Stuck in a nightmare - hospital maternity treatment

[Zebrazebras]

I am stuck in what feels like a bad dream and need advice.

Three days ago I had my second DC by repeat csection. Due to moving my op away from my due date I went into spontaneous labour and by the time I was in theatre babies head was engaged.

During the op the surgeon has torn my uterus. Since this was repaired they have suspected damage to my ureter. I have had a scan suggesting the ureter is blocked and my kidney function is showing signs of reducing. It has taken me the past few days to get an answer on this. Luckily DH and I were given a private room.

The hospital I was at doesn’t have urology and I have been transferred to a bigger hospital. We’ve been put on the postnatal ward so I can have my baby with me. But it means I have been put back to square zero in terms of care. The postnatal team is hot and noisy. I’m not being offered painkillers, I’ve been due an antibiotic for hours to reduce sepsis risk, despite repeatedly asking I haven’t been offered one. The urology team keep changing their minds on treatment and now want to wait and see if my kidney function improves.

All the time I’m so worried my kidney is blocked and is going to cause me sepsis and to die. I’ve got a toddler at home and a brand new baby. I can’t sleep for anxiety and that’s making me feel worse.

What can I even do? I am stuck in a nightmare.

Google Pals and your hospital name. Call them.
Ask to speak to the matron/head nurse whatever it’s called now.

Demand pain killers - keep pressing the buzzer! And the anti biotic. Be a pain in the neck. Get your husband to ask too and advocate for you. Like if no one has come round send him to the midwife station and say hi where are the meds we’ve asked 3 times? My wife will have to call her GP and get a prescription sent out if you’re not prepared to do to etc.

Do you have any basic painkillers in your bag - it’s unthinkable after a section!

Second that in relation to PALS. Also
you are entitled to a second opinion. I’d be asking for that now.

So sorry you’re having such an awful time. If you start having any symptoms that make you worry about sepsis then you could see if your hospital is using Martha’s rule yet - https://www.england.nhs.uk/patient-safety/marthas-rule/information-patients-families-carers/ But I hope you can just get the help you need, I think you need an advocate to be a real squeaky wheel now, if your partner is too polite can you call in your pushiest frend or your mum?

So sorry OP that does sound like a nightmare 😔 can your DH advocate for you? Keep a note of how often you have to ask for pain relief and antibiotics and speak to the doctor about it when he does his rounds. You can ask the urology team for a second opinion too. Try to keep calm, be firm and concise about what you're not happy with, drink plenty and try and rest and give your body time to heal. Wishing you a speedy recovery 🙏

I don’t think that PALs operate over the weekend? Everything seems to be complicated by the fact it’s a weekend and bank holiday. I’m so angry this has happened to me. I’m on a maternity ward surrounded by parents who can take their babies home and my life is ruined.

Kindly OP your life is not ruined.
It sounds like you’ve been given conflicting info re the plan. Ask to speak to a member of your treating time one on one after the ward round so you can have a calm conversation with them about what the plan is.
They don’t want you to deteriorate on their watch any less than you do.

Bit of a wild card, ring the hospital switchboard and ask to be put through to urology ward to
talk to them. ‘About a patient’.

For post natal ward, can always try same tactic. Call the ward.

Why would a GP do this?!

Also they could be waiting on BT results before giving you the antibiotics as your kidney function will have an impact so if you don’t need them they won’t risk your kidney function. It should have been communicated to you. Your life is not ruined.

I can see why you think your life is ruined but it’s not.

However, you’re not getting the care you need. Speak to the ward manager or Matron. Even being a weekend, one will be on duty. Don’t let this drop. You need your antibiotics and pain killers on time.

Congratulations on your new baby.

What’s your dh doing? Ask to speak to the most senior person on shift asap.

I once (unwittingly) had a blocked, infected kidney discovered in A&E after a CT scan to check cause of renal symptoms. Long story about cause. They are (hopefully) testing your urine output very frequently. If it is very infected (mine was very much so on admission, which is why I went to A&E), they can put a renal drain in (need a CT dept that does interventional procedures, which my local hospital has and any teaching hospital should have). Then they can drain the kidney directly while waiting for your infection to clear with antibiotics. If your urine is very infected they should be looking to do that soon. Mine was found very late on (my fault) so yours may not be nearly as infected as mine as they have started antibiotics sooner.

Sorry, just reread your OP and see you haven't yet got antibiotics! You need i.v antibiotics now and a urological specialist opinion today.

On call urology registrar should see you and liaise with their consultant about what to do. (Unlikely to get renal drain, if deemed necessary, on a weekend but they could send you to a bigger hospital for it IF they think it is needed -you may well not need it immediately if the renal function markers are only slightly abnormal and antibiotics start to work). Your husband must advocate for you to get them moving! I am a lifelong medical secretary so when I had this situation I was off hobnling to the nursing station to nag them when antibiotics not being given on time, etc.

I am a midwife - and I am so sorry you’re going through this.

You need to ask for the ward manager/matron NOW or on-call/duty manager. There will be one whether it is day, night, weekend or Christmas.

Say ‘I want to make an on-the-spot complaint.’

Write down the bulletpoints of your issue before they arrive. From what you’ve said:

• I have not been given painkillers, or a reason why I can’t have them. I am in pain.
• I am very concerned that I have not had antibiotics. I am specifically worried about SEPSIS (you must say the word!)
• I have not been kept informed about my care plan. I have not seen a doctor since xxxxx. The plan has changed xxxxx times and I don’t know what it is.
• any other concerns.

Get an answer and resolution for each point before moving on.

If you can’t get attention in the first place, keep ringing the bell or send DH to midwives station.

If you don’t get a manager ASAP to your bedside to hear your OTS complaint, ring switchboard and ask to be put through to the on-call manager. Tell them I am an inpatient on xxxx ward. I have not had my medication and I can’t get any of the staff to help.

I doubt it will get to that point though. I hope not!

Really hope you get some resolution soon and start feeling better 💐

Further to my other posts, if there is no urology department in your hospital (I think I read), they should perhaps transfer you to a hospital that does have one.

I would get your DH to be kicking up the most almighty stink. This is incredible unfair.

I think this is the sort of case where a private room with some sort of at least put up bed for the partner to nap on is needed - he’ll need to be there 24/7 to do all or nearly all the baby care as you’ll need complete rest after such a major op, with all those complications.

Honestly it’s barbaric the way new Mums are sometimes treated - can you imagine the care you’d rightly receive if any other major organ had torn during an op?

Absolutely bloody atrocious care ! Definitely raise your concerns very clearly. If ABs not being given to you there should be an explanation,communication is key .
Which hospital are you in ? Name and shame!