"Speedy triage, but bad experience with…"

Went in with a badly sprained ankle, initially thinking it was broken. The receptionist and the nurse who triaged me were lovely, and I got seen very quickly. The X-ray techs were so kind and made me laugh despite crying and being in a lot of pain. The final nurse who I spoke to is why I didn't have a great experience overall.

I was in a wheelchair and when asked if I could walk, I responded no because I was in so much pain. She said that I'd have to walk anyway, wheeled me to the door of her room, told me to walk in, and then asked why I was hopping on one leg. I tried to explain the amount of pain I was in, but felt ignored. She then wheeled the wheelchair away, not even giving me the option to be wheeled out of the clinic. When she finished her assessment and told me it was not broken, it felt like there was so little compassion and understanding that despite not being broken, I was still in an immense amount of pain. She didn't offer me any form of pain relief to take home, and sent me on my way without any assistance to get out the clinic. I went to the reception and begged for a crutch, but was told that the nurse had specifically noted I needed to walk on it and not use a crutch else it would hinder the healing process. It is only the next day, and after hobbling around to cook for myself last night, the pain is tenfold and my ankle has swollen so much I can barely move my toes. Thank goodness my landlord had a crutch I could borrow, else I wouldn't be able to do anything.

I completely understand that to this nurse, I was just another patient. But to me, this is an injury I am going to have to nurse for weeks to heal. It means that, while living alone, I will have to continue doing everything for myself. I wish there had been more sympathy and understanding from the nurse, but instead I felt unheard and invalidated in my pain.

Thank you to the lovely X-ray team, receptionist, and first nurse I saw, you salvaged my experience. But no one should leave a healthcare centre crying, not from the pain, but from feeling unheard and not cared for.