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After a day at work yesterday struggling to catch my breath my mother told me I'd better at least visit the go. So off I toddled this morning to unhooked surgery. There I explained my symptoms he did a few tests and proclaimed "I don't know what it could be so I'm referring you to the hospital! All well and good I though except I have to be in work from 12-9 today. So after a few frantic calls to work to explain I'm going to A&E but there's not actually anything major wrong I've been sat here for 5 hours after a chest X-ray, an ECG and some blood samples. They still aren't giving any ideas away as to what it could be though 🙁 I think I'm going to die of heart cancer attack with failure of all my major components including my feet but not for a few years yet!
A bit of patience never hurt anyone. If you dont like it, there is a simple solution. Go home
Our A&E is wonderful. They sent me home with a 'sore ankle' that you 'get better in a few days to a few weeks'
What they failed to notice was that I'd broken it in 3 places!
Go home
Or go private.
Chest infection, or Pneumonia, or anything in between.
I know, the BUPA, Nuffield, Pru and Simply health ones are so much better.........
Ohh wait, no, they don't exist.
5 hours is nothing, you've ignored it for 24 hours, whats a few more going to do?
there's not actually anything major wrong I've been sat here for 5 hours
why are you sitting there if there's nothing major wrong?
I broke my arm a few years ago, but by the time I got to AandE the pubs were starting to empty, so the place was filling with people who'd fell or got into fights, so may have had head injuries. head injuries can be fatal, broken arms aren't so they were all priortised above me, much like the people who have arrived at AandE after you might have something major wrong. Given i wasn't likely to die from a broken arm, I went home,self medicated with some Glenmorangie and went back the next day. They were a bit snotty about it, but I told them if I'm not getting medical asssistance, I'd ather not get it in comfort at home.
So stop whining.
If you're able to compose a post, I assume on a smartphone, then there's nothing that seriously wrong with you.
I was admitted with breathlessness (dysponea) several years ago and I was hypoxic on air because of a serious respiratory issue. Ended up in intensive care as my sats continued to fall.
I certainly wasn't able to speak properly never mind complain and type things.
You're in the right place - stay there until they tell you that you're okay to go home.
I've needed them twice. They're brilliant.
A and E I think stands for accident and emergency, so they have to Triage patients according to medical urgency not waiting times. So your long wait is either a very good sign or very very bad. As your either in the nothing horrible will happen if he waits group or the there's nowt we can do he'll die anyway, so we'll leave him on one side and have a futile fiddle latter if he's still alive group.
chelsea & westminster A&E is excellent imho
you get a better class of patient and medic in there
Chest infection, or Pneumonia, or anything in between.
Isn't pneumonia a chest infection? (A lower respiratory tract (lungs) infection - a chest infection). At least that is what our Quack told us after both our daughters had it/suspected of having it.
But it is what I immediately thought it might be.
Shockingly, patients with more serious or urgent issues have been seen before you.
I imagine all the DR`s and nurses are in the back office watching you furiously typing into your smart phone and your posts on Singletrack.
A&E don't prioritise! I severly burnt my fingers one morning and was taken to A&E, an old lady who was at the desk when we arrived, complained she had a sore wrist (from gardening) all week and waited until Saturday when she felt it was urgent enough to go to A&E rather than her doctor on the Friday or wait till the Monday. Even the girl behind the desk commented that it wasn't urgent and could wait till Monday. Anyway I sat there in agony for nearly 3 hours and the old lady still went in before me!
They probably thought you were doing it for a film and didn't take you seriously Jackass...
A&E don't prioritise!
I've gone into an A&E with what turned out to be pnumonia, and more recently with a very badly cut finger needing 5 stichs and a Mr Man plaster.
I can say that not being able to breath propely, coughing up disturbingly coloured fleghm and having an oxygen sturation below 85% gets you seen a damn sight quicker than blood oozing out of a digit.
A&E don't prioritise!
