Amanda Young has lived with chronic back pain for years, suffering from issues like bulging discs.
No stranger to doctors and hospital visits, she called for an ambulance when struck with escalating pain in March 2023.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Patient claims hospital dismissed severe back pain
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Staff at Townsville Hospital gave her medication, including a tablet and needle, and sent her home.
But four hours later Young was still in agony.
She called an ambulance once again, arriving at the hospital crying and screaming. Her cries for help were met with a shocking response.
“I was told by the doctor there to shut up due to my symptoms and me being in pain, I couldn’t control it,” Young said.
She begged staff for medication that would ease her immediate pain.
“I was told they’ve already done everything that they can for me, that my medication was appropriate, that they’ve upped the doses of a nerve blocker that was already not working, which is why I ended up back in the hospital.”
Amanda Young says she is concerned for those who can’t speak up for themselves. Credit: 7NEWS
She said the medication given to her by the hospital could take up to six weeks to kick in.
“At the time, I asked if they could give me something to settle me down so I wouldn’t be as boisterous, I was basically treated like I was drug seeking,” she said. “I was told there was nothing wrong with me.”
Chaos ensued with Young, in so much pain she found it difficult to walk, arguing with staff.
“They put me in a bed,” she said. “I couldn’t even get up and go to the bathroom. I begged them for a bedpan. They wouldn’t even give me a bedpan. I was forced to go off the side of the bed. It was very embarrassing.”
Feeling “concerned” about her treatment, she began recording her experience with staff, who told her it was illegal to film and to stop recording and ultimately “kicked her out” of the hospital.
“They put me in the taxi, sent me home … [I] crawled up my front steps, to get into my bed at home,” she said.
A Ryan’s Rule advocate suggested the following morning that if she was still in pain then she should return to the hospital.
Ryan’s Rule, named in honour of a patient who in 2007 died from an undiagnosed infection and subsequent toxic shock infection, is a three-step process which allows patients and their families or carers to raise concerns if they feel unheard or their condition is not improving as expected.
Young was twice taken to hospital by ambulance. Credit: 7NEWS
This time she was taken to a surgeon for consultation.
“They medicated me straight away, gave me appropriate medication to settle down my symptoms,” Young said. “I was told that he did believe me and that they would eventually operate on me, but they weren’t going to talk about it at that point in time because of the pain and what I’ve been through the last 38 hours.”
It still took another year for Young to be operated on.
When she was, surgeons found large bone spurs attached to the nerves in her back, which Young says weren’t picked up by an MRI machine.
“The operation did take an extra four hours longer than what it was supposed to due to the severity of the condition,” she said.
“I feel like now because I wasn’t essential, and they didn’t act quick enough, that I’ve been left with permanent nerve damage and constant cramps every single night.”
Post surgery, Young lives in constant pain. And despite the fact that her pain was proven to be genuine, she believes she’s labelled a “drug seeker” in her permanent records.
“Doctors frown upon that when I go into the hospital, it doesn’t look good,” she said. “It makes it harder for me to get medication or treatment or help when I do need it.”
Young says it’s “extremely scary” that patients like herself can walk into a hospital, in pain, and not be taken seriously.
“I’ve got a voice,” she said. “I can talk and advocate for myself, but it leaves me worried about the more vulnerable people that don’t know their rights, that are too afraid to speak up.”
Young says severe bone spurs weren’t picked up by an MRI. Credit: 7NEWS
Now she’s calling for the hospital to believe patients.
“Don’t just assume that people were drug seeking,” she said. “Look at our records, look at our charts, especially when they’re well known to the hospital, I get some people may do that, but there’s a lot of people that are going out to the hospital in genuine pain.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Townsville Hospital and Health Service chief executive Kieran Keyes said investigations by officials found that Young’s concerns were not ignored and the care provided by our staff was appropriate.
“The patient has previously raised a number of concerns with Townsville Hospital and Health Service regarding emergency department presentations, the use of Ryan’s Rule and the timing of follow-up treatment.”
Young described the pain she was in as the worst of her life. Credit: 7NEWS
The spokesperson said the matters had been reviewed and referred to the independent Office of the Health Ombudsman, which concluded in January 2025 that the complaint had been managed appropriately.
“In relation to the patient’s presentations to the emergency department in March 2023, on each occasion the patient was clinically assessed, provided pain relief, and managed appropriately based on symptoms and a clinical examination.”
The spokesperson said Young was “thoroughly reviewed” after raising concerns during a presentation to the ED, including by a senior medical officer, a clinical nurse consultant and an after-hours nurse manager.
“Hospital records indicate that no further Ryan’s Rule escalation was activated following these reviews.”
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