Hospital rant!!!!! after a nasty fall......

4faults

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Hi everyone, bit of a long winded rant sorry!!

Who here goes to A&E after a fall? I know there are different levels of falling off but im talking falls were you feel injured afterwards.

I had a bad fall from my 4 yo on Weds who was feeling a bit fresh!!
He catapulted me into the air and I landed on my behind/lower back! I was winded and couldnt move for a minute but got up and hobbled off. Straight away there was severe bruising and swelling so I finished my jobs and thought I had better get it checked out as I was in a lot of pain.

Once i got to A&E they strapped me to a neck brace on my back.
When the doctor finally came to see me he made me feel like a complete idiot for not having called an ambulance(bearing in mind i hadnt lost conciousness and could walk), after xrays were taken and I was given the all clear(no broken bones but they didnt actually say what was wrong so im assuming all will be well soon) he then proceeded to lecture me for wasting hospital time!!!

Do you regularly get yourselves checked out after a fall? Or do you wait a few days and see how you feel? I was always taught not to ring ambulances if you can get away with it as there may be someone needing it more.

Sorry to rant but I thought it was very unprofessional of him and wanted to hear any of your experiences :):)
 

abbieandfiona

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Depends on fall normally just wait a few days and see but if i had thought id broken something or was in a lot of pain then straight to a&e. That doctor sounds like a idiot to be fair first telling you off for not calling ambulance then for the waste of his time.
 

Annieroo12

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i had a fall once broke my nose and fractured my cheek bone. very messy!!! my face took the whole brunt of it. there was an ambulance called for me prob cos there was lots of blood and being head/face injury never know what else may have been injured.

ambulance arrived... and i can remember them sayin well why couldnt someone take me to a and e rather then callin them! understand there may have been others more in need possibly but at the time no one knew if it was more serious then a broken face!! i thought that was bit cheeky!!! :)
 

hannabanana

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Wow very unproffesional of him! He cant say you should of got an ambulance and then say you wasted hospital time. I know hospital staff are worked off there feet and I take my hat off to them but it wasnt right for him to say that. Maybe he was just stressed. I dont go to A&E every time I fall off, have been twice, first time I managed to make it there myself and had a sprained ankle. Second time I had an ambulance because I couldnt move, and both times I never got told I was wasting time or should of called an ambulance. But regardless wether there was anything wrong or not he should still be professional about it.
 

Gluttonforpunishment

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The only time I've been to A & E was for a broken toe lol - well bone at the base of the toe to be precise.

The rest of the time I make a docs appt or go see my osteopath - they both tell me off but really can't see the point of going to hospital unless in a huge amount of pain or unable to move parts of me.

In your case I'd probably have phoned docs for advice but certainly wouldn't critisise you for going to hospital, its your back afterall - I'd have said that's what they were there for.

Doc was probably very tired and having a bad day - no excuse for unprofessional attitude - but don't let it put you off going again if you think you need to.
 

muddy_grey

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Have only been for swollen limbs or big holes. Nothing broken as yet, but they did once xray twice as they were sure they had missed something. My knee was HUGE. They are often rude to riders, though if you go on a saturday afternoon it is full of sports injuries from football, rugby etc
 

Beccahh

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i had this i was recently run over by a large hefty cob and he went over me almost like i had tyre tracks on me but they were hoofprints. i was knocked out and then next min was in a ambulance went to hospital where the nurse who couldnt give a cr*p about anyone half heartidly did my reflexes ect then took my blood she then asked did he hit my head well there was already a big horse shoe lump and i was in pain anyway so SHE PRODDED IT!! i screamed cos of the shock anyway .... 3 hours later the doc came did some more tests .. no xrays even though my shoulder was in pain and then said im fine and gave my dad a sheet saying if i throw up call ect ect
was very annoyed it was like they couldnt be bothered my dad argued i had a head injury and needed to stay in incase but apparently not.
must say though when i have asthma attack and get in the ambulance and go to hospital (gets very broing haha) there lovely to me =/
but if iv had a bad fall i do go to the hospital i dont care if im wasting there time better safe than sorry
 

4faults

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I wouldnt normally go to A&E at all but as it was my back and there was/is a lot of pain thought it would be best to put my mind at ease.

