Oh the joys of AnE.. spent 5 hours there today, plus 2 hours in the GP before that.... <<sigh>>

[NormaStanleyFletcher]

DH has a pilonidal sinus (or abcess we are not sure), and after a week off work and differing medical advice we went to the GP. There was a wait as the GP was a qualified doctor, but a trainee GP. She had to get a second opinion on everything.

She said that we should go and get surgery on the sinus / abcess, and called the hospital, who said send him in. We went home and packed. We arrived at hospital.

We spent the next 5.5 hours in A and E being told that it would be 1/2 to 1 hour before he got transferred to a ward. We never saw a doctor.

He left and will go back tomorrow.

It was not so much the wait as the complete lack of information and the fact that we had no food and a baby to look after....

Fecking NHS!

Oh - the NHS is fine - it was just such a long long day.....

They did this to my Grandad recently - he's just had his prostate/bladder removed and a stoma bag fitted. He was sent home and a few days later, they rang him and said they were sending an ambulance for him as they were not happy with his salt levels. Much worry all around....he gets taken back to hospital....FOUR hours later they still haven't found him a bed! My mum went ape and told them why did you ask him in if you haven't got a bed and threatened to take him home again if wasn't sorted...they finally found him a bed at 11.30pm....!!!!

Just so tiring

Entertaining a baby who was crawling around and cleaning their floors with her knees, hands and toes was the hardest part.

That and the complete lack of information about how long we would still be there

I do sympathise. Earlier this year ds1 broke his collar bone. He was taken to A&E by ambulance at 5pm and eventually got out at 20 past midnight!

Nothing to eat or drink, still in rugby kit and no painkillers. He didn't see a doctor till 9.30pm. Scandalous.

People with babies were there, folk's grandads in wheelchairs. There weren't enough seats so people were standing leaning against the walls. Relatives were going out for sandwiches for patients.

I said to the triage nurse that I didn't think they would be so busy on a Wednesday night. She said "Oh we're busy all the time".

So why don't they organise themselves a bit better?

Well DH has promised to go back to hospital tomorrow, but because he left today he will be treated as a walk in a n e admission.

I am not going with him this time

Thing is the doctor and the triage nurse when we arrived made it sound as though we were booked in and were going to be moved really quickly.....

now we know better and are not going to try to be ther etogether

Hope it gets sorted tmw....aww!

I can remember when DS cut his finger and we had to take him to children's hosp.....we were waiting for so long I was worried he would come out with more germs than he went in with!

well last time DH went to that hospital his ear was hanging off after a rugby match.

By the time they saw him it had healed

Pilonidal sinus operation is quite intricate. A friend who had one done on his butt crack was in hospital for about 3 or 4 days after. He was off work for a month I think.

What is it?? Am intrigued that it can be on a butt crack.....

VVV - I think all they are doing tomorrow (or whenever) is lancing to relieve the pressure as he doesn't really have the sinus thing, just the abcess. He will probably have to go back to have the whole thing removed.

Puss - it is usually caused by an ingrowing hair they think, and the best thing you can do is google pilonidal sinus / pilonidal abcess.

That will tell you more than you ever wanted to know

Umm...not sure my tummy up to it at this time of night...particularly if there are butt crack ones on there! lol!!

Wishing your DH luck for tomorrow though!

DH had one years ago.

He still recalls that the worst thing was the recovery after the op. The wound tract had to be packed daily with gauze and dressing changes were apparently agonising.

Surgery is usually the best course of action though as otherwise the cyst or abscess is likely to reoccur.

Not sure he'll be doing a lot of sitting.

Ouch

Yes

He did say to me

'you know when you were pg and you really missed sleeping on your tummy..... well I miss sleeping any other way'

Message withdrawn

ah yes, the open packing of the wound st g...i wasnt going to mention that ....

Well the only one of my DCs who has needed much is DS2 with his talipes.

THe NHS has been farkin brilliant for that

(His consultant doesnt do private and is the dogs doodahs)

But the whole thing of just not being honest about what was actually going to happen. Every time we asked over the 5.5 hours they said we would move in the next hour.

When I asked them how it was going later on they were more honest - they said " well it's slow and it could be ages, could be another 3 hours" (this was 2 mins after they had tried to persuade him to stay as it would be any minute)

Ahhh QV - unfortunately he can read the internet - I was trying to minimise his exposure to that particualr bit of the post op thing....

Well I reckoned if it was NSF herself with the problem I would stay quiet but since it is her DH...

We have the childbirth, we are entitled to gloat at these things that tend to happen to men rather than women

lol at St George!

If men did childbirth, the population would decline!

Though the poor bugger had eppididimitis last time - so the childbirth thing has been somewhat paid back