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At what point to contact the A&E?
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As someone who used to work on the NHS front line; the patient transport services struggle with discharging patients from wards and picking people up for appointments as it is. I had a patient who had to be transferred in an emergency to a different hospital for a consultation, and rather than have the transport service take him, we had to phone 999 to get an ambulance to transfer him.Emergency Fund - £8572.39 / £10,000 :: Mortgage OP 2025 - £LISA 24/25 - £3200 / £4000 :: NSD 2025 - 2 / 150 :: Books Read: 1 / 52 :: Decluttering - 4 / 1000Engaged 9th December 2010 :: Married 29th October 2015 :: Bought a House 13th January 20170
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I highly recommend The Paramedic's Diary A real eye-opener into the ambulance service and especially this; one reason why A&Es are overstretched.0
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There are lots of excellent replies, all relevent, that I could quote, while not degenerative towards me, or the statement I made.
I would like it to made clear that I didn't ring 999, my partner rang NHS Direct; they immediately put her thru to 999, as her concern for was such. So both organasions thought it better to get me in hospital, when I would rather refuse, as my mindset is - they have a job to do, do it for someone that needs it..
However they were so concerned - an ambulance car, to test my stats, then an ambulance. I said no, but they insisted. If they are that concerned with me - let them get on with it.
I had a collapsed lung a few years back, and struggled on, with old ladies overtaking me in the high street! When I was convinced to go into hospital, they rushed me into an operating theatre, and stuck a great needle next to my heart.
I'm not one for seeking medical help, but it seems to find me. But you find yourself in this situation, semi unconcious, unaware of your surroundings; then you get better in hospital; and they just boot you out the door at 4am?0 -
There are lots of excellent replies, all relevent, that I could quote, while not degenerative towards me, or the statement I made.
I would like it to made clear that I didn't ring 999, my partner rang NHS Direct; they immediately put her thru to 999, as her concern for was such. So both organasions thought it better to get me in hospital, when I would rather refuse, as my mindset is - they have a job to do, do it for someone that needs it..
However they were so concerned - an ambulance car, to test my stats, then an ambulance. I said no, but they insisted. If they are that concerned with me - let them get on with it.
I had a collapsed lung a few years back, and struggled on, with old ladies overtaking me in the high street! When I was convinced to go into hospital, they rushed me into an operating theatre, and stuck a great needle next to my heart.
I'm not one for seeking medical help, but it seems to find me. But you find yourself in this situation, semi unconcious, unaware of your surroundings; then you get better in hospital; and they just boot you out the door at 4am?
Not entirely the same story you gave in the OP
"Tonight, my partner called NHS Direct, who called up an Ambulance, after discovering we had no way to pay to get to hospital. But had to pay for a taxi home - £11 for 3.5 miles."
Maybe health dramas are finding you because your lifestyle is less than healthy, only you know whether you and your partner consistently meet or exceed all our government's recommendations for healthy eating and lifestyle.Declutterbug-in-progress.⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️0 -
OneYorkshireLass wrote: »I highly recommend The Paramedic's Diary A real eye-opener into the ambulance service and especially this; one reason why A&Es are overstretched.
Blood, Sweat and Tea is a great book on a similar subject.
HBS x"I believe in ordinary acts of bravery, in the courage that drives one person to stand up for another."
"It's easy to know what you're against, quite another to know what you're for."
#Bremainer0 -
We picked you up, you cover the costs of taking you home.
It certainly is up to you to find your way home - do pubs offer a 'take home service'?
Sorry to be harsh, but too many people think that taking an ambulance means they've got a right to a 'lift home' - or even to get priorisied treatment.
Are there any walk-in centres near you? They might have been more suitable for your treatment0 -
Strange. All these stories about terrible long waits. All with people still alive. I wonder if that was because their conditions weren't life threatening emergencies?
I've sat in A&E with a dislocated shoulder for hours. But when the pain and swelling a couple of days later meant I passed out in fracture clinic after complaining of a terrible left handed chest pain, I was seen pretty much ten seconds after hitting the floor.
When the GP ordered me to go to A&E or she'd lock the office door and only let me out when an ambulance arrivedbecause I'd got an irregular heartbeat, was immunosuppressed and felt really ill, I caught the bus to go the mile and a half. In all honesty, I would have probably started walking were it not for the dizziness.
I was seen within five minutes for triage, sent to sit back down, called again about ten minutes later, went woozy and had pains, was caught on the way down and then spent the next two hours being treated like royalty. Once I'd got the all clear, I went and caught the bus home.
That's the difference - genuinely urgent cases are seen straight away. The ones that are not have to wait their turn. And feeling a bit peaky isn't a medical emergency.I could dream to wide extremes, I could do or die: I could yawn and be withdrawn and watch the world go by.Yup you are officially Rock n Roll0 -
There are lots of excellent replies, all relevent, that I could quote, while not degenerative towards me, or the statement I made.
I would like it to made clear that I didn't ring 999, my partner rang NHS Direct; they immediately put her thru to 999, as her concern for was such. So both organasions thought it better to get me in hospital, when I would rather refuse, as my mindset is - they have a job to do, do it for someone that needs it..
However they were so concerned - an ambulance car, to test my stats, then an ambulance. I said no, but they insisted. If they are that concerned with me - let them get on with it.
