Ladies I need your help, please read!

[abi89campaigningforchange]

I'm Abi and I'm starting this Campaign for better treatment of women suffering miscarriages following the lack of empathy and neglect that I experienced from my local hospital. My story is at the end of this post, if you would like to read it. Apologies for the extremely long post...

I need your help to highlight this issue - and I'm going to take it as far as I can go. I'm aware that Mumsnet have previously mentioned this subject and that they were campaigning for this at one point. I've been told that the pressure will resume around September and I hope to work with them to push this until we get a result!

Whether you have had a miscarriage or not, I hope you will want to support this cause - it's what every woman deserves.

If you've had a miscarriage that turned into an even more traumatic experience at the hands of your local hospital or whether you feel your situation was dealt with professionally and with genuine care, let me know. I want to promote these positive stories and highlight these negative ones (anonymously unless requested otherwise) so that everyone is given an acceptable level of treatment.

My aim is to take this complaint as high as it can go, to hopefully introduce a procedure and standards for hospitals to follow when dealing with women suffering miscarriages. This includes treating miscarriages as an emergency.

Below is what I believe should be standard UK practice ? it?s not asking much, just the very basics that all women deserve when suffering a miscarriage.

1)Miscarriages should be treated as an emergency. Meaning being prioritised through A&E.

2)All professionals need to be trained in compassionate and empathetic communication, they should be advised on the effects that losing a baby has on women and therefore would be less likely to cause any upset.

3)Appropriate waiting/treatment rooms ? that?s not in the Children?s ward, or the Anti-natal clinic. Women suffering a miscarriage or a suspected miscarriage should be separated from pregnant women having routine checks, and from women wishing to terminate their unwanted pregnancy.

4)Scans should be given to all women suspecting a miscarriage the same day. Portable scanning units with trained staff should be available in all A&E departments.

5)Every woman should be entitled to choose how she wishes her miscarriage to conclude ? by surgery, through medication to start things off, or naturally. These options should be fully explained with timescales, what they involve and risks by trained professionals.

6)Waiting times for medical or surgical management of a confirmed miscarriage for those who choose it should be within a reasonable time scale of 1-2 days to reduce the risk of the trauma of going through a natural miscarriage.

7)Patients having a miscarriage at hospital should be kept regularly informed ? what is happening, what to expect next, what the hospital is going to do for them. (The staff should also know this!)

8)Medical jargon should be more sensitively renamed - not to refer to the miscarriage as a spontaneous/missed ABORTION, and Evacuation of Retained Products of Conception are both insensitive.

9)More information and advice to be given after the miscarriage regarding both the physical and emotional side ? councelling to be routinely offered with an initial appointment arranged within 2 weeks of the miscarriage if wanted by the patient.

10)A follow-up reassurance scan to be given to all women before 6 weeks after the miscarriage for piece of mind and to confirm that there are no further complications.

11)A histology conducted by the hospital should include the option of a sex test as this can help with the grieving process ? even if it an option that requires additional payment ? and the results of the histology should be givin within 6 weeks of the miscarriage for closure. (understandably this would depend on the products of the miscarriage and the stage of the pregnancy).

12)Further blood tests should be routine ? including those for chlamydia/lupus, antiphospholid syndrome and blood clotting disorders.

13)Options for the disposal of the baby/foetus should be provided, it should not be treated as ?clinical waste? and should not just be ?routinely disposed of?.

14)Having to ring around to cancel your own pregnancy related appointments shouldn?t be necessary, it should be automatically done

Please help by joining my facebook page (below) and supporting this group by posting your comments and stories. A miscarriage is so much of a traumatic experience without having to deal with knowing you didn't receive the best possible care. Help make sure that this doesn't happen to anyone else.

"CAMPAIGN FOR UK STANDARDS ON THE TREATMENT OF MISCARRIAGES"
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=237985745071&ref=mf#/group.php?gid=237985745071&ref=search

Thank You

Abi XxXxX

. I lost my baby at 16 weeks ago when I was 12 weeks pregnant.

I'm posting this hoping for as many replies as possible following a complaint I made to my local hospital. Basically I received some of the poorest care possible.