He honestly made me feel about 2 inches tall and I was quite upset. He didnt even bother saying 'oh your bruised' or 'take pain killers and you will be fine' or even looking at the bruising and swelling, which is now looking very weird but Im loathe to ask anyone about it and will be just waiting and seeing how it goes :(

The horses will love it though as I definetely wont be able to ride for awhile, I can barely sit down haha :eek:
 

Flicker

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If you were worried about your condition, then you had every right to go to A&E - if only for the strong painkillers!
My local hospital would never, ever make someone who had fallen from a horse feel like they were wasting NHS time. But to be fair, we are based in a rural community, a lot of the staff ride or who have partners who ride, and they know from experience how a seemingly innocuous injury could be potentially quite nasty.
That said, depending on how busy your local A&E is, the doctor who saw you might be running from pillar to post, be dealing with other cases that might have triaged as more serious than yours, or just be tired and coming to the end of a long and difficult shift. Doctors are human too and also have bad days when they are a bit snappy.
Really, as long as you feel you were given appropriate medical treatment and advice, I would count myself very lucky to have escaped a nasty fall with some bruising and go and have a hot bath and a glass of wine.

Allow me to add my voice of sympathy to you for hitting the deck - never nice!! Hope you feel much better very soon!
 

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I have experienced this before some doctors are really mean! Basically I landed funny after a jump the day before PC Championships and dislocated my finger. As it was mounted games I found it really hard to vault the next day and probably made my finger worse (but oh well it was fun).

I went to my GP when we got back and he said I needed to go to the hospital, so when I got there the doctor was having a huge go at my parents for being irresponsible for not taking me in earlier. I then piped up and said I refused to go in because if I did I wouldn't of been able to go to champs and this wa smy last oppurtunity.

I then asked for a different doctor, if this ever happens to you I'd do this as you can see I do not want this person treating me.
 

4faults

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Kokopelli- I hadnt thought of that, if I ever find myself in the same situation I may do that.

To be fair the nurse was great she kept checking on me making sure I was ok, I was in a lot more pain the way they had left me and for some reason I couldnt breathe properly while I was strapped down so she put me on a monitor which then kept going off, cue very scaredy cat eye welling up(im 23 I should know better) but I was in pain and still shaky from fall and on my own as it was OH's first day in new job, great timing hey :eek:

So think the doctors attitude just tipped me over the edge, I could probably have brushed it off if I was feeling normal
 

dibbin

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Only been to A & E once after a fall (I'd broken my foot falling off on a hack, got back on and rode to the yard, by the time I got there I couldn't walk), and once after being kicked (broken hand).

The first time my visit was fine, they put it in an elastic bandage and gave me crutches, all lovely and professionally done.

The second time I was *not* impressed with the way I was treated. I was seen by a triage nurse, who told me it 'probably' wasn't broken as I'd said it wasn't that sore - I've got a high pain threshold and it genuinely WASN'T that sore - and looked at me like I was wasting everyone's time, but decided to xray it anyway. After the xray was taken, the same nurse looked at it (apparently our hospital has some nurses who are specially trained to diagnose xrays in non-serious cases), told me it wasn't broken, just soft tissue damage, and sent me home.
A week and a half later I got a letter from the hospital saying they'd made me an appointment at the trauma review clinic; I thought it'd be a pointless 'how's it getting on' type thing but went anyway. No, it wasn't, the doctor I saw actually told me that a consultant had looked at my xray (the one that was taken when I went to A&E), and my hand was broken, but it was now too late to set it in plaster or anything. It took MONTHS to stop hurting if I tweaked it, because it never got the attention it should have in the first place. I'm convinced the nurse didn't see anything on the xray because she was already convinced it was fine.

