"17 hours in a+e with no sleep, food or pain relief"

I rang 111 in the evening as I was in a lot of pain from my back jolting and everything below the waist was numb and tingly and I kept getting electric shocks throughout my body. 111 Said I needed to go straight to a+e and I need to be seen within 4 hours. They said they would make a+e Chesterfield aware that I was on my way.

I explained this when I got to a+e and was told it doesn't work like that and they just need to take my details and I have to wait. The waiting time was 5 hours, but I understood this as it was a little busy.

I was seen by the nurse consultant after 2 hours, they took my bloods and did a bladder scan. I was asked to then wait to be seen by a doctor, I was told the results will take 1.5 - 2 hours and I'd be seen by the doctor. It wasn't until 2.30am that a doctor called me in. The doctor examined me and explained they wanted to rule out a very serious condition, so I needed an MRI and they would get me a bed on SAU. I was made to wait again on the hard chairs in a+e (even though I explained I have a neurology issue and the hard chairs are causing worsening pains, as well as my other painful and uncomfortable symptoms from my jolted back.

After another 6 hours waiting on the hard chair to be sent to SAU I was told I had to go down to the MRI department for an MRI. This was at 8.30am the next morning. I had to then walk to this department on my own in all this pain and discomfort. After I had the MRI the consultant said as soon as I got back to the a+e department my results should be there as they are sent automatically straight away. I explained this when I had walked back round and I was told someone will know and to just wait again.

From about 5am the department had no longer been busy at all and only had me and a few others in. Everyone that was in when I got there the day before seemed to have been seen and sent home or sent to another department. Though I was still being told I was waiting for a bed on SAU. I was told there would be beds available by 7am but I still was never offered one and still kept being told to wait. After another 6 hours after my MRI I was still waiting, I spoke to a receptionist and just broke down in tears (I was tired from being awake for the past 32 hours, I hadn't eaten since 4pm the previous day and my pains were unbearable from sitting for 17 hours on a hard chair in the a+e waiting room. This receptionist was the only one who sympathised with me and went to see what was going on. She came back with some food for me and asked a nurse to get me some morphine and she then said the doctor will see me in 15 minutes or less.

The doctor then came out and explained to me that luckily I didn't have the serious condition (which I dread to think what would have happened if I did after the last 17 hours!) They told me the MRI showed I have a dehydrated spinal disc and will prescribe me some pain relief and my doctor will need to refer me to physio for it. I asked what it meant and was this the reason for all my pain and numbness/shocks throughout my body. They said yes but didn't explain anything else. I was told to walk round to the pharmacy in the main reception and they would send them my prescription.

Although I was finally relieved to be going home to get some sleep and recover a little with pain relief, I feel I haven't been explained my condition properly and other than being on pain relief, I still have numbness and pins and needles and have had to try and google a dehydrated spinal disc to try and understand it a little more!