"Pneumonia"

I had to go to emergency with my toddler, I was very sick and had no one to mind them as I am a single parent. I had had a chest infection and great difficulty breathing. I could barely walk and it was hard to drive to the hospital. I think it was around late night. I was not given a chair or bed and had to wait in the waiting room where I tried to sleep on a chair there with my toddler. I felt very ill.

Around a few hours past midnight, I recall a Dr saw me and said I should stay the night in hospital. I said to them that if I was that bad why had they not helped me earlier and how was I supposed to get someone to care for my child so I could stay in hospital this late. I went home.

It seemed to me that the doctor failed to tell me that I had pneumonia and I only found this out the next day when my pharmacist read the discharge summary and gave the medication that was required for pneumonia. As I understand it, not only did the doctor fail to tell me what was wrong with me, but the hospital seemingly left me sitting in the emergency waiting room for around 5.5-6 hours.

Even though this was some time ago, it still makes me emotional as I was so sick and so vulnerable. Sadly, my parents were overseas at the time and I spent the next few weeks on my own, caring for my child, with pneumonia. It was a very difficult, sad time.