:mad: NHS rant over.
 

JLD

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Im a dr. I've done casualty. I would NEVER have a go at someone for wasting hospital time in those circumstances. I also see things from the GP point of veiw and it's sometimes (not always) difficult to make an assessment of an injury like that without xrays. I think the accident bit of accident and emergency should be self explanatory. I find it difficult to see how someone could feel the need to do xrays and still accuse you of wasting their time. now someone coming in with a blocked nose when they have a cold - maybe !! Dont let this put you off going if you need to. I'd rather see 10 people who were ok then 1 too late who didnt come in when they needed to.
 

miss_bird

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I must be really lucky with my A&E i had a spate of the horses injuring me and seemed to be in there at least once a month with broken ribs and suck like.
Turned up once and the triage nurse asked my name and the rest pulled up my notes and turned to me and said "so what has the horse done this time" and laughed.
But each time they have been fab and checked me throughly
 

maletto

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Only time I went to A&E (following a fall) was when I landed on my head and got knocked out. Just got my dad to take me, not an ambulance.

I think you did the right thing though 4faults.
 

AprilBlossom

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When my younger brother tripped up and gashed his leg (not too badly, but more than just a scrape) an ambulance was called, arrived, and two small women hopped off and walked over to him – they explained they couldn’t drive the ambulance to him as he was on a field and the ambulance might get stuck in the mud, and they couldn’t carry him on a stretcher to the ambulance as it was more than 50 metres away (Health and Safety you see). Nor could they let him get himself over towards the ambulance, assisted or not by his burly 18year old lad mates (more Health and Safety there).

So an air ambulance was called out and he was helicoptered off to hospital to have a small surgical repair job on a 3 inch cut on his shin... He agrees with me that it was all a massive waste of money, and just goes to show the different attitudes in different areas of NHS! I live in a different part of the country and avoid even the doctors surgery at all costs as am made to feel I am wasting their time!

I am shocked at the lack of professionalism you experienced, and too right for going to A&E – I think if you know your own body you can tell when you need assistance or not, so if you needed it, don’t worry what anyone else thinks!
 

wispagold

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How rude!! I can't believe they said that to you, shocking way to treat someone.

I have been to A&E twice for horsey stuff.

First time my 3 year old reared up and fell over backwards on me landing on a concrete yard (she was fine). I was an idiot and hadn't got a body protector on. Luckily hadn't broken anything but made a bit of a mess of my back and after trying to get up and check horse over I fainted in the middle of the yard. I refused to have an ambulance so my instructor drove me to hospital. I had to hop into A&E and lie across the waiting room seats with my trousers half way down my bum covered in blood. Eventually I saw a nurse who poked me to see where I screamed loudest and decided I hadn't broken anything. I then had to go and see another nurse (who looked like an olympic hammer thrower) who removed the grit/stones/gravel/mud from my back with what I can only imagine was a metal scouring pad (my god that hurt). She then bandaged me up and sent me off home with instructions of rest. I went dirt buggying and riding the next day...was very stiff though. All my friends still call me bum scar.

Second time was on Monday. I fell off competing on sunday and my horse trod on the back of my knee. I was checked out my the paramedics at the time who told me it was just muscular and that i didn't need to go to hospital and would be fine the next day. Well the next day my knee was enormous, I couldn't weight bare at all on it or move it so there was no way I could drive to work. I decided to go to A&E to get it checked out thinking they would just tell me it was a bad sprain but maybe give me a knee support and painkillers. Hopped into A&E (seems to be a theme here). Waited about 45mins to get seen by nurse who looked at my knee and seemed concerned it was so swollen and straight away got a bed for me. I then waited in a private room to be seen by a doctor who sent me for X-rays. X-rays showed a suspected fracture so then got referred to the "bone specialist". He wanted to admit me but I wanted to go home so they arranged for me to come back the next day and have an MRI scan. Took in total 5 hours of waiting but they were all very nice and concerned. Had to ask 3 times for painkiller though, also had to ask for crutches but they did give me a splint for my leg.

