"Dismissive experience"

I presented to the emergency room at Geraldton Regional Hospital. I was sent by the Health Direct nurse who I believe advised me to present to the ER immediately. I presented with significant abdominal swelling which came on in 5 minutes that I felt made me look nine months pregnant, breathing difficulties and pain in my chest and upper back, as well as radiating pain every time I breathed. The whole section of my abdomen below my belly button was extremely painful and I had also vomited and my vision was speckled.

When my partner and I arrived, we were triaged and this is where I believe the red flags began to pop up. I remember that I was not asked about any pain medication I'd taken that day (I have an independent chronic illness that was not the cause of my visit). The nurse did not seem to check to see what I had taken, they did not ask how long the pain had been present or if I had been referred to the ER by a healthcare worker.

I feel that the hospital did not take my difficulty breathing seriously and dismissed my pain rating. I presented with a letter from my GP outlining my chronic illness information, I believe the nurse did not read it or add a copy to my file. 

I recall I was made to wait for 3 hours with no pain management or check-in from a nurse. The pain was getting so bad that I considered laying on, what appeared to be, the dirty floor. My partner was growing more concerned as my pain continued to worsen and my breathing became shallow. We consulted a chronic pain scale and it was slowly creeping up to an 11 out of 15. 

When I was taken into a room, which I remember was dirty with a used blood vial on the floor, a doctor spoke to me for what felt like less than 5 minutes. I recall the doctor cursorily asked about the medications I'd taken before I'd gotten to the hospital and didn't give me a chance to answer properly. I felt the doctor was extremely dismissive. As soon as the doctor heard that I was on my period, I believe they assumed that the pain was endometriosis or PCOS related even through I'd told them it wasn't how it usually presents for me and that it felt different. The doctor didn't seem to read the letter from my GP. They decided to press on my abdomen for over a minute and appeared to ignore the fact that I was crying out in pain. Once the doctor finished, I believe they expected me to sit up immediately despite me showing signs of being in too much pain. The doctor asked for a urine sample and left. 

After I'd provided them with the urine sample, the doctor took it away. The doctor was several doors away from my room and I could clearly hear them apparently speaking to nurses about my sample and their findings. 

The doctor returned to my room, said they were going to give me additional pain relief (again without checking what I had already taken) and that I'd be leaving with more. As I understand it, the doctor did not discuss dosage, frequency or duration of the medications they were providing. I recall the doctor told me that my pain was probably caused by my endometriosis or ovarian issues. I felt the doctor continued not to listen to my concerns and left abruptly.

A few minutes later there were a group of nurses and doctors who seemed to be openly discussing another patient's case. They were at the other end of the hallway and I could hear them clearly. I believe they were discussing private information about the case and passing unfair and unflattering judgements.

A nurse returned several minutes later with some pain relief and my prescription. They did not ask about any pain medication I had taken that day, either. My partner asked the nurse about my difficulties breathing, and again I felt it was dismissed, and took us pressing the point for the nurse to go and speak to the doctor. It seemed the doctor brushed off the difficulty breathing and told me to use my puffer and see a GP if it continued for an extended period of time. After that, I was told that I was free to leave.

No scans done, no bloods taken, no fluids were given and no recommendations were given. I remember that the whole process took less than 30 minutes.

I believe that my partner and I were understandably furious. I could barely walk at this point and it felt like they were just trying to get me out as soon as possible.