04/03/2015 21:51

Plus, if if it had been a nosebleed so far back in your nasal passages that it was draining into your throat and not through your nostrils, it would require urgent packing and be a medical emergency anyway! It's not as if you could apply pressure yourself.

IAmAllImportant · 04/03/2015 21:51

You had absolute text book symptoms of a PE, you do need to report it.

Musicaltheatremum · 04/03/2015 21:52

When I see the rubbish that ambulances get sent for this sounds crazy. I would complain too. Hope you're ok.

Original poster
MadHattersWineParty · 04/03/2015 21:52

This is what was confusing- I thought there was a computer system that flagged up things that could potentially be very serious.

Phone was on speaker so I heard it all- after putting us on hold, she came back and told us that nosebleeds can look and feel scary at times but that was what it was and we could phone 111 for more advice if we wished, but there was nothing else she could offer us as it wasn't a medical emergency.

Except it WAS.

OP posts:
londonrach · 04/03/2015 21:55

Complain! You have a duty to. Hope you feeling better soon. (Still not forgiven the 999 operator who refused to send an ambulance when my friend at uni fitted for 5-6 hours none stop. We all monitored her but when it went on for longer than normal we called 999 to be told we were doing a nuisance call. Phone number from from uni halls. None of us had been drinking as we all be monitoring her worried. Another friend had to wake a lecturer at midnight in the end in the hope they believe us as they refused to listen to us. When she returned my hospital, with new medication, my friend slept for 48 hours solid). So please complain!!!!!

kormachameleon · 04/03/2015 21:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Bunnyjo · 04/03/2015 21:57

Please do complain.

I have complained about a Paramedic in the past. DS was 3mth at the time and running a fever of 40°c. I called our OOH GP (it was a Saturday night) and during the process of the conversation they decided to call an ambulance. The Paramedic was very unconcerned and put everything down to a neurotic mum calling an ambulance (I didn't - the OOH GP did) and he said "Well, we have to take you to hospital as DS is under 16. Another wasted journey!"

Upon admittance to A&E we were rushed into paediatrics and within hours DS had a lumbar puncture and began treatment for suspected bacterial meningitis. Thankfully DS only had rotavirus, but it was the most scary time of my life; I will never forget the paediatric consultant (who was called in on the early hours of Sunday morning) saying, "We plan for the worst and hope for the best".

My complaint was dealt with seriously and sensitively and I am glad I complained.

Bunnyjo · 04/03/2015 21:59

I forgot to add, DS was also displaying many other worrying symptoms, not just a fever.

goodasitgets · 04/03/2015 22:00

Calls are recorded, best to contact service directly or patient experience
We are only human, and yes errors do happen but flag it up, they will listen to the call and go from there

IHateHelloKitty · 04/03/2015 22:00

Glad you are ok, it happened to me too for the same flippin reason and I can only wish you to recover well and good luck with the treatment.

Y definitely NBU. I too was told to "get some rest" and calm down even though I could barely articulate anything and was alone so had to call 911 myself. There should be a way to report this, no idea how though.

Note for all reading - If you feel what is happening is serious and cannot pinpoint the exact symptom always say "chest pain" or "closing throat". Those words light up the red light in any emergency care worker's head, however competent.

youarekiddingme · 04/03/2015 22:03

Bloody he'll - definitely complain. Glad your ok.

And Bunny Shock glad your DS was ok too.

BunnyFint · 04/03/2015 22:03

Definately complain. Shortness of breath and heamoptysis are huge Pae red flags. huge if the call handler was a paramedic you can also complain to the HCPC.
Scary and very dangerous advice.

BunnyFint · 04/03/2015 22:04

PE*

QueenBean · 04/03/2015 22:07

How terrible for you OP, that sounds very scary

I had chest pains which turned out to be an asthma attack (i had never had one before) but they treated that as a PE and I was rushed to hospital in an ambulance. No blood coughing though so not even as bad as yours.

If you're constantly reliving the "what ifs" of the situation then consider seeing a counsellor for a short time, you may be suffering some traumatic after-effects

mommy2ash · 04/03/2015 22:09

that is really bad. im glad you got seen to.

here they don't give medical advice when you ring from an ambulance but instead stay on the phone with you till it arrives and read from a sheet of standard questions with no deviations depending on your answer. it makes an already stressful situation even worse.

i once had to phone for a family member who had taken an unknown quantity of pills from an unmarked bottle. for all intents and purposes they appeared in a deep sleep but obviously not being a medical professional i couldn't make that call.

the lady on the phone read over the same sheet at least four times disregarding the situation or the answers i had given her. she kept asking me if he was moving around despite me telling her he was unconscious. she wanted me to lift him from the chair even though im quite small and this person was over 15 stone, she wanted me to wake him up even though again he was unresponsive and i had no way of knowing what would happen if i were able wake him. it was ten minutes of going over the same thing again and again. i know its their job but it really didn't help the situation at all.