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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

in feeling so upset about this...sorry health related

3 replies

Mharhi · 01/04/2012 11:01

I was on here a couple of months ago, whinging on because I had had trouble with a lipoma which had been picked up a few years ago at the hospital. I was told it was 'nothing to worry about' then when it caused lots of problems, (intussusception, which was not picked up by the same hospital and I was sent home in lots of pain for nearly two weeks when i had surgery and needed a big op for sigmoid colectomy)

Anyway, I was just in hospital again for a bowel obstruction which was horrible, waited for 4 hrs in A and E in the dead of night before I saw a doctor. Apparently it's due to adhesions / scar tissue. OK so this can happen after any kind of abdominal surgery apparently. But I'm upset this could have been prevented.

I've got a copy of my medical notes now from the op, which shows that a few days after i had a CT scan. This revealed small bowel obstruction similar to I've just had. No-one told me about this and I was discharges home, no dietary advice, nothing, not even when I asked is there anything specific I should know/ be aware of for the future. It's important as I've now been told to eat a low-fibre diet and that is what probably caused the obstruction.

A week before it happened I went to the GP as an emergency appt with the CT scan and having tummy pains. After reading it, she examined me and told me i had Gastritis.(as my stomach felt tender) So i went home and cut out things like coffee, tea, ate more healthily fruit and fibre, snacked on fruit...ended up in hospital..

Aargh...I know I'm a bit fed up as am mainly on a liquid diet now as I'm so scared it could happen again (it might mean an emergency op and as DP is sometimes away I can't risk it happening with the children, who are small)

But I'm also fed up with trying to manage it all..it seems tricky just trying to get informed about my own health! I don't understand it, surely it would help the hospital if patients were informed what would help prevent bowel obstruction, rather than having patients re-admitted. What seems to happen is a young doctor is sent to tick off boxes that you are fit to go home (pulse ok, temp ok, eating the soft hospital food ok) that's about it.

I feel I should complain to the GP (for the Gastritis thing) and the hospital (for not informing me) but it looks like i may well need future treatment...it's hard when you are depending on them to sort you out!

OP posts:
OldGreyWiffleTest · 01/04/2012 12:37

Ah, yes - this seems to happen all the time. You have my sympathies. It should be preventative, not wait until emergency.

I'm in a similar position to you. Triple by-pass 5 years ago, which I found out from recent angiogram has failed and it now blocked. Got to wait 4 months for my op and on so many tablets I am rattling! No pleased at all.

catsareevil · 01/04/2012 12:51

If you are worried about annoying people (which shouldnt affect your care), you could approach it in an attitude of seeking information and explanation of why things were done the way they were. No-one should object to a request for clarification.

Mharhi · 01/04/2012 13:25

Thank you. Yes if i do complain I will make it very non-emotive and ask for information, also explain it will help others if they are informed. Yes oldGey, i can see it would have been helpful if you could have been informed better all along too. I wonder how many times things become trickier because it's just been left and it's made me a lot more aware of asking for advice / follow ups.

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