I was saying on a different thread this evening how scary this situation is. I feel like the NHS is a scary lottery for everyone - I have a very frail mother on a fast track protocol, husband who has had major heart surgery recently, grandchildren with significant needs.
My grandson is just turned two years. He was premature because mum had covid at 30 wks and was quite ill. She was sent home from hospital on a Sunday (she was convinced she was in labour - two previous pregnancies) she felt the hospital wanted rid of her (she was treated in a zipped up bubble area) because of her covid status.
She rang me that evening and said she felt as though she was 'holding the head back', and she was involuntarily pushing at the end of contractions.
She rang her midwife at 8am, who saw her at 9.30am. Midwife said it would be quicker to go straight to maternity in a car than by ambulance, which she did (I drove, no time to inform anyone at that point). We arrived at 11am due to horrendous traffic. We sat outside triage for half an hour. She was examined and taken to delivery immediately. It was too late to give her steroids for the baby's lungs. She gave birth literally being wheeled into the delivery room. She was 32 wks. We suspect that she had been fully dilated for a while.
Baby was in NICU for almost a month and discharged.
He has health issues which we now realise have been present since birth. He cried constantly, any virus would send him to hospital. He thrashed about during most nights. Eventually realised this thrashing was seizures which started to occur during the day as well. This time of year he is in and out of hospital as viruses make his seizures more frequent. His development is about a year behind what is expected. His behaviour is 'off the chart' - my daughter feels isolated as she no longer wants to take him out anywhere. I even have to have him for her in order that she can take her other two children food shopping.
He has been under investigation for just over a year. (She waited 9 months to see a consultant.). In that time he's had two EEG which were normal. No other tests apart from finger prick tests for blood sugar (usually done by ambulance crew).
We were told he's waiting for glucose monitoring and MMR - this was October last year.
My husband cannot tolerate his presence due to his behaviour which is a huge additional strain on the whole family.
There is something significantly wrong with him which remains mysterious.
We feel that children do not appear to be any sort of priority (unless that's just our family). My daughter's other son (3yrs) is non verbal and we are waiting for speech and language to contact us. Her daughter (6 yrs) has been waiting two years for an initial appointment with regards to autism. All three children have needs which remain unmet. She feels like a failure and this week she has said she is drowning and feels like a failure as a mother. She is depressed. She is not unsupported - as a minimum, I spend four days with her/her children each week. And she still feels like this. I have been with her all this week as she stated she can't face waking up anymore. Her son was in hospital all day Tuesday after a prolonged fit. She was told it would be quicker to take him to hospital by car which she did. Then doctors criticised her for taking him 'post ictal' as he could've had further seizures. This made her break down and cry.
I have booked to see a paediatrician privately but because there is such a huge demand at the moment, that appointment is in February. An ambulance crew told her (on a different admission) that the government want to run the NHS down in order for more people to resort to paying privately for care, which in turn creates a demand for more private hospitals. I know quite a few people having procedures privately at this time (hysterectomy, hip, shoulder, knee, hernia).
I completely agree OP the NHS is a frightening failure.
When my husband had his arortic dissection type A diagnosed, the ambulance called to transfer him to a specialist heart centre refused to take him because they weren't trained to use a piece of equipment he required (fluid which was maintaining his blood pressure). That was my most scary moment.
The support I have had on here though has kept me going. It has been tremendous just to know that there are many out there in the ether to hold your hand.
I will virtually hold your hand throughout and wish your baby a speedy recovery.