"I decided to discharge myself from hospital "

On arrival everything was good and I felt like I was in good hands. I had extreme pneumonia and the doctors were very concerned so I was x-rayed promptly. That night I was very ill and I felt the antibiotics weren’t working. They took blood from my wrists three times that night to analyze what was wrong with me. The nurse on duty that night was very good and comforting. The next day some doctors assessed me and asked me numerous questions telling me how ill I was and how they had changed my medication. This gave me the impression that they cared and I was in good hands. However, I feel this was lost over the Christmas period, as I did not see as many doctors and I felt I was left with no info on my progress.

The nurses then took me off my drip and I didn’t see any doctors checking if I still needed it. The nurses then stopped giving me intravenous antibiotics and there was still no sign of any doctor. A doctor did come around eventually and told me I needed my oxygen on, which I hadn’t had on for several hours. I think this had gone unnoticed by all nurses. Antibiotics were just being given to me by mouth and a blood clot injection in the tummy each evening. I went to sleep when lights out 11pm still wearing oxygen. I woke a couple of hours later feeling really rough. I took a drink of water and called the nurse. I explained how the oxygen was making me feel rough, so it was disconnected and the nurse said to me that no one would be told about it.

I still couldn’t sleep properly and my drip had been taken out of my arm. I lay there listening to people and I could hear choking and moaning. The next morning breakfast came around with my usual warm milk, cold indigestible toast and tea or coffee which is the one thing I can’t fault. After breakfast the nurse came around and said to me that there was sickness and diarrhoea on the ward and no visitors were allowed as they were shutting it down but we could still use the toilets in reception area. I thought for a while and this situation made me think of my granddad who died in hospital from c dif. I saw the nurse and said I wanted to go home and she told me the doctor would be around in half an hour. I waited but no doctor came so I got dressed packed my bags as quick as I could and phoned my sister to collect me and discharged myself.

The nice nurse who was with me when I was really ill gave me my antibiotics and said that they understood my decision. I was told to visit my GP the next day and the nurse wrote down my antibiotics to give to my doctor. I thought the food was appalling and I know they have a lot of people to feed but I feel it’s really not acceptable. I thought the bedding was old and the gowns/pyjamas were rags. I found someone’s pyjamas in the toilet, which had obviously been soiled and I think they remained there for 24hrs. My sister told me she had even noticed this when she went to toilet. An old man also said to me that he was told by a nurse that she couldn’t help him. He was almost in tears and said to me please help me I need care, I can’t do it. I then heard the nurse telling him there’s no such thing as can’t. I’m scared now because I have had to discharge myself and I still feel very poorly. I hope I won’t take a turn for the worst.