A Derry woman who feared she was having a heart attack has said she felt dehumanised and embarrassed after spending nine days in a hospital locker room because of a shortage of beds.
The health trust that manages Altnagelvin Area Hospital said it faced "extreme pressures" in its emergency departments but could not comment on individual cases.
Zoe Carlin's GP sent her to Altnagelvin hospital last month when her resting heart rate soared to abnormal levels.
The 23-year-old feared she might be suffering a heart attack because there is a history of cardiac problems in her family, including two male cousins who both had heart attacks in their mid 20s.
"My heart rate was so high it was taking a toll, it was making me feel faint and sweaty and I had like this really bad pain in my chest," she explained.
She fainted shortly after arriving at the accident and emergency department and doctors told her she could not go home because of her high heart rate.
After 29 hours sitting in a chair, she was eventually moved to a bed, but not in a ward. She was told the hospital was so busy the only available space was a disused staff locker room.
Zoe was told it was a temporary solution to get her into a bed, but she spent nine days there and had to ring a bell if she wanted to go to the toilet at the other end of the ward.
"I was told that because my heart rate was so high and because I was having fainting spells that they weren't comfortable letting me walk to the bathroom on my own, in case I fainted on the ward," she explained.
"They basically said I had to be wheeled down and I would have to draw the nurses' attention and they would get me a bell. So I thought it was like you know, the remotes for like emergency call a nurse or whatever, and instead they brought this heavy iron school bell and they're like, just ring that anytime you need to go to the bathroom.
"It was just like really embarrassing, especially at night when everyone on the ward was asleep and I had to ring this bell. It was just so awkward."
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Zoe also missed a number of meals because some catering staff were not made aware that she was in the disused locker room, and she called family members to bring in food.
The experience has left her feeling anxious and ignored.
"It was not the fault of the nurses," she says.
"I could see how busy they were, they were working really hard. They were doing their best, the problem was that the ward was overcrowded and they just couldn't cope.
"It just kind of felt that you were just there and nobody was actually seeing you as a person. You were just kind of being seen as a nuisance, like you're taking up space."
Zoe was released from hospital without a diagnosis of what was wrong, and told to go back to the GP who sent her there.
Her mother Martina was shocked at the conditions when she visited her daughter, and also complained to hospital management about the standard of hygiene in the room.
"Because she was in this alcove off the ward she seemed to be forgotten about. The cleaners didn't go in and her bed wasn't changed until I raised it after five days," Martina said.
She was alarmed when she saw the bell Zoe had been given to attract the attention of nurses.
"I just couldn't help thinking what would have happened if she had a fainting fit and couldn't ring the bell, I think it's incredible that she was treated in that way."
The Western Health and Social Care Trust, which manages the hospital, said it is "acutely aware of the continuing challenges and extreme pressures" across its hospital sites.
In a statement, it said that due to client confidentiality it does not provide comment on individual patients.
It said that when the Trust learns of examples "where care falls below the standard we expect" it reviews the circumstances and explores ways to improve care in the future.
