jojanne1974 
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Really glad to see you back lesley (((((((((((((()))))))))))))))
Reply #401. Apr 19 10, 10:38 PM
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Pagiedamon
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Glad to see you back! We missed your charming wit!
Reply #402. Apr 20 10, 2:27 PM
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| lesley153
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Thanks, everyone. Not sure I can manage twisting and shouting, and I have grave doubts about charm! Lovely thought though. :)
Sorry I've been a bit quiet on here today. The hospital asked for patient feedback and I have been only too happy to oblige. Most of the time I thought they did well, or as well as could be expected considering. A few things seemed haphazard.
Only two things warranted a real complaint, and I wanted to get those out of the way first. One was the ambulance crew, three young women, filled to the brim with girlish glee, and not at all pleased when work got in the way of their giggly huddles. There was one to do obs, one to drive, and one to judge, sneer, lecture, and think she was funny: none to help or give a hoot about patients.
The other was a doctor who tricked me into having medication which I had made perfectly clear, all over the hospital, that I didn't need or want. I've had a load of gastroscopies, none with a sedative, which doesn't actually make any difference to the test, just makes you forget about it. I had the first one without sedative in 1997 and saw no point to have sedative for any of the others that followed. This time it was a transoesophageal echocardiogram, which is the same as a gastroscopy, except the camera doesn't have as far to go. The doctor and the technician, both men, both full of it, talked a load of it, and rode pretty roughshod over my wishes, and over the methods of the department, which is run by women.
Reactions have been varied, from medical students' silent eye-rolling, to warm praise from senior nurses for this most caring and patient-orientated of doctors, and a friend, with degrees in medicine and the law, who says what he did is battery. I decided to give myself a break - not him - and simply conclude that he's an idiot, who had a dire lapse of judgment, and must never be allowed to pull a stunt like this, on anyone, ever again.
And that was the short version. :p |
Reply #403. Apr 20 10, 7:51 PM
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| Lochalsh
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Young lady, it's three a.m. where you are! Get thee hence!
Reply #404. Apr 20 10, 8:11 PM
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| Lochalsh
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Sorry, I shouldn't have been such a scold. Actually, I'm glad you're feeling good enough to spend some time here, whatever the hour!
I really should wait to send this until three a.m. my time. Instead, I'll go now to the garden and chomp on those worms I keep for just such an occasion.
((((((((((((((Lesley))))))))))))))))))
Reply #405. Apr 20 10, 8:17 PM
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Professer
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Lesley you were up late i was in bed just after 10 and awake again just after midnight.
Hope you are feeling better, miss you and cannot wait till one of us can get the energy to travel and meet.
Reply #406. Apr 21 10, 12:39 AM
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| lesley153
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It was indeed 3am *looks guilty* and I was nodding off and mangling my grammar. I was also taking about five minutes to do the team quizzes because I kept falling asleep between questions. But I went to bed then, please miss, honest!
It's OK, I get scolded and lectured here all the time. The woman I'm about to have lunch with is very kind but seems to forget that I'm not her senescent MIL. "Careful, there's a step there: don't spill your drink: mind, the plate's hot." When we got home on Saturday, I told her we were home, before we made a mad dash to the supermarket, and she was telling me to buy food I could cook easily, and lots of microwave meals...
Another one has scolded me about Jonathan's two old bangers in the front garden - one dead, one dying. Jonathan's in London, he doesn't need them, and they spoil the garden! But I cut her short. Please, I don't need a lecture: and she apologised and stopped.
I don't need to be told about the blindingly bleeding obvious, food or cars, or about things I can't do much about, or about things that really aren't that important unless you're Hyacinth Bucket.
Shouldn't be long, Gary. :) |
Reply #407. Apr 21 10, 4:42 AM
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redwaldo
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We love you Lesley!
Reply #408. Apr 21 10, 4:49 AM
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reeshy
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Lesley, how you can have gastroscopies without sedatives, I don't know! I had an endoscopy a while ago for investigative purposes, granted the camera has to go further and it was the biopsy that was most painful, by the time it's in the throat I was all over the place! Nasty business those things!
So glad you're better, but not that surprised to hear you had a hard time in hospital. Having various health issues, I've had bad experiences in hospitals, as have my family. This is in UK, so I'm glad we get free health care here, but I think that you must get better when you pay to go private. Unfortunately there is no way on Earth I'd afford it. I've never had the chance to give patient feedback, and none of us went as far as to formally complain, though we probably should have!
