I am just writing to give out a bit about my 24 hours hospital stay. Had 3rd carbo/caelyx session on Thursday last week. Was feeling bad, was taking steroids, all the same. I took Neulasta jab on monday. On tuesday i wasn't well. About 5pm I got some trouble to take a breath, my chest hurt, shoulders, back. I felt like something is blocking me from throat down to stomach. It lasted 1,5 hours so we went to hospital. Fair enough i didn't wait for doctor to see me, they took me to the room straight away. But after that was only worse. I was lying on a&e in a corridor for 7 hours. Random patients, their family members, doctors and all hospital staff were passing my bed all over again. 5 days after chemo, with low immune system... I got room eventually and was told to wait till morning so cardio doctor can see me. I just dont get it, no cardio doctor at night in one of the biggest hospitals in Dublin? What with all people with strokes, heart attacks etc... Who looks after them? I was waiting in this horrible, cold room till morning to get bed on the ward. Nurses were saying that I had to wait for a bed.. I got the bed at 5 am. Does it mean that I got it because someone went home at 3 or 4 am? How is it even possible that there is no space on the oncology ward for that kind of emergency situations? At 5am I got the bed, next to lady with sore throat, chest infection and fever. I've panicked, I wanted to run away. Nurse asked me is there anything she can do for me. I asked her to switch my light off so I could have maybe 5 mins nap. She said she needs to take a swab first and...she disappeared and came back 2 hours later. Of course life on ward started just after 5am so no sleep at all. Doctors kept coming and going and asking the same questions all the time. I asked, I begged to be released. I had to wait for blood tests to be repeated every few hours and some heart scans. At the end of day private bed got released and I was allowed to take it. Blood tests and scans didn't show anything so I went home. Now I am waiting for big problem, big infection which I probably caught in my 24 hours stay in hospital.
Be save and Stay away from hospitals!
Hugs
Zaneta
Written by
Hairlessbeauty
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Oh Zaneta I am so sorry you had to experience this! With a compromised immune system you should have been put in isolation immediately! Our system is so broken at the minute I don't know if they will ever fix it!!!
I hope you are feeling a bit better today?
Dx
Hi Zaneta, I am really sorry you went through this, I hope you havent caught a big infection. This is the state of the hospitals at the moment, understaffed and overworked. I totally agree one visitor per patient in a and e is enough because otherwise the doctors and nurses dont have room to move. They work under very hard conditions. There should be cardiology on call and oncology on call and certainly cancer patients should not be compromised in a public waiting area. I have written to the Minister and the CEO of the main hospital in Cork. After looking into it I got replies composed by pr people. Patients are moved to oncology as soon as possible but this could be days. The suits do not care about us that is for sure/
How distressing when you were already distressed. I hope you do not catch any infections. Luckily I've never had to test my hospital in an emergency as such. I rang the unit once with chest pains and an ambulance arrivrd 5 mins later. I wasn't taken to hospital. I do wonder what I would have experienced then? I hope you feel better now at home. Easy to say but try not to keep thinking about the ordeal. Sending hugs x
Hi Zaneta, that shouldn't have happened. You need to write to the complaints dept of the hospital and let them know.
Up North, if we feel unwell whilst on treatment we have to contact the oncology 24hr helpline and speak to the nurse for advice. If she sends us to A&E, she phones them in advance to warn them we are on our way and are immune compromised. Hope your feeling better now. Ann xx
Hi Zaneta,I hope by now you feel a lot better and things are under control.The system in some hospitals with Oncology emergencies is to say the least very poor.In an ideal world ,oncology patients on chemo should be fast tracked through A&E and isolated from the main population.I had similar experience and to be totally honest ,the thought of being sent to A&E is enough to make my condition worse.
I now take a few precautions if attending the A&E. I wear surgical mask,take hand sanitizer and sanatizer wipes.I also bring a hand towel and even my own toilet paper.Thank goodness I've not picked up anything while attending A&E so far,but it seems we have to,protect ourselves as there isn't enough of staff or room in hospitals to deal with patients with compromised immune systems.
the staff probably hate me as I make them sterilise everything before it touches me,like the blood pressure cuff,that has been on many a bare arm before it reaches me,also,I won't allow them to use those new thermometers that roll across your forehead to get reading,it's passed from one person to another.Hospitals are the most infectious place to be. Sick or healthy so we have to be vigilant with protect ourselves.
I'm in England, but had a very similar hospital experience to you when I was neutropenic. I was given a bed in an open corridor between the A&E and the acute unit (no medical supervision present - only a call bell) which had people wandering through at all hours, not to mention drunks, people with all kinds of viruses etc. I was very upset about it, so I wrote to the Chief Executive of the hospital to set out all the wrongs of putting *anyone* in such a bed, let alone someone with a compromised immune system. She wrote back an big apology and as a result the hospital changed their protocol and my feedback was used in staff training.
What I am getting to, is that maybe you could write to your hospital to explain your concerns, and maybe it will save someone else from having the same experience as you.
Hi Zaneta. I myself am only home today after a five day hospital stay but thankfully everything went smoothly for me. There is nothing as bad as been sick and not getting the treatment you deserve, hopefully by now you are now on the road to recovery. Take care of yourself. Kittie
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