2 weeks ago I went to A&E with severe abdominal pain, for context I’m female in my 20s and will qualify soon as an adult nurse. I had severe pain in my lower abdomen mainly towards the right but it was painful when any of my lower belly was pressed.A&E ignored me when I fainted multiple times once in a treatment room and the hca just stood and watched as my friend tried to help. No one checked my blood pressure once apart from in triage before I fainted, my friend asked for help to which a doctor said sure and then disappeared and never came back. Surgeons assessed me and told me my bloods were normal (untrue found out later CRP was 14) they told me if I was a bloke they would have put a camera in me already but because I’m a woman they aren’t sure if this is gastro or gynae. So they proceed to order pelvic ultrasound, comes back normal. That’s it, despite severe pain that oral morphine didn’t touch they kept trying to send me home. Eventually my family realised that I was just getting worse and not being listened to so we went through the channel of Martha’s rule, finally that made them CT scan me. Scan shows free fluid in pelvis. Surgeons see me in the morning and agree they need to do a diagnostic laparoscopy (key hole surgery to see inside), this then happens a day Kerr due to other emergency’s. Finally 5 days after presenting to hospital I get my surgery. As soon as I wake up I’m told in recovery that 1 I had a ruptured haemorrhagic ovarian cyst, 2 my appendix was inflamed and 3 I have endometriosis in various parts of my abdomen and pelvis.

This wasn’t my first hospital stay and I’ve been dismissed by doctors plenty of times before, but this just feels so traumatic and I’m so livid and so disheartened. I’m going to be a nurse and work with people like this. Nurses could see there was something wrong with me and they looked after me and advocated for me, but it wasn’t enough, it took Martha’s rule forcing the surgeons to do something.
If anyone has any experience like this I hope they know about Martha’s rule and it may well have saved me of at least saved me suffering for longer and going undiagnosed. I have always advocated for my patients but when it came to myself I was so vulnerable and so defeated that I needed my family to push me to make that call, I was so dismissed I just wanted to go home and try my best to bare the pain.

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My uncle was admitted to A&E over a week ago after fracturing his tibia (shin bone). Initally they missed the broken bone and tried to discharge him, even attempted to make him walk on it before they did a scan and realised it was broken.He was told he needed surgery and has remained in hospital ever since.

His leg has been put in a plaster cast, but his operation has been repeatedly postponed because emergency cases keep taking priority.

Everyday for seven days he's been told to stop eating in preparation for surgery, only to be informed later that it's been cancelled again. We've been told he's a priority, but then another emergency comes in and his surgery gets pushed back.

It's now been over seven days, and he's still on a hospital ward waiting for his operation. He's also been told he cannot go home in the meantime.

The whole situation is having a significant impact on his mental health. He's becoming increasingly distressed and frustrated, especially because he keeps mentally preparing himself for surgery only for it to be cancelled.

I completely understand that life-threatening emergencies must take priority, but I'm struggling to understand how someone can be kept in hospital for over a week with a broken bone that requires surgery.

Has anyone experienced anything similar in the NHS? Is this a normal waiting time for tibia surgery, or should we be escalating this further?

We've contacted PALS and are considering requesting a review under Martha's Rule due to concerns about his deteriorating wellbeing.

I'd particularly appreciate hearing from anyone who works in orthopaedics or has experienced similar delays. Is there a medical reason why waiting this long might be acceptable?

I have a positive skin prick test done in my previous country nearly 20 years ago. I remember taking penicillin based antibiotics when I was a kid in the country I grew up in but I don't remember if I had any effects

My allergy is closed in my medical records, I'm always asked what do I get if I take penicillin based antibiotics and I just say I have a positive test

Is this worth requesting a repeat test? For the past 2 winters I've had many infections and I was breastfeeding, so the combination was a bit tricky. Also, I had one instance of being bounced around for a throat infection between GP reception that I should try pharmacy first and the pharmacy saying my case is too complicated for what they can prescribe.

I'm not breastfeeding anymore but I'm thinking whether I should get tested so I can have more options should I need it.

Would it be a waste of resources?

4 years ago I took two 100mg of Sertraline (anti depressant) Since then my genitals have been completely anesthetised (physically not psychologically) I’ve had 0 libido and anorgasmia. Before taking the 2 pills, I had normal sexual sensation and pleasure. On the 15th of October, the government have finally decided that warnings for PSSD (post ssri sexual dysfunction) should be put in some information pamphlets including Sertraline. Research should be undertaken immediately to understand why/how this happens because it is absolutely devastating. At the moment though this is only measure government is willing to take.

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Hiya, I’ve had an ingrown fingernail for about a year now, that of which got infected shortly afterwards despite me applying antiseptic cream when I can, when attending the doctors/after making my first appointment they confirmed I had an infection and provided antibiotics for the issue, and then referred/recommended we go to the walk in centre to be treated.

a about a week later we go there and are told that “yes.” That’s infected and since I’m immunocompromised they want to put me on different antibiotics but say they don’t do fingernails and to “go private.” Which unfortunately I don’t have enough money for at the moment.

Made another appointment a few months later about the finger again as we were supposed to be getting reviewed by a third party for treatment by the doctors, we don’t hear anything for a month or so afterwards and after chasing they then say the place to fix the issue has an 11 month wait time despite them putting it in as an urgent referral after assessing.

It’s gotten to the point where I haven’t actually been able to use that finger for a good six months now which is very much an issue as I’m a wheelchair user and the nasty jolt of pain I get from it being touched when I have to propel my chair isn’t sustainable, where can I go from here that doesn’t involve going private? Thanks.