Apr 30, 2001 06:49 PM
1605 Views
I recently had to visit the EPADS(early pregnancy assessment day service) department at my local hospital. I was 13 weeks pregnant and had started to bleed. I was told to go in at 8am. So we did and when we got there were told that we would be there all morning, doing blood tests, pregnancy tests, examinations and an untrasound scan. I first went in to see the nurse at 8.45, she took my blood pressure and told me what would happen that morning. Straight after that I had some blood taken and then went to see the doctor for an internal examination. By the time all this was done it was about 9.15am.
We then had to sit in a waiting room for 2 1/4 hrs watching a tiny TV before I went in for my ultrasound scan. The scan showed that I had had a miscarriage and the ultrasonographer told me so matter-of-factly. When she saw me burst into tears she didn't know what to do with me and asked me questions as though she wondered why I was crying. She then sent me and by husband to sit in a little office until the doctor could come and talk to me. One hour and fifteen minutes later we were still sitting there. No one had been in to see if we were ok and we had no idea what was going to happen to me next. My husband kept going to ask them to come and tell us what was happening and all they said was that the doctor had been paged. All I can guess is that the doctor was having her dinner and had no intention of rushing it. The doctor finally came and explained what had happened to me and I was allowed to go home. I just wish they hadn't waited so long to tell me. This is just my experience of the NHS and there probably isn't many people left reading this opinion at this point as I didn't get straight to the point but I just want everyone to know how uncaring the NHS really is. Having a miscarriage is one of the most awful things a woman can go through and I just feel that they left me waiting far longer than they really needed to.
Why were we told to go in so early when we were going to have to wait more than 2 hours to be scanned? And why did they leave a heartbroken couple in a tiny little office when all we wanted to do was go home. I have never had any problems with the NHS in the past but now I have lost all respect for them whatsoever. It just amazes me how awful they can treat someone when they feel so bad anyway. If I had the money I would definately go private. I would rather pay to be treated with respect than get it free and be treated like a nobody.
