The angry thread

[IanUK]

Sorry to hear that Longbridge,

I have heard the NHS are starting to work abroad, but in all seriousness my experience of the NHS over the past three years regarding my heart/high blood pressure has been appalling.

I was first aware/diagnosed with high blood pressure was when I keeled over at work, and blue lighted to A&E with a suspected heart attack.

I was wheeled and seen by a very young, and mean, very young doctor. I thought he had arrived at work via skateboard.

In his medical opinion there was nothing wrong with me, and was told to go. Luckily my wife is a nurse and took me straight back to my GP who was so concerned he wanted to send me back by ambulance. I refused.

After being given pills and potions by the doc my heart rate settled down. My wife put a complaint in and we received a grovelling apology, and it turns out the alleged doctor I saw was a junior and was his first day out of medical school and wasn't being supervised, but he went a head anyway.

Fast forward three years; I became unwell during the night in February around 2 AM, I checked my blood pressure and is was astronomically high. As my wife was working nights, I contacted the out of hours GP and asked if I could take extra medication.

No was the answer, and I would have to go to them due to my history. It was chucking it down with snow, my son got up and dug his car out to take me.

Guess where the out of hours is based?? Next to the A&E department. I got there, went straight in, the doc took my blood pressure and said it was a little high, but he wasn't concerned and that my blood pressure monitor at home wasn't calibrated properly and sent me away all in about 5 minutes.

I was still feeling unwell and went home back to bed. To cut a very long story short. I saw my GP the next day who was shocked at my treatment, I was really poorly and I have not been at work since as I have been signed off long term sick.

My wife took the blood pressure monitor for calibrating, which it didn't need as it was spot on. So another complaint went forward.

They responded and admitted I had been treated in a ad hoc way. No basic questions had been asked, my treatment sheet was incomplete and no discharge advice had been given or recorded, it was basically blank. More importantly their time recording system showed, from the time of arrival to the time of departure, I had been in their department less than 7 minutes!

If it makes you feel any better Longbridge, I'm only 47, and feel the system does not care either. So it must be even more difficult as you get into later years.

If you are wondering which hospital, just look at where I'm from its speaks for it self.

Good luck mate,

Ian.

[trainsdownunder]

Sorry to hear you're un well Dave

Take it steady fella

[Garryj]

Monday morning, 2 1/2 hours to drive to work because some Numpty decides that Monday morning rush hour is a good time to block a lane on one of the main roads into London to repair a bus stop!

Tuesday morning, 3 hours to get in because two fellow motorists can't drive in a straight line and collide.

This morning 2 hours to get in because an HGV driver decides to block a lane whilst he waits for a site to open.

Grrr! Roll on retirement. 14 months to go!

[Newportnobby]

You have my sympathies, Dave.
Some 20 years ago my heartbeat rose to 160 beats per min during the night.
Feeble attempts to calm it down (which included a cuppa and a fag ) I rang the doctors surgery to be told I had to call the ShropDoc (out of hours Shropshire Doctor) and was told 'it would be easier for me to drive to the hospital than for the doc to try and find me'
I spent 24 hrs in hospital while they calmed it down with drugs and was packed off home (after paying £12 parking fee, of course )
Since then I have been on 3 medications per day + 75mg aspirin with no repeat episode, although it does clang about occasionally. Still, I hear that the aspirin and the statins I take do me good in other respects

[Bikeracer]

I've come to the conclusion that in the NHS, the last thing to have any importance is patients care.

I've been up to my local practice this afternoon,cars parked as far as the eye could see along the road....it is the monthly Wednesday meeting for all the Newark doctors,there is not a doctor available anywhere in Newark for one Wednesday each month.

I'll have to go back in the morning now.

Allan

[longbridge]

You have my sympathies, Dave.
Some 20 years ago my heartbeat rose to 160 beats per min during the night.
Feeble attempts to calm it down (which included a cuppa and a fag ) I rang the doctors surgery to be told I had to call the ShropDoc (out of hours Shropshire Doctor) and was told 'it would be easier for me to drive to the hospital than for the doc to try and find me'
I spent 24 hrs in hospital while they calmed it down with drugs and was packed off home (after paying £12 parking fee, of course )
Since then I have been on 3 medications per day + 75mg aspirin with no repeat episode, although it does clang about occasionally. Still, I hear that the aspirin and the statins I take do me good in other respects

Hi Mike, I think the reason they haven't been in touch is because I am taking Warfarin (Rat Poison) to thin my blood and also take other Beta Blocker tablets to slow my heart down, they tell me that it helps reduce the chances of getting a clot which causes a stroke, that may be the case but it doesn't help my ticker to stop beating fast, slow and with misses, its like it has a dirty spark plug or something, unless they have a Crystal Ball and can positively tell me I cant get a stroke I might believe them.

What pees me off is that I have done everything the asked me to do 5 years ago when I had stents fitted, no smoking, no drinking, plenty of walking, reduced fat, reduced sugar and reduced salt, a fat lot of good that does when you go to a hospital that doesn't want to know you.

