Another awful trip to hospital....

Just escaped from my ""favourite London teaching hospital"" (note the sarcasm....) after another admission. I went to my doctors to try and get an appointment and ended up having an ambulance called as I had a severe attack. I deteriorated in the ambulance and was taken in to resus and given the standard nebs, IVs etc and was in a relatively good mood despite the doctor taking 5 attempts at an arterial blood gas and 3 attempts to cannulate me!

Anyway, I was sent to the clinical decision unit, was fine for a while, then in the night had another attack. I was really struggling and had desaturated to 89%. I had no inhaler and no nebs left for me, the nurses ignored me for a good 10 minutes then put a fan on next to me and left me again without any nebs! I eventually got one, and asked to see a doctor. The doctor eventually came and proceeded to tell me that (although he admitted to not being a specialist) there was loads that hadn't been tried in terms of asthma control (there isn't!) and that I will get better and stop suffering from brittle asthma - whilst perhaps nicely optimistic, it did not help as every day I am suffering with attacks and constant breathlessness that is getting worse and worse.

I felt like no-one understood me or the severity of my condition and I actually felt unsafe. The nurses had been warned that I am very brittle and to have a low treatment threshold for me, and yet I was left waiting whilst having a bad attack and was not given my correct regular medications at the right times. This is not the first time this has happened, I always deteriorate again after I get to the ward and always receive the same (lack of) treatment. As it is I don't go to hospital as often as I should (very silly I know) because I always have a horrible experience that leaves me refusing to go back.

Sorry for the rant, I guess I just need to get it all off my chest. Surely its not a good thing when you feel safer at home during a severe attack than in hospital!?

Hope you are all well,

Emz x

[Clarefraser]

So sorry to hear what you are going through Emz, please make sure you do attend hospital though you need to take care of yourself Xx

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Oh god, just like reading a mirror experience. Don't apologise for the rant, a healthy way of off loading. Hope you recover soon. Get well wishes,

Katina

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Oh god, just like reading a mirror experience. Don't apologise for the rant, a healthy way of off loading. Hope you recover soon. Get well wishes,

Katina

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Hi Emz,

So sorry to hear of your experience with our ""Favourite London Teaching Hospital"" *rolls eyes*. It's CDU where I've had the most problems there, it does feel at times like there's an attitude of 'well you're out of A&E so you must be safe' but I know all too well the feeling of not feeling safe and also of not wanting to attend. I have a pact with myself to stay out for the rest of the year - have to watch it with those pesky docs who call ambulances though...

The medication thing is a real issue. Last time I was in, thankfully not for asthma, they only got one of my meds and even suggested changing my steroid inhaler as they couldn't get Ciclesonide, apparently they don't stock it at the hospital - how ridiculous is that, it was initially prescribed by a consultant in the same hospital group!!! Make sure the resp. nurse knows what happened with the meds - she's very aware of what happens, but I think the more people who make a point of noting it, the more the hospital are going to have to do something. Last time was fantastic:

""Can your sister bring in your medication for you?""

""She's in Gibraltar""

""But can she bring them in for you?

[Skee-skee]

You poor thing! Sounds awful from start to finish. Hope you are starting to feel better at home.

A lovely A&E nurse once told me they weren't allowed more than 3 attempts to do anything. So when a dr failed to get an arterial sample on the 3rd attempt I asked for someone else to do it, and she got the sister who was brilliant at it.

Take care

Bryony

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what a bad time you had x hope you are feeling a little better. when was in A n E last week I had my first ever artery blood test and she was having trouble getting needle in.Made me bad and nearly passed out! X

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so sorry for this experience. iv been in when things like this have happened and it makes you feel very frustrated. i always feel like id be safer and a lot more comfortable at home with family looking out for me rather than by some of the poor half hearted care by some of the rubbish nurses and by the lack of care by the good but very busy nurses. hopefully you will have a bit of a lengthy break before you have to go back in again x

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oh my, So sorry you had a bad time. Its not nice to get this type of treatment I have experienced it a few times. You take care and don't let them get under your skin.

gill

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I think u should submit a letter of concern to the ward manager of the unit. Raising yout concerns over delaya in treatment and concerns u have. That way they will discuss your issues and ways of resolving them. Tho we cam understand ur reluctance to seek medical attention this cam be risky ESP if u need the attention of resus .

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Thanks so much for your messages of support. I have written a letter that I intend to send to PALS, however whether or not it makes onto paper and into the post I don't know...

Still feeling rotten with loads of breathlessness and the nasty pred..oh well, what can ya do!?

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Crazy I would put pen to paper. If not willing to complain i would do a letter of concern. A letter of concern. Is different from a letter of complaint. It allows ur problems to b raised and discussed so staff can learn from the situation and improve the service. II doesn't however. Investigate into who did or didn't do what they where supposed to do. So there is no action taken against the staff concerned. I raised concerns with my consultant after 2 admissions in one week I had similar experience no nebs given despite being in oxygen for 2 hours and on the second admission they forget the iv mag sulphate and iv aminophylline. Time they realized it I was stable for transfer