MRI scan confirmed fracture and also compressed the surface on my tibia at the joint by 8mm. Having it opperated on, have to ring up everyday to see if they can fit me in theatre...on day 3 so far. Pretty fed up.

Worst treatment was my little sister who got knocked out in the play ground at school when she was about 7. The school for some reason didn't call an ambulance instead waited for my mum to get home from work to come and collect young child who was drifting in and out of consciousness and being sick. Mum took her straight to A&E where she had to wait for 4 hours before she was seen by anyone and even then it was only because she was sick all over the floor that they moved her into a room. she had to stay in over night and have loads of scans.
 

4faults

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Worst treatment was my little sister who got knocked out in the play ground at school when she was about 7. The school for some reason didn't call an ambulance instead waited for my mum to get home from work to come and collect young child who was drifting in and out of consciousness and being sick. Mum took her straight to A&E where she had to wait for 4 hours before she was seen by anyone and even then it was only because she was sick all over the floor that they moved her into a room. she had to stay in over night and have loads of scans.

Thats awful!! I cant believe the school didnt get in touch with your mum as soon as she did it, or ring her an ambulance.

Dont get me wrong im incredibly greatful for the NHS, but you get such conflicting advice! I still dont know whats wrong with me, I wasnt given any painkillers or advice. I was hurt on Weds and bruising and swelling is still coming out but I literally cannot walk now. Need to go the yard and do my jobs but Im to frightened to get up. However Boots pharmacist was very helpful yesterday and gave me some great advice and painkillers.

I thought I was just being a total pansy but seems im not the only one who has been in this situation. Im not sure if the attitude was directed at me because Im young, blonde and female or because I was alone or what but he seemed to be being very nice to everyone else :(
 

LauraWheeler

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Oh god don't get me started on hospitals. :mad:
I called an ambilance after a yong cob reared up and went over on me in the road. I knew I was badly hurt as soon as I hit the road. I heard the bone snap and my leg was at an awful angle. The ambilance men where lovely although couldn't give me any pain relief as the gass and air was broken. :( When I arrived a nurse asked me what my pain score was. I said it didn't realy hurt it was like the worst ache you could imagen. She asked the ambilance men what pain relief i had had and when they said none she gave me a dirty look and wondered off muttering about the youth of today. Eventualy a doctor came over asked the same question and gave the same reaction. He sent me to xray. After a couple had been taken the xray man left the room in abit of a hurry. Then the doctor rushed in and said "now does anywhere else hurt?" I said "My wrists abit sore, but look I can do this" I was waving and waggling my hand around. He asked for that to be xrayed to.
I was then rushed round to recuss and pumped full of morphine and hokked up to loads of machines. It turned out I had broken my Left hip very badle and it had to be pinned and plated back together and I had also broken my left wrist which was very quickly put in plaster to stop me moving it around.
I was in hospital for 3 and a half weeks. I was treated like a young melingerer by alot of the staff. The physio had a go at me because i could not get out of bed 1 day after surgery. The staff complained because I couldn't do things for myself like wash and dress. I found the whole situation upsetting enough as I had gone from being a groom and riding 8 horses a day to not being able to do anything for myself :( I haddn't even been to the doctor in over 10 years so I'm probably just about as far from a young melingerer as you can get.
The thing to happen was one night I was dying for a wee. I couldn't get out of bed so needed a bed pan. I called for a nurse but no one came. I kept calling for over 10 mins but got no response. I was getting more and more upset and ended up in tears. The nice lady in the next bed who was 82 went to go and find someone. When they finaly came they had a go at me and said they where helping the elderly patiants who needed then. I needed them if I could have taken myself I would have. By the time they got to me though it was to late I couldn't wait any longer and I had wet the bed. Asif that wasn't embarresing enough the nurse proceded to have a go at me about it loud enough for the whole ward to hear. She moaned that she would have to change the bed sheets and my nighty now.
God I could go on forever about the way they treated me in hospital. I just hope I don't need to go back for a very very long time.