Yes they do. A fractured or sore wrist is simpler treatment than a burn finger which is why she was out before you but chances are she'd be back at the fracture clinic the next day. Or she was put through triage and minor injuries as that all she what was needed.
Or go private.
Yeah off you pop to your local private A+E see how you get on.
You might also need some burns treatment after the flaming you've just had, but you can expect it on here if you ever dare question the NHS!! 😉
A&E don't prioritise!
Bet you we do, but only into categories....
Burnt fingers and sore wrist are both Cat 4's so whichever of the Cat 4s got there first get's seen first.
SOB (Short of breath) is probably a Cat 3 (depending ion how bad you are at triage) so gets seen before Cat 4.
Although I have to ask, if you'd seen your GP and he thought it was bad enough to have you admitted why did he not have you admitted, why did he send you to A&E rather than the admissions unit? Bloody GPs that do this really boil my piss, just creates extra work for me, not your fault but it allows me to have a rant. (Maybe if he'd sent you to the right place you wouldn't have waited 5 hours - although given how shit our local admissions unit is, it would have been closer to 8 so think yourself lucky)
Yeah off you pop to your local private A+E see how you get on.
That's kinda what I meant...I missed out the smileys needed...too late to edit now.
You might also need some burns treatment after the flaming you've just had, but you can expect it on here if you ever dare question the NHS!!
In fairness he was just complaining about how boring they are.
Bloody GPs that do this really boil my piss, just creates extra work for me, not your fault but it allows me to have a rant.
Yup surprised they never rang for an ambulance too whilst they sit them in the waiting room.
That's kinda what I meant...I missed out the smileys needed...too late to edit now.
Oh!
Oh!
S'ok...posting from my jellybone and being a lazy arse 🙄
What they failed to notice was that I'd broken it in 3 places!
Well, don't go to those again!
S'ok...posting from my jellybone and being a lazy arse
Well I also jumped on it as you imagine it's some what of a bugbear.
Update required please, have you been admitted to the
TJ hospital for the terminally bored.
I rang the hospital a while back as my scar opened up after I had my stitches out after a foot op, a hematoma put too much pressure on the wound for it to seal apparently.
They said come in to Accident and Emergency but bring a book as it was Friday night. I went in and was seen within five minutes, ahead of the fifty or so people who were waiting there, presumably coz of the risk of infection. Ive since been told it could have been serious.
I imagine there were a few grumbles as I didnt look as if there was anything wrong with me.
My local A&E saved my life when I was in status epilepticus a couple of years ago - do I rate it? Hell yes!
Not as fun when I got admitted on a saturday evening last year, chock full of drunken ****ers who should have been left on a mattress in an airshelter in the carpark, not wasting valuable time.
Christ I hope he's not dead!
I feel for Admirable up there! When a Doc sends you to A&E it's a more than a little worrying. Then you get to sit around for ages. Especially for chest stuff.
Personally I take the sit around for ages as a good thing - if it's really bad you get seen quickly ime.
Of course this can and does go wrong (ime on August bank holiday in Edinburgh) but the NHS are generally trying to do their best.
Found myself in A&E a few time, all excellent except once at edinburgh, when they left me waiting for 4 hours. Went up to ask when I'd hear about x-ray results. Turned out it was fine and I could go home, they'd just forgotten to tell me and assumed I'd left :-S
But I can forgive that, not unreasonable that a doctor might get interrupted with something more serious than telling me I'm fine then forget.
I found that going up to the desk, babbling gibberish, rolling my eyes back in my skull, going white as a sheet, and then toppling over gracefully, got me attended to swiftly.
dont complain too much chaps. Private healthcare system means the same delays, but you ahve to pay 2-300 Euro up front before they see you. Thats the Republic for ya........
dont complain too much chaps. Private healthcare system means the same delays, but you ahve to pay 2-300 Euro up front before they see you. Thats the Republic for ya......