I went into hospital on a Tuesday with bleeding and was told that I wouldn't be able to have a scan until Friday unless I was "Bleeding to death" - that's a quote.
On Wednesday I booked in for an emergency scan with a different hospital which told me that my baby had no heartbeat and had died at 7 weeks 5 days. I was told I could go into hospital on the Saturday to take the tablet to empty my womb, however on the Thursday I went into labour. When I arrived at A&E I was told to wait for 3 1/2 hours in the A&E waiting room with other patients and it wasn't until I lost a lot of blood in one go that they put me in a bed (IN THE CHILDREN'S WARD!!!).

After waiting for around 10-15 minutes for pain relief I was given morphene and the pain of my contractions lessened (My other half had to demand pain relief 3 times from nurses and found 4 of them in the corridor having a chat when he could hear me screaming from where they were). However one nurse stood me up to wipe the blood away after thinking that my contractions had finished and that was when my baby was born - when I think of my baby now I don't think about the scan pictures that I have, the mental image I have is of my baby hitting the floor.

Eventually I was transfered to a different hospital as no one could deal with me there (after being there for around 5-6 hours, surely they would have known that when I got there?!). My baby was taken away for a histology and I was kept in over night at the other hospital.

I asked a nurse to know the sex of my baby to which I was told "I'm sure that can be arranged" - to give me some closure and to help me grieve, 14 weeks after my miscarriage I was given the result of the histology and this test wasn't done. I would have paid privately to know as it was important to me. Now I'll never know and I'm struggling to cope mentally.

After 2 months of feeling that something wasn't right with me I have finally had a scan on my uterus that has told me that my left ovary is abnormal which has left me in a further state of depression.

I am still suffering depression and anxiety following the way I was dealt with - I have had trouble grieving for my baby due to my ongoing complaint as I have had no closure.

After complaining to the hospital about my situation and the lack of care and empathy from staff I now have a meeting this coming Tuesday 4th August with the Modern Matron and the Operational Service Manager to discuss my complaint. By doing this I aim my complaint to go further to establish a nationwide agreed proceedure on how women are dealt with when suffering a miscarriage, ie I want it to be treated as an emergency (it's not a broken arm or leg afterall) - and I want a scan to be given to all women before 6 weeks after their miscarriage for the piece of mind that everything is back to normal - and if it's not at least it's better to know sooner rather than later as things can hopefully be done to make it right. I would also like for women to officially be given the option of a sex test during the histology (obviously this depends on how far along the pregnancy was, and whether it is actually possible to conduct one on the products of the miscarriage) even if it means having to pay for one, as long as the option is given.

I would really appreciate anyone who has suffered any sort of neglect at hospital relating to a miscarriage to post a reply on here. Even if you received brilliant care infact, that you think should be made standard, I want to take your story (anonymous of course) with me to this meeting, and again to people higher up until something is done to lessen the pain, stress and anxiety of going through such a traumatic and upsetting ordeal.

Please help me in my aim to obtain better treatment for women suffering a miscarriage by posting a reply here or on my Facebook group "Campaign for UK standards on the treatment of miscarriages", pass the message to your family and friends too if they have any stories.

Thank You

Abi XxXxX

[Mouette]

I agree that it would probably be impractical to folow up every early mc. I totally disagree for late mc. A late mc is not normal, only 1% of women lose a baby after 14 weeks. I did, and do, have an abnormality, I have a weak cervix. The lack of follow up meant that I would have lost my second baby had I not gone private. I also believe that early mc should be investigated at least after 2 mc - why should a woman have to lose 3 babies before the NHS does something?
Not sure about the emergency and the disposal of tissue, agree it can be tricky. Again my experience was different because at 17 weeks I was treated as an emergency and I gave birth to a perfectly recognisable baby, so can't really comment. Re scans: no, I disagree. I had bleeding in both my pregnancies, which turned out to be harmless. If you're bleeding, you need to know whether you are mc or not. OK, so it might be just "reassurance" but reassurance does matter a lot. Stress is not good for anyone let alone a pregnant woman. Also bleeding can be a symptom of ectopic pregnancy which is very dangerous, so it should always be investigated promptly. A friend of mine was once told to go home because "It's just a mc". 24 hours later one of her tubes exploded. It was an ectopic, and she could have died.

