"Medical termination of pregnancy"

I opted to attend hospital for my medical termination of pregnancy due to a previous ectopic pregnancy and anxiety surrounding the potential pain I would endure at home. I was reassured by a member of the sexual health team that in the ward, I would have access to strong pain relief if required.

I arrived at the ward and was shown to my room. The nurse then came into my room, gave me my name band and explained the procedure briefly. I’m not sure if they introduced themself to me as I can’t remember a name. I voiced my anxiety around the pain and my previous experience but was met with no support or reassurance. 

I found the nurse to be extremely rough when inserting the tablets for the termination. I was tense due to the fear of the unknown but they just kept telling me to relax, I apologised and said I have had a bad experience before that’s why I am tense but this was not acknowledged. All I needed was a few minutes to calm down but it seemed that the staff member did not have time for that or for me. Needless to say I was considerably upset and in significant pain following this. They left a painkiller and an anti sickness tablet on the bedside and left. Unfortunately, I was reduced to tears at this point. As the painkillers were not administered prior to the termination medication, I gained no benefit from them at all. When I buzzed for pain relief I was asked by the same nurse if my periods were normally this bad. I was in agony and felt like I was being questioned for this. 

After a few hours of pain with little relief from pain killers, I eventually managed to shut my eyes. I was exhausted. The nurse then came to tell me that I was being moved to the scanning room where I could sit and await discharge because they had lots of emergencies that day. I was still in a lot of pain and feeling sick. I packed up my things and a lovely student nurse helped me walk round to the room - there was a hard upright chair to sit on. I was not shown where a toilet was even though I was still heavily bleeding. By this stage I just wanted home to see my husband for support. Again, the student nurse made me a slice of toast whilst i waited. The original nurse from earlier came to see me, told me I had my discharge letter and I could go. I was given no advice on what is normal following a medical abortion and when and whom I should contact if I was concerned. 

I walked from the ward to my car in tears and in pain. I’m aware that compared to the other patients on the ward, I was not ‘acutely unwell’ and I am also aware that wards can be busy. However, I had a right to receive patient-centered compassionate care and unfortunately, I never received that. I felt rushed and to move me to a room with a hard chair and no toilet access when I was still in lots of pain was not good enough. As a nurse myself, I am aware that there can be barriers within nursing practice however being compassionate and taking the time to listen to your patients is fundamental practice within nursing. Unfortunately, on reflecting on my experience I wished I had stayed at home as it has made what was already a very traumatic and sensitive procedure even more upsetting for me.

I wanted to give feedback as a health professional as I feel it’s important that staff can reflect on practice for the future and change it, so that no one else shares the same experience as I did.