"My attendance to hospital"

I was admitted after waiting for an ambulance for an extended time. I was in immense pain in my left lower abdomen. I was given pain relief in an injection and then I was given an ultrasound as it was considered I might have kidney stones. The tests were taken, later it was decided I should have a CT scan and, as it was quite late, staff had to come in.

I was taken for that and then the report had to go to Perth for them to be read. I was given medication again for pain and then advised to try and get some sleep. The nurse attending kindly turned off the light and gave me a rug when I requested them. I was exhausted and really cold and did go to sleep.

I was then woken and told the results quickly by the Dr in attendance and told I could go home. I was to call my partner who was asleep and I couldn’t get in touch with them. It was the early hours of the morning.

The nurse then removed the cannula which spurted blood. The nurse climbed into the bed and held my arm very firmly until it stopped and then applied plaster and told me to get ready to go.

I tried to dress. I actually felt very faint and lightheaded as I hadn’t eaten and the shock of it all was a bit much I think. I then tried to say I’d have to get a taxi as I couldn’t get my partner on the phone so then I had to get directions to get out of the area I was in.

I had to further ask for help to ring a taxi only to be ushered to wait outside the A and E area and outside in the cold. Then when I got home, I had to get into my home in the early hours of the morning. I didn’t have my purse or keys. I had to wake up my partner who was mortified that I’d been let go when they'd been told I’d stay in overnight and, to be quite honest, I'm shocked.

I didn’t have any money and was just thankful I had some shoes dropped in when my partner had been to the hospital. I had something to eat and went to bed but in hindsight, I feel it was a bit neglectful and don’t understand why they couldn’t have left me to sleep until the morning when my partner would have got up and collected me.

I feel it was a bad ending to an already traumatic night. There wasn’t anyone around so, in my opinion, it wasn’t like they needed that bed. I was never offered food or drink and I feel that to be leaving alone in the middle of the night is not good.