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Thanks to everyone involved in my care

Posted By Frank and Violet's boy

"Thanks to everyone involved in my care"

About: Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow / Accident & Emergency Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow / Ear, Nose & Throat (Ward 11b) Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow / Initial Assessment Unit Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow / West of Scotland Major Trauma Ward (ward 1c) Scottish Ambulance Service / Emergency Ambulance

(as the patient),

Two months ago I tripped and fell at the entrance to my flat and went head first right through a wire reinforced glass screen panel. I sustained life changing injuries to my head and face. The impact caused several large and small lacerations, the biggest is over 125mm on top of my head. Also sliced right through my nose, septum and left cheek, severing an artery and leaving my nose hanging by a little bit of skin. Ambulance crew arrived 10-15mins after call and carried out first aid before transportation to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow.

CT scan showed basilar skull fractures and glass fragments which needed to be removed from every laceration. ER doctors and nurses could not stop bleeding from artery and called in ENT and Maxillo Facial consultants. As I was admitted at 11.30pm on a Friday, ENT Registrar came down from ward and with ER Consutant put in temporary stitches and inserted 'balloons' into nasal airways and inflated them to stem the loss of blood (the pain was horrendous). It took 5 hours in A&E to stabilise me before transfer up to the ENT ward and then arranging  for a team to operate in the morning. Two-and-half hours in theatre and transferred back to ENT Ward for recovery. Balloons deflated and then removed one day later and another two days before discharge home. 

I would like to thank everyone involved in my care as I would not have survived otherwise: ambulance crew, A&E consultants and nurses, Radiographers, ENT and Maxillo Facial Consultant surgeons and Registrars (who used their skills, expertise and experience to operate and stitch me up with great care to minimise scarring), anaesthetist and theatre nurses, medical and nursing staff in the ENT department and ward.

Also like to thank my GP and practice  nurses for their care during these past weeks recovering.

The external scars have healed really well. Nose, part of cheek, top lip and top of head are still numb but some feeling is returning. I have extensive scarring inside both nasal passages, which is still healing, the left is still  partially blocked and I hope the doctors can do something to remove/minimise or soften the scarring to allow air inhale/exhale and make breathing easier.

Thank you to each and all collectively. 

Love and best wishes to you all.

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Responses

Response from Alan Martin, Clinical Development Manager, National Operations, Scottish Ambulance Service 10 months ago
Alan Martin
Clinical Development Manager, National Operations,
Scottish Ambulance Service

Submitted on 28/08/2024 at 12:51
Published on Care Opinion at 12:51

picture of Alan Martin

Dear Frank and Violets boy,

Many thanks for taking the time to share your feedback here on CareOpinion. I am so sorry to read about what happened to you, that is quite an accident - it must have been terrifying. I hope you are feeling better. It is great to hear positive stories about the work our wonderful staff provide.

If you wish I can pass on the feedback to the crews directly. To do so we would need to know the date, time and address that the Ambulance attended and your name name. This information can be sent to sas.feedback@nhs.scot for the team to pick up. If you do decide to do this, would you be so kind as to make reference to your CareOpinion username so that the team can easily locate your story and share it with the crew.

I wish you all the very best and thanks again.

Kind Regards

Alan

  • {{helpful}} {{helpful == 1 ? "person thinks" : "people think"}} this response is helpful
Response from Ruth McLaughlin, Lead Nurse, General Surgery /ENT/Urology (Queen Elizabeth University Hospital), NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde 10 months ago
Ruth McLaughlin
Lead Nurse, General Surgery /ENT/Urology (Queen Elizabeth University Hospital),
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Submitted on 28/08/2024 at 13:48
Published on Care Opinion at 13:48

Hi, Frank and Violets boy, thank you so much for your lovely feedback for the ENT team, I will ensure that they are made aware of it.

I note that you sustained significant injuries which must have been frightening for you and am pleased that you seem to be recovering well.

Best wishes for the future

Ruth Mclaughlin

Lead Nurse

ENT ( City Wide) urology ( South) & Outpatients

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Update posted by Frank and Violet's boy (the patient)

Hi Ruth,

Nice to hear from you and thankyou for your good wishes.

I am glad that Care Opinion made me aware of its website last week. I was trying to think about the best way to contact all those involved in my care. I was going to send some thankyou cards and letters to each department but was not sure that those involved would actually see them due to different shifts, holidays, etc so was going to phone and ask the best way to to do it?

Please thank everyone for me, especially the ENT and Maxillo Facial consultants who operated on me; I asked them to do their best to minimise scarring because I already have a large scar on my right cheek and neck from an injury 51 years ago. They told me not to worry, and assured me they would do their best. The external scars are healing well, my only problem is the internal scars to each nasal passage. The right side is scarred but I can breath through it almost as normal, the left side has more scarring - and I think my septum has been deviated, it feels tighter on this side - so can't get a clear air intake.

I have a follow up appointment with ENT at Gartnaval coming up because of a lesion which was removed from my right nasal passage last year. So will ask Mr Tsarkis about it. Haven't heard anything about a follow up from ENT at the QE so maybe Mr Tsarkis will refer me back?

Thanks again.

Love and best wishes to you all.

Response from Karen Hughes, Senior Charge Nurse, Emergency Department and Minor Injuries Units, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and New Victoria Hospital), NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde 10 months ago
Karen Hughes
Senior Charge Nurse, Emergency Department and Minor Injuries Units, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and New Victoria Hospital),
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Senior charge nurse & emergency nurse practitioner within the ED & Miu of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital

Submitted on 02/09/2024 at 05:43
Published on Care Opinion at 05:43

picture of Karen Hughes

Dear Frank and Violet's boy,

thank you so much for taking the time to submit a care opinion about your recent attendance to the Emergency department and admission to the ENT ward. That sounded such a terrifying ordeal for you, I am delighted that your scars are healing well, although I am sure the memory of your accident will take longer to fade. Thank you so much for your kind words about the treatment and care you received from all the different specialities, we really do appreciate getting such lovely feedback. Thank you.

with kind regards,

Karen

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Update posted by Frank and Violet's boy (the patient)

Hi, Karen,

Thankyou for your response to my story and your good wishes for my recovery.

I am getting better with each week that passes. The surgeons have done a great job and the external scars are now healed and fading. I am bald and shave the hair that is remaining-the scars on my head are extensive but don't have the red appearance of the one across my nose and cheek which is much deeper.

I am no stranger to facial and head scars. It was 51 years ago as a young boy that I was attacked in Glasgow and slashed, leaving a 10inch scar from my right cheek across my neck under my ear and up the back of my head. It severed my carotid artery and I lost over 4 pints of blood and was probably minutes from death had I not reached hospital. So the NHS and I are old friends, lol. I have a lot to be thankful for!

I hope the ENT doctors can do something to ease the scarring inside my nasal passages. The right airway is scarred but I can breath through it almost normally, the left has more scarring and It is hard to get air intake through it, the septum is still healing, and there has been loads of infection and scabby lumps being expelled, but it's getting less each day.

Please pass on my best wishes to all your colleagues who were on the nightshift in A&E who treated me.

Regards,

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