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?!

Bizarre attitude. Who are you to guess? I once went temporarily completely blind in one eye. Could walk, talk, eat just fine but bloody concerning and they had to call the emergency eye Dr out for me. You just mind your own business - no one is there for fun. It's not the same as watching Casualty you know, not everyone is going to be screaming in pain or have a limb hanging off.

I’m in so much pain I don’t want to eat!

I have cancer. The oncology ward often sends me to A&E for urgent bloods if they are worried about something. I’m fine (ish), but it’s how they do things apparently. 🤷🏻‍♀️

You’re not in too much pain to be smug on mumsnet though, funny that…..

We’ve treated patients brought in on blue lights/death’s door who turned out to just have trapped wind. We’ve had patients who were laughing and joking and eating snacks who dropped dead in the waiting room.

There is absolutely no way to tell someone’s medical condition or need to be in a&e based on whether or not they can eat crisps. If there was, medical school would be a LOT shorter.

My husband has cancer. During treatment there are situations/symptoms that constitute a medical emergency and if they don't have room on the urgent care wing at the cancer hospital, he's diverted to A&E.

During that time he can look pretty well. He doesn't "visibly" have cancer, and he doesn't necessarily feel terribly unwell. But the reality is that in these situations he's at serious risk of sepsis or other complications and needs urgent attention.

A&E has unfortunately become the gateway to too many services, and suffers as a result as well as the fact that there are many people who do misuse it. But don't assume that all who don't meet your criteria of "visibly very unwell" all fall into the latter category.

When my daughter was in the depths of her ED, she was admitted many times and some of those we had to go through A & E. She would have to sit there and eat and drink if it was during her normal meal times. Probably some looking at her didn’t think she looked sick enough to be there.

Not true
When I was a nurse in a&e everyone who registered got an arm band for safety
Arm band doesn't mean that you have been admitted
The reason these people get past triage (at least where I worked ) was the consultants in A&E didn't like is re directing patients to pharmacy/ GP etc because it affected their numbers

I have had to sit in A&E multiple times with my children’s conditions. The only time we’ve been given wrist bands is when they’re being admitted and waiting for a bed.

Oh , and she’s dead now.

If you’re well enough to MN and start goady threads you don’t need to be there.

Maybe you should, might improve your brain function 🙄 not a single person is agreeing with you on this wind up thread, I'm not sure A&E can actually treat your smug pathetic attitude, lowest of the low trolling people on MN that have clearly had more experience than you, and not a tiny bit of self awareness of how you are coming across.

I for one hope that you are sat there for many, many hours longer and don't you dare consider a packet of crisps when you feel faint with hunger.

I’m presently waiting on an appointment following a referral by the audiology technician for something that she wanted further advice on and a minor issue for me. When I chased it up the appointment the consultants secretary told me to go to A& E ……..nah…….not doing that for something so minor I can wait

Well my partner had to spend a night in a&e thru was admitted recently with AF and tachy with an average heartbeat of 160 for 2 days (congenital heart issue) I took him some noodles in, to the outsider he looked fine, he could absolutely walk around and he probably snuck for a vape in the loo whilst waiting for the medication to bring his rythm down. Once hooked up to the monitors they were going crazy beeping though and there was no way they’d let him home.

Incorrect.

Yet you can start a thread on Mumsnet…

People eat to survive, stop feeling nauseous, stop fainting etc - they NEED to eat.

You don’t NEED to post on mumsnet.

They are obviously more poorly than you are.

A & E trip for me last week. Needed lots of IV treatment for a severe stomach bug. Got chatting to a few people during the treatment who could still eat - one had liver cancer, one had dangerously low iron - they were still able to talk and eat and walk around - so don’t be so bloody judgmental.

You are being so unreasonable 😂. I was literally dying as my immune system was attacking my brain and spinal cord but my Dad still brought me a McDonalds while they were trying to find me a bed to pump me full of steroids.

I had a pulmonary embolism when I was 20 which required a one week stay in hospital and if I was constantly getting my family to bring me maccies haha, I was gravely ill and required treatment but felt remarkably fine in myself. Had I thought of it whilst having a long wait a&e I probably wouldve done it then too!

Also had a wait because my antibiotics didn’t work and I needed some IV antibiotics so that’s a very good reason to be in A&E too, I was admitted for two days, which you don’t seem to think by one of your previous posts.

My son was eating crisps in A&E and later that very day had a cardiac arrest. He shouldn't have been there according to you.

OP there can be many hidden issues that you need to go to A&E for that you aren't aware of. I went suddenly deaf in one ear 5 years ago. I didn't go to A&E because it wasn't an emergency or so I thought. The advice online with sudden hearing loss is to go straight to A&E as the treatment is extremely time sensitive. Unfortunately I didn't get the treatment I needed and saw an ENT privately 2 week too late. 5 years on I have severe hearing loss and tinnitus. I had an infected bite over the summer and the pharmacist told me I needed to go to minor injuries as I couldn't get a GP appointment and I needed antibiotics. That's just a couple of examples, other people could have vision loss in one eye, unexplained numbness etc etc or have been advised to go by their GP. I sure there are people who don't need to be there or people with health anxiety but you simply can't tell by looking at someone what their issue is.

You are clearly not a medical professional. There are hundreds of different reasons why one might be in A&E and feel well enough to eat. Detached retina? Can't pee? Numbness and tingling in the groin area? TIA? One sided weakness? Just had a first seizure? Fell off a horse and might have a broken leg? Plus anything else that the GP or 111 have advised you to be there. Just because you can't eat doesn't mean that applies to anyone else. Some people may have waited 4 or 8 hours already and be starving and don't have any options other than the vending machine.

But not enough pain to stop you from judging people

You really are a loose goose OP, and you being so naive is actually triggering. Like no one, and I mean no one, wants to sit in an Emergency Department waiting for hours on end.

As someone who was recently refused an appointment beyond several weeks away by their GP for strong painkillers and 111 never called me back, I can understand why people end up in A&E if there is no minor injuries unit. The whole system is a joke.

I was referred to my GP for a prescription from A&E last month as no one else could prescribe it and by the time the GP called me, the nearest pharmacy was shut. Considering I was unable to drive due to pain, if I hadn't have had someone who could drive, I wouldn't have got the prescription and would have been left another night unable to move. I only ended up in A&E because 111 insisted I went and they sent me an ambulance, which I them declined via triage and my husband took me. I was in screaming levels of pain and I still didn't want to burden the system.

I very rarely contact my GP about anything, not even the pill these days, but I've needed them twice last month and both times they were beyond unhelpful. All the receptionists say is "we can't, we can't, we can't". They don't offer anything beyond that. Not even directing you to 111.

Well you’d not be nipping to Waitrose, would you?

Theres just no point arguing with people who have no critical thinking skills!