"Sub standard care"

Recently I was taken to the Norfolk Island Hospital by St John's Ambulance staff (bless their hearts) as I was experiencing blood pressure problems related to psychiatric medication induced potassium deficiency. 

When I arrived I was promptly seen by an attending medic and two registered nurses.  Regardless of the severe nausea and dizziness I was experiencing I was able to articulate to the doctor and nurses my current diagnoses and medication regime, and was asked if I remember if I knew my name and what day it was...which I did. 

I was hooked up to a continuous vital sign monitor that continually sounded an alarm. I waited and a blood test was taken from my arm and all staff promptly left the room except one registered nurse who repeatedly walked in and out of a concealed room slamming the door repeatedly after each entry and exit while continually peering in my direction I assume to examine my response??   

I ignored it and focussed on why I was there and hoped that the problem would be resolved quickly so I could leave.  The doctor suddenly put on a mask and began coughing and complaining that they were sick...and I couldn't help remember my late Registered Nurse and mother saying to me "What ever you do darling, look after yourself". 

The doctors' cough quickly subsided after I made a confession that I was in no condition to care for the sick couple living next door to the hotel room where I was staying as they had refused to communicate with me...I told the doctor that they need help.... After some time passed a blood test was taken and potassium deficiency confirmed, the doctor miraculously ditched the mask and the cough and exclaimed that they understood my condition was a homeostasis issue (i.e. a disruption to the human body's dynamic state of equilibrium). 

The Registered Nurse who had been slamming the door put a line in my arm and turned the flow meter on full bore then quickly left the room.   I almost passed out in agony and reached for the call bell that was not plugged in. Thankfully a somewhat sincere friend was there to fetch the nurse. 

The nurse returned and offered me a platitudinous exclamation of oh yes it can be painful..now just breath...breath...breath...I was not having a miscarriage because I was not pregnant or experiencing vaginal bleeding???? 

I said no this line has to come out now.. so after I almost passed out they finally had another nurse remove the catheter then potassium tablets were given to me to take.  I was then admitted to a ward bed overnight and was woken at 7am to the sound of loud intermittent construction work and ward staff shouting outside my door how they need to be thankful for everything they get????   

I shut the door in angst and hoped I would be discharged as quickly as possible especially given there is a major water shortage on the island and the cleanliness of the hospital as well as the staff who may harbour antibiotic resistant bacteria or Covid19 virus was questionable, in my opinion. 

A another staff member was sent into the room and I felt they patronised me with basic medication information that I had already informed the staff that I was taking.  They then asked me how many husbands I have had??? WWW??? 

I listened to their speel about politics then the doctor entered the room and told me that potassium deficiency was the diagnosis and that if I need to.... just come and get one of us??? I said what..who??? a GP?? where?? at outpatients??? Their thread faded, I complained about the clinical social worker to them and all they could say helplessly was: oh well they mean well, to which I said yes everybody does...don't they??

After waiting an hour, the bandage from the hole in my arm was removed and the nurse quickly left the room and I began to bleed profusely, my friend asked the nurse to return and they promptly put a pressure bandage on my arm. I sat outside the hospital waiting for a taxi, nurses triangulated around me while I waited. I blew them off with some truth.

BTW there was only one other person in the ED dept when I was there, an elderly person who was left to fend for themselves, I wanted to reach out but under the circumstances I had to preserve my energy and sanity.   I do not expect to ever return there and I hope never to be admitted to another ED ever again.  On another note, in my opinion, the Island claims that they should be treated independently from Australia's mainland however that is definitely not reflected in the tourism, rental, or real estate market where the prices are exorbitant.