Ok my rants over. Sorry to go on but I HATE hospitals.


I do think you did the right thing though. You should always get yourself checked out if you are worried.
 

wispagold

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Thats awful!! I cant believe the school didnt get in touch with your mum as soon as she did it, or ring her an ambulance.

Dont get me wrong im incredibly greatful for the NHS, but you get such conflicting advice! I still dont know whats wrong with me, I wasnt given any painkillers or advice. I was hurt on Weds and bruising and swelling is still coming out but I literally cannot walk now. Need to go the yard and do my jobs but Im to frightened to get up. However Boots pharmacist was very helpful yesterday and gave me some great advice and painkillers.

I thought I was just being a total pansy but seems im not the only one who has been in this situation. Im not sure if the attitude was directed at me because Im young, blonde and female or because I was alone or what but he seemed to be being very nice to everyone else :(

Oh don't get me started! My parents were furious!! The school rang my home phone but couldn't get hold of anyone, rather than ring my dad at work (as they did have his number) they rang my next door neighbour. When she got to school the teacher who was with my sister was in a complete panic and actually told my neighbour that she thought my sister was dead!!!!!! My neighbour asked them to ring an ambulance as she obviously needed to be in hospital but they wouldn't. My neighbour actually managed to get hold of my mum who came and got her straight away. But the school just acted disgracefully.

LauraWheeler...I can't believe that happened to you, that is horrific!! I have no words to express my feelings about that kind of treatment.

I do believe the NHS is one of the best things about this country but the system is obviously far from perfect.
 

4faults

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Laura thats awful they shouldnt have treated you like that. As soon as I saw them coming with the neck brace I said I needed the loo, but I was desperate again after the 5 hours I was strapped to that bed but the 1st nurse basically said tough!! Thankfully xrays came through fairly quick and I was allowed to go the toilet.

The last time I went to hosp was when I was at a show and the naughty horse I was on reared up and fell on me in the collecting ring, I was unconcious and woke up in the ambulance, my ankle was broken as were my ribs and collarbone and I had torn all the ligaments in my ankle but I felt terrible for being in the ambulance. Once I was xrayed and plastered up I was out of there, they wanted to keep me in but I didnt want to be a burden so went home and went back next day to be checked(after doing all my jobs on crutches haha)
 

happyhack

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I had ambulance for my bad fall

I dislocated my knee and had bad bruising and whiplash and pulled the tendons in my left hand.

The paramedics strapped me to a spinal board but when I got to the hospital, my back was only checked for bruising and was not x-rayed. Neither was my knee. Only my hand was x-rayed.
 

xloopylozzax

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i've been to hospital for just one inury thankfully, and not a serious one. dislocated my finger when riding another horse, he was stroppy and used to not doing as he was told.

he offered to stop i said no walk on and that was it, leapt 10 feet in the air and was rearing/bucking till i came off. didnt hurt at all. went to get back on, gathered my reins and just glanced at my hand and realised my finger was stuck out a way it shouldnt. waved it at my mum and said dont think its supposed to look like that is it...

it was so cold that i didnt even feel it happen :eek:

untacked and put him away then mum drove me to hospital, as it got warmer (well less cold) the feeling gradually came back and it was uncomfortable to say the least. we drove to st james (leeds) with it out of the window to keep it chilled lol

was seen quite quickly considering it was new years day (half an hour-ish probably) went to xray which was horrible cause she just yanked it into place on the plate.

then went and waited in my cubicle where it was confirmed not broken just dislocated but a few people came to look at it cause apparently it was quite a good one because the top half of my finger was sharing the space with the bottom half of it if that makes sense, like a kitkat :eek:
i was sat there in mucky jods covered in half of the arena surface and she went, guessing you did it while riding. well no :rolleyes:

ended up with local anaesthetic in it to put it back. this was the worst part of it all, she came out with this great cattle syringe :barf: she started local-ing it and i passed out, was aware of my surroundings though and my mum was going oh just stick it back while shes not concious its fine but she had to wait until i said something.

did that, then she taped it to the next one and sent me on my way. took me about 10 minutes to come round enough to walk though.

its still not right now, im sure she trapped the tendon/ligament in the joint when she put it back. theres limited movement in it, its painful, swollen and still a dodgy shape. dont think i will bother trying to fix it anymore though...
 

