hmmmmmmmmmmm

gettingbetter

hi all

I would just like some opinions please
I went out for dinner on saturday night
meal was great we then went down to bar for drink
while waiting for taxi

in the bar i started itching
(i do have allergies but dont know what trigger this one)
by time we had finished our drink and was waiting outside
for taxi to arrive i was seriously scratching

told my partner to tell driver to go to nearest hosp
(been through this before and knew i needed antihistimeen injection)
taxi arrived took us to the hosp
we were told 4/5 hour wait
(by this time i have scratched my arms so much
i am bleeding)
nurse was very nice and told us to phone nhs 24

my partner did and was told


i was at a & e anyway so if my breathing became affected
i was in the right place and they would sort me out
go home have cold shower and not worry
about it it would pass
there was no one who could give me the injection

i wasnt in my home town
yes in my home i do have tablets
but i was 70 miles from home
and yes my own fault i had forgotten them
but i never know when it gonna happen

were they a bit harsh

kas xx

Torry_Quine

What kind of A&E department couldn't give you the treatment necessary. An injection for an allergic reaction is something very basic that should be readily available. Hope everything is fine now.

gettingbetter

thanks torry

all fine now
just waiting for all the scabs to go
i couldnt believe what i was getting told

kas xx

Fire_Fox

Were who a bit harsh, A&E or NHS Direct? What happened in the end, did you wait and get the injection or take the cold shower and it passed?

Maybe A&E should have told you where the duty pharmacy was so you could pick up some tablets. Cold shower is good advice, triggering the cold receptors on the skin blocks the itch signals. Itching increases histamine production and you can get stuck in the itch-scratch cycle so sit on your hands or have your partner hold them or the like. Maybe get some extra tablets and keep them in various handbags, overnight bags and the car?

fluffnutter

As far as I can tell, you were subject to the normal (admittedly long) wait at A&E for a non-emergency case. If you'd developed anaphylaxis no doubt you'd have been seen sooner (straightaway I hope!) but for a simple skin reaction, as unpleasant as it is, you're going to have to wait.

You were advised to phone NHS Direct which gave its usual non-committal advice. Not sure why they advised this, but I'd have simply ignored them.

I don't think the hospital did anything wrong, and I don't expect anything more from NHS Direct.

Hope you're feeling better now - even when they're not life-threatening, allergies are really horrible.

gettingbetter

thanks fire fox

i have bought more tablets and now have some in car
and hand bag

i thought it was bit off
NHS 24 said there was no one to give injection

but hay ho we live and learn

in end had cold shower
i couldnt wait the 4 or 5 hours to be seen

kas xx

Tiddlywinks

A&Es will triage incoming cases - essentially, you will be seen as quickly (or slowly) as your assessed condition requires.

You were in a medical environment, had your condition worsened then you would have been moved up the queue - as that point you were non-critical walking wounded. Uncomfortable, yes but critical, no.

I suffer from allergies and never know when eating whether a hidden ingredient will get me - I carry meds everywhere. Have spares at work, with my OH etc. That's the way forward.

fluffnutter

gettingbetter wrote: »

i couldnt wait the 4 or 5 hours to be seen

kas xx

I'm pleased thing worked out OK. But I can't help thinking that things weren't that bad after all. If you're ill enough, you'll wait the four or five hours.

heretolearn_2

I had to wait around 2 hours to be seen and X rayed, diagnosed with a broken wrist. I then had to wait another 3 hours for them to re-set and plaster it. I was in a lot of pain and miffed, to say the least. Then while i was waiting to get the ok to go home, I overheard a staff conversation. Someone had tried to commit suicide by jumping off a building and pretty much the whole of A&E had been tied up trying to save their life.

You never know what else the department has to deal with. I'm sure they were going to see you as quickly as possible but an allergic rash, with no other difficulties, is never going to be a big priority.

penny_crayon

Sorry to hear about your allergic reaction. I too have allergies and *usually* remember to carry my medication. However I have been caught out before and ended up in A and E. I was seen quite quickly though cos my allergies make my asthma bad and I was having trouble breathing. I think if its just a skin reaction its not an "emergency", to them that is!

Another suggestion which i have used (not that you would be in the same situation again!?!) would be to find a late night/24hr chemist and buy some piriton over the counter? (Are those the tablets you take?)

lostinrates

Last time i called nhs direct it was because i had lost sight in one eye late at night.

They told me ambulances were not taxis and i should get my self to a and e pronto. I live in a very rural area, alone then, with no one to drive me. The gp was horrified when i to,d him the next day ( i ended up going to bed as i obviously could not drive myself with lost vision).