"Unprofessional and Unsafe Treatment in ER"

On a recent weekend, a random blister appeared on my leg. It wasn’t from a bite or pressure — it just came out of nowhere. I had just returned from 10 days in Sri Lanka. Over the next two days, it turned into an ulcer, became sore, and developed a red ring around it. Two days later, I saw my GP who was concerned it could be Lyme disease, a Buruli ulcer, a tropical ulcer, or a spider bite. She took swabs and said to come back if it didn’t improve.

Three days later it was worse, and as my GP wasn’t available, I went to the Prince of Wales Hospital ED to be assessed. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t serious.

From the start, I felt dismissed. They didn’t ask me any questions, just told me to show them the ulcer. When I explained how it developed and why I was concerned — mentioning that my family, who are doctors, were worried — I felt the nurse became defensive. They said my swab results were negative and when I explained that my mum had questioned if bacteria could develop after the swab, I recall they snapped, saying if my family were doctors, they would know it would show up on the first swab.

I mentioned my dad has diabetes and that my GP wanted me tested, but they told me they don’t do that here, and that I'll have to see my GP. They also said if my dad has diabetes it’s likely I’ll get it at some stage which I believe was completely inappropriate.

When the nurse briefed the doctor, I could hear them mocking me, saying that I think I have some magical tropical ulcer from Sri Lanka. I felt my face burn and my hands shake. I told the doctor I could hear what was being said, and instead of apologising, I recall they accused me of speaking rudely to the nurse.

The doctor said they’d do a blood test. I’m usually fine with needles, but by this stage I was anxious because of how I’d been treated. During the test, blood spurted out of the tube, onto my arm and the chair. I felt the doctor looked flustered and rushed to clean it up. While I was sitting there with blood on my arm, they started asking what I did for work and who I lived with. I was too anxious to answer, and I believe they got annoyed at me for not responding.

When my partner arrived, they asked why I was so anxious. My partner explained that I’d had large infections from ingrown hairs before and we wanted to get this one treated properly. I felt the doctor brushed it off, saying, lots of people have infections, anyone with hair can get an ingrown hair that gets infected, making me feel like I was wasting their time.

I left feeling humiliated, unsafe, and stupid for even going to the ED — even though I had every right to seek care. What upset me most was that instead of treating me with empathy and professionalism, both the nurse and doctor mocked me, dismissed my concerns, and made inappropriate comments in my opinion. The blood test incident only reinforced how careless the treatment was.

This experience was awful, and I don’t want anyone else to go through it. I trusted that I would be listened to and taken care of, and instead I was made to feel like a nuisance for seeking help.