Mid-last year, my doctor sent me to Northam Hospital as I was coughing uncontrollably and struggling to catch my breath and had extreme pain in my left lower rib, they had given me pain killers before I left, my cough was not a loud booming cough, when I breathed out I would cough.
Waiting in the ED at Northam on my own, a doctor approached me and I recall they said, I haven't seen you cough once since you got here and asked why I was there, I relayed the coughing and the sore ribs, I mentioned that I had a small cough on and off for about 8 months, came and went and had gotten bad that day, I was struggling to form a sentence. I felt the doctor was clearly annoyed and seemingly sarcastic, they said your doctor has asked for a scan to be done, they all went home at 5 and would now have to be called back in, then the doc left.
Another doctor walked past me twice and said both times, I have not seen you cough once, making me feel completely humiliated and though I was hypercondric. I was not told if I was having a scan or not, I was then ushered in for a very rushed chest xray by a seemingly very agitated xray operator. After the scan, a nurse came up to me with a needle and pills, they went to jab me in the arm with the needle before I stopped them and asked what it was, I also had to ask twice what the pills were for, clearly it seemed to me I was still being treated as a hypercondric, I was given medication for heartburn/ indigestion and a liquid to help my sore throat, I didn't have a sore throat. My scan came back and a third doctor said there's nothing on your scan, could be my bowel was high on the left and was pushing on my diaphragm and into my lung possibly making me cough, possibly broken rib or damaged muscle between the rib, follow up with your GP and sent me home with Nurofen and indigestion tablets.
Not wanting to go back to ED being made to think theres nothing wrong with me, 24 hours later I was admitted to another hospital’s ED, same symptoms, CT chest only scan revealed I had blood clotts in both lungs and a portion of my left lung had died, was put on blood thinners and sent home, two weeks later I was sent for another full body CT scan at Northam Hospital by my doctor, as I was experiencing abdominal issues, I was contacted by my doctor and the Northam radiologist to go immediately to the ED. After waiting many hours I was told I had a large mass on my left ovary. A few months later I was told I have terminal ovarian cancer.
Of all the patient's in the Northam ED on that night mid-last year, I feel I needed help the most, I was made to feel like a total idiot, hypercondric and I was wasting their time. Since that night, I have not had any issues with the Doctors or Nursing staff at Northam.
"Poor doctor treatment"
About: Northam Health Service / Emergency Department Northam Health Service Emergency Department Northam 6401
Posted by WheatbeltPatient (as ),
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