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?

The cult of the NHS.
The NHS is top of the pile when it comes to our societal norm of saying one thing in company, but thinking quite another. As a result, no one in the organisation is ever answerable for its failings, and there are a sizeable number of wage thieves and piss poor attitudes in its ranks. Waiting times and waiting lists are atrocious, and it won't change any time soon.

I think that poster meant it in an ironic way
Not in that she was finding it hilarious .

Some people are too stupid to understand irony.
Thank you @x2boys

Widowtwankywashroom

Believe me, if at triage her symptoms, history were indicative of a stoke then she would have been in resus and CT'd before you could blink.

What is your problem? Her symptoms didn't change. When they finally got round to assessing her properly her condition was serious enough for admission and an MRI. That was the position as well when she first arrived more than 9 hours earlier. Why on earth are you attempting to justify this? The staff didn't prioritise her properly. End of story. Let's hope they've not caused permanent damage to OP or her unborn child.

When I was in hospital recently having urgent surgery (for which I'm truly grateful to live in a country where that could be facilitated), I can honestly say the nurse staff were horrific, rude, surly, and made error after error - serious ones.

I'm going to compile a list in bullet point form to send to the hospital so they're aware, it's not a 'legal action' situation but at any point it could have been.

I'm also going to feedback to the consultants I was under as my surgery was difficult but successful - the nurse staff compromised my life, how can surgeons and anaesthetists work with nurse staff who can undo the hard work they've just done in one fell swoop?

One nurse told me they mostly all work three 14 hour days per week. I had asked her because she was there at 07:00 and still at 19;00. That doesn't seem reasonable to me and explains the serious bitchy miserable moody attitudes. One member of nurse staff said something so completely outrageous about me to my own friend that we were shocked and discussed what to do about it - at this point he came literally crying and begging for forgiveness and said he'd spoken out of turn because he was in a hateful mood. He was young and from a far away country of origin, I guess one complaint from us and he'd have lost his job and his right to reside in the UK or such like? He was begging and pleading, we ended up comforting him.

But anyone who thinks nurses are ran off their feet little angels obviously hasn't been in hospital for a long time - they're clearly extremely unhappy with serious 'control' issues and taking their hate and sadism out on patients. They're also not the sharpest tools in the box and I query how they ever passed sufficient exams to be doing the job in the first place (or maybe they haven't?).

You always sound like such a wonderful nurse. Just wanted to thank you for the compassion in your posts! x

It sounds exactly like pre eclampsia and should be seen by the maternity unit.

Hope you’re getting some rest OP. CVT can be serious, I’m pleased you’re finally being reviewed and treated.

Sounds like a hemiplegic migraine. I get these and they’re awful and totally debilitating!
Really scary but just the worst migraine imaginable - hopefully it is that rather than anything more sinister.

mine were always worse in pregnancy but only a big issue if I couldn’t keep water down.

When you’re not pregnant (if you are unlucky enough to get them) I find triptans help.

At what point did I say it was funny?
Your first sentence: Really makes me laugh

Have you ever seen what a department full of drunks, people on drugs and a lot of bored kids do to a water fountain in A&E? There's a reason we don't have one anymore, sadly the public can't be trusted not to flood the floor and smash the machine (happened every 2-3 days when we tried)

Sounds like an awful migraine of the type I used to get. Auras and aphasia - the inability to talk properly or read etc. I would be worried and am surprised you have been left waiting when you are 35 weeks pregnant, but there are probably people with acute emergencies coming through.

Be careful what you wish for.

The Welsh NHS is in an even worse state than England and that's been under Labour control for many years. Over £120m has gone "missing" from Betsi Cadwaladr trust alone

Probably in a different country - maybe a different European country.

I have done some research and see that most surgeons and anaesthetists are self employed and work freelance. Some are connected to hospitals / institutions by way of teaching posts at training hospitals or such but most are not. They earn far more money that I had believed possible. So I guess they know what they're doing, they gauge their risk, and they have insurances that cover them. It's a high pressure high risk job and I respect them but to know you're turning your patient over to the 'care' of a deathly dysfunctional admin and nurse staff must feel strange.

Unfortunately the knock on from closing out of hours GPs and minor incident units means that everyone ends up at A&E whether suitable or not. Call 111 with chest pains and they have to send you to A&E even though this could be muscular, GERD and a number of other conditions.

Conditions that could be treated suffer with a lack of budget so are left until they become chronic (which costs so much more overall) and also often end up at A&E. Reactive healthcare doesn’t work - prevention is so much better than cure but the knock on effect of a
lack of investment, mismanagement and covid means without a drastic change then it will only get worse.

Wishing you good health OP and anyone else in A&E

Long days are normal IME ,I don't doubt your experience
But I think its unfair to write.off an entire profession
There will be ,good, bad and mediocre staff
When my son was critically ill earlier this year the nursing staff were exceptional whilst he was in critical care
When he went to A general ward the care was more hit and miss.

Have they checked your blood pressure to rule out preeclampsia?

It presents as headaches, visual disturbance, light sensitivity, stomach pain, anxiety and confusion and is very much a 'maternity' issue.

You should really be in the maternity unit.

On top of that (and I don't want to scare you) but I would request a scan for peace of mind. I unfortunately had symptoms like that with my loss, I suddenly couldn't think straight and just started crying as I didn't know the answers to anything we didn't know it was a loss (MMC) as there was no other symptoms in my case.

What a bitter and inhumane response. If a heavily pregnant woman, who has been waiting hours, is desperate for a drink of water, you could get off your arse (you'd only need to be away from the nurses station for 60 seconds, i'm sure one of your colleagues would keep your seat warm) and get her it from the cooler inside the department.

@fashu make sure you get the names of staff refusing you the most basic of care (hydration, in this instance) and make sure to include their details in your written complaint.

Have you heard of irony ?

Makes you laugh? Staff cannot do anything? They think the situations like that are acceptable? Then no amount of money will help NHS.

No staff don't think it's acceptable
Staff are going home distressed after shifts, crying in corridors, suffering moral injury because of it, no one thinks it's ok, but I ask you, what can we do?

So your son was treated well that means the system is working?

I didn't say that
I said they need to prioritize patients if he hadn't got immediate. Treatment he would have died
No.its not acceptable that people are having long waits but patients are. Prioritized, for a reason

Poor you, I had a similar episode when I was pregnant with my youngest and it was genuinely frightening. Luckily it turned out OK but the idea of sitting that long to be seen on top of everything makes me furious for you. Please keep us posted.