"Presenting with heart problems"

After three days of chest pain I went to Peel emergency department to be checked. I have a pacemaker for neurocardiogenic syncope and had recently had my covid booster shot. My loved ones felt it was best to go and make sure nothing serious, like an adverse reaction or my pacemaker malfunctioning, was happening.

I recall we were told by the nurse administering the booster that if I experience severe chest pain I must go to the emergency room to be checked and I believe the official government website said the same thing, so we were simply doing what was advised. When we arrived we were seen by the triage nurse who was extremely warm and kind. They brought me through to the emergency room in a wheelchair because I said I was dizzy. They dropped off my file and left me to the other doctors there.

At this point the pain in my chest was overwhelming. I was sat alone for about 5 minutes when an administrator came in, by that time I was struggling with speech (a common symptom of my condition) I then felt another sharp pain in my chest then I collapsed. While I was unconscious, I believe many people entered the room. As I was coming in and out of consciousness there seemed to be lots of yelling. Yelling at each other, yelling at me. They kept saying they didn’t know where I came from, I recall someone yelled at me did I just walk in? Where did I come from? Again, I was in and out of consciousness during that period, and like most people, was unable to communicate at that time. I was unable to answer, and the more I was unable to answer the angrier they seemed to get at each other and, I felt, at me.

They eventually found my file and by that time I was becoming more conscious and able to communicate. When they found my file they started to ask about my drug use and my mental health issues. I explained I’m on strong painkillers for severe endometriosis and I believe a doctor rolled their eyes at me. The doctor and other staff I found were very aggressive when it came to my painkillers, even though I explained to them many times where I got them and why I have them, I felt they were still convinced I was a drug addict. I was there to be checked for chest pain not to be seemingly harassed by doctors that I believe have no idea of the pain or severity of my conditions.

One doctor suggested I get a full hysterectomy to ‘cure my endo’, which I feel shows how little they knew of that condition as there is no cure and the idea that a hysterectomy is a cure is a very old and outdated idea in my opinion. Putting out what I believe to be misinformation about a disease I believe they are not specialised in I found was inappropriate and unhelpful. When I asked if my chest pain could be related to the vaccine, I recall I was laughed at by the doctor. They acted as if I was a hysterical, I was just asking a simple question that to me, seemed pertinent.

As soon as my medications were listed, I felt I was instantly treated as a drug seeker and abuser. Despite no history of drug abuse and the fact I hadn’t asked for pain relief the entirety of being there. Another issue I had with my treatment that day was two clinicians who repeatedly touched me in sensitive areas without asking for consent or making any indication first.

Due to my many health concerns, particularly my heart issues (POTS & NCS) I have been in hospitals many many times and had ECG’s literally countless times. Not once since I had my first one at 11 years old have I had a health care worker lift my shirt or attach or detach the leads without asking or at least saying what they’re doing first. Never in my life has a healthcare worker made me uncomfortable in that way. Multiple times that day the clinician lifted my gown and moved my leads with absolutely no indication. One time with the curtain to the emergency room completely wide open, they were told off by another nurse to close it immediately for my privacy. The doctor that was seeing me touched around my breast without any indication that they were going to do so. I understand that they were both obviously touching me for medical reasons, but I feel that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t ask before touching me in sensitive places. Again, in all my years of having heart issues, this has never happened to me. I believe they both should have known better.

In the future, I feel they definitely need to learn to ask for consent or at least indicate that they are about to touch a patient or lift their gown. Especially that clinician because they did it many times during the day. Other than the triage nurse, my entire experience was extremely upsetting. I left feeling humiliated, harshly judged and uncared for.