Lakelandcross

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I had a bad fall when my horse stumbled after a fence while showjumping. I got back on and finished the lesson, loaded the horse in the trailer and drove him home. After I dropped the trailer off at the farm I started to talk rubbish (more than normal) and my wife insisted I go to A&E so my step daughter drove us there.

The first thing I can remember is coming to my senses in the waiting room. We had been there for 40 minutes so it was about 2 hours since the fall. My wife explained what had happened and why we were there. My hip and leg were very painful.

After another 20 minutes I got to see a doctor. I had to take my wife in with me to explain what had happened because I couldn't remember anything since unloading the horse before the lesson.

The doctor asked my for my address, phone number, DOB etc which I thought were for them to find my records. He went away and came back after 5 minutes with some pain killers for me and told me I could go. They didn't even examine my leg.

Someone told me later that asking me for my details was how they judged how concussed I was. I remembered them so I must have been ok but it was actually several hours before I stopped feeling fuzzy.

Next day I was bruised from my knee to my lower back on my left side and had pulled the ligaments in my hip which still gives me trouble.

Afterwards I couldn't believe how little they checked me over but at the time I was too fuzzy to say anything. They did tell my wife to either take me back in or to doctors if I had a turn for the worse.
 

Kat

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I've been to A&E three times with horse related injuries, and once with a roller coaster related injury.....

The first time, I fell off whilst jumping bareback (pony bronced), I grazed my elbow but tried to get back on and then realised I couldn't lift my arm. I worked the rest of the day at the yard and went home where mum told me to have a bath and I'd be fine in the morning. Next morning it was painful and I couldn't raise it to put a t-shirt on. Unsympathetic mum took me to the GP muttering about it being my own stupid fault. Dr was equally unsympathetic and told me that there was nothing wrong but for insurance reasons they had to send me to A&E for x-rays to exclude anything serious. I waited AGES because I'd already been seen by a GP so they knew I wasn't about to keel over. Then I got x-rayed, the registrar thought there was no fracture but wanted the consultant to look. The consultant looked at the x-rays and thought there was no fracture but decided he needed more, so after a total of THREE sets of x-rays with everyone saying they didn't think there was a fracture (I had almost complete movement, no swelling and no bruising, just a grazed elbow) they decided I had broken my arm in two places, and my collar bone...... and they told my mum off for not taking me straight to hospital.

Second time I fell off at a show, I could barely walk, I had to have someone drive my car home and support me into the house etc etc. I couldn't undress properly and had to sleep downstairs. The next morning I couldn't get up from lying down and found not just bruising but swelling. My mum rang the GP who said go to A&E. We went, other than not being able to park nearby (or even drop off)I was well looked after, even though I must have looked a fright (I hadn't had more than a quick strip wash since the fall and was wearing mens tracksuit bottoms because it was all I could get on). Got slightly alarmed when the doctor thought I might have fractured my pelvis! Luckily there was no fracture just awful bruising. I was sent home with pain killers and anti-inflammatories, annoyingly no stick or crutches though and I couldn't walk. It was worse than the broken arm, much more painful and much more debillitating, I was never made to feel like I was wastinng anyone's time though, or even like it was my own fault. Even my mum was halfway sympathetic, I guess she must have been worried about me!

