Paramedic experience

[reinaway]

Two weeks ago in the small hours, Easter Saturday in fact, I was woken by pain in the middle of my chest and could not decide whether it was AT or my stomach. It did not feel like the pain I normally feel when in AF and i was but was similiar. My husband rang 111 and they advised us to call 999 which we did. Paramedics came did a heart trace and said it was ok and no AF but would like me to go to the hospital for a blood test for my tropomine levels to make sure. Finally persuaded me and i went ended up with levels ok but medical doctors wanted a gastroscope and ultrasound of my stomach put me on a PPI and now with those done (the scope was a horrible experience) they have found nothing and in the middle of all this the original pain was forgotten. Teach me to be persuaded! However who says the NHS is nothing but thorough!! So I had heart,lungs, (Xray) kidneys,gallbladder,stomach,duodenum,all checked and fine on our wonderful NHS for free! I wonder what that would have cost me in the US?😉

[jedimasterlincoln]

Sounds like the full MOT. When you ring 111 and use the word chest pain that instantly hits a red flag and they generally advise/call you a 999 ambulance anyway.

Pleased you had everything investigated (maybe not the scope) and have come out the other side!

Rest easy!

[reinaway in reply to jedimasterlincoln]

Thanks for the thoughts yes I'm fine now..

[EngMac in reply to reinaway]

You may wish to read about PPI's. Look up Dr. Sarah Myhill and GERD. She explains why you should not take PPi's. Unfortunately or fortunately, once you go to the hospital, every effort will be made to find something to treat. You were lucky but they still had to give you something you may not need. And the cost is your tax dollars; so you did pay, probably dearly. At least we do in Canada.

[Jamila123]

Glad your okay now 🌸unfortunately

With the government we have in and over the past years one if thier major plans is to destroy our beloved NHS they want to get rid of it to privatise

Shame

[Thomas45 in reply to Jamila123]

That is absolute nonsense. The present UK government wants to continually improve the NHS.

[seasider18 in reply to Thomas45]

It is just difficult to get appointments with GP's and most consultants and Physios.

[Jamila123 in reply to Thomas45]

Sorry mate but u have no idea

I am an A & E nurse for years

Myself along with team of doctors can’t wait for them to go

They have destroyed the nhs years ago with mental health now shutting down

A & e department s

So I suggest before u say something is a load of rubbish

Speak to the people who know best

[Thomas45 in reply to Jamila123]

Thank you for your insight into the capabilities of your hospital Trust. The point I made was that it is not the policy of the current government to privatise the NHS.

[seasider18 in reply to Jamila123]

What is beloved about it apart from its original concept ?We mostly go private now but who do we see ? Mainly moonlighting NHS consultants who tend to rush in late after finishing elsewhere. Many work privately at several hospitals.

[Jamila123 in reply to seasider18]

First of all yes to us who have worked in that environment

We cherish it Mss for the doctors who also do private

Why shouldn’t they they are still working for the nhs

They have the right to want to earn money like any one

Lucky to go private that’s what I say

NHS is free to all and that’s how it should stay

[seasider18 in reply to Jamila123]

Sadly it can't cope with the demand, Can't keep its nurses or doctors and has to import much of its staff. Why should consultants do private work when they are well paid by the state and then want £250 for a private appointment and £160 for a follow up.

My wife has been on a waiting list for a neurology appointment since February and has not yet got a date. It will not be at our local NHS hospital as it has a nearly a years wait and will have to travel to another town by train and bus.

When I tried to get on a Hypertension trial at Imperial College in 2011 I was found to have aortic stenosis. They would have done my aortic valve replacement but suggested it would be more convenient for me to have it done locally and that I needed it done within a year. Five weeks wait for a cardiology appointment with a locum, A seventeen wait for a stress echocardiogram and a ten week wait for an angiogram. Then told I would be referred to another hospital for the surgery. It was now the end of October and I asked when I would get the operation and was told before Christmas. One day in late November I had to go to A&E with chest pain. After fourteen hours they decided to keep me overnight. After getting settled into bed at 1am I was told that they needed the bed for an emergency admission and I could go home. A nurse quietly said that I should check with the other hospital about my surgical referral. I did the next day and was told that they had not had it. I then found that it was in a registrars in tray and had not been sent as he was on holiday. It was the beginning of June before I had my operation. One can't help loving the system ?

