Had a fall at home on 5th which snapped the tib & fib in my left leg, proper bendy Harry Potter bones style, along with this I jarred my back and aggrevated a fracture in my T6 possibly from a motorcycle crash the month before.
Ambulance took 1:30 to arrive as a priority call, they then needed a second crew so that took a further 45 minutes; but I was already getting much needed aid from the first crew before this point. Extraction took a further 1:30 or thereabouts and needed Fire and Rescue (3 story House).
Seems I was lucky when I came to A&E as pulling up, the Paramedics commented "is the hospital closed" as there was no one waiting to go in - I understand that the wait to even get put of the Ambulance the day before was up to 6 hours! I was straight into trauma, zonked out a bit, so they could set the bones in my leg and plaster it. An x-ray and CT followed, then I was off to the Trauma ward.
The next day was a succession of meeting Doctors and hearing plans, because of oddities in my back scan, they ordered an MRI - this one one of the single most painful things in my life; my meds had worn off and I was laying for 15 minutes on a rock solid board in the machine - I came so close to cancelling this as I was nearly unbearable on my fractured back. Thankfully shortly after this, I was whisked off to theatre and put to sleep!
The last week has been about being as polite and gracious as I can, whilst working through my pain and discomfort - and at every level the staff have been beyond brilliant... however... they are clearly running at nearly 100% and still have more work than they can handle.
Call bells go unawswered for 40+ minutes, medication that I need every 2 hours is often late, usually by 4 hours now, so it's like skipping a dose; the knock-on to that is that it hampers the healing process.
I'm now being put under the microscope so to speak, as they clearly need my bed - but I don't yet feel ready, I need maybe a day or two, but they must have a waiting list as long as M25 rush hour to fill.
The service feels like it is being run into the ground, but the staff are so brilliant, they are trying their best - I just feel so sorry for them.
Update: hoping to be heading home Saturday, and honestly I cannot wait - not because generally I think we'd all rather be at home, but because of the last 2-3 days here.
The "pain management" just appears to be 'wait until the patient falls asleep' - myself and a couple of others on the ward should be on liquid morphene every 2 hours (and you have to ask for that) - you ask, buzz your bell, whatever and it either never comes in these slots, or you're left waiting 4 hours between doses; by which time it has long worn off.
I asked and reminded a nurse 3 times yesterday that I needed help with pain management, she'd pass that on, then an hour later after I collared her again, she'd chase it up - I tried once more and they just waited until the scheduled drugs round.
I've just had to get used to the pain and discomfort now, so hopefully when I'm home, I can contact my GP to help with the management of pain better.
I really really am sympathetic to plight of the staff,and how over worked they clearly are - but I just want to get out of here now, as this place feels like it's holding back my healing!