A&E

[imanastronaut]

I’m currently sat in A&E for an injury. Multiple people have been walking in and out (they’re patients) to pick up takeaways, go outside for a cigarette, go to the vending machines etc. patients are wearing wristbands so it’s obvious who’s who!

AIBU to think if you can do that, you should be directed away from A&E to somewhere more appropriate for a minor injury?!

Did you need to be there jf you could observe all this?

Is it? I’d say sitting quietly scrolling isn’t very different to eating junk food!

If you're lucky they will give you some of the good painkillers and you'll get the munchies and really want that vending machine.

@imanastronaut OP, I was recently admitted for six weeks with a kidney infection and sepsis. If you saw me in the waiting room, I was scrolling my phone, I ate a McDonalds wrap my DP brought me after a 8 hour wait. If I took your “advice” to go elsewhere, I’d be dead.

Do you know how long everyone else has been waiting?

Dont be so silly

Omg I haven't heard that term for years! My Nan always used to say it

My father was recently hospitalised with sepsis, with his kidneys failing and really escalating infection, and they still had him pop down to the café in the hospital at one point.

My children have both had serious hand injuries lately (crushed fingers and broken bones) and we've been told to go to A&E in order to get triaged for minor injuries both times. They were running about the place as children do and we were up and down the whole time. Doesn't mean we didn't need to be there to get the treatment we required.

People can be unwell in all sorts of ways, and the hospital may have specifically required some of them to be there. So mind your business.

Not all medical emergencies cause pain or render someone unable to eat you know.

I used to work in an A&E & once a woman came in to see a dr because she wanted plasters for her blisters that she got whilst shopping in the same city centre the hospital was in. She could have picked up plasters in the many, many shops in the city centre that she went shopping in & the hospital was in. The hospital was also across the road from a convenience store which sold plasters 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

I was in no pain at all, and could eat no problem ... I walked into A and E (from the bus stop) chatting on the phone to my husband... whilst having a heart attack.

I knew something was up, a little discomfort in my jaw and collar bone and a feeling of all pervasive, impending doom. But nice to know pain and inability to eat are serious symptoms.
I needed to be there. Lots of other people who look like they are living their best lives do too.

How is it silly?

You don’t need to be in a&e if you can eat shit, vape and walk about the place

I wish, we have no walk in clinic near us. If you can't get a out of hours GP appointment and it's over a weekend and can't wait then they only option is A&E. This is frustrating as you will see lots of people in our local A&E who could be seen at a minor injuries unit if we actually had one.

I sat in A&E for 12 hours not so long ago and yes, I went outside to vape, got food from the vending machine and walked around (numb bum anyone?). I also needed to be there as I was having a reaction to my medication that can potentially be fatal.

I'm sorry you're feeling so rubbish but don't take it out on others.

I had broken my nose/cheebones - looked awful.

Absolutely starving as hasn’t eaten for hours. Luckily the food trolley came round and I wolfed down a sandwich and cup of tea ☕️ when I saw wolfed I mean chewed very slowly!!

I wasn’t really in pain but was waiting to be stitched up and for max fax to come down at that point. I was already in Majors by then.

I know you’re trying to say there are time-wasters, and there are, but you can’t always tell. Anyone at death’s door will be in resus.

This can’t be real 😂

No one can lack this much empathy or understanding that other people suffer other symptoms to you.

Our minor injuries unit closed. There is an 'urgent treatment' centre but it's a 35 minute drive from here (not on a bus route) and has specific opening hours. The A&E is about 10 minutes drive (buses from all nearby towns) and is open 24/7. My GP surgery has a 3 week wait for appointments.... Guess what? People go to A&E.

They come round offering sandwiches to patients in our A&E waiting room. I wonder if it's a trap to weedle out malingerers.

It’s exactly the same where we are - our nearest walk in is nearly two hours away. It’s incredibly frustrating but what else are people supposed to do?

This is a ridiculous comment. You can be seriously unwell and still be able to walk, eat and vape.

You're not getting it are you op. Stop judging people, you clearly don't like people judging you 😂

If you’re well enough to be observing everyone and forming an opinion on their status, perhaps you shouldn’t be there.

Are you in A&E after a fall? As per another recent thread?

Im a nurse, you have no idea how wrong you are.

I did this about 12months after I had sepsis. It was absolutely the correct decision. I went straight from triage into majors having skipped the entire 4hr wait, ended up being admitted and then having emergency surgery. I was feeling fine other than having suddenly developed an extremely high temp after I’d taken the second dose.

when I had sepsis I went shopping first then walked into ED after catching the bus there. I was really really sick.

i noticed that you aren’t in so much pain you can’t post on MN. Which is usually the MN criteria for whether you need ED or not.