[abi89campaigningforchange]

Lal123

I understand your reasoning as to why you have questioned a few points. Here are my replies as to why they have been included on my list of recommendations

1)In Hospitals they grade you as a P1, P2 or P3. P1 is life threatening ie someone needing CPR etc, P2 is someone that could end up in a life threadening condition (ie loss of blood, respiration problems etc) and P3 being someone that should generally be seen within the hour. I would be asking that all women attending A&E with a m/c or suspected m/c should be graded as a P2, therefore prioritising them above the general "broken arm". I had an early m/c at 12 weeks, and was graded as P3 whilst knowing that I was having a m/c in the waiting room (unfortunately a common story). I was eventually graded as a P2 after blood loss became extremely heavy and I became unconcious, and was considered for a blood transfusion. It shouldn't have to get to that distressing stage, and I believe that a P2 grading would be acceptable.

2-Disposal. Again I refer to my situation. 12 weeks pregnant with my baby born in it's embryotic sack. No, I wouldn't have taken it home for funeral but for a foetus to be disposed of as "clinical waste" could be more sensitive. To at least know that my baby had been cremated by the hospital and perhaps the ashes put somewhere like the hospital garden would have been appreciated. Idealy I would have liked to take the ashes of my 12 week old baby and scatter them where I liked. I find it distressing that my baby was "burned and binned" as proceedure.

3 - Same day scans (or asap) - I believe this is essential. To know whether or not you are having a miscarriage, whether your baby is alive or dead is important. The earlier you know the better. It gives more time for the woman to look at her options, ie D&C, medical management, or natural miscarriage. And for cases mantioned by Mouette eg ectopic pregnancies, which are life threatening. An early scan can give you the answers that you need - whether it's reassuring you or preparing you - One of the most important things in my opinion.

4- follow up after a m/c - I understand that bloods may be impractical but could be important to those at risk of certain things (which would perhaps be indicated by the gp). They might not be offered to everyone however I think scans should. I waited for 16 weeks - complaining to my GP for weeks that I felt something was wrong and was eventually sent for a scan which confirmed that my left ovary is looking abnormal (I'm still waiting for further tests to find out what exactly is wrong). A further scan should be routine - for reassurance and (god forbid) if there is anything wrong - to sort it asap.

I hope this clears up why I am recommending these. There's too much animosity with how miscarriages are dealt with - yes medically and physically there's more serious cases, but surely every woman deserves to be given the same standard of treatment regardless?

Abi XxXxX

[bigbigbiggerbump]

Abi

I am very sorry for your loss - and everyone here on this thread. It is a horrendous thing to go through even if you are treated well.

My story below, but I'd like to add something else to the debate:

I think that women should be made more aware of the risk of miscarriage when they first tell their GP that they are pregnant. Call me ignorant, but I had no idea that as many as 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage. I was so overjoyed at becoming pregnant the first time around that I happily assumed that miscarriage was unlikely to happen to me. When it did, 8 weeks in to the pregnancy, it was like my world had been pulled out from underneath me and I was left totally numb and empty.

Would knowing that there was such a high risk have made it hurt any less? No, of course not. But I could have been prepared for it. Perhaps the shock that came with it would have been less, and I wouldn't have felt the added dispair that there must be something wrong with me.

It wouldn't cost anything, and wouldn't take much time. Just for the GP to have stated the facts of miscarriage risk - the odds, the fact that they can't explain all of them, so it may not necessarily be anything that you have done to cause it (another conclusion I had tortured myself over) - would have made a difference.

Just before I tell my story I also want to say that I agree with lal123. Regarding the A&E priority, I know it seems insensitive, but if P3 is supposed to be seen within an hour, that seems reasonable to me. Consider how many mc's they must get every single day. They are emergency doctors and so they prioritise emergencies. I think in your particular case they should have realised that your bleeding was more serious than normal, but then there must be lots of exceptions like that, like if you came in to the hospital with "just a broken arm", or bump on your head, and ended up collapsing from some internal heamorrhage. The exception does not/should not make the rule.

Again, on the scans, I don't believe it is essential. I had to wait 3 days for my scan but didn't think that was a problem because I already knew - if you're bleeding that heavily you know, and it's best to accept the worst. On a seperate occasion I was referred to a walk-in scan unit when an ectopic pregnancy was suspected (but was fine in the end), so in my experience this risk is already covered.

In general I think some of the things you're asking for are more relevant for late mc's, when blood tests might yield useful results, and when disposal should be treated more sensitively. But bear in mind we have a stretched NHS system, and we should be realistic in our expectations of the level of psychological care it is able to provide on top of the physical.

