"Ehlers Danlos Syndrome - Rare Conditon - Migraines"

I have just spent 5 hours sitting outside either Dalriada or Antrim A&E with my daughter who is 33.  Unfortunately she can't write this herself as she is suffering from migraine issues and can't be in front of a screen. 

She has a range of health issues as she lives with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder which is a multi systemic condition.  She has had chronic joint pains, migraines, digestive and gynae problems since puberty.  She has had a number of migraine investigations and suffers from migraines on a regular basis, has a high pain tolerance level and is fairly clued in as to how they should feel.  She certainly wouldn't go to A&E unless there was something out of the ordinary happening.  

However she has had a migraine for 4 days and although the initial pain has subsided a bit she has been left with burning eyes.  Dalriada saw her at 1pm today and the DR said she needed to be seen by A&E as he was concerned about  temporal arteritis.  He felt that he throat, ear and temple were inflamed.

The Dr in A&E was unsympathetic, took some bloods, asked if she had had any pain relief since she had been in A&E and when she said no, they said they would get some given to her.  No medication was prescribed. They then came back to say the blood tests were normal and sent her home to phone her GP in the morning. 

This doctor showed little knowledge about EDS, in fact brushed it aside completely, also ignoring the fact that she has been diagnosed with TMJ issues, suggested that it was simply sinusitis, didn't check her throat or ear, didn't offer any suggestions in terms of pain relief other than to take naproxen which she can't tolerate as she is asthmatic.   

As a family we have 3 members diagnosed with EDS and live with a wide range of symptoms.  We try our best not to use A&E because we know that this is a challenging working environment but occasionally we just have to go there. 

I would also like to say that this is the only negative experience we have had in A&E but unfortunately that would not be the truth.   

In 2021 it is at the very least irresponsible for the doctor to ignore the patient's experience, especially someone who has been dealing with her condition for nearly 20 years.   In addition, even though we appreciate that it is a busy, pressured environment to work in there should at least be some compassion for a patient in pain.