I have decided that if I don't hear from Outpatients by Monday next week I will front the Hospital again and hopefully get something done.

[Bealman]

Hey Dave,

Just had a look at this thread- sorry to hear about the situation. Yeah, ticker problems are scary... it's our age, I guess. I'm in the ballpark too as all my family  and I mean ALL - every single one of 'em carked it of heart problems, most in their early  to mid '60s. EEK.

I agree with you about the Emergency wards here in Oz, though. I have had exactly the same experience (on more than one occasion) where I've been hooked up to pipes and tubes and wires and things while feeling not at all well, left for a few hours then told to rak off home.

Just a couple of weeks ago, my wife slammed the car door on her finger and did quite extensive damage and spent all night there. I fell onto the corner of a coffee table at my brother-in-law's house in Canberra at 9.30 pm and came close to losing my eye. I went straight to hospital, sat bleeding all over the place until 6am when they decided they wanted to operate. I said no way, so they eventually let me leave at 2.30pm after extensive discussion and finally decided surgery was unnecessary.

I too am on heart medication.

Take it easy and I hope it works out.

George

[longbridge]

Thanks for your kind comments George, Queensland has gone down the gurgler over the past few months, the current State dropkicks have cut so much out of health, that is why the situation is getting worse.

Talking to a Nurse with 25 years service that never moaned about the job in all that time told me, the government has stopped them buying plastic spoons to feed kids, elderly patients and stir their own tea, they don't have a cutlery set in Emergency and rely on plastic spoons.

They also stopped supplying the little plastic straws that bend by a little concertina section in the middle, these are needed for people in bed that require a drink.

I wont go into the way I really think because this is a model railway forum but there is millions of $$$$ being spent on new arrivals to Australia while the rest of the population suffer.

Am I angry  you bet and whats worse no one wants to do anything about Australia's problems 

[ozzie Bill.]

I know this is supposed to be the angry thread, but I have to reply to defend both local and NHS hospitals. diagnosed 4 years ago with cancer in mouth, extensive surgery, including new jaw, then chemo, radio and unfortunate complications. The Royal Melbourne and The Alfred, 2 major hospitals in Melb, have been incredible in the way they looked after me and give me almost priority treatment every time I have to visit. Last year, 4 ops on my mouth to try and give me some implants so I can get some cosmetic teeth. Land in UK for Xmas, day 1, one of the implants falls out. Local A&E nr London, were great. Full service, called specialist at another hospital, discussed my xrays, gave me a course of action and also gave me copies of everything I needed in case I had to visit another A&E whilst travelling in UK. Just great service. Maybe I have lucked in. Cheers, Bill.

[Bealman]

Hi Bill,

I am probably being a bit general in my posting, because I actually have very close friends who have found the local service here very good and have no complaints at all. However, whereas it sounds like you have lucked in, as you say, I must have definitely lucked out, because my own experiences in the last twenty years have been as I describe.

Anyway, so far touch wood (he said, putting finger to forehead) I don't seem to have had anywhere near the severity of probs that you and Dave have encountered healthwise. I wish all the very best to both of you.

Cheers, George.

[longbridge]

All Aussies know that it depends on the State Government as to how good or bad the local hospital system is.

I lived in Victoria for 30 years, my ex was a radiologists assistant at the local hospital and I was on the hospital committee as well as being the photographer of new born babies, I never had any complaints regarding the Victorian Hospital system having spent time at St Vincents regarding heart problems.

I also have mo complaints with Queensland's hospital system after getting a 3.5cm hole in the heart repaired at the Prince Charles Hospital and later 2 Stents fitted to my ticker at the Princess Alexandria Hospital both in Brisbane, my Wife had wonderful service when she had a heart attack in the emergency section of the Mater Hospital, all this work was carried out on the Public Health System.

Living in Queensland and listening to our State Government telling us they need to tighten their belt and make cuts in all areas including the Police Force at a time when Crime is on the rise, Education with the closure of 9 State Schools because the land they are built on is worth a fortune, and of course the Health System with waiting lists growing like crazy, nursing staff being sacked and beds being closed.

I am still Angry and could not care less what is going on in other States, what I do know is that Queenslanders are hurting because of cuts in the health system, I make no apologies for my opinion, by the same token good luck for interstate people if they are getting great service.

[ozzie Bill.]

Dave, you are right and fair comment. I sincerely hope that your health issues, and those of you wife, can be overcome and life can get back to some normalcy. Cheers and all the best, Bill.

[Oldman]

Started layering plasticard and have just run out of Liquid Poly glue. Not the best thing to happen on a bank holiday.
Nearest model shop open will be Gaugemaster and NOT driving down there with all the other drivers  out for the day.

[Newportnobby]

Why do dog lovers chuck their pets out in the rain and then leave them out there barking for hours? It wouldn't be so bad, but once one starts it seems the whole area turns into Battersea Dogs Home

[scotsoft]

Why do dog lovers chuck their pets out in the rain and then leave them out there barking for hours? It wouldn't be so bad, but once one starts it seems the whole area turns into Battersea Dogs Home

Give the Environmental Health Department a ring tomorrow