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GP/A&E TREATMENT

Posted , 9 users are following.

vickylou
vickylou

My daughter is a manager of a residential care home for people with mental health problems.

I called in to see her today, and whilst I was there one of the residents had a huge seizure as a result of withdrawal from alcohol. He bit has tongue and ascites burst and blood everywhere. She had tried to get his GP out earlier in the day, but he refused to come and give him Librium as it was a waste of his time and resources.

Blood and gore don't bother me, but this looked like a scene from a horror story. She then phoned for an ambulance and was told there was a long wait as they were busy and it wasn't urgent!!

She asked me to go with her as she was short staffed and we called a taxi. The first taxi took one look and drove off, next one took us to A&E, which was full mostly with drunken english fans.

Four hours later, he was seen by triage nurse who suggested she took him back as he was drunk and there was nothing they could do. She explained he wasn't drunk, but was suffering from withdrawal and had a seizure and needed medication like Librium ASAP. She was then told to contact his GP or out of hours service. Out of hours had told her to go to A&E!! Unbelievable.

Three hours later, his tongue was very reluctantly stitched. To get the Librium she was told to contact alcohol services who would have to assess him. He has wernicke-korsakoff syndrome ( will let RHGB explain that!) and is way to far gone for alcohol services.

Nearly 8 hours later, a junior doctor said he was apauled by the treatment the man had received, but he couldn't do anything due to hospital protocol, and said the kindest thing for him, would be to buy some vodka to help with the withdrawals, but don't give him the bottle. Monitor how much he has, not too much so as he gets drunk, but it would hopefully act like medication and reduce the risk of another seizure until she can get him to the surgery in the morning.

As we left A&E the waiting room was empty, the drunken football fans who were fighting outside and needed the police to sort them out,

0 likes, 17 replies

17 Replies

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  • nicole36330
    nicole36330 vickylou

    Posted

    What can I say Vicky.............the world has gone mad!
    • vickylou
      vickylou nicole36330

      Posted

      Nicole, I've read posts on here about people being sent home without any help, but never ever thought it was that bad. Animals get treated better.

      The poor junior actually had tears in his eyes and said he went into medicine to help people, not to send them away to buy the very thing that had caused his illness

    • vickylou
      vickylou nicole36330

      Posted

      Hi nicole

      Thanks for replying so quickly. Are you too a member of the insomniacs club? I've tried twice to sleep but can't. Given up trying now. Took two NITRAZAPAM which haven't done a thing. This not sleeping is what used to set me off drinking. Previously, after not sleeping I'd make sure I had just two small glasses of wine at bed time tonight so I'd have a good sleep. Unfortunately it would be gone way before I went to bed!

    • nicole36330
      nicole36330 vickylou

      Posted

      Yes,I too am an insomniac but unfortunately I have to get up at 4.30 for work.I had 2.5 bottles of wine yesterday and feel like death warmed up!
  • vickylou
    vickylou

    Posted

    Continued

    had already been seen and gone home.

    i do apologise for this long rambling post and don't expect you all to read through it. I was so angry about the treatment he received, that I had to write it down whilst I remembered it all, so thought I'd share this and see if I get any replies before I send my complaint letter, who to? am not sure yet. The local paper will one of the first though. It won't make any difference, but it will help me.

    • numpty
      numpty vickylou

      Posted

      This is disgraceful. I have found with GP's if I go with any ailment it always defaults to the fact I have an alcohol dependency. I've stopped bothering
  • Robin2015
    Robin2015 vickylou

    Posted

    so sad and totally unreal in a modern, kind and understanding world?? truly depressing story!! I am shocked! Robin
    • vickylou
      vickylou Robin2015

      Posted

      It was, and is sad Robin, especially as he only started drinking due to PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) after serving in the army fighting the Taliban. He saw 5 of his friends killed when a bomb blue their jeep up. He survived and the survivor guilt set in. His wife left him and took his two kids with her. He hadn't got a proper job and got into arrears, and finally lost his house, and had to sell his car.
  • Sober_As
    Sober_As vickylou

    Posted

    Hi Vickylou,

    I am not really surprised by that shameful set of events.  The sick man has been badly let down, yet again it seems that his sickness was judged, rather than treated.  It is extremely worrying to know that the hospital protocol will have been acceptable... to them.

    I am sure a dog would have been treated with more compassion, but of course... dogs don't drink !  

    Judgement rules.  God, please help us all.

    Alonangel 🎇

    • vickylou
      vickylou Sober_As

      Posted

      Angel, another member for the insomniacts club! . Yes he was let down and if you read my reply to Robin, it gets even sadder. I'm very proud of my daughter as she went way beyond her job discription. She made me smile when the triage nurse referred to him as a chronic alcoholic in front of him. She said "actually he's not an alcoholic, he suffers from AUD, which you'd know if you read his notes before judging him"

      She only learned the term AUD. after watching Pauls video on Sunday!!

      How are you doing with your wine? You only drink at night don't you? Don't know how you can go all day and just drink at night. 15 years ago, I'd drink, morning, noon and night if I could.

      take care xx

    • Sober_As
      Sober_As vickylou

      Posted

      Hi Vicks,

      I couldn't get back on the Forum earlier... the Site, or my Server, was wonky!

      My wine situ. is improving... I am trying really hard with the tapering down.  I drink during the day.  I never start before lunchtime.  I just couldn't drink alcohol, in the morning,.. weird, because I can drink it "yeeha" any other time !!

      Today, I am going to have 2 of the pre-mixed cans of G.&T.  that will be much less Units...

      I have had 3 hours sleep, now... and feel fine.  Ready to battle-on.

      I hope you have a Good Day, today.

      Blessings,

      Angel  XX

  • ADEfree
    ADEfree vickylou

    Posted

    That was an astounding display of incompetence! I'm sorry you had to witness the poor treatment this defenseless fellow was delt, but I'm glad that he at least had someone who cared on his side. 
    • vickylou
      vickylou ADEfree

      Posted

      It was so sad ADE, they didn't even bother to read his notes. Had they done so, they'd have seen the poor bloke suffered from severe PTSD and saw five of his friends blown to bits whilst fighting for 'the British army' against the Taliban. His wife left him, taking his kids and the bank repossessed his house. I was very proud of my daughter, if she hadn't stepped in in her own unpaid time, the only option was to get the on call social worker in, a doctor in and have him sectioned.
  • joel66
    joel66 vickylou

    Posted

    Thank god I live in Canada and that would never EVER happen in a million years.
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