I'se presuming you're in ROI. My elderly mum's ongoing stuff there is costing her 29k so far, even with insurance (which wriggles out of everthing). Althogh to be fair she is seen instantly and has an mri on a whim (but she pays).
The UK NHS is much critised - but much better than the alternative ime.
try waiting 5 months for physio...
A&E might be boring. Whatever. A&E might also save your life. A&E is undoubtedly saving lives while you are bored. I don't see a problem with any of that.
But duntmatter - the key thing is - your doctor says: go to A&E now. You've got chest problems. So you'd wander along. Worried.
In my case - probably your case - your heart will be in you mouth.
And it's human nature - you sit there thinking some ****er with a sore thumb has got in in front of me!
Give the guy a break! FFS.
Been there, done that. If the complaint is boredom, I see it as part of the deal. I'm not trying to have a go at anyone. And I would trust the docs and nurses to do what's best.
if you'd seen your GP and he thought it was bad enough to have you admitted why did he not have you admitted, why did he send you to A&E rather than the admissions unit?
Depends on bed state. Recently I've had patients referred through the proper channels, but a lack of beds meant they were waiting in the A+E waiting room (!), and because they were 'medical' atients, A+E wouldn't get involved, so their journey through the system was slower than if they'd pitched up in A+E!
Don't always assume GPs are asses!
DrP
Last week in Durham the matron announced to a packed waiting room (there were also people standing outside the doors) that because a few very serious cases were on there way into A+E, the waiting time would now be up to 7 hours. The room cleared within minutes!
Some people seem to treat a visit to A+E like a family day out and a fair proportion are only there because they can't get an appointment to see their GP for days or at weekends. 😕
..
So is Admiralabe ok now?
Having tasted A & E (Carlisle) recently i have nothing but praise for them.
I must say though, i was quite astonished that when i was wheeled in on my stretcher from the ambulance i was ditched for a good 30mins so they could patch up some oik who had the missfortune of being stabbed with a knife. Was quite commical really, i was wheeled in getting sympathy etc then all hell broke loose. Lad runs in crying saying his brother had been stabbed. Nurses etc get ready to go running out, then a copper pulls em back. He said they didnt know if the guy had been stabbed in the car park and maybe the stabber was still there. So a policeman had to go and check first.
30mins later somone comes to me and puts a stretchy bandage on my snapped patella tendon and tells me to come back tomorrow.
I rate the service i got as 1st class
Oh, and the guy that got stabbed died.....
Is the OP still there, then?
DrP - I don't rate GPs as asses, far from it. I think they have a very dificult job, it's just that [i]some[/i] of our local ones think A&E is a dumping ground for stuff they can't be arsed to sort out. Although I am fully aware of the first rule of House - all patients lie: a large number that say they couldn't get an appointment or that their GP told them to come up are trying to pull the wool over our eyes (unsuccessfully).
😀 😉
I wonder how the OP is getting on...... (hope he's not still waiting)
I'll try & tell this as quick as I can...
At work one day with a bit of a blocked nose I tried to clear the snot with an almighty blow, it didn't clear but I was now short of breath.
So after walking down the high street & back it was clear something was wrong so I called NHS direct. As soon as I mentioned shortness of breath & chest pains [b]THEY[/b] called an ambulance.
Upon me walking out to the blue lighted wonder I was asked where the casualty was, when I told them it was me they weren't impressed & took me to A&E. There after about an hour I was seen by a lovely young doctor who to my relief discharged me, happy I was ok I went to walk out, but then turned & asked what was wrong with me, he said in a condescending voice that I had indigestion & all would be well. I took a cab back to work & excused myself & went home to bed.
I got up in the morning still feeling short of breath so called into work & then called the GP. The GP said I should go back to (the local) A&E & wrote a letter requesting an x-ray, so I walked the mile back home & got in the car & drove to the nearest A&E, waited a few hours & they took me in. An hour or so later with me walking about getting coffee & chatting to others the x-ray came back & the doctor put it on the light board. All I remember from then is the word CRASH, being wheeled to the A&E theatre & the doctor saying there was no time for anaesthetic, asking me to lean forward & then gaining access to my collapsed lung & inserting a drain.