Keep well, and I hope you're all better as soon as you can be :)
Richard
Reply #409. Apr 21 10, 9:22 AM
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reeshy
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^ Small addition. I didn't take a sedative with the endoscopy because I thought "Ach, it can't be that bad". Ha! :P
Reply #410. Apr 21 10, 9:23 AM
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| lesley153
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Oh, Mark - sigh! :)
Explanation for Richard. In early 1997, I spent two months in hospital, mostly Bedford, but including a fortnight in Papworth getting the aortic valve which now needs to be replaced. At the beginning, I was hallucinating, and talking gibberish (like Ned Flanders, except you can understand Flanders). The most distressing memory for me was of a visit from my husband and the beloved sprog, who was only eight, greeting my husband, and asking him "Who's the boy?"
Later, when I was recovering and could speak again without saying howdily-doodly-neighbourino, I was sent for a gastroscopy. I waited in the endoscopy department from early morning till late afternoon, so I got to see a lot of people breeze in and be wheeled out like zombies. The last thing I wanted my son to see was me drugged stupid again, so I declined the sedative. I was told that it doesn't make any difference to the test: it just wipes it from your memory. That's why I had all my subsequent gastroscopies without a sedative. I remember the first one so there's no point in having one now. It also gets the test over with so much faster, because you don't need to change into a hospital gown, or wait afterwards to recover, or get someone else to take to take you home.
I had a load more after I got an ulcer five years ago. One of them took five or six biopsies on the way down, and I don't think I was very well-behaved for that, because my imagination was running overtime, but the team didn't even seem to notice - or did but didn't admit it. If there was ever justification for sedative that was it - not the convenience of an arrogant male doctor, and his sidekick, who I thought was another doctor but turns out to be the hospital's chief technician. Grr.
And I am pleased and relieved to report that the beloved sprog has forgiven me. |
Reply #411. Apr 21 10, 11:07 AM
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| Lochalsh
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Howdily-doodly-neighbourino?
Oh, why can't the English learn to speak? :-)
Reply #412. Apr 21 10, 11:49 AM
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reeshy
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Lesley, I see. I just had a really bad experience with my endoscopy - continual gag reflex, my throat constantly closing on the camera; it wasn't nice! Although I did still have to put on a gown and everything. I've been through quite a lot and normally handle things well, but the gagging and everything just got me - that said, I'm not keen on getting a sedative if I ever need an endoscopy again!
Sorry to hear you've had a lot of trouble over the years, so I hope you're on the mend soon! :)
Reply #413. Apr 22 10, 9:00 AM
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| lesley153
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Lochalsh, I apologise for being such a disappointment to you. *sniff* ;(
Richard, sorry, it doesn't sound like you had a particularly bad experience. It's just a really horrible test. From what technicians have told me, everyone gags and retches, pretty well the whole time. Just that the sedated ones forget. If you ever need another one, you could ask them, but I hope you won't. I think we hope we won't!
Thank you, I just need to get repaired, and I shall be scampering about like a two-year-old again. I'm capable of functioning but have just not been getting the oxygen I need. Come on Papworth! |
Reply #414. Apr 22 10, 5:53 PM
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flopsymopsy
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I had an ERCP about ten years ago... can't remember a thing about what they did to me but I have a faint memory of hearing the screams of the woman who was in there before me. Or maybe they were my screams and I'm misremembering ... either way, if I ever have to have another one, I'll take the happy jab thanks! I have a very high pain threshold but there are some experiences I'd rather not know about, lol.
Reply #415. Apr 22 10, 6:45 PM
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Professer
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I had it done many years ago and i was sedated have to say the problem with retching is a normal reaction to having something forced down your throat.
Lesley hows things going not heard a lot from you.
Reply #416. Apr 23 10, 4:22 AM
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reeshy
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Of course everyone gags etc. You're right, Lesley, it's just really horrible lol. I had problems afterward though, and the nurses got worried when the heart monitor cut out, but it wasn't serious - circulation issues. I just personally think that it's bad enough of an experience to go for the sedative next time haha - not worth remembering multiple times. :)
Reply #417. Apr 23 10, 10:53 AM
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reeshy
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I meant it was bad experience for me in my life, rather than bad compared to others though. :P
Sorry for the slight tangent, and taking over the thread a bit :P
Back to you guys :)
Reply #418. Apr 23 10, 11:00 AM
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guitargoddess
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Yeesh, I'm glad I haven't had this thing-shoved-down-your-throat procedure, doesn't sound fun! I do have to have a pelvic ultrasound soon though :( My doctor told me she was referring me for one, and I didn't think much of it, just thinking, okay that the thing where they put the gel on your stomach and have a look with a wand, no big deal. Then my mother informed it me it can be a bit more, uhh, invasive than that, so I was less happy about it. Though now it seems much more preferable to this endoscopy thing, lol
Reply #419. Apr 23 10, 11:40 AM
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| lesley153
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Sorry I've been quiet. Very soon after I got to the ward, someone came round with a questionnaire asking what we thought of our stay. They want feedback? they'll get feedback! but a questionnaire isn't big enough. "If required, continue on a separate sheet of paper." Only one sheet? Ha!
