Just out of the above hosp. Stay away! No really... go somewhere else. Was 
in with Acute cholecystitis (badly infected gall bladder with stones) Very 
painful. A&E were fine, said i would be admitted, get a drip for 
dehydration, antibiotics and some more morphine for the pain. Ended up on 
the ward with a jug of water, paracetamol and a couple of tramadol. When i 
told them it wasn't working i got more of the same. Three days and nights in 
agony till the antibiotics started working. Prescribed morphine by the 
surgeons, given three shots in the buttocks. These i had to hassle for. 
Ineffective, just a slight dulling of the pain and only lasted an hour. 
Those three days and nights were hell.

 I was disliked in there for reasons i know not. I tried to be polite, 
honest and explain how i was feeling. At times i was quite desperate and 
tearful but i tried my damndest to be nice. It didn't help. Doctors and 
surgeons prescribe pain relief, nurses withhold it. I saved one 90 odd year 
old chap from death as he was fitting, unable to breath, quietly behind a 
curtain, i called in help, crash team etc. If i hadn't been there he would 
have died there on the bed in front of me. After that, and the pain i was 
left to deal with on my own, i was dreading coming back on the ward after 
surgery. Poor observation and no one believes you / acts on when you tell 
them you're in severe pain. Turned out they withheld pain relief after the 
op to the point of me not being able to breath or clear my throat let alone 
move about or sleep. They let me drive home the next morning still with 
uncontrolled pain. I had to get out of there for my sanity.

All this totally against their own Acute Pain Management Handbook available 
in .pdf online. Wish I'd had the bloody thing in there.

It felt medieval in there at times. In pain, uncared for and lonely. Awful!

Surgeons were great, explained stuff and took some time with you. The 
theatre staff were a breath of fresh air, bubbly, willing to explain, 
obviously enjoyed their jobs, the lower echelons were brilliant too, making 
beds, bedpans, obs, tea and coffee.. not the best job in the world but they 
were friendly, helpful even so.

It was the middle management. The middle aged nurses. If they decided you 
were going to have a crap stay then you're stuffed. Even though the Docs and 
surgeons prescribe, these nurses decide if you get it or not. I asked a 
surgeon about the pain relief regime and he said "We believe everyone, if we 
think they may be malingering, swinging the lead, drug seeking or just a 
little pain we have to believe them. We ask them for a pain score and treat 
to that. I'd rather treat a few moaners than miss someone in pain." Well, 
high ideals, and backed up by their handbook. But not followed through on 
the wards.

Stay away from the William Harvey if you possibly can. A&E is fine, just 
don't get onto those wards. Spoke to many patients with much the same story. 
Not just me it seems.

AB

"Vipera berus" <l.c@v.n> wrote in message 
news:6bvheaF3cg306U1@mid.individual.net...
> Just out of the above hosp.

Did you complain to the management?

Manky Badger wrote:
> "Vipera berus" <l.c@v.n> wrote in message
> news:6bvheaF3cg306U1@mid.individual.net...
>> Just out of the above hosp.
>
> Did you complain to the management?

In the process of... Still sinking in. Was trying hard to be easy for them 
to try and make things better whilst in. Didn't buzz the buzzer, made it to 
the shower and toilet myself, told partner not to moan on my behalf as 
things may get worse if i'm labelled "trouble". My first big mistake. Should 
have let her go for it in retrospect.

Looking back i should have been loud, collated names, photographs and had a 
voice recorder handy. Wasn't thinking straight... in loads of pain, 
isololated and only two months ago was diagnosed with adhd and possible mild 
asperger's so was coping with sudden wrench from settled, quiet homelife to 
this new hierarchical social structure, noise 24/7 and first time sleeping 
alone sine i was 19 (44 now...). Trying to keep calm, not to rock the boat 
and fit in is ingrained behaviour when i'm confronted with a troubling 
situation. "What have i said or done wrong?" is my first thought.

The feeling of waking up in a Kafka novel was overpowering. Sent to distopia 
suddenly, ostracised and punished for something, no idea what it was.

Still remembering little vignettes, putting them together in some kind of 
time frame to get a letter done. Now i'm a tad more mobile and the pain is 
going down the realisation of just how bad i was treated in there is sinking 
in.

Even if i was a nasty, vile deviant of some kind I should have recieved pain 
relief as a basic right. So damn puzzled... I tried all the way through to 
be pleasant, honest, sometimes hurt, angry, tearful but i was in pain and to 
be truthful, scared.

Can't stop thinking about it... This should be a time to put a worrying but 
generally positive two weeks behind me, enjoy being home again and look to 
the future. Instead we're making notes, trying to remember details, 
re-living bits i'd rather forget and talking about it all the time. Not 
sleeping still, but when i do grab an hour i'm back in there...

Vb

"Vipera berus" <l.c@v.n> wrote in message 
news:6c05asF3eo1hlU1@mid.individual.net...
> Manky Badger wrote:
>> "Vipera berus" <l.c@v.n> wrote in message
>> news:6bvheaF3cg306U1@mid.individual.net...
>>> Just out of the above hosp.
>>
>> Did you complain to the management?
>
> In the process of...

http://www.ekht.nhs.uk/home-page/patients-and-public/information-and-advice/complaints-and-compliments/

The address is margate, but it covers William Harvey

"Vipera berus" <l.c@v.n> wrote in message 
news:6bvheaF3cg306U1@mid.individual.net...
> Just out of the above hosp. Stay away! No really... go somewhere else. 
> Was in with Acute cholecystitis (badly infected gall bladder with 
> stones) Very painful. A&E were fine, said i would be admitted, get a 
> drip for dehydration, antibiotics and some more morphine for the pain. 
> Ended up on the ward with a jug of water, paracetamol and a couple of 
> tramadol. When i told them it wasn't working i got more of the same. 
> Three days and nights in agony till the antibiotics started working. 
> Prescribed morphine by the surgeons, given three shots in the buttocks. 
> These i had to hassle for. Ineffective, just a slight dulling of the 
> pain and only lasted an hour. Those three days and nights were hell.
>
> I was disliked in there for reasons i know not. I tried to be polite, 
> honest and explain how i was feeling. At times i was quite desperate and 
> tearful but i tried my damndest to be nice. It didn't help. Doctors and 
> surgeons prescribe pain relief, nurses withhold it. I saved one 90 odd 
> year old chap from death as he was fitting, unable to breath, quietly 
> behind a curtain, i called in help, crash team etc. If i hadn't been 
> there he would have died there on the bed in front of me. After that, 
> and the pain i was left to deal with on my own, i was dreading coming 
> back on the ward after surgery. Poor observation and no one believes you 
> / acts on when you tell them you're in severe pain. Turned out they 
> withheld pain relief after the op to the point of me not being able to 
> breath or clear my throat let alone move about or sleep. They let me 
> drive home the next morning still with uncontrolled pain. I had to get 
> out of there for my sanity.
>
> All this totally against their own Acute Pain Management Handbook 
> available in .pdf online. Wish I'd had the bloody thing in there.
>
> It felt medieval in there at times. In pain, uncared for and lonely. 
> Awful!
>
> Surgeons were great, explained stuff and took some time with you. The 
> theatre staff were a breath of fresh air, bubbly, willing to explain, 
> obviously enjoyed their jobs, the lower echelons were brilliant too, 
> making beds, bedpans, obs, tea and coffee.. not the best job in the 
> world but they were friendly, helpful even so.
>
> It was the middle management. The middle aged nurses. If they decided 
> you were going to have a crap stay then you're stuffed. Even though the 
> Docs and surgeons prescribe, these nurses decide if you get it or not. I 
> asked a surgeon about the pain relief regime and he said "We believe 
> everyone, if we think they may be malingering, swinging the lead, drug 
> seeking or just a little pain we have to believe them. We ask them for a 
> pain score and treat to that. I'd rather treat a few moaners than miss 
> someone in pain." Well, high ideals, and backed up by their handbook. 
> But not followed through on the wards.
>
> Stay away from the William Harvey if you possibly can. A&E is fine, just 
> don't get onto those wards. Spoke to many patients with much the same 
> story. Not just me it seems.

A very salutary tale. And not unique. I'd sell my house before I had an 
operation in that place.