My story:
At 8 weeks I started, very suddenly, to have very heavy bleeding, so I took NHS Direct's advise to go to A&E. A&E saw me fairly quickly, and after checking my blood levels and cervix, they said they couldn't confirm it was a mc, but that the type of bleeding indicated it was very likely. Since I was ok otherwise they sent me home with a scan booked in for 3 days time to confirm the mc. All the way through they were very kind and I don't think they could have done any more to comfort me.

Before the day of the scan I woke up in the middle of the night in agony. I tried to sit it out, but it went on for too long and we drove to A&E again. Again, they were lovely - they put me on a paracetamol drip to take away the pain, and although I was left for hours while they did the blood tests again, I don't think there was anything they could have done to help more. I knew I had miscarried. The amount of "products" that had fallen from me over the days I'd been at home made it impossible for the baby to be alive, I knew. All that I wanted was for it to be over.

Luckily my scan was for the following morning, so A&E discharged me again knowing that I'd be seen soon after. The scan was in a seperate unit to the regular one, and the women in there were very understanding. Despite having known, and thought I was dealing with the mc, when they told me the baby had already gone, I broke down into uncomtrollable tears. They took me straight to the next room and gently told me that they'd like to admit me immediately, as there was still a lot of 'products' yet to pass and they thought it best that a doctor examine me.

I don't remember how long it was before the doctor came, but they gave me my own room where the nurses took care of me before my husband could come. They were amazing, and very kind to me. The doctors took a lot of time to explain everything to me, and answer all of my questions. They told me about the DNC (although that's not what they call it these days) and did apologise for the medical terms despite it really not being their fault! I opted for the operation and again, the nurses were angels all through the night afterwards - being as unobtrusive as possible as they did their checks and giving me as much dignity as possible in such an undignified state.

I haven't had any follow-ups, but then I haven't had to luckily. I sent the doctors and nurses on that ward in Chelsea & Westminster hospital a thank you card as a small token to let them know just how much I appreciated their kindness to me. They were brilliant, and could not have done any more in my book, especially as they must have seen many others like me that day and none of them ever treated me as if that was the case.

I hope more of you get the kind treatment that I had. It does help you to come to terms with the grief and to put it behind you. I'm not 7 months pregnant with a very wriggly strong baby, and am ever hopeful for the future.

[grace09]

Abi - so sorry for the trauma you had to go through. It is amazing that you have found the strength to take forward this camapign.

Also to everyone else that have been treated so horrendously - it is hard enough going through a mc.

I had two early miscarriages (at 6 and 8 weeks) last year within three months of each other.

The staff at my local EPAS were on the whole fanastic (except for one who after my 2nd mc implied that things weren't really that bad as some woman have 5 or more mcs!). The scanning was done alongside routine scans which was very traumatic but they have now changed this and have their own scannning equipement in EPAS. After the second mc they offered me the mc blood tests (which came back negative).

The hospital had spent several years on a research project using daily clexane injections and low dose aspirin with exeptional outcomes so they now offer this to all women with two or more mcs. I commenced on this treatment at 6 weeks and i am now 25 weeks. I'll never know if this treatment prevented another mc but i feel they have done everything possible to help me keep this baby and that's what counts. I also had early bleeding with this pregnancy and they gave me regular scans throughout the first trimester which gave me so much reassurance.

Good luck with the campaign. I'll be follwoing on facebook too.

[grace09]

Sorry about all the typos!! Should have checked that first! Think i should be in my bed!

[abi89campaigningforchange]

Hi everyone. Thought I'd give you an update on my situation. I've been complaining about reassurance scans - saying how they should be given before 6 weeks after the pregnancy ends, here's my reason why.

Last night I was diagnosed with a tumor in my left ovary. It's nearly 5cm now, and takes up my whole ovary. It's causing so much pain, I'm sick after everything I eat, and I've had a banging headache for 3 days running now. It's most likely that the tumor has caused my miscarriage.

I waited 16 weeks for a check-up scan and I'm so distressed. This tumor would have been seen and caught early on if they had given me a scan after the miscarriage.

So now my chances of conceiving have been limited to just about 50%.

I know that means it's still possible, but my boyfriend has problems too, and it felt like a miracle when I fell pregnant. I'm so scared and angry - it could and should have been caught a lot sooner than this

Abi X

[Mouette]

I am so sorry Abi. I will pray that they deal with the tumour quickly and that you realise your dream of having a family. 50% is not hopeless. All the best x

[justbeme]

Oh My Goodness Abi!!
Let's hope the NHS give you the best care now - so sorry for you.
When you say "tumour", do you mean cancerous or just a growth?

