"Terrible experience"

I attended the a&e at around 5pm due to pain in my arm and general feeling of unwell following recent surgery on it. Whilst I was in the waiting room i began experiencing sever right sided abdominal pain. My bloods showed high white blood cell count. I made the doctor aware, however as it was not the problem i entered with he was unsure what to do, but as he could see i was in a lot of pain he said to wait in the waiting room and he would run some more tests. Whilst getting a new sling for my arm i was in agony in the abdomen and told the nurse doing the sling - who said the doctor had gone home, and i was discharged! I would have to go back to the beginning despite having been there for 4 hours! I started crying as i was in so much pain and distress.

The whole a&e was clearly severely understaffed and the doctors and nurses did not hide their stress - one nurse in particular was very rude to everyone waiting. An elderly women was left in the waiting room in distress, a few more more clearly very unwell patients in immediate need of attention, left without care. One man clearly with severe mobility and cognitive problems was left hours in a room on his own, he struggled to walk nearly falling over to reception and after being blatantly ignored by receptionists another patient had to help them to the bathroom. It was shocking. No staff were to be seen and didn't seem to care at all.

Despite myself being in agony i was offered no pain relief. I went to the desk and queued and told them the doctor had told me he would run more tests but a nurse had said he had gone home and i was discharged. The receptionist said i was not discharged and still on the system! All the time i struggled to walk or do anything in pain. I went back to the nurse who said he was now discharging me - he clearly made a mistake but chose to discharge me. I was in clear agony and distress. I ended up going back to check myself in and was re-triaged.

I waited another 4 hours and ended up screaming in pain on the floor, i felt like i was in labor. The next doctor was concerned in may be appendicitis but couldn't make a decision so said she was requesting a more senior doctors opinion - i was left in the urgent care assessment room for a further 2 hours. After 10 hours i overheard this was the only senior doctor in a&e and he was continually having more urgent cases - no idea when i would be seen. only then did i receive some pain relief.

It was 3.30am in the morning, having got there at 5pm, and by this point i was so tired and in pain i couldn't wait any longer, there seemed no point in being there with no care. I told the doctor sitting in her office (after being shouted at by a nurse for approaching) i was going home. She advised against it due to concerns of appendicitis but i told her i was better off going home and calling an ambulance if i needed it than waiting in the a&e any longer.

I am traumatised by my experience in this a&e.