Re: Not sure what to do??/Donna Marie

[Guest guest]

Donna-Marie,

Pardon my language, but I think that what these people are telling you about

waiting is a bunch of $h*t. I am not a doctor or medical professional, so I

do not know if what you are experiencing is truly an emergency or if it can

wait, but you are obviously in pain and terrified, and it sounds like you

need medical advice ASAP, if not for anything else than for peace of mind.

I don't know what medical laws are in the UK, but I know that in the US, it

is illegal for emergency rooms/departments to give out medical advice over

the phone due to possible legal repurcussions if the person giving the

advice is wrong and you end up seriously injured, or god forbid, die, as a

result of the medical condition you called them about. Basically, the

doctors MUST, BY LAW, examine you IN PERSON in order to legally be alliowed

to diagnose you or give you any kind of medical advice, INCLUDING WAITING.

I am not trying to scare you, but if the people you spoke with over the

phone at the emergency department you called are wrong, and you end up

seriously injured (or god forbid, if you die because of what you called them

about), then that is SERIOUS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE and is ILLEGAL and you (or

your next of kin, in the worst case scenario) would be able to take legal

action against them--i.e., you would be able to SUE THEIR PANTS OFF (so to

speak)--at least this would be the case if you were here in the US. I don't

know what the laws are in the UK about medical malpractice, but if they are

anything like what they are here in the US, then the people you spoke with

at the ED/ER violated the law when they told you to " wait until 9am and call

your GP " . That is a bunch of cr@p.

I am really NOT trying to scare you, I am actually trying to help you

because I am scared FOR you. Know that I am NOT a doctor, so I am not able

to say what will or won't happen to you; it may be highly unlikely that

anything truly bad will happen to you because of this, but I do not know

that, so please do not interpret what I am saying as a " suggestion " that

anything serious will happen.

I just can read in-between the lines in your email that you seem to be

feeling incredibly scared and helpless right now. When I have been in

similar situation as you and felt terrified that " the worst might happen " , I

always drove myself to the ER/ED myself, or gotten someone else to take me.

And now, at great risk of sounding like a hypocrite given an email I sent

recently, I am going to give you advice--but you can take it or leave it, I

am not " telling " you to do it; it is entirely up to you--I am simply

offering it as a suggestion because I am very worried about you.

I suggest to you that you " get thee to the ER " (to quote a new friend on the

list)--and do it NOW. And if you can't drive yourself, then find someone to

drive you. If you can't find anyone to drive you, call a freakin' ambulance.

If they refuse to come pick you up, and the laws are anything in the UK like

they are here in the US, then threaten to sue them for medical malpractice

and that you'll file a complaint with the ethical board of whatever national

or regional medical association they are a member of--I don't know which

ones they are in the UK, but in the US these are associations like the

American Medical Associaition, and so on. They take ethics VERY SERIOUSLY

and consider ALL complaints as SERIOUS BUSINESS.

If you file a complaint with their medical association, or

paramedic/emergency medical responder/or whatever association, and they are

investigated for either ethical and/or medical malpractice because they

didn't take you to the hospital when you told them you thought you needed to

go, AND if something goes serious happens to you because of your condition

as a result of them not picking you up and taking you to the hospital WHEN

YOU TOLD THEM YOU NEEDED TO GO, then they could LOSE THEIR CAREER. Not just

their current job, but their entire career as it would ruin their

reputation. They could even lose their license to practice medicine (at

least, in the US they could).

This would ruin their lives. If you threaten them with this, they may very

well take you seriously. They may not, of course, but it is something that

I, personally, would and HAVE used as a tool to get people to do things for

me when I was desperate and scared. I haven't used it in this particular

situation, but it may well work for you if the laws are anything in the UK

like they are here in the US (I can't say that enough) and if they really

care about their careers.

Donna-Marie, I am very, VERY scared for you because because of the symptoms

you mentioned--chest pain, stomach ache, you could be about to have a heart

attack. GO TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT, PLEASE, IF YOU ARE THAT SCARED AND

IN THAT MUCH PAIN AND NOTHING IS HELPING, AND YOU FEEL THAT SEEING A DOCTOR

***NOW*** WOULD HELP. That is what I would do.

Now, I have spent the last hour writing this email, and think I better stop

writing and just SEND the thing because I feel that time may be important

here.

Finally, if I sound like a hypocrite to those of you who read a recent post

of mine, then I must be, and I apologize. Everyone makes mistakes, including

and especially me. Feel free to throw the rotten vegetables.

Donna-Marie, please TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, and GOOD LUCK. I hope you feel

MUCH better very, VERY SOON.

With love and peace,

e.h.