"Feel so angry and frustrated at the way I was treated"

Feel so angry and frustrated at the way I was treated at Boston A&E. I am currently having chemotherapy for breast cancer, had only recently been discharged from The Bostonian Ward. I'd had several antibiotic drips as a patient for 24 hours. I was told I had a slight infection, but could go home with antibiotic tablets. 

So extremely upset when my temperature spiked again the next evening. At 9pm I phone the ward to ask if I could take a paracetamol and see how things were in the morning. I was told I had to go to A&E as there were no beds on the ward.

A&E was extremely busy, very uncomfortable having to book in with so many sick people crowded in a small space. I booked in but had to stand outside as I cannot mix with others due to my immune deficiency. I was triaged and went outside again to wait for a cannula to be fitted and bloods taken. Once this was complete we were taken through to an isolated side room where I had an antibiotic and saline drip inserted.

This is where the problems started. Once the drips inserted we did not see another medical professional other than taking my observations twice. We are in our 70s, not told where I could get a drink, or use an isolation toilet. I know it was exceptionally busy, but last time I had to attend A&E at the start of my chemotherapy journey I was told which toilet I could use, and we were offered drinks fairly regularly. Once my drips had run through no medical professional came to unhook me, or tell me when we could go home.

I was told I had to have a chest x-ray, I refused as I only had one the afternoon before, as an asthmatic I am well aware I've had way too many x-rays in my life, I do not have a chest infection so could not see the need to 2 x-ray's in 2 days.

I requested the empty drips were removed when my last observations were taken, and I had checked my temperature had returned to normal. The member of staff said they would ask my nurse to remove the drip. No one came. I rang the call bell about half an hour later, same member of staff came and said they would ask my nurse to unhook me - no nurse came. It was now 1am and both my husband and I were very tired.

We waited another 20 minutes when I told my husband to go and ask for a nurse to unhook my empty drip bags and possibly remove the cannula which was starting to hurt. My husband was told to try and find a nurse. He was walking around trying to find someone to help. He found a nurse but they said they weren't  my nurse. The nurse unhooked the empty drips and said they would send my nurse over to update me. No nurse came.

By now I was extremely tired and just wanted to get home to bed. I had only been discharged the day before, and extremely upset to have to put myself in a very vulnerable position and just left with no information, or told when we could go home.

By 1.30 I told my husband to go and find someone to take out my cannula so we could go home to bed. This is when a nurse came over and asked if I was discharging myself. I said if that was what I was doing because I had to go to bed. The nurse said I had to wait and see a doctor. I had seen an oncologist the day before who had informed me I had a slight infection, I am taking antibiotic tablets, I just wanted to go home to bed.

The nurse went and got a form to say I was discharging myself. I was writing an explanation on the form when they told me just to sign. I told them I wouldn't just sign without saying why we were leaving without waiting any longer.

I found this nurse extremely unpleasant, I know the staff were very busy, but just leaving us for hours, not telling us where we could get a drink, or use a toilet which was slightly isolating and not leaving me open to all the other patients, and illnesses.

I am extremely upset that for the first time in my life I have felt in such a vulnerable situation I had to leave. But I feel very strongly that I did not discharge myself, but so immensely tired we had to go home. My poor husband was sitting in such an uncomfortable chair his legs were getting cramp, which obviously the tiredness didn't help.

Very unhappy patient.