Feeling angry

I’m feeling particularly angry at social media posts tonight. Our local ambulance service posted up never to call them out unless it’s an emergency. Here is where I feel really angry…

At the beginning of August, my mum called an ambulance out for my dad. My dad had COPD amongst various other illnesses and enivitably this would lead him to having uncontrollable coughing fits. Well this particular night my dad couldn’t get a breath for coughing so she called an ambulance out (bearing in mind he had a GP house call that morning too). Anyway when the crew came out…one of the paramedics basically told my mum that what he had wasn’t fatal and she wasted their resources HOWEVER they eventually took my dad to hospital after debating whether they should or not. Once my dad got to hospital the doctor there was extremely reluctant to let him out that night as she was very concerned with his chest and breathing. Waste of resources??? Really??

Long story short, my dad died two weeks later of a cardiac arrest and from complications of his COPD. The condition that apparently is not fatal…

Well my anger has resurrected itself big time!!! Of course, it wouldnt have prevented losing my dad but these people really need to think before they open their mouths as he was far from professional. On the day my dad had his cardiac arrest and died, my poor mum wrestled with herself about calling an ambulance out. I honestly think that if this a****** paramedic was here right now I would be throwing at least a punch and I am not a violent person by any stretch of the imagination.

I wrote a very angry message to the ambulance service then deleted it as all it would serve me would be to get even angrier - if that’s indeed possible!!!. So, instead, I’m sorry, I came here to vent as I’m sure some of you can relate to what I’m going through. It just makes me mad that my family were made to feel like lay about fraudsters from this crew and made to feel they were using the ambulance as some kind of free taxi service.

Hi Gayle. I can understand your anger and I think you should have made a formal complaint and pursued it. I know none of us want the hassle involved, but what was said was inexcusable. But in any profession there will be those without a lot of feeling.
Unless their administrators know what’s going on they can’t correct it.
I have not had your experience as I called the ambulance three times before my wife went into hospital and she was treated with respect and courtesy. But there is always going to be a rotten apple in the barrel and you were unlucky.
In view of what happened you have good cause to complain.
It brings us back to the many complaints we get on here about so called ‘professionals’ who can’t keep their mouths shut. There is a distinct lack of any sort of empathy let alone sympathy.
Professions have to be imperatial up to a point, but we are all human and to be told what you were is inhuman.
And another thing, how de we really know what’s an emergency. We are not doctors. I understand they do get called out for trivial things, or what may be seem as trivial, which can often turn out to be serious.

This is awful, please do write that lettert. This sort of thing is happening all the time.
I called 999 for the very first time in my life when my husband was very ill. I couldn’t move him and he was bleeding badly. He was almost unconscious but still moaning and crying out and I cried with him. I was told the ambulances were otherwise occupied. After four and half hours I managed to get a trauma team to my house and my husband was at last made comfortable. He died early the nest morning, not through any fault of what happened I don’t blame anybody, only myself for not being capable that day but if only his last day on this earth could have been more comfortable.
Your Mum’s experience will cause her upset in her grief and she needs to have, at the very least an apology.