"Maternity Triage and left feeling anxious"

I recently had to attend triage at Paisley due to hyperemesis. I live on an island and my sickness had reached a point where it was not being controlled with the medication I'd been provided. At 12pm, the local midwives had called Paisley and been advised that I should make my own way there.

Due to ferry times and traffic on the road, I reached triage at 3pm. Luckily the local midwives had been able to give me an antiemetic injection as I had been unable to keep anything down since the night before. I arrived at triage aware that there was likely to be a wait (this isn't my first pregnancy and I've been admitted to Paisley for fluids in my previous pregnancies). There were a couple of families waiting in the waiting area.

Rather bizarrely, after one of the men went to ask for a fresh jug of water (as both the jugs in the room were empty) a midwife came out with a jug which was clearly filled with milk, announced it was water, and then left! All of us were a bit baffled by this.

I only had to wait for an hour and a half to be taken through, which is one of my shortest waits ever in the triage waiting room, so I was optimistic that I would soon be getting fluids and feeling better. 

I was taken to a room, asked to provide a sample, and then began an incredibly long wait for any kind of treatment. I understand that it was a very busy night and that the doctors were all tied up in theatre with emergencies but I felt that communication could have been a little better. 

On numerous occasions, someone came through and asked me 'haven't you been seen yet?' A blood pressure monitor next to my bed kept beeping every 8 seconds, despite asking if it could be stopped as sounds are one of the triggers for my nausea and sickness.

By about 6pm, the antiemetic injection had worn off and I began throwing up. Luckily I had already asked for a basin because I hadn't been given a call button for my bed. The woman in the next bed (who was struggling to walk) came to check on me, pass me tissues and pressed her own call button to alert someone to help me. I had to ask twice for a fresh basin and the used one was never taken away, I had to push it onto the trolley beside the bed as far away from me as possible as seeing it was making me feel worse. At this point I asked if I could get another antiemetic injection and was told I would, however I didn't receive this until about 10pm, by which point I had already attempted to self-medicate with my own cyclizine pills from my bag because I was so desperate for some relief. 

I continued to be sick and await someone coming to help me until I saw a doctor at about 8:30-9pm. Honestly, I felt so poorly by this point, I was headachey and dizzy from dehydration and sickness. I was also feeling very cold and was using my hoody to try and stay warm as there was no blanket and no one to ask for one.

The doctor was very thorough and did apologise for the wait. I completely understand that they were so busy, but I do feel it was unfair to be kept waiting for any sickness relief for so long, especially as they were aware I was coming in and they knew that what I needed was an antiemetic injection and fluids. It was the end of his shift so he did warn me that I probably wouldn't see him again, and he was right, I didn't.

Luckily 2 other staff members started seeing to me around 10pm and from then on, things did improve. I was administered with two antiemetic injections and received 3 bags of fluids; the first bag of fluids was started a little before 11pm; roughly 11 hours after Paisley had advised the local midwives that I needed to attend for fluids and over 24 hours since I had successfully kept any fluids down.

I napped a little in triage, but to be honest, it was sheer exhaustion by this point. I was alone, scared, and felt so ill. The fluids and antiemetics did the trick and by 1am I was taken up to Ward 32; the bay I was taken to had 3 empty beds when I arrive and I wonder why I couldn't have been moved there a little sooner to receive fluids as it would have freed up space and staff in triage.

I am incredibly grateful to the staff that I saw that night and I understand that they were doing their absolute best with the resources available to them, but it has left me feeling anxious should I need to attend for fluids in the future (as is likely due to the effects of the hyperemesis) as I don't want to find myself in a similar situation again.