"Dedicated, friendly staff at the Gastroenterology Hub"

I had been experiencing abdominal pain for quite some time and I kept telling myself that things would get better given time. I am not one to pester my GP and would never have contemplated attending hospital. However, days, weeks & months went by and my symptoms hadn't eased & I decided to attend A&E at UHD. Following thorough examination and x-ray I was referred to the Gastroenterology Hub at UHD. 

I attended the Hub two days later where I met Dr Hamilton. Dr Hamilton was very reassuring & explained what course of action was going to be adopted and within a very short space of time I had attended the Phlebotomy Clinic and had a  CT examination both at Ards Community Hospital, and OGD examination.

The results of all tests showed nothing sinister thank goodness and Dr Hamilton assured me that with a few lifestyle changes my health would improve. Dr Hamilton introduced me to Christine, Gastroenterology Dietitian, who spoke to me about my present state of health, my digestive problems etc. Christine offered much needed & valuable advice which I have abided by since our meeting & I feel the full benefit from those words of advice & encouragement (our meeting was followed up by a telephone call which I found to be a source of encouragement to continue with what had been discussed). 

As I have mentioned at the beginning of this message I am one of those people who does not like to attend GP surgeries and definitely not hospitals but I can honestly say that I found this whole experience to be totally different to what I had expected. I was dealt with politely, calmly & professionally throughout. I cannot fully express my gratitude to everyone involved in my treatment. The Gastroenterology Hub was a million miles from what I expected, dedicated, friendly staff who took time to speak and reassure, being able to attend a dietitian on-site without a prior appointment was a blessing. Dr Hamilton, if you see this - I am very indebted to you, you delivered on everything that you said you would do!