The stupidity of Britain

[Captain Jack]

Thought I'd share my partner's day yesterday and the never-ending blunders of all things British.

A few days ago she choked on a small fish bone and since then there was a feeling of the bone stuck in her throat. She decided to go see a doctor and get it checked out. As her GP takes weeks to see her, she decided to use a walk-in clinic. Upon arriving there, she was seen by a nurse within 5 minutes - impressive. As she sat down, he said "Hello" without looking at her and then mumbled something under his nose. She asked him to repeat what he said, at which point he says "HOW... CAN... I... HELP... YOU?". Does he have to be rude? Still, she explained the problem and he proceeded looking in her throat with a mirror on a stick... at which point she nearly choked... Can't he be more gentle? Moron... Anyhow, he couldn't see anything and told her to go to A&E.

Upon arriving to Whipps Cross hospital, she was greeted by a lovely lady who was leaving the car park and gave her a paid for parking ticket which had 1.5 hours of remaining time on it. That should be enough, she thought. But no... first she had to wait 30 mins in a queue at A&E (isn't it supposed to be quick - the emergency part kinda implies it), then a nurse had a look in her throat and couldn't see anything. So she was referred to a doctor. A doctor had a look through a mirror again and couldn't see it, so he referred her to xray. More than 1 hour 30 mins has passed and she decided to go and get another parking ticket before her car gets slapped with a fine. Only... it was too late. A traffic warden has already slapped a yellow piece of paper to her windscreen with a reason that she overstayed her paid time by 10 minutes. 10 minutes? Outside a hospital where sick people are supposedly getting treated? What a crime...(!) Moron.

So, fuming, she went back to wait for her xray and another hour later she was called in. The radiologist then proceeded to photograph her teeth. Er.. teeth? No, throat. THROAT, you imbecile! It's a good thing she realised the radiologist wasn't taking pictures of her throat.

Finally, coming back to the ENT doctor, he starts looking at a picture of her xray. Only... it wasn't her xray. It was somebody else's. Again, my partner noticed that it wasn't her neck he was looking at. Oh, and he couldn't see anything either and she still has the "fish stuck in her throat" feeling this morning.

Fin.

[highlander]

Fish bones are buggers.

The Wifely Person got a fish bone stuck in her throat (from a "boneless" oven-bake battered fish, no less) not long after we first met, and so we took her up to the local hospital in a taxi. They couldn't find it, so they transferred her to a hospital in Wick (21 miles from hospital #1) by ambulance. I got to sit in the front, which was AWESOME.

They found it, but couldn't move it as it had got stuck in a particularly small passage that runs from throat to ear (the Eustachian tube?), so they basically just left it to work its own way back out. She was in pain and discomfort for almost a week, but it sorted itself out eventually.

I agree with you about the various morons you met though - it's fairly typical of modern Britain, where nobody involved particularly cares about anybody else's plight owing to them all being pretty down about the state of the economy. Low morale causes that kind of behaviour, not that it's really any excuse.

Hope your other half feels better soon - it's not fun having a fish bone stuck in your throat

[Welly]

Everything you've said echo's my own experience of these thing (except I've never choked on a fish bone yet). Having two kids I've been to A&E at least 5 times and although they 'review' you pretty quick when you get there you then get dumped in a que........

Most of the other people in the waiting area seem quite happy reading magazines and stuff making you think "WTF are you all doing here when I'M the one needing urgent help???". I have seen that imigrants and the like use the A&E as a drop-in whenever they feel a bit poorly - clogging up an already stretched service for no good reason.

Maybe your missus has cut her throat inside and the sharp feeling is the soreness of the cut itself. I would try gargling loads of times with some mouthwash etc?

[teamster1975]

Get her to gargle with salt water CJ and take some arnica. I reckon Welly's right, the bone has scratched her throat.

I'm sorry to hear that you were messed around, I've always had first class service from the NHS whenever we've been in desparate need (which was quite often with my wife's endometriosis)

[StevieboyTD]

Hate fishbones, won't eat fish now because of them.

On the parking ticket side of things, was it a private carpark stuck to the hospital or a council jobbie? If it's a private parking invoice, file it in the bin.

[steve_earwig]

Whipps always had extremely long waits, last time I was there they had a board up with the current average waiting time (usually about 4 hours). Better to go to North Mid. Or anywhere else. I waited there with my mate about 3 hours after he'd broken his ankle, I was worried his foot would turn green You can imagine how pissed off the staff are, and how much abuse they're used to getting. May as well write "moo" on your head and have done.

[Captain Jack]

@teamy - It wasn't a council one, just a private car park one (on hospital premises). She's already paid the fine (£15).

@others - Yeah, the doc did say it's probably a scratch on the throat but if it persists, she may need to go under general anaesthetics to have it "properly" looked at

Still, won't have to put up with Whipps X for much longer. Assuming we get the mortgage approved (hopefully, tomorrow) we'll be moving to Tunbridge Wells. Wonder what hospitals/GPs are like there....

