There’s sometimes just. no. words…
to how utterly devoid of common sense & humanity hospital staff can be…
Actually Ghosted By An Entire Hospital “Front-Line” Department – Despite Begging Them To Listen & Take It Seriously..
Hospital A&E COMPLETELY Ignored the Screaming Pain & Continuous Vomiting from one Patient in the Waiting Room – A Vulnerable Adult, with Complex Medical Conditions, with Physical & Learning Disabilities, severe back & spine complications, and Mobility Problems.
We were there because the GP had been concerned enough to allow a house-call. The GP had been SO Concerned about The Patient, she immediately took One Look at them and said in No Uncertain Terms – You Need To Get To The Hospital!
But A&E Left The Patient There With No Concern for their welfare, whatsoever… Vomiting into Sick Bowl after Sick Bowl, over and over again, unable to keep even the smallest bit of fluid down, stuck sitting in an uncomfortable hospital wheelchair, half-passed out and in PAIN, for FIVE AND A HALF HOURS.
We got there at 4:50pm — and stuck in that Waiting Room Until It Was10.20pm that night.
Everyone else that had come in around the same time as us, and even afterwards, had gone. We were only ones left, and now surrounded by people who had come in after about 7pm.
… To make it even worse, the monitor reeling off various BS, waiting times and other random BS, also kept on saying that people might not be called through in order “because we see the sickest patients first” — and each time that came up, I couldn’t help but yell quite loudly at it about how much it was lying. It felt Utterly Insulting with Lolli Right Here, Vomiting Profusely, Dry Heaving and Screaming in Agony with Each & Every gut-wrenching spasm.
The sick bowls used tally was getting way into the double-digits, yet no one (medically trained) was paying us ANY Mind Whatsoever. No Painkillers were offered. No Anti-Vomiting drugs given. Absolutely Nothing To Help – or even a there-there.
The Reception Staff Kept On Fobbing Me Off. Triage Didn’t Listen Or Even Take Patient’s Obs(!!). The HCA Manning The Door Couldn’t Have Cared Less. Seriously — REALLY Couldn’t Have; She Was Maxed Out Of NOT CARING. They were literally Ghosting Us Whilst We Were Right There In Front Of Them.
I am a wheelchair user. And Autistic. Obviously so, when I am agitated and scared – not to mention my lanyard says so, too. The Patient was also obviously Disabled – as well as the fact I constantly reminded them so. Therefore — I do not think it was a far stretch of the imagination to have Prejudice stinking this situation up so badly it’s worse than manure & frying kippers all at once.
I was obviously Going OUT. OF. MY. MIND. With Worry and Fear and Stress — and there was No One There Who Was Willing To Listen Or Help… It’s SO Terrifying Feeling THAT Helpless.
At 10pm, Patient let out one heck of an ALMIGHTY SCREAM due to yet another agonising Spasm (we HAD told them we believed that The Patient was in Severe Urinary Retention due to blocked catheter, which we knew — yet, they wouldn’t listen).
HCA Came Running (literally). Apparently, NOW she cared…
FINALLY, Obs were done on them (which HADN’T been checked at Triage – where they waited TWO HOURS for, in the first place) – Pulse was in some Serious Tachycardia at 138BPM – the Dinamap was flashing and beeping and everything. All she said was, “I’ll just have to let the nurse know” – and never saw her again. She didn’t ever even come back to check on The Patient again, not even a glance.
If I Just Keep Thinking — WHAT IF….??!
What IF… I hadn‘t kept pushing? What If one diligent & intelligent nurse hadn’t caught onto how WRONG this Patient’s situation looked & listened to me tell them over and over again I wasn’t allowing the department to brush The Patient Aside…
Well. Who knows just what would have happened.
Because. It. Was. VERY. BAD.
It Quite Possibly Could Have Killed Them.
Turned out … The Patient had Sepsis.
They were REALLY ILL & Required 4 DAYS In Hospital on CONSTANT 24/7 IV Meds until the minute they were Discharged —
When they were first seen by a Doctor, having seen the nurse for bloods, there was a major flurry of almost desperate fighting to get her stabilised. She had been Vomiting Profusely since 7am… She wasn’t even taken through the A&E doors to the Medical Staff until 10pm
They couldn’t get a cannula line in, because they were SO DEHYDRATED — and that’s before you even take into account that, after a literal lifetime of medical treatment since a few hours after birth, they’d had collapsed veins for Decades…
Dehydrated from CONTINUOUSLY VOMITING since 7am that Morning – From being IGNORED by A&E for FIVE HOURS of VISCOUS VOMITING in the Waiting Room – DESPITE Reception, Triage, the HCAs ALL being Told That.
From not being SEEN by a Doctor until AFTER MIDNIGHT and these Diagnostics – let alone treatment! – not being started until It Was Technically The Next Day.
No Cannula? No IV Meds or Fluids. And “she REALLY need[ed] antibiotics painkillers & Fluids ASAP“, the doctor said, clearly desperate for it to get in as Immediately as Possible. They were worried, which is a BAD Sign.
Three SPECIALISTS and an Ultrasound Machine later, a genius woman finally got it in. The Attempts were in Double Digits. She was an Anesthetist – took THAT level of expertise to get a line going successfully. The Patient Looked like they had just come back from a kickboxing ring – So. Many. BAD. Bruises. Everywhere.
And it was now 2:35am.
It shouldn’t have Got That Far, though… They shouldn’t have left her in the Waiting Room for 5 Hours (it was technically 5 hours and 30 minutes)
And. Yet.(!!) The A&E Department. Saw Fit To IGNORE. THEM. FOR. FIVE. HOURS.
They Had To Have Continuous IV Fluids for Dehydration, VERY Strong IV Antibiotics for the Infection to stabilise, IV Paracetamol for Pain & IV Ondansetron & Cyclazine for Constant Vomiting.
FOUR DAYS SOLID in hospital, to get them only Just Stabilised Enough to go home — then to STILL MUST CONTINUE to take EVEN MORE Antibiotics – orally – for ANOTHER WEEK After That. (So – More Than 10 Days Altogether!!)
Bottom Line —
I SHOULDN’T HAVE HAD TO CHASE THEM & MAKE THEM LISTEN!!
Imagine now… If I’d have not known to, or was unable to, MAKE Them To TAKE NOTICE & NOT BE FOBBED OFF…??
…No. I don’t want to imagine it, either.
