"Appendicitis"

Derriford Accident and Emergency

After being on call to 111 we went to derriford accident and emergency, My flatmate was in significant pain, 111 had said her symptoms were signs of Severe Appendicitis. (The day before we'd been to minor injuries at another trust and were told it was hypoglycemia and period pain).

Upon arrival at Derriford A&E (my flatmate has a language barrier so I spoke) we explained the situation. We were just told to wait and that we'd be seen. There were no seats so we sat on the floor. My flatmates pain got worse and the only way she was comfortable - within reason - was if she was lying down. So she lay on the floor of the A&E.

After several hours we were seen. Having arrived there at 7:30pm we eventually were seen at 10:40pm for observations. They decided then that she would need blood tests, xray, urine sample and IV for fluids for her severe 4 day dehydration. She was given 2 Codiene tablets. These eased the pain for her, but wore off after 2 hours. So at about 12:50pm I went to reception to ask if they could send a nurse with painkillers, they said yes they would send for a nurse to give her painkillers - my flatmate couldn't move due to the pain.

At 2am a nurse walked past and said my flatmate couldn't lie on the floor of A&E for safety reasons and that she needed to move to a quiet room waiting area, so the nurse showed me where it was helped me get my flatmate up and then left. I asked the nurse if she could get painkillers for my flatmate and she said yes but didn't return. 

At 2:30am we were seen by a doctor who popped into the waiting room and left again saying he would return but he did not (no nurse or doctor had arrived to give her painkillers even though reception and the other nurse had said they would).

Finally at 3:30am we were seen by a different doctor. He was brilliant, he listened well to her symptoms, was quick with giving her painkillers and quick to get her to Xray department as he believed it was appendicitis. Bloods were taken which we were told would be roughly an hour for results. The pain killers the doctor gave my flatmate significantly helped. At about 5am she went for xray. At 6am she was given IV Fluid drip for dehydration. At 7am I went home as she was to be transferred to a ward for surgery to remove her appendix. 

We were at the A&E for 12 hours with serious appendicitis symptoms, a patient in significant pain, lying on the floor of an A&E department, when asking repeatedly at reception for a nurse or doctor to get her painkillers to receive none for over 2 hours, were ignored by one doctor who came in called her name (we said it was us) and left again not to return. 

Later when she returned from surgery, she told me that they told her that she'd had a cyst on her appendix which had burst whilst at the A&E which had caused the significant pain on top of the pain of severe appendicitis. And that they said if we had been three hours delayed her appendix would have burst. 

She felt lost in the system and un-cared for. To wait over 2 hours to receive painkillers, to lie on the floor of an A&E, to be ignored by a doctor - where is the dignity, respect and care. I appreciate it was busy and that the staff do work hard. But Both her and I don't feel she was cared for to the best of of the A&E's ability.