"Lack of empathy"

I am a severe Asthmatic who had been struggling at home with my Asthma for over a week. My reason for going to A&E was that I felt like my breathing was getting worse. I was stuck in bed and it was becoming increasingly difficult to move back and forward to the bathroom (my lips were turning blue when I was exerting myself). I have been an inpatient with my Asthma on several occasions including stays in ICU. I have always been told on these occasions never to let it get to the stage where I am really struggling so on this occasion I thought I was doing the sensible thing. I had been on medication for 5 days. I was also treating myself at home with nebulisers.

On arrival to A&E, my husband got me a wheelchair as there was no way that I could walk from the car. The receptionist told me that it wouldn’t be long before I was triaged, which was a relief. A nurse came through and called me into triage. They asked me a few questions and done my obs. They turned to me with a big smile on their face, and assured me that I would have a very long wait. I thought their tone was unacceptable. I was unsure if they said I would or wouldn't have a long wait, so I asked. The reason I asked them this was because they had a smile on their face when they said it and I stupidly thought that they could see me struggling, so maybe they're reassuring me that I won’t have long to wait. When I asked them this, they snapped that I will, as there were people in here in a far worse state than me. I did not once dispute that, I simply thought that i had misheard and was only asking.

Their attitude angered me, which in turn made my breathing worse. I said to them that I understood that they were very busy, but if I was going to have to wait, would there be any chance that I could have a nebuliser as I was struggling and when my asthma is this bad, my inhaler doesn’t work. The answer I got was a blatant no, which worried me as I had been taking my own at home and had no access to it.

After a long wait, I was called by a CSW who wheeled me to a cubicle and 10 mins later a doctor came in. The doctor asked me what had brought me in and I explained that my chest was getting worse despite being on max treatment at home and that I had been keeping an eye on my oxygen levels and they were falling to 93 and going up to 94 after a few nebulisers. They said that I looked reasonably well and said I was to go for a chest X-ray and that they wanted a sputum sample. They wheeled me to X-ray and on my return, I was coughing. I asked one of the nurses for a sputum pot and explained that the doctor wanted a sample. They didn’t even reply to me - they turned around and walked away. I could see them looking for one. They came back and said that they couldn’t find one and if they came across one, they'd hand it in.

Shortly after, the doctor came back in and said that my chest X-ray was fine and that I did have an infection according to my bloods, so of course I was going to feel unwell but I could go home. They said, on listening to my chest, I only had mild wheeze. They told me if I start to struggle getting around the house, just come back. I had already told them that the reason I was here was because my chest was getting worse and that I was struggling the few steps from my bed to my bathroom. They told me to go home despite not checking my oxygen levels or getting a sputum sample that they had asked for. No one checked my obs between triage and being told to go home 6 hours later. I left feeling worse than I did when I went in.

After all these years of being told never to leave it so late before coming to hospital for help as my asthma has a history of turning very nasty very quickly, I felt like I was dismissed and wasn’t taken seriously, which has put me off going to hospital for help again. Firstly I was met with attitude from the nurse in triage and secondly, I felt like the doctor did not listen nor did they take me seriously. I am sure you are very aware that asthma can turn nasty quickly and I feel it was wrong of the doctor to send me home without doing a 2nd set of obs. I had been without my nebuliser for over 7 hours and as a result, my oxygen levels were at 92 when I got home. 

I called my GP 1st thing in the morning and they thankfully seen me straight away. They said my chest sounded awful and I had consolidation at the bottom of my right lung.  They took a sputum sample and changed my antibiotics and within a few days, I started to slowly improve. This could have been done in the hospital had I been taken seriously and if the doctor had taken a sample like they said they were going to.  I fully understand the pressures that staff are under however, I feel there is no excuse for a lack of empathy or speaking to patients like I was spoken to.