"Admitted with stomach pain after colonoscopy"

I was recently admitted to Surgical Receiving in IRH (Ward H North) with a temperature and abdominal pain after a planned combined endoscopy and colonoscopy. 

I was referred to the Surgical Assessment Unit by my GP with suspicion of a perforated colon due to the abdominal pain and a temp of 38.5. 

When I arrived in IRH, I was triaged through A&E who were great, they tried to manage my pain as best they could and arranged to have me sent upstairs after an X-Ray that had been requested by SAU.

The x-ray went well, and I was in SAU within an hour of arriving. In SAU, the nurses were attentive and made sure to check in and keep my pain under control. I was moved to H North for pain management at roughly 2:30 in the afternoon.

Between 2:30 and around 6pm, I was not spoken to by any member of the ward team regarding why I had been admitted or what the plan for me would be. A HCSW came to take my obs once in this time and ask me my pain level. I informed them my level was a 7 out of 10. I was not offered any pain relief. 

I had visitors at just after 7pm, who informed staff on my behalf that I was in a lot of pain. A nurse came to offer me pain relief at this point and told me I need to tell them if I am in pain. It felt like I was being berated for not telling them sooner, when I had already informed them of my pain levels and nothing was done. I ended up apologising to the nurse as I felt that it had caused an issue when my visitor had advocated for me. 

I was then asked my pain level again at roughