AIBU to be angry at A&E?

[fashu]

I'm currently in hospital A&E, I've been here for 9 and a half hours. I'm 35 weeks pregnant. AIBU for getting upset or should I just suck it up?

At 8pm last night I had the oncoming of a migraine, funny vision, light-headedness etc.
I went to tell my husband and called the midwife, then started having a chat with DH. Mid conversation I started talking nonsense. Instead of car I was was saying mayonnaise, on top of other things I was just talking crap.
I tried to Google the symptoms and I couldn't type either. I couldn't think of what I wanted to write, although I knew what I was doing and when I did think of the words it looked like this 'hdhcjsk'

I panicked a bit and went back to my husband and then I went completely numb on in my hands and my mouth. I panicked and told him to call an ambulance. Ambulance came just over an hour later and said I needed to go to hospital as it sounds like a mini stroke.
Queue major panic mode!

Paramedics called maternity unit they said its not for them but keep them updated.

So I arrived in an ambulance at A&E just after 12am. Went to majors and the triage said to wait in waiting room and they will tell senior doctors.

Well I'm still waiting. 35 weeks pregnant on a hard metal chair. For 9 and a half hours. Panicking that I've had a mini stroke.

I've told the reception and nurses several times that my belly is now hurting from sitting for so long and being awake for 26 hours. I asked for water and they said I had to use the vending machine for a can of coke.
Receptionist told me I'm not poorly enough for a bed or the arm chairs.

I'm so upset, emotional and scared. DH has dropped kids off at my mums now as they were asleep and didn't want to disturb them in the night.

But, am I right to be upset or is this just how it is? Surely a pregnant woman with suspected mini stroke should be left for this long alone without treatment?

Hope you’re okay OP. Sounds awful. I went to our urgent care centre with my DC on Christmas Eve with scarlet fever (confirmed cases at his nursery) and they did eventually prioritise. The nurse was horrified that no one had flagged the 2.5yo sat for over (although only) 3 hours when he should be getting excited about Santa. Hope you’re better soon and best wishes for the rest of your pregnancy.

I am so sorry this has happened and hope they find out it is something not too serious. It is clear that the NHS is just not running properly. You should not have had to wait this long, it is shocking.

However just to share we live in the US now and my employer pays $24k a year for health insurance for the 4 members of our family and if we end up in hospital we are expected to pay the first 3 k of the bill which would run at 2-10k per night typically depending on what care you get.
So the private system is very efficient, I can speak to a doctor on the phone within a couple of hours, see specialists far more quickly but the cost of it is very high. Is the average family putting 24K into the NHS each year via National Insurance contributions and willing to pay 3 k for a hospital admission?

So whilst the NHS is not working properly, it is still free and if people want better care it has to be subsidized better which probably means people paying far more in to the system than is currently the case. That would also ensure nurses get paid more. In the US nurses make 80-125k a year so it is a very desirable career over here, but everyone is paying for this more efficient system which runs as a business which is so awful for anyone used to the NHS .

The state of the NHS now terrifies me. I have had to be admitted twice through A & E in the last year and it was extremely traumatic with a long wait both times. In my 20s I had an ectopic pregnancy and my tube ruptured and I presented at A & E having lost a considerable amount of blood and in shock. The treatment I received saved my life. Again in my 40s I suffered biphasic anaphylaxis and an ambulance was with me within 10 minutes of being called. The paramedics saved my life. If either of these happened today, I seriously have doubts that I would survive either.

What a terrifying experience. I hope you’ve had good news and are having a proper rest. I hadn’t realised things had got quite so bad.

I don’t know what’s going on with the NHS in recents poster’s areas but it’s nothing like that in our local hospital. All departments are brilliant. The NHS bashing that goes on here is ridiculous.

Your treatment was appalling, absolutely disgusting. A hospital without a supply of drinking water, what the fuck is wrong with this country?
I hope you and baby are both ok. All I can suggest is you keep a log of all your non-treatment, the lack of drinking water etc.. and complain through PALS at a later date.

@stressedoutstudent
There's nothing we can do to aid wait times across the trust and the wider community, but if we can improve satisfaction and comfort, then we will do what we can.

Thank you very much - as a patient your comments are really encouraging. The issue seems to be that many Trusts have no time for 'Not Invented Here' suggestions, no matter how good they are.
In my local Trust, a couple of simple changes (less than £200) would massively reduce risks to patients and a bit of common sense (reviewing those in the queue, not keeping people in their late seventies in A&E for an additional 5 hours waiting for discharge) would make a big improvement in patient satisfaction.

unfortunately 12 hr wait is common. You’ve been assessed & triaged according to need. ED is noisy, busy and you’ll understandably be feeling anxious. I hope your dh arrives soon to reassure you and advocate for you. The advice to exaggerate or make up symptoms is misplaced and potentially creates unnecessary stress eg maintaining the lie and is a distraction from the actual true diagnosis

Staff are working under gruelling conditions and pressure. The system is creaking under the pressure. The understandable ire and complaints should be directed to the Government and DoH. They are responsible for the funding. People should be getting aerated at the govt rather than the overwhelmed staff and broken system

Posted too soon. Do complain to PALS regard lack of water, the harsh treatment in ED by staff. I am glad you’re feeling better and I hope you make a recovery. Best wishes going forward and I hope you have a safe pregnancy

Are you saying their personal experience is meaningless because you had a better experience?

It's not bashing to say this isn't good enough sick people arnt going to get better dehydrated in fact in most cases they will get worse how is that helpful? Making people worse so they stay longer should not be a priority it happens so often you almost think its policy (obvious it isnt) but not providing fluids is incredibly short sighted

@Viviennemary no, OP probably had a stroke.
You are not being helpful.
Good luck with MRI OP 💐

So sorry to hear this and really hoping for the best for you. Really stressful.
Had tough visits to a and e recently too though nicer staff, saw someone with sepsis waiting hours for treatment.
Wish govt could see that even though times are tight money wise people would give a lot to have a functioning NHS. The crisis is due to a lot of things but particularly funding (one of the lowest spending per head in the G7) and underfunding of social care

I hope you're doing better OP.

What is particularly interesting is that for all the talk of private medicine, to my knowledge none of the private hospitals provide A&E. and if anything diverts from the norm following surgery they aren't equipped for that either. You would get moved to the NHS for any post operative care that was outside of the expected norm.

Private healthcare is a red herring in relation to accident or emergency.

If them having a&e facilities was profitable they’d already have them.

You’ve surpassed yourself there.

at least read all of the Op’s posts before giving out stupid and dangerous advice

Let’s not diagnose online. CVA a has not been confirmed. Needs further tests eg MRI and CT scans. cerebral venous thrombosis has similar symptoms to a CVA, an inpatient admission is necessary for further exploration & treatment
@Viviennemary your post was unnecessarily harsh and you’re unable to safely say what is an emergency or not based on mn posts

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/dec/28/two-in-three-uk-doctors-suffer-moral-distress-due-to-overstretched-nhs-study-finds?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

I am glad you have the treatment you need.
You should have been assessed more quickly but I am guessing that despite the severity of your symptoms they where just unable to see you within recommended time.
💐

It really shouldn't make you laugh, it should make you outraged. The fact that's it's been like this for (quite) a while doesn't make it any more acceptable or ease the OP's natural concerns or discomfort.
Are you suggesting we should all have a 'oh, well, never mind' attitude while crucial services are stripped away.
We're the 7th richest global economy, how on earth can this be going on?

I understand maybe not a public fountain, but there wasn't even any water for sale in the vending machine, the ' best option' was vimto zero.

How about getting water from the bathrooms?

Unless there’s a tap which says “drinking water” it’s probably not safe to drink. Fine to wash with, but not to drink.

Wales receives an NHS funding grant from central UK government which has also been shredded, so you can't blame Labour for that

Ensuring a patient is hydrated and NOT shouting at patients equals basic nursing. In the UK water is still free and not shouting at people costs nothing. Every time I go to the GP or a hospital I am confronted by signs saying "we have a zero tolerance approach to abuse". I hear far more staff being abusive/rude to patients than vice versa. It works both ways.

@fashu Really hoping it's a migraine and you are now on your way home.

This.