"My time spent in hospital"

When I entered the Emergency Department I was having chest pains, vomiting, and loose bowel and I was very frightened, I thought I was about to have a heart attack. I was signed in and waited to be called and from that moment on I felt safe. The ED staff were amazing, very professional, and the doctors and nurses explained to me everything they thought was happening to me. I was immediately treated for Atrial Fibrillation and drop in blood pressure and lined up for all kinds of testing. I was placed in the Sensitive Room to wait for something in ICU to become available. The staff were needed for other emergencies and for want of another place to put me they rolled me into the RESUS room. From the time I entered emergency up until I was moved to the RESUS room, I felt safe, I felt if I were to go into cardiac arrest I would have an immediate response from the medical staff who had attended me so far. In RESUS it was different.

From the moment I was placed there I was made to feel that I was endangering the medical staff on duty that day and the next, because of the COVID threat. I was not aware that I was considered a Covid risk. The nurse on duty, and I can't recall their name but I will never forget their face, was complaining to everyone who would listen that they should not have to have me in that room because of the Covid risk. They did it within my hearing and spoke to everyone who entered the room to speak to me or have any contact with me. I did not ask to be placed in the room and I am sure the very professional staff I had tending me up until that time would not have placed me there, had I been any risk to their staff. I became frightened and worried that if I were to go into a cardiac arrest or other immediate emergency response that the nurse in question might be hesitant in their response to me. I counted the minutes on the clock, praying for someone from ICU to come get me so I would feel safe again. Whilst, I can understand and have a healthy respect for the nurse's fear of Covid-19, I have absolutely no respect for their lack of professionalism in talking in front of me to anybody who entered the room even if this nurse thought they had whispered, I heard every word they said.

My attack was brought on by severe stress and I did not want to confront them and raise my stress levels. I tried to tell them that my vomiting and loose bowel were stress-related but I felt it did not change their attitude towards me. God help me if I ever have to depend on the RESUS Department at Shoalhaven District Hospital. Otherwise, I could not have asked for a more perfect place to be. All of this happened recently.