I had a collapsed lung a few years back, and struggled on, with old ladies overtaking me in the high street! When I was convinced to go into hospital, they rushed me into an operating theatre, and stuck a great needle next to my heart.
I'm not one for seeking medical help, but it seems to find me. But you find yourself in this situation, semi unconcious, unaware of your surroundings; then you get better in hospital; and they just boot you out the door at 4am?
Actually, a pneumothorax isn't usually treated by being stabbed next to the heart; it's generally a careful insertion between the ribs into the space that is filling with air and obstructing the lung from inflating fully. A procedure that is frequently conducted outside hospitals with little more than a penknife and a biro. It's painful, unpleasant and has to be treated, but you in all probability weren't at death's door. Although had they stuck in next to your heart, rather than in the correct space between the membranes, you would have been.
Mind you, with a history of that, you really have no business smoking or being in a house with somebody else doing it. Even if you have Crohns, it's not worth the breathing problems - the sensation you had with the pneumothorax? - that's what it'll feel like all day, every day, except for when it gets worse when you inevitably develop a smoking related illness.I could dream to wide extremes, I could do or die: I could yawn and be withdrawn and watch the world go by.Yup you are officially Rock n Roll0 -
Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »Strange. All these stories about terrible long waits. All with people still alive. I wonder if that was because their conditions weren't life threatening emergencies?
I've sat in A&E with a dislocated shoulder for hours. But when the pain and swelling a couple of days later meant I passed out in fracture clinic after complaining of a terrible left handed chest pain, I was seen pretty much ten seconds after hitting the floor.
When the GP ordered me to go to A&E or she'd lock the office door and only let me out when an ambulance arrivedbecause I'd got an irregular heartbeat, was immunosuppressed and felt really ill, I caught the bus to go the mile and a half. In all honesty, I would have probably started walking were it not for the dizziness.
I was seen within five minutes for triage, sent to sit back down, called again about ten minutes later, went woozy and had pains, was caught on the way down and then spent the next two hours being treated like royalty. Once I'd got the all clear, I went and caught the bus home.
That's the difference - genuinely urgent cases are seen straight away. The ones that are not have to wait their turn. And feeling a bit peaky isn't a medical emergency.
Jojo, not everyone knows whether things are life threatening or not when they happen.
In my case, with serious neurological illness, sudden loss of sight seemed likely to be a big jump forward in something that has been considered that it would take my life some years ago. I certainly didn't feel well enough, or together enough, to drive, and was terrified something further would happen.
When I eventually got to hospital I was seen immeadiately, and monitored for the rest of the night.
It was all a bit off last summer and I did ask my gp what I should have done, he said 'called an ambulance' and if it happened that there was delay or doubt say that my gp had said if it happened again he told me to call an ambulance. I think it's likely I will have to call an ambulance again sometime in the future, and hopefully I will survive that episode too, but not being a doctor I just don't know.
While I agree its laudable and right not to waste time stories of people saying they were delaying when not able to breath etc terrify me, and ultimately, swift actin is imperative for many health emergencies.
I do agree feeling leaky is not an emergency...but it turns out OP was not just feeling perky, but has not explained themselves well....and takes risks with health problems.
Edit: leaky should read peaky but is too funny to correct.0 -
lostinrates wrote: »Jojo, not everyone knows whether things are life threatening or not when they happen.
In my case, with serious neurological illness, sudden loss of sight seemed likely to be a big jump forward in something that has been considered that it would take my life some years ago. I certainly didn't feel well enough, or together enough, to drive, and was terrified something further would happen.
When I eventually got to hospital I was seen immeadiately, and monitored for the rest of the night.
It was all a bit off last summer and I did ask my gp what I should have done, he said 'called an ambulance' and if it happened that there was delay or doubt say that my gp had said if it happened again he told me to call an ambulance. I think it's likely I will have to call an ambulance again sometime in the future, and hopefully I will survive that episode too, but not being a doctor I just don't know.
While I agree its laudable and right not to waste time stories of people saying they were delaying when not able to breath etc terrify me, and ultimately, swift actin is imperative for many health emergencies.
I do agree feeling leaky is not an emergency...but it turns out OP was not just feeling perky, but has not explained themselves well....and takes risks with health problems.
I agree totally that yours was urgent and required an ambulance. Absolutely, 100%, LIR.
I don't see you as being angry that you weren't offered a lift home, though. Or complaining about the time it took for you to be seen. In fact, I wasn't actually talking about people using ambulances to get to hospital in the first place at all, I was talking about the gripes about long waits in A&E for non life threatening situations. Where people are triaged (and if they are reporting such things as chest pains, etc, they are seen within minutes) and wait in the seats whilst genuinely urgent cases are seen straight away.
The patient transport system is ridiculously overstretched and has to be only for those who have a confirmed medical need for it - it's not there for people who don't have money for the bus.
My irregular heartbeat episode was an example to show that, even when you aren't brought in on a blue light, people with the more serious, immediately life threatening symptoms are seen quickly. Even when the only person you've spoken to at the hospital is the person behind the glass at reception and you don't think it's that much of a problem yourself but the slightly panicked expression of the GP has made you think well, actually, maybe I should do as I'm told here.I could dream to wide extremes, I could do or die: I could yawn and be withdrawn and watch the world go by.Yup you are officially Rock n Roll0
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