[Jamila123 in reply to seasider18]

Sorry u have had to go through so much

But what u have got to realise is that all theses problems is not from the nurses doctors hospital but our lovley torie government

The REASON why it can’t keep up with the demand is the system had been purposely plannned to fail so that nthe public thinks oh it’s the immigrants that have caused this

We all can see at first hand that the tories have slowly tried to prevent the nhs from

Working

One example A & E is the hub of a hospital

We were in London having our 4 hours waiting times okay we all worked hard to make sure the patients were all seen in reasonable time

But no they shut down a major A & E near us

And where do U think the patients went to yes us pushing out waiting up to 6 - 8 hours

They also gave us only one porter for the department

Work that out yourself

Again the waiting list is from right up the top government cuts

It’s not fair but this government they want private so they want the nhs to seem as failing so they make money

Post code lottery is very much alive the rich areas in London have hardly any waiting times

Poor areas have to wait government not hospitals fault

As for the chest pain

All A & E take this serious u would have had trop I which is cardiac blood tomsee if u have had a heart attack ecg to double check cxr all protocol especially with older people

If they found that you were not having a e life threatening problem

U would have gone to just an over stay ward for the night

However again cause of all the cuts and cris with in the community like elderly which is about 60% of our admissions there are no beds

Maybe a person which was more at risk than u needed the bed

You would NOT have been sent home if u were at risk of having a heart attack

So sir I am sorry you have had theses experiences but u need to think out side the box and not be so blinkered-in theses times

June

[seasider18 in reply to Jamila123]

Try blaming the hospital management instead.

My wife use to be a nurse in Maternity.

Nursing training was spoilt when you all needed degrees rather the good old ways.

[Jamila123 in reply to seasider18]

you must have a lot of time on your hands

I will not go on with your niave views

maybe your wife was a maternity nurse

but they are normally tucked away on a ward somewhere

u need to be in acute medical care departments to see plus you wife probably trained years ago when they was not an issue

now with have fools grabbing money as always trying to privatise our

beloved nhs

the hospital can only do much

[seasider18 in reply to Jamila123]

Missing you already

[Jamila123 in reply to seasider18]

One more before u slate the nurses from abroad

I am English born here parents English

Now I have seen and worked with the Filipino nurses and Spanish and doctors from Arab countries and other

I sir I can tell you that you are misguided

The nurses that are thrained abroad and I am talking about now times as well

Have a damed better training than us

We are trained with the old fashioned model of Florence nightingale

Whereas the nurses abroad are taught the American model which is a medical one

Even if our training was 6 years it still would be the same doctor abroad are amazingly trained

I can tell now

So again u need to come out of your narrow mindedness and think

[seasider18 in reply to Jamila123]

I didn't slate foreign nurses without them we would be at a standstill but there are a lot of language problems with imported doctors and nurses.

I listed my medications to a triage nurse in A&e and she said 'You have hyperthermia ' I said you mean hypertension..

When my wife was nursing she used to get nurses to read from books at lunchtimes and correct their English.

[seasider18 in reply to Jamila123]

Labour started the plans in 2006 to put muskular sketetal out to be tendered by the NHS and private companies for a five year contract . It was left to the present government to finally get it off the ground around 2014. The system is now split between NHS and MSK. It was seen as a great earner by private companies with local ones getting hundreds of millions to run their areas. Care home companies sold out to tender for MSK. Even an Asda director got into it. Here again the consultants are moonlighting from NHS hospital. GP's hate the system where patients are supposed to seen at small local clinics but are really sent to more remote ones that have capacity. The consultants sadly shake their heads when you ask if the system is working.

[seasider18]

Once my wife was taken to hospital had all the tests and was told that 50% of the time no reason is found for chest pain and was released the next day. The Paramedic had said that her symptoms seemed like when he had a duodenal ulcer and I agreed with him but the hospital ignored our claims.... her GP agreed the next week. A Endoscopy confirmed it and also found 37 gastric ulcers caused by an anti inflammatory prescribed by an out of hours doctor for gout.

[reinaway]

Well I certainly started something here!! I only wanted to tell you all about my recent experience and seem to have started a bees nest. All your comments were interesting to read and food for thought thank you 🙂

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