I'm glad to hear you have made contact with them. I've had bad anxiety but not to the point of needing to be an in-patient so I don't know how that feels but I do know of the mixed experiences people have in those places. Some are tranquil, some are wards with daily violence (my local is the latter according to people I know who've had reletives in there).
The staff are trained to handle violence, as another member found when his brother was sectioned due to psychosis and assaulted the doctor, the response was "we're used to it". It's just part of their job. Maybe the nurse was caught by surprise, was havng a difficult time of her own or less experienced, I don't know, but they really wouldn't think anything of it.
I hope they can come up with some solutions to move you forward even a little bit because it can greatly help when you are at rock bottom. Please keep in touch with them and if you find yourself feeling worse, make contact.