. . . to be tired of negative threads about the NHS? Let's have a positive one

[FangsForTheMemory]

I'll start: my mum would have died five years before I was born if it hadn't been for the NHS. She contracted a rare virus and was in hospital for months, just a couple of years after the NHS was set up. Her parents would never have been able to afford the private fees.

I have a disability and got free treatment for it on the NHS. I would never have been able to afford the treatment I needed privately. My brother would have died of pneumonia at six weeks.

Anyone else?

This is really outing but only 3 days after I had a C-Section at 37 weeks for pre-eclampsia with DD, DS contracted orbital cellulitis from a sinus infection, he's only 3 and it was a really bad case, I was beside myself and the nurses (I could have kissed them all) arranged for him to come to hospital for 3 days for antibiotic treatment and go home in between so I could be with my daughter too. In less than a week they saved my life and my sanity, and possibly my DS' life too. I will forever be grateful to the NHS and honestly I've never come across a bad member of staff in all the times I've been treated by them (lots especially during my pregnancies as I had pre-eclampsia with both so very regularly saw HCP's)

29th November 2020, I had the worst day of my life.
My then 2yo old son woke at 5am struggling to breathe. This was mid pandemic.
I rang 111, spoke to an advisor who rang an ambulance, which was with us in minutes. Two amazing paramedics saw my son and very quickly diagnosed him as being T1 diabetic and having Diabetic Ketoacidosis - a life threatening complication of T1 diabetes. We were immediately blue lighted to our local hospital where a bay with 2 nurses and a Dr were waiting for us to arrive.

We received 4 days of the highest quality care from everyone who looked after us in hospital. My son is now thriving and due to the technology made available to him by the NHS he eats and does everything any other child his age does. He is cared for by an amazing team who are specialists in Paediatric Diabetes and who are also so lovely and supportive!

I am incredibly grateful for the NHS.

So why post here then?

My son was born at 22 weeks after he become poorly in the womb. He was born sleeping and the midwife who delivered him was honestly an Angel sent from heaven. The nhs gave me a safe space to stay with him overnight. They gave me free tests to tell me that this was a terrible fluke. They looked after me with weekly check ups and extra scans in my next pregnancy. They delivered my new baby safely and they gave me everything I needed and asked for to make my pregnancy as worry free as possible. Thank you.

I would’ve died giving birth to my first without the nhs.
I would’ve died during pregnancy with my second without them.
my children have also had treatment for illnesses and injuries that would have been significant if not for the Nhs too. So basically bye bye to my whole family ❤️‍🩹

All good experiences here with both emergency care and scheduled appointments.
Such a shame that the positive stories are never publicised. The NHS is amazing!

The end of 2020 . I had a sudden cardiac arrest and literally died more times than I can count . The ambulance was there in minutes and specialist cardiac paramedics. I was in hospital for nearly 2 months. I contracted sepsis and god knows what else but I didn't catch covid. I was in a coma for almost a month .
Neighbours have told me there were about 5/6 ambulance/ specialist units outside my house. I wouldn't be here now at all. And also whenever I've needed the breast clinic because of lumps I've always been seen within the 2 week time frame .

DH has had excellent ongoing care for a brain tumour (benign).

DS had immediate surgery for testicular torsion and we were given a private room for an overnight stay. The staff were amazing and I could have kissed the lady who brought tea and toast in the morning. This was in the height of Covid.

Also had excellent advice from nurse practitioners both in person and over the phone for a variety of health issues.

We've had our share of problems with the NHS but have also received some amazing care.

I had a around £300k of world class life saving treatment in 2020/21 - amazing

Our GP surgery is fantastic - respond to web messages but also answer the phone, have enough appointments to go round, and will book advance appointments not just same day. They have direct-access physio, a pharmacist you can email with queries about your meds, and evening and weekend surgeries. Two GPs who have an interest in menopause. Can’t praise them highly enough

I’ve cost them a fortune over the years …c-section with my eldest, complicated neuro surgery for him when he was 15 months and the subsequent follow up care he’s had for 18 years. That’s without even including my second sons birth and all minor hospital visits and GP appointments for us all over the years .