[abi89campaigningforchange]

Hi

It's a tumor, benign at the moment (I think!) but there's a chance it could turn cancerous. One of those things I just don't know at the moment - they haven't really given me any information, just want me to wait until SEPTEMBER for another scan, to see how it's going and what rate it's growing at. Very scared

Abi X

[justbeme]

Im so sorry to hear that Abi - fingers crossed for you and keep us posted. x

[Mouette]

Same here Abi... I hope all goes well... Let us know! My thoughts are with you. xx

[grace09]

Abi - i'm so sorry this is happening to you. I pray everything is ok x

[temm09]

Hi Abi

Thank you for taking up this great cause. I had an MC in May and found the care in A&E was okay, but then got put in a general ward overnight and was pretty much left to my own devices - I found out later I should have been in the gynae ward, so no-one paid me any attention in the general ward. When I asked if my partner could come first thing in the morning I was told no visitors till 3pm! I lay there in tears for two or three hours with nothing to take my mind off the horrible situation... waking up on my 32nd birthday all alone in a hospital ward whilst the last of my pregnancy bled away. Eventually I called a nurse to ask when I would have my scan and find out whether or not I needed a D&C (and if not, whether I could have a sip of water at least). She came back a while later and told me that a bed was free in the gynae ward. I was pushed around in a wheelchair and dropped off at the EPU who were a bit alarmed and didn't want to be responsible for me - no-one wanted me! However, a kind nurse came along and I couldn't help but cry at finally being shown some compassion. The nurses on the gynae ward were generally kinder and more compassionate. The most ghastly thing was that my mobile phone had run out of battery so I couldn't phone my partner who had been sent home the night before and told not to come until they called her. When the nurse told me I was being transferred I asked her to call my partner and tell her to come along to be with me at the scan. The nurse phoned my partner and told her I was being transferred but she could NOT come and see me before 3pm and wouldn't tell her any more! My partner obviously thought the worst and had no idea what to do.

It would have helped my experience so much if I had been shown more compassion and understanding for the awful thing that I was going through. It would have helped if it had been communicated to me what was happening, and to have known that someone was watching out for me, rather than being abandoned in the wrong ward. And it really would have made a huge difference if my partner could have been with me.

Quite a few of my friends and family know about my miscarriage, but I don't want to broadcast it, and I feel that by joining your facebook group would be doing so, but I really want to support this cause. I will keep an eye on these pages and will gladly sign your petition.

thanks xx

[temm09]

Abi - I've only just read your recent post and I'm so sorry to hear about this, how awful for you on top of everything else. I must say, after my experience with the NHS (going back for my follow-up scan 10 days after the MC and being told I had a fybroid or polyp and possible polycystic ovary) I went to a private consultant - fortunately because of the fybroid diagnosis this was covered by medical insurance. It was totally worth it, and I would have gladly paid the £200 or so it cost for the private scan, and another follow-up one with a different private consultant, which confirmed that the suspected polyp or fybroid had gone and was actually just leftovers from my MC (sorry, "retained product") and there was no PCOS.

If it is at all possible, I strongly suggest you get a second opinion - it seems extremely cruel and unnecessary for you to wait until September. As if you haven't done enough waiting already!

Best of luck and lots of love xx

[PeachesMac]

Hi Abi

I'm so sorry to you and everyone else who has had to go through such a horrible hospital experience on top of the traumatic experience of losing a baby.

I had a miscarriage in April, I was 11 and a half weeks pregnant (I've also got a dd who is 3). It was such a shocking, horrible thing, and I felt totally alone. I started bleeding in the early evening - I phoned my GP who said I needed to wait until the Sunday for my scan (it was my 12 week scan which was already booked. I started bleeding on the Wednesday). So I had to wait four days before I could have a scan. On the Friday though I bled really heavily and had contractions including passing a very large clot which I think must have been the baby. It was very frightening but I was told to go to A and E. It was late at night, there was nobody to look after my dd so she came with us. After sitting in the A&E department we were told there was a three to four hour wait. It was so stressful I walked out and went home - which I know was putting my health at risk but sitting in A&E for hours with a three year old just wasn't an option. And by then I knew I'd lost the baby by the amount of blood and everything else that had happened earlier. I then waited until the Sunday for the scan.

