"Treatment in triage"

Recently I was conveyed to hospital via ambulance for an anaphylaxis episode I had to my usual medication. Whilst in the hospital waiting for the handover from the ambulance to the drs, the paramedic and I noticed that my right foot wasn’t right and was very white in colour; I also noticed my leg was in pain and my foot was numb and sore.

I was handed over and conveyed to the resus room where the dr and student dr did some tests and asked a lot of questions. Whilst waiting for around 10 to 15 mins, the drs' had decided to transfer me to the CDU unit for further investigation. The dr who was looking after me decided my leg and foot required further investigation so they ordered for me to have a CT scan. The scan came back that there were blockages in all 3 of my main arteries in both my legs but my right leg was worse than my left.

At this stage, both my legs and feet were changing colours and I was in major pain, the dr had then contacted the vascular surgeon at Box Hill hospital with pictures of my legs and the CT scan results. The vascular surgeon advised the dr at the hospital I was currently at, that I receive an outpatient appointment to see the surgeon at Box Hill but in the meantime, I could go home and if I was concerned or had any further pain, I should present to Box Hill Emergency Department (ED) where the surgeon would be advised of my arrival.

So less than a week later, I presented to Box Hill hospital Emergency Department, I handed the triage nurse paper work I had received from the initial hospital, I also told them my situation and that the vascular surgeon should be notified of my presence. The triage nurse advised me I had to wait in the ED like everyone else and that I would need to go through normal procedures and to wait.

About half an hour later, a nurse came out and took my blood pressure and said a dr will be with me soon. The nurse never looked at my feet or asked if I wanted anything for the pain as I was in agony. I was waiting in the ED for over 4 and a half hours with no correspondence or anything, as I had asked the triage nurse several times when will I be seen as I’m in agony and I shouldn't have to wait for so long, considering my condition.

After over 4.5hrs of waiting, I couldn’t stand the pain any longer and decided to leave and go home, take some meds and try and make my feet and legs warm. The next day, I presented back to the hospital's ED where my original problem had occurred. I was in, seeing a dr within an hour, and within 2 hrs, I was being transferred to Box Hill hospital where I had a bed on a ward, where I would be with the vascular surgeon. I was then seeing the drs every day and the verdict was that I had an embolism travel from my heart to my legs which in turn, had blocked all 3 of my veins in both my legs.

A couple of days later, I went into surgery to have an angiogram, where I was left with a sheath in my leg for 25hrs whilst in ICU, then had the sheath removed but my veins are still partially blocked, which I am on medication to continue to unblock the blockage, and was in ICU for almost 2 days. After a couple of days, I was released from hospital where I would need to go back to have another angiogram on my left leg in around 2 weeks.

I am writing this complaint as I am disgusted at the treatment I received in the Box Hill Emergency Department and made to wait for such an emergency and in my opinion, was totally neglected by the triage nurse, that I felt did not listen to my pleas.

If I had lost my toe or anything else from this episode, I would not have been happy and don't want anyone else to go through the pain that I have been through.