"A&E visit 28 April 2014"

The morning of 28 April, I passed out and when I came to was having a hard time breathing and in a lot of pain. I called 999, who came quickly, though there was a delay due to having to wait for police to break down my front door, as I live alone and could not move without blacking out. They took me to Royal Worcester A&E, where I was initially parked on a gurney in the corridor for a couple hours while nurses came to check my vitals and take blood, etc. They asked me what medications I was taking, which I told them. From my point of view, as soon as I said I was on medication for chronic depression and anxiety, they decided I had suffered a panic attack, as the EKG and chest x-ray were clear. At which point they decided to discharge me, even though I was still having trouble breathing. I protested that I didn't think I was well enough to leave, but was told the doctors were sure I was fine, I just needed to calm down. Luckily, my partner had arrived from Southampton and was able to take me home and stay with me for a couple days. I went to my GP that week, who noticed the blood tests taken at the hospital, as well as the fact that I had a fever, indicated that I was suffering from an infection. She prescribed antibiotics and within 5 days, I was feeling better than I had in months. My GP also ordered more detailed blood tests which indicate I may also have a thyroid problem that could have caused my symptoms (initial tests were inconclusive and I need to go back in 3 months) In my opinion, the nurses and doctors at the A&E could not see past the fact that I was being treated for a mental illness. It didn't seem to matter when I told them I had suffered panic attacks in the past, and this was not like any of those (for example, there was no feeling of panic). If I had not had someone to look after me for a couple days and get me to my GP (who did not dismiss my symptoms), I'd probably still be having trouble breathing.