Sent home from A&E in SHAME - told that I have constipation :(

[alis74]

On Tuesday i had really bad pain on my lower back (right hand side), it hurt to walk, breathe in, sneeze and trying to get a good night sleep agony. I also felt queazy. I felt so bad yesterday Wednesday I went to my GP, who sent me to A&E.

Got to A&E given Tylex (which helped) seen doctor, did a urine test (which showed blood) then an x-ray. Still felt awful. Consultant called me with x-ray results (in front of my mum!!! which is ok) and told me it - is - poo!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seen it on x-ray, she told me it was just constipation and my bowel was blocked. I asked (whilst feeling mortified) what can I do (also told her that part of my bowel was removed 13 yrs ago, she said possibly adhesions), she gave me laxatives and home I went. Stilll in pain, sat with family and never let on that I am sore. Have taken the laxatives as instructed but to be honest I poo each day so I don't know anymore ....

Yesterday didnt feel to bad,but feeling awful as day goes on - queasey a couple of hours ago, and threw up, now sat feeling not right with a really sore back and pain in lower right hand side. Today still have back pain and pain on movement. Can someone help there is no way in this world I will see a dr again, feel such a time waster.

By the way ( I didnt realise I had constipation, all to me was going well down there, I poo normally or so I thought, and have been since a&E - I said this to doc and she said you may not realise it) so I am full of s*** thats not going anywhere

Go back to the doctor, something isn't right

There is n shame in being told what's wrong with you, be it too much poo or something else :)

But your symptoms today sound more serious, have you phoned NHS direct? If not, I'd pluck up the courage to return, something's going on more than your average back log!

I know, I live in N.I we dont have nhs direct which would be great you could call and they wouldnt know who you were!

I have just called my GP surgery (had to ring in sick to work for the past few days stating flu lol!)

So hopefully they will call me back, I look forward to the call but I am also mortified

I would go to another hospital now and this time ask A & E to refer you to a more appropriate dept. You will need to be persistant in order to get answers.

Why on earth did A & E not pass you onto another specialist dept within the hospital?. A & E certainly have their place but their area of expertise is A & E, your problems were certainly not within their remit. You therefore ended up seeing the wrong people there and have been sent home in pain. I would make a formal complaint to the hospital in the longer term.

I would see if there is a PALS service connected to this hospital and contact them.

Attila -the NHS would be bankrupted if every patient who came into A&E with alis's symptoms was immediately referred onto a specialist team. The vast, vast majority of people like her would go home, take the laxatives, await their 'desired effect' and that would be that. Pain gone, awareness of their propensity for constipation noted, dietary steps or ongoing mild medication taken. Constipation most certainly is within the remit of A&E.

Unfortunately, for alis, that wasn't that, she's continuing to feel unwell, she needs to go back to her GP from where further investigations and referrals can be made.

'Formal complaints' and 'PALS' is frankly a timewasting, vexatious and ridiculous suggestion at this stage.

Ok - so you know your body. There has been a change in your usual condition which has not been entirely eased by your hosp. visit. What is the harm in a second opinion? From personal experience: sometimes pain is felt in a particular area and a diagnosis is made on that fact. Sometimes there are occassions where pain is 'deferred' i.e. felt in one area but related to a problem elsewhere. If you are still concerned you can referred for investigations. Good Luck!

Why wasn't she referred given the previous history of bowel problems?.

I also suggested making a complaint in the longer term, I did not suggest immediately. Nothing at all vexatious about that nor contacting PALS.

All that is by the by really, I hope the OP manages to receive some proper answers asap.

If everyone who had 'previous' regarding A Medical Problem was referred straight to a specialist team, the NHS would be bankrupt. The OP tells us her last bowel op was 13 years ago. Whilst that constitutes 'history', common sense might dictate that that initial problem might well not be related to her current one. Of course, depending on what she had previously, it might be. But to my mind, the A&E behaved appropriately. She went in with abdominal pain, she was examined, an Xray was taken (that revealed that her pain was extremely highly likely to be related to constipation) so she was sent on her way with relevant medicine, and, doubtless, the advice to 'seek further help should pain persist'.

What on earth do you mean about 'making a complaint in the longer term'? Why? Surely something has to have gone wrong before someone makes a complaint? If something hasn't 'gone wrong', the complaint is vexatious.

You may regard it all as 'by the by', but attitudes such as yours waste thousands of man-hours and £s in the modern NHS as well as further feeding a culture of suspicion and dissatisfaction between the health service and its patients. It's not helpful. It's up there with the 'advice' spouted on here that every play-ground spat requires a letter to the Head, to the Chair of Governors and the local MP.

