Dear Dr David Clark, NZ’s Minister of Health

I was admitted into the hospital on the evening of Tuesday the 15th of September, by ambulance for Pneumonia. I was appalled by the way I was treated by the paramedics as well as the nurses once I was admitted. It was a terrifying event for me as I have Chronic Illness, and Pneumonia could kill me due to my suppressed immune system. I am writing to you because the paramedics and nurses need to be held accountable for their actions!

I am writing on behalf of myself and others who are afraid to speak up about the appalling way they were treated. I have heard about an elderly woman, who was treated poorly by the paramedics. This elderly woman used her St John alarm. The Paramedics came, but made her walk all the way down to the entrance of her apartment block and didn’t even go and help her out of the apartment and into the ambulance. Due to this treatment she fell!!

I hope you read my story, that gives detailed accounts of how I was treated by the paramedics and nurses during my stay in Wellington Hospital

I was feeling breathless, unable to form a sentence, and severe chest pain. My lips were starting to turn, black and blue. I saw a friend who told me I needed an ambulance. We could hear the sirens! When the paramedics turned up, looked at me, tested my heart rate etc, they could see that I couldn’t breathe!. My friend and I could tell that the paramedics did not want to take me to the hospital. Rather than getting me one of their wheelchairs, they made me walk into the ambulance. All this while I could not breathe!

Once we got into the ambulance, they stated “It’s probably just your fibromyalgia.” Seriously! It was more than that, I had felt this way when I had pleurisy and Pneumonia! When we went to the hospital, they asked if I’d like to walk into the hospital? Obviously I said “no!” I clearly couldn’t breathe! I went into the hospital feeling like the paramedics thought I should not have been taken into the hospital, like I was putting it on! (Those who know me know that I don’t go into hospital unless I’m feeling like I’m dying). I was vulnerable, and scared. I knew that something was severely wrong! I was rushed into an E.D bed, they rushed me to get an Xray, which they hoped would show something. After the Xray, I was given a scan of my heart, and blood was tested. Half an hour later I was seen by a doctor where she told me that the xray and the scan of my heart shows signs of early heart failure, and I have pleurisy and pneumonia, and needed to be treated with IV antibiotics.

I was given Furosemide, a type of medicine called a diuretic. It’s used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure and a buildup of fluid around the body. Furosemide causes you to pee out the fluid. I was given a pad to pee in overnight. In the morning I asked if I could get my pad changed, the nurse told me I should not have a pad, and they wouldn’t give me one, because they stated I needed to do everything myself! The nurse left me crying because I felt belittled, as though my disorder and pneumonia diagnosis wasn’t that serious. Please note that when I am very sick I suffer from seizures that cause my body to freeze, (due to Neurological Functional disorder- read https://www.neurosymptoms.org to understand what I am talking about). While trying to ‘do things for myself’ I tried getting up to get my Ipad as I was getting the Ipad, I suffered one of my seizures, and almost fell because I felt I could not ask for help!

During this hospital stay I’ve had a nurse who made me cry, who let me lose balance when I have asked for their help, not putting bandages back on where I am unable to reach due to my stroke, move my walking stick to somewhere far from out of my reach to be able to get it to help steady me!

Please do something about this. I would like those involved to go through professional discipline to make sure people are not treated this way in the future. It’s not our fault we are sick! A hospital stay should be about knowing the nurses are there to help and on your side!