So I've just spent a couple of days composing emails to the hospital. The first email consisted of two complaints, one about the dismal behaviour of the ambulance crew, and one about the doctor who tricked me into having a token dose of the sedative everyone knew I didn't want. My theory is that it was a power token - I'll show these monstrous women who's boss! - but he smiled at me *ugh* and said how much easier it had made the test. No it hadn't.
The second email was about everything else, from disappointing, or could do better, to doing remarkably well considering... and well done.
This morning has been a waste of time. Here goes - have you got time for this?
On Saturday, when I was discharged, I was given a copy of the discharge letter, and told that the original had been sent to my SoonToBeEx-GP in the internal post. That meant that it would arrive at the surgery on Monday or Tuesday and my drugs record would be updated so I'd just phone up and ask for a top-up of the new medicines. He's not going to be vrey happy, because they stopped three of the meds he'd prescribed, added some new ones, and changed my Frusemide 20mg to 160mg! The only things that have stayed the same are the inhalers his locum prescribed.
So I rang up the woman who does the repeat prescriptions, and goes home at 2pm, and started by asking her how she was. Not great. She's had three weeks off because she needed surgery. Hmmm.
I asked for repeats of my new meds, and said that I have enough of some for five days and enough of the rest for two weeks. It doesn't matter how many I've got, because she can't do anything without written instructions, there have been no changes to my records since December 2009, and there's no record of a discharge letter arriving. Mind you, she said, she hasn't seen the Dr since Tuesday morning. He'd been in this morning, and would be back for the afternoon surgery, which starts two hours after she leaves. She'll leave him a message for when he comes in this afternoon.
I'm not going to argue about her need for something in writing. Perhaps I can drop the letter in, but how to get there? I can scrounge a lift off my one and only neighbour who isn't working today, or looking after a heap of small children. No, she had accompanied her senescent MIL to the hospital for a gastroscopy, of all things. The test was cancelled because the people in the care home had given her lunch. Fail.
Or I could call a mini-cab who will take me there to drop it off for £5-£6, and half as much again to take me home again, but I didn't pursue that idea because I was a bit peeved at the thought of paying a tenner to deliver something because the internal system seemed to have failed.
Could someone in the hospital email the letter to the GP? I got through to my old ward, and the staff nurse who answered the phone said that she would find it and send it to him. I don't know when she'd get round to it, though. Most of the nurses in that ward haven't got time to breathe.
I rang the pharmacy too, because I'd done a double-take at the 160mg of diuretics. I remembered my home dose of 20mg tablets being doubled to 40mg IV as soon as I arrived, and quickly doubled again to 40mg IV twice a day, but not the final leap to 160mg a day. The woman who answered the hospital's pharmacy phone said "You really need to talk to a pharmacist. Your ward pharmacist is Matthew." I didn't remember him, but did remember seeing Nerinder from pharmacy a few times. OK, it's 12.30, she'll leave a message for Nerinder, and I'll ring back after 2pm.
Ring back at 2pm, Nerinder's not here today, and the women I spoke to first is "unavailable." OK, let's try Matthew. To my great embarrassment, Matthew remembered me - *blush* - but had no idea why I was phoning. He answered my question satisfactorily, and then explained a bit more about the system. They don't put the discharge letter in the internal post: a different department emails it *jargon, jargon* - something about medicines coding - to the GP. If he's not there, it isn't seen. Perhaps he hasn't bothered with it, but perhaps he will when he sees the message?
Later on I saw a friend who's been a GP receptionist for more than 20 years, and she explained how the system really works. The GP may or may not open his/her emails, but won't bother to do anything till I ring up about it. So here's me thinking I'm giving them lots of time to update their system, and there's them, not doing a thing. We shall see what Monday brings.
Think I'll just lie in a darkened room for a few minutes. |
Reply #420. Apr 23 10, 12:04 PM
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