At the scan on the Sunday I had to wait in the waiting room with all the other pregnant women waiting for their scans, seeing pictures on the walls of babies - I wanted to cry. By this time my body had expelled the pregnancy completely so there was nothing they could do anyway. When I went in for the scan I had to tell the sonographer that I'd had a miscarriage. When she scanned me she confirmed that my body had expelled most of the pregnancy.

The whole experience made me feel that there was nobody available to help that everybody was too busy and I was just an inconvenience. None of the hospital staff were particularly sympathetic. I agree that it would be so much better if there was a special unit or area where women experiencing miscarriages could go. Not on a children's ward or the ante-natal place where pregnant women are. I really hope that some changes are made.

[PeachesMac]

Abi, I've just read your most recent post too. I'm so sorry, that's just despicable that they didn't give you a follow up scan. I agree with temm09 about getting a second opinion rather than waiting until September. Best of luck xxxxx

[leonifay]

abi, i'm so sorry you've had to go through that, and now this tumor on top of all that, stay strong. my expearience with the NHS when i had a mc wasnt dis-similar to yours. i've requested to join your fb group. i really hope you get somewhere with your questions. best of luck xx

[karala]

My experience was 10 years ago and I hope that training has developed but my situation was thus:

I was pregnant with a much wanted fourth child but a mature mother and when I went for my scan at GP practice there was no heartbeat so I was referred to hospital. It was late afternoon and hospital declined to scan because unit was switched off and they only switched on for 'emergencies'. I was examined by a doctor who asked me if pregnancy was planned. My DH and I were astounded and asked what he meant and he told us that given our ages it might have been an accident and that we would want a TOP so did we want them to save the pregnancy... I miscarried later that night.

[abi89campaigningforchange]

Well I'm having a bit of a tough time now. As part of my complaints letter to the hospital I mentioned that I would have liked options of how the baby was disposed, I've recerived a telephone call this morning to explain what had happened to mine:

My baby is still at the hospital (It's been around 18 weeks since I miscarried).

My baby will be put in a coffin with other miscarried babies and will be cremated in a church crematorium and will be religiously blessed.

I have been "invited" to this service.

I am 100% unhappy with this. So I've been in touch with the berevements officer who has explained to me that I should have been given this option before I left the hospital ward - but this information wasn't given to me, and so it's been put down that "I didn't want to deviate from the hospitals policy".

1)I wasn't asked to make a decision - I didn't even know the hospital held this sort of service.

2)I'm not religious, (nothing agains anyone elses views, but I don't have any of my own) so really a blessing wasn't appropriate for me. I'm not christened, and my own personal views of death is that I want to be cremated and taken to a place special to me and scattered there, which is how I felt my baby should be dealt with.

3) The hospital knew that I wanted to have a sex test on the baby to give me closure. After the histology I assumed it was too late so I accepted that I'd never have closure. Now I've found out that the baby is still there?!? why haven't they done it since?

AAAAAAAAhhhhh! I'm just so frustrated! I'm constantly bursting into tears, I'm ill from my Tumor and now I've got this to face with?

I'm going to try and arrange a cremation for my baby today, I just can't believe that my 2 local hospitals have been so incompetant. I can't believe that they just took my important decisions for granted. This is just too much to cope with all in one go.

Abi X

[Mouette]

Dear Abi
I just wanted to say I'm sorry. Am thinking of you. I hope you can get to say goodbye to your poor baby in the way that you want. xxx

[sarrita]

Dear Abi

What a whole lot of very difficult things to cope with. I hope you can find the strength to keep on fighting and be positive.

Thinking of you.

Sarrita

[talking]

Am horrified at your treatment.
I hope you name and shame the idiots who treated you.

[temm09]

Abi, so sorry to hear the latest twist in the terrible tale. You have shown amazing strength so far, and I hope you find more strength to take this on and get justice and the closure that you want. But also, please remember to look after yourself. Don't put too much pressure on yourself - you are going through so much right now and you need to be kind to yourself.

lots of love xx

[abi89campaigningforchange]

Hello again.

Well I have had a little bit of good news, the tumour is not cancerous which is always a good thing.

As far as the campaign is going, I'm just waiting for the petition to start up on the 7th, and I'll post the link up on here and on my Facebook page.

All I ask is that you spread the word! 500 signatures means that the petition is taken seriously.

I'm not demanding much - just an aceptable standard of care for everyone.

Abi X

[Mouette]

Hi Abi
Good news! I will look out for the petition. x