The third time I fell off in a jumping lesson and twisted my ankle badly. I thought it would be fine but it started to swell and the next morning was so painful I felt faint when I tried to put weight on it. Again after a brief check with the GP (she had to go in for a repeat prescription anyway) my mum took me to A&E and left me there because she couldn't get off work. Luckily it was just a bad sprain and painkillers and an ankle support sorted me out.

I've never been made to feel like I was wasting time, but to be honest I would go to my GP unless I really thought I needed an x-ray or urgent treatment. I think speaking to your GP or NHS direct first is a great idea because if you tell triage that then they know that you aren't wasting their time.

I did get to take part in a big study about sports related injuries the first time though. That was the only time I got asked whether I was wearing a body protector, and that was because it was part of the study (they were very new then and only worn for xc by high level riders, I'd never even seen one in the flesh). The only time I was actually wearing a BP was the last time. They always ask if I was wearing a hat and I always have been.
 

aregona

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wow and i thought i had had it bad, compaired to you poor guys i got off lightly!!!!

i hurt my ankle when a youngster jumped me out of the saddle xc schooling (he is still with me, i like is huge jump ;) ) it happend on the friday, by the tuesday it was still very painful and swelling up to double size,
went to A&E, got told off for not going sooner, then nurse kept poking it whilst she explained pain wa inside the brain and not the area hurt ????? then told me off for not resting it and elevating it, only shut up when i asked if she would pay my wages if i rung in sick, then gave me a sheet of paper 'how to look after you ankle injury' and sent me home, great. 3 months on it is still very swollen and my employers are sorting out some physio for me :(
 

kizzywiz

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27 May 2007
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After my 2 experiences at the hands of our great NHS, I would never go again unless absolutely essential.

I fell off Kizzy backwards jumping a hedge, landed heavily on the base of my spine, was in absolute agony & winded. The private nurse at the event got me up & made me climb up the steps into the ambulance, I was literally screaming in pain, the ambulance then drove me to my trailer, they made me get out & left me there. I couldn't sit down, could hardly walk. Lady at next trailer then called an ambulance, which took me to hospital. I was left in a corridor for hours, my husband arrived after a 2 hour drive to be told I wasn't at the hospital. Eventuallly he found me himself still in the corridor in shock & severe pain. Doctor eventually arrived, felt my spine & told me I'd broken my cocyx, sent me home with some painkillers. Until that point no one had examined me, & as my husband said, if I had damaged a vertebrae I could have been paralysed.

Couple of years later fell off her again & broke & dislocated my ankle, we waited hours in some department, they put the dislocation back in & I was sent to the ward which was filthy. I was not offered a wash, or anything to wear, all I had on was my dirty t shirt, 1 sock & my knickers as they had cut my breeches off. The temporary cast was too tight, my toes were blue & it was agony. As I was crying in pain the charge nurse told me to stop making such a fuss, eventually another nurse cut the cast as I was in so much pain. They really hurt me when they put the needle in my vein for the drugs. There was a bin rammed up against my bed. Went home the day after the op, then had dreadful NHS physio, he was so lazy he never manipulated the ankle, so I now have a permanent limp & back pain. Oh, & when the pins & plates all worked loose & had to come out, I was unable to even get an appointment to get looked at, 10 days & £2,500 later the SAME SURGEON had done the op privately!! As soon as I can afford it I am taking out private health cover.

Rant over.
 

xloopylozzax

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4 January 2009
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ooh i forgot to mention when i went for a routine "day stay" op on my ear (scar tissue was trapping bacteria so i was getting recurrent ear infections)
was all fine, till they went to put a needle in my hand for the anaesthetic. couldnt find a vein in my hand at all. so they hacked away for a bit (had magic cream :eek:, but could still feel them crushing the bones in my hand forcing the needle in) gave that up as a bad job and tried the other hand, did exactly the same. in the end they had my hand in hot water to try and open the vessels (apprently its some survival thing) then had a few last attempts before threatening to gas me.
my ear didnt even sodding hurt after but my hands were a mess for weeks!
 
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