[eoin27]

That sounds like a bad experience there Cappy. Not to take away from it but you have an excellent health system in the UK generally. Not once in your story did you mention putting your hand in your pocket at the GP or the emergency dept. That entire experience would have cost a health insured Irish person about €200.

also, I think the system in the casualty isnt exactly a queue, if something more serious like a broken bone or heart condition comes in after you, they get seen first. Your partners condition wasnt exactly an emergency so they kept bumping ye down the queue.

On another note, thats one thing I admire about the British, they're not afraid to speak up against their government, health boards etc. if they have a problem. Paddy just bends over and takes it.

[TooT]

Back in 2003 i used to work on a turf farm. One day in September time i went to grab a wooden pallet off a rack, the pallet broke and as i had pulled really hard on it a piece came off in my hand and stabbed me right under my left eye. PAIN.
I rushed myself off to York A&E (half blinded) to get it looked at. A nurse had a look at the decent size cut id made she said it was clean and no wood in it so she put one of those sticky tape things on instead of a stitch and sent me packing.
About November time under my eye started to swell up, i went to my GP, who i know is hopeless thanks visits in the past and all he said was that there could be a splinter of wood under my skin. Id guess that but thanks. He booked me to see a eye specialist at Scarborough hospital. He had a look said yep probably a splinter you had better have an operation.
Having the operation the guy cut me open poked around in my face and found nothing, i got stitched up properly this time and got shipped off. This was about a week before Christmas.
January came and low and behold under my eye started to swell up again, as you can imagine i was getting royally fooked off by now because i wasn't looking particularly pretty. Back i went to see the eye 'specialist'. He said we'll get you in for another op. Brilliant. Yet again another operation in February and he found nothing.
In March my eye was swelling up again. This time i went to my GP again asking to see someone else as id been in twice. Helpful as ever he couldn't advise me to do anything else.
This time i took things into my own hands, standing in the bathroom staring into a mirror i fished around in my cut with some tweezers aswell as squeezing my face, blood pissing down my face i dug out a splinter 5mm long (no joke). I felt that ill and weak after that i just about collapsed onto the toilet seat.
I wrapped the splinter in sellotape and took it to see the specialist back at Scarb. All i said to him when i walked in is "what the f*ck is that iv found in my face". Dont really remember what he harped on about but i dont care, something to do with sterile this and clean that. I didnt even bother getting stitches and that was the end of that. Yuk.

[Welly]

>all that shocking stuff<.

Tooty, I've been getting an ache in one of my testicles recently - would you be able to have a look with some of your tools?

I'll get you some Vodka or something.

[mjb]

A few years ago I went to the hospital because my uvula (the little thing dangling at the back of your mouth) had swollen up so much it was blocking my airway. It was that swollen that if I coughed it up, I could hold it in my front teeth, although at over an inch diameter it wasn't comfortable to hold my jaws open like that for long

So I went to A&E, coughing blood, blue in the face and having a very difficult time breathing... 5 hours later they saw me and gave me a right load of attitude saying why didn't I just go to the doctors with it... This was a Sunday

[Captain Jack]

typical NHS story

Alarmingly enough, this sounds about right. I'd rather pay for GOOD MEDICAL service, rather than "free" crappy "that'll do" attitude.

[Welly]

It was that swollen that if I coughed it up, I could hold it in my front teeth, although at over an inch diameter it wasn't comfortable to hold my jaws open like that for long

*puts Sandwich down*

[DiscoPol]

I can see where you are all coming from, but.................... you dont know how lucky you are,
having lived in a few different countries i can say that the uk really doesnt do too badly, if you want better pay for it.

As it stands right now you have free at point of delivery medical care for all, no matter where when or how, it may take a while to be seen but you are seen, there may be delays and the occasional f*ck up but on the whole the system copes with the 60,000,000 people it has on its books.

As for paying for a private medical package, well if thats what you want to do then do it, but who are you going to call when you have a crash/fall/accident i will wager that it will be 999, along with the police and the fire brigade who will attend and extricate you from what ever situation you have managed to get yourself into, then transport you to a modern and well equipped hospital, it might not be the pinnacle of medical technology but it will give you a hugely increased chance of survival, and what does all this cost you at the point of delivery? nothing absolutely nothing, will they leave you at the side of the road if your pockets are empty? no, they will treat you the same as if they were picking up a chap with a full wallet.

I know its not perfect, but its a damn sight better than a lot of places in the world.

CJ hope the Mrs is ok, I dont want to diminish the trauma and ball ache you have both been through but i really had to say something,

oh and as for the "stupidity of britain" why the hell do you think i moved abroad

[eoin27]

This time i took things into my own hands, standing in the bathroom staring into a mirror i fished around in my cut with some tweezers aswell as squeezing my face, blood pissing down my face i dug out a splinter 5mm long (no joke). I felt that ill and weak after that i just about collapsed onto the toilet seat.

Are you sure your name isn't John McClane?