And yes, of course I am hoping the OP gets help. I do not use the term 'answers' because I know that, when it comes to the infinite mystery of our bodies, sometimes there aren't 'answers'.

oh dear! Thanks for the answers, I called my gp surgery spoke to him (mortified) told him I am still in pain and he told me to pop in at 5.30 so will let you all know.

it could be there is a reason for the blockage, hope your ok x

Well - as someone who ended up in intensive care because of an adhesion related bowel obstruction - I'd say go back.

I did the same as you. I was sent home from the hospital twice having been told to take laxatives and wait for it to pass, but it didn't. I kept thinking I was making a fuss about nothing even though I knew I wasn't well and was in a lot of pain. Then my DH ended up calling an ambulance when I was found passed out in a pool of vomit.

I had to have an emergency laparotomy because I had become so unwell by leaving it so long.

Don't leave it. You know if something isn't right.

There is obviously something wrong I would be worried. GO BACK good luck.

Glad to hear you have seen your GP, hope they have the answer

Alis I'm in NI too and got sent away from A&E with constipation only to end up back there and be diagnosed with acute pancreatitis and have emergency surgery to remove my gallbladder! Which hospital was it?

Hope your GP was able to help.

In NI too. What part of NI are you in OP? What did your GP say about it?

hope your GP can help. I don't think the problems you have been having all sound like the side-effects of constipation to me.

How did you get on with GP?

Well been to see GP still feel rotten. Had a chat about a&e and told him the outcome, then we had another examination and he made me get up to see how I could move from side to side, which was painful, on my lower back. Then he took a urine sample, which came up with blood in it again.

I told him that even though I do not feel great I feel better than Tuesday. He said he thinks it is a kidney stone, (I said I had an x-ray showing poo!, he still said kidney stone) and that there is is an infection there (in my urine). He told me if I feel worse to go straight back to a&e, I told him no and he said if it gets worse I would have to.

I was given antibiotics to start and painkillers (which as I type the painkillers are already starting to kick in (diclofenac)) I have to go back next week for blood tests, and to see him again when the results are in.

To the NI ladies, I went to the rvh (would have been the city but closed) if I feel any worse I won't be back there. What hospitals did you all go to for treatment/mistreatment!

My first reaction was renal calculous. When i was 18 I had intense right sided abdo pain and was taken to hosp for my appendix to be removed....... 6 months later pain back and was told after numerous xrays and tests that i was severely constipated..... called in DynoRod, got emptied out and still had pain . Hospital eventually told me it was psychosomatic and I needed psychiatric help!!
I eventually passed a 9mm stone naturally followed by copious amounts of blood, to prove to dr that I was not faking it I filled the pot with blood in front of him in his surgery!

Dw had similar kidney stone 10 years ago and had hers removed b4 it got too bad.

Good luck, hope you get some reolution soon.

kunahero, thanks for you post. Do you know that I had my appendix removed as well but once removed pain on right side comes and goes, I have ended up in a&E before, but was not told constipation then, told gynae (as I have bad periods) and was referred and have had x3 laparoscopies.

Same pain this time, only it was really intense and I couldnt cope, and sent away with constipation.

I am glad now that I seen my gp (i only recently changed gp's as well, due to moving house) and was listened to and examined

When I was a teen, I was admitted to hospital for over a week with constipation, also picked up on an Xray. It was very painful, GP initially thought appendicitis.

Although it's embarrassing, it's a problem that needs treating so don't be afraid to seek treatment.

Sometimes it's difficult to tell, youan only assess on the day so on that day the x ray showed some faecal loading and that was likely cause.
However it depends if you get better or worse , if you get better, not an issue, if you get worse go back.
Not a problem.
Complaint suggestion is ridiculous, nothing has happened!!!

OP I went to the Ulster. Once they realised what it actually was on the second visit they were fab.

I had similar last year. Horrendous pain, could hardly walk. Went to A&E and was admitted. The consultant showed me the xray and said it was constipation, I was also mortified Worse though was having an enema ON the ward and realising I wouldn't make it to the toilet on time, commode rushed in . I had to apologise to all the other patients. Embarrasment factor 10.

I hope you feel better soon.

For the first time ever, I recently had my first constipation bout. It was worse than mid labour. So painful, I was curled up crying on the bathroom floor in agony.

It felt like diahorrea in a way, bad bad ache and stomach cramps but I couldn't go and it was pain pain pain. After about 45 mins of this I finally managed to move something then had the most violent burst of it.

When I looked back I had been getting backaches.

I don't know why I'm sharing but I just hope you're okay soon.