But over the last 7 months they’ve been outstanding. I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the end of October and had my first chemo 3 weeks later. Due to have surgery (lumpectomy) this Monday, and will then be having follow up radiotherapy etc. I’ve already been reassured about future fears etc, and told that I can go straight to the cancer centre, not through my GP. Every single member of staff I have met have been wonderful, kind, supportive. It sounds ridiculous to say they’re angels, but they actually are. I’m so very, very grateful to the NHS, they have saved my son and (hopefully!) me.

GP out of hours probably saved DS life recently. Quick assessment and insistence on Paediatrics seeing him immediately meant treatment started very early on. Paediatricians were very impressed to have it caught so early. All round all the staff were excellent, even down to the cleaning lady who came and made a fuss of him every morning and really brightened our day.

again swift action whilst I was giving birth from amazing gynaecologist means that both I and DC 2 survived childbirth. Amazing team, and I’ll never forget the anethetist (sp?) who calmly explained everything and focused my attention on him and slowly counted me down whilst everyone else was rushing to save my life.

For the first time in over 20 years I have a Gp who answers the phone, gives appointments and does blood tests and contraceptives on site.

rest of my NHS experience varies between functional and shit

I’m on two inhalers that cost £60 each and I need four of them a month. I get them free. I get expensive medication for my children for free. I’ve had countless rounds of antibiotics for uti and chest infections for free. I’ve had detailed complex scans to check over cause of both heavy periods and intense chest pain (which turned out to be non cardiac). I had years of antidepressants and psychotherapy, and unraveled my issues.

all of this for free, none of its deaths door stuff. The NHS is amazing, even if successive governments have neglected it.

We often get compliments from patients about how brilliant everyone has been in our bit so we must be doing something right!

Four family members diagnosed with breast cancer in the last two years. All seen by the GP on the same day as making the initial call and referred immediately.
All treated differently but successfully.
I had two nasty illnesses last year and had excellent treatment from out of hours/111 to the GP to the hospital. One illness is quite rare and not always understood by GPs but I was treated with great kindness and sympathy which went a long way during what was a very distressing time.

I have had a lot of expensive mental health therapy on the NHS, and received great care when I was under services. They tried to tell me that I was worth the help (even though to this day, I do not believe them).
A lot of people do slag off MH services. It feels like the staff who help, and go above and beyond, get no recognition at all.
Working in the NHS is thankless. You have people give you grief and say they are paying your wage, so you have to do as they ask.

Another one here who cannot thank the nhs enough. I’ve nearly died 5 times ( childbirth and chemo related sepsis) and would have died without cancer treatment. . Dh thought he had flu, but an eagle eyed doc sent him for a scan and saved his life.
everyone was wonderful regardless of job title. even tho overworked and some trying patients.
unrelated thought..that it’s odd, even though I know I’m very lucky to be here, I haven’t experienced that,’ got,to,live to the full’ thing. I would like to.too much housework !
Thanks everyone at the nhs.

I have nothing bad to say about the NHS. I've been under the care of a dermatologist for almost 60yrs now, I've never had a bad experience. I've spent years of my life in a hospital bed and I've never come across any problems with any member of staff.

I spent 17yrs at the fertility clinic, I didn't get pregnant but they were the kindest people, always available for me. It was the first place I called when I fell pregnant 3yrs after we gave up ttc.

I've had numerous operations from tonsils as a child to appendix removal as an adult, never had a problem with a procedure or aftercare.

I now have other problems with various forms of arthritis. Again, I have never had a problem with getting appointments, staff kindness and knowledge or aftercare.

I have seen many many Drs and GPs and I haven't been spoken to rudely, fobbed off, waited too long for appointments or had to wait for treatment.

Paramedics who came to my MILs help a few times were nothing but kind, patient and comforting.

But the thing I am most grateful to them for is saving my 5yr olds life when he slashed an artery on a piece of glass.

I think people's expectations are overinflated more and more when it comes to the nhs but I, for one, am eternally grateful to them having been there through my life.

I always choose to use NHS Choose & Book to my nearest private hospital because you get seen quicker & less chance of getting cancelled or going on long waiting lists.

The NHS pays out £46,000 a year for my trial stage medication. It doesn't save my life but it has saved my life quality. It's a condition many see as harmless but caused my skin to split and crack and get infected every other month. It stopped me sleeping, I sobbed often over the pain. I would be at work unable to think bc of the irritation.

For £0 (at point of service) they gave me my life back. Yes it took a few years. But it costs double my wage a year... and I get it until the NHS stops existing.

I’ve just got back from A&E with middle who has spent all day throwing up and becoming increasingly lethargic and listless with a worrying lack of nappy output. They were all really lovely, he got triaged quickly, we were placed in a cubicle rather than back out to the waiting area to minimise the spread of whatever lurgy he has. They all made a big fuss of him about what a brave solider he was when he was thrashing around and screaming whilst trying to do his obs and take his blood sugars and ketone levels. They communicated their concerns to me, explained what each result meant and what the plan was moving forward which I found so so helpful, during previous experiences I have found the effectively explaining the results and what the plan is can go awry which is less than ideal when you’re scared or worried. He was admitted and assessed by the childrens ward who were equally lovely. When did the typical embarrassing thing of deciding to perk right up as soon as he was admitted, instead of making me feel like I’d wasted their time the dr made it clear I’d done the right thing regardless of hun peeking up and his obs stabilising. They’ve given us open access to the ward for the next 72 hours so any concerns I can ring them and if needed take him straight to the ward. All in all as far as evenings spent in A&E, it was an overall positive experience.

I liken the NHS to cryptocurrency. Its either the worlds best thing or absolutely atrocious. I can’t think of anything else which has provoked such minute by minute changing volatile emotions in me.

In a recent incident I felt literally every emotion from ‘thank god to the bottom of my heart this exists’ to ‘bloody hell it is absolutely broken - dissolve the whole thing’ back and forth and simultaneously. It really felt like a rollercoaster ride to me.

The positive - they saved my two week old sons life recently. All of his airways were blocked with mucus vomit, within five minutes he was pale floppy and barely making a couple of weak gurgles. He had given up. I am forever grateful to the team that ran out of nowhere took him straight out my arms and saved him. To run into a waiting room holdIng a two week old dying in your arms like this is beyond most people’s understanding. Every single staff member I met were exceptional.

The rollercoaster - I only found out due to this incident that our area has had their ambulances recently cut to zero and relocated to be based at another cities hospital. If I had called 999 rather than drive to our local hospital there’s no way he would have made it.

I think it’s really important we share positive stories, and that people share negative too. Mine was simultaneously both to the extreme. Ultimately a positive but has also provoked a lot of anger because if I had made a different split second decision that night it could have been unthinkably negative - so I hope you don’t mind me sharing here.

While I've had personal traumatic experiences and deaths in my life that definitely could have been prevented, I'm still very appreciative of it as a whole and the people who go to work there everyday.

The bad stuff doesn't make me want to dismantle it or privatise it or rage against the staff (or even the tories lol - though they're not blameless) more just kinda... alerted me to the fact that modern medicine is not nearly as "figured out" as it seems or as I feel we're led to believe. I sometimes wonder if that's part of the issue - expectation vs reality. Maybe some HCPs will disagree with me there (of course we're lightyears ahead of where we were 100 years ago, that's undeniable, but it's easy to forget how much we don't know until reading stuff like The Other Thread).

Anyway, they've treated and cared for my children brilliantly over the years. Had a scare with my oldest years ago and the staff were just incredible. So I will always be grateful to the NHS for that.

@LemonSwan so glad to hear about your son.

You've also put it quite beautifully. In the case of the preventable death I mentioned, we waited for the ambulance that didn't turn up. It just shows you, eh? Thank god you just took him.

Hopefully it's positive enough to say that (despite me being awakened to the fact modern medicine doesn't have it all figured out) the NHS are actually pretty brilliant at life or death emergencies as long as you're there (or can get there / be taken there quickly).

Even the time I class as "how the nhs failed me"... when shit hit the fan I remember so many doctors and nurses rushing from all over the place, crowded around me, injecting me with needles and sticking stuff on me and in me and probably saving my life - all while on the move. While it's upsetting it got to that stage, and that the stage after was horrendous, I will always be INCREDIBLY grateful for them saving my life.