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Asked several times for pain relief again I was ignored

Posted By Endometriosis suffer

"Asked several times for pain relief again I was ignored"

About: Royal Victoria Hospital / Accident & Emergency

(as a service user),

I was sent to the royal as I have been in a lot of pain unable to walk ,gp had tried a few different things, after looking at my MRI the gp said I had to go straight to A&E as my ovary is fused to the back of my uterus and it showed a lot of endometriosis.

When I got to A&E the triage nurse said he could see how much pain I was in and would organise stronger pain relief, this never happened. I went and asked several times for pain relief again I was ignored.

Once I was called by the doctor they agreed that I was in a lot of pain caused by my endometriosis but said their hands where tied as none of the gyne reg would come down and said that I had to wait for an appointment with my consultant but said that the only thing that would help was surgery and they are not going to give me anything for the pain.

This is not the first time i have been in a&e with these problems in the last six months, every doctor and gp have agreed that 1, I shouldnt be left in so much pain that i cant function and 2, should not have been left this long without an operation to fix the problem.

I was left to go home unable to walk, the pain is getting worse feeling hopeless and ready to give up, I felt completely let down by the lack of care and I'm actually ashamed to say I work in healthcare by the way I was treated.

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Responses

Response from Olga O'neill, Co Director, Unscheduled care, Belfast Health & Social Care Trust last month
Olga O'neill
Co Director, Unscheduled care,
Belfast Health & Social Care Trust

Co Director responsible for the Adult Emergencies Care Services, Mater hospital inpatient medical wards, GP out of hours service, Custody Health Care, Ambulatory Care Services and Service Improvement.

Submitted on 26/03/2024 at 09:52
Published on Care Opinion at 09:52

Dear Endometriosis suffer, my name is Olga O'Neill I am the CoDirector responsible for the Adult Emergency Departments at the Belfast Trust. Thank you for taking the time to write about your poor experience. I sincerely apologise that your pain went untreated, your condition is extremely debilitating and I can read from your experience the impact this is having on your life. I am so sorry that the only treatment being offered within the emergency department is pain relief, I will share your care opinion story with my colleagues responsible for gynaecology so that they can review pathways to better support patients with this condition to access timely and appropriate care. I will also communicate to the teams within our emergency departments the importance of early recognition and treatment of acute pain. Pain management does form part of our mandatory rolling education and training programme but we will ensure this has a specific focus going forward. I do hope you receive the treatment you need to manage your condition.

Take care

Olga

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Update posted by Endometriosis suffer (a service user)

I've actually now found out that I was misinformed in the A&E department that they had spoken to my consultant in person who was going to see me within a week. I rang my consultant's secretary to find out there was no referral made and there was no way they could have spoken to my consultant directly, as they had been off for over 2 weeks.

This has happen on 2 occasions. I feel they said things just to get rid of me, and to clarify I was told I was going to get pain relief but was then ignored every time I asked for it.

I walked out crying in agony and still begging for help.

Response from Máire Alexander, Patient and Client Experience Manager, Patient and Client Experience Team, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust last month
Máire Alexander
Patient and Client Experience Manager, Patient and Client Experience Team,
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust

Submitted on 28/03/2024 at 21:20
Published on Care Opinion at 21:20

picture of Máire Alexander

Dear Endometriosis suffer.

My name is Máire Alexander and I am the Patient Experience Manager in the Belfast Trust.

I wanted to reply to you, specifically in relation to your follow up as I know that you have already been in touch with senior members of staff to ensure that there is learning and improvement from your experience.

I wanted to acknowledge that this was a difficult story to write, as I can only imagine how difficult it was to experience and I hope you have felt a positive impact from sharing your story. I know that our Service Managers are keen and committed to making changes to try and prevent issues like this occurring again. I hope that gives you some small comfort and that you are assured by the contacts you have had this week.

Physical pain is so challenging, because as you described, feeling there is no support or hope can lead to a real impact on how we are feeling mentally. I know these are words, but I genuinely hope that you are able to find some support and a light at the end of the tunnel when you meet with the consultant. Please know that my thoughts are with you.

I wish you every best wish as you look for a resolution.

Máire

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