I am extremely disappointed with the treatment and lack of compassion I experienced at this…read morehospital. After tonight, I would never come back here.
I arrived at approximately 4:00 PM after testing positive for COVID. I came to the hospital alone and explained at the front desk that I was experiencing difficulty breathing, chest pain, severe body aches, a 102°F fever, a racing heart, and a sensation that my throat was closing. I was also concerned that I could be having a reaction after taking a pain medication early in the morning and later with Paxlovid.
From the beginning, I felt like my concerns were not being taken seriously. I explained that I was alone, scared, and didn't have anyone with me. At one point I was crying and telling Nurse Mojgan that my throat felt like it was closing and that I couldn't breathe properly.
Instead of making me feel reassured, Nurse Mojgan repeatedly told me that I was having an anxiety episode and said that she sees this every day. I understand that anxiety can cause physical symptoms, but I was COVID-positive, had a 102°F fever, was reporting chest pain and difficulty breathing, and when my vitals were checked, my heart rate was around 130. I was frightened and trying to explain what I was physically experiencing, and I did not feel that I was being heard.
She also questioned why I wasn't wearing a mask. I explained that I had just found out I was COVID-positive and had come to the hospital as soon as I started feeling seriously ill because my heart was racing.
I had to ask multiple times for help. Eventually, a doctor came over and I explained everything again. After speaking with the doctor, the interaction improved somewhat. The only treatment I received was Tylenol for my fever and pain, and then I was sent back to the waiting room.
I remained in the waiting room for hours. No one came back to recheck my vitals on their own, despite the fact that my heart rate had been around 130 and I had reported chest pain, difficulty breathing, fever and the sensation that my throat was closing. No one came to explain the results of the urine test they had performed either.
After waiting for hours, I had to specifically request that someone come and check my vitals again. Eventually another nurse came and did so.
At another point, when Nurse Mojgan came back to get another patient, I asked when I was going to be seen because I had been waiting so long and was still feeling sick.
I was repeatedly told that there were no beds available. However, while I was waiting, I heard another staff member come downstairs and say that there were three beds available upstairs. I understand that emergency departments triage patients according to medical urgency and that an available bed does not necessarily mean that bed was available for me. My concern is the lack of communication and how dismissed I felt while experiencing symptoms that were frightening to me.
I even explained that I normally come to this hospital because it is the closest hospital to me. I told the nurse that I didn't have another hospital close enough that I felt I could safely get to in the condition I was in. I was so frightened by what I was experiencing that I told her I was worried I might not make it to another hospital. Despite saying this, I still did not feel that my concerns were being treated with compassion.
By approximately 8:30 PM, after more than four hours there, I couldn't continue waiting. I ultimately left.
I want to be very clear: I did not leave because I suddenly felt fine. I left because after hours of waiting, being sick, frightened, crying, repeatedly asking for assistance, and feeling dismissed, I was exhausted and felt that I could not continue waiting after the way I had been treated.
I understand that emergency rooms can become extremely busy and that medical staff must prioritize patients according to severity. My complaint is not simply about having to wait. My complaint is about the treatment, communication, and lack of compassion I experienced while I was scared, sick and alone.
A patient who is crying and reporting difficulty breathing, chest pain, a throat-closing sensation, a 102°F fever and a heart rate around 130 should at minimum feel heard, monitored and communicated with--not repeatedly dismissed as simply having anxiety.
I have used this hospital because it is convenient and close to me, but after this experience, I would not come back. I am incredibly disappointed with how I was treated tonight.