Two weeks later I got to go home from the hospital, and waiting for me at home was a questionnaire from the first A&E asking me to give them my experience with them.
I'm sure you guess the response...
I'll name that spot diagnosis after the first two sentences.....
dr_death
I said I would shorten it as much as I could, there is a little more to the story, including me crashing into a tree on my bike a few days beforehand & the bars twisting into my chest at speed...
Interesting first diagnosis. Sudden onset SOB = indigestion !
I assume you told the doc about the tree incident?
I did, & the blowing of the nose onset, which I would see as much more telling.
Indeed!
Out of interest, did you crack any ribs at the same time?
Tiny fractures, but as you probably know there is no fix for that.
Yup Dr_deat is right classic symptoms of pneumothorax, your not in your 20s by chance and slim build?
After reading through the last few post I presume Admirable is dead and you guys are deflecting attention. It good to know where we stand! 😉
If he was dead he'd have posted by now to let us know.
Drac, you should know I'm not in my 20's, Iv'e been here as long as you 😉
I was in my late 30's, but yes slim build.
What do you mean we're both not even 30 yet? 😕
Us athletic type chaps are more prone to them, add that to you tree collision plus forced snot clearing bells should have rang. Least nothing serious came of it though.
My mum is a staff nurse in casualty of 40 years I have a feeling if she read this thread she would be giving the OP a reason to visit A&E 😉
Why? He's not complained about the service just said it was a boring place. Waiting in an A+E is very boring.
No I know , mum just likes beating patiences up, it's how she likes to channel her aggression
beating patiences
Nice word play 🙂
Damn predictive! The art of word play with out the art of word play as Bruce Lee would say!
Is he dead yet?? All this waiting around for an answer is getting boring..... I've been here days now.
So is he still waiting?
No I'm not still there. I was for about 8 hours altogether. Went in with suspected chest problems. The GP said it may be an infection of the lining of the heart!! WTF!!!! Got there had an ecg and chest xray pretty much straight away. BP and Heart rate were up from GP's office. Probably due to being told I may have a heart lining infection!
Anyway after a blood test and blood gas test (Bloody hell that hurts!). They couldn't find anything wrong with my chest but my liver wasn't fuctioning properly. So off I toddled to give a Urine sample. This was exciting. I just assumed after peeing in the toilet a few times during the couple of days before I was a bit dehyrated. After presenting a bowl of Irn Bru to the doctor I was a little suprised to say the least. But he did a test on that and there was traces of blood and protein in my urine so I also have a kidney problem. They decided that the chest was due to stress and reffered me to Kidney specialist.
So then I got signed off work for a week. Dropped my letter off and asked what there was they could do as I'd only be paid SSP for some of the week and my sales targets are still accruing. So I'm not going to hit my targets. Well done!! I'm off work due to possible stress (and kidney infections) so stress me out even more by not giving me a chance to hit my targets and stop myself earning basic wage. So I spent a week at home stressing about work and what was wrong with my internal organs and where my appetite had gone. Now I'm back at work (first day back today) to an office move today, visit to specialist tommorow and a sh1t load of overtime to try and get somewhere close to my target in the hope I might get there. So in otherwords making myself worse no doubt. But at least I got a week off work where I could sit on the sofa and veg! Nope Mrs Admiralable saw it as free housekeeping and babysitting. So I had to look after the baby, the boy and the house! Fantastic!
Sound slike you did the right thing by waiting, anyway...
Nice to spend some time with the children though? I broke my hip when my daughter was 3 months old - pretty much all I could do to help for a while was sit on the sofa and keep her occupied.
Yeah its nice to spend the time with the kids. But I worked harder last week than I do in a normal week 🙁 And the Doctors never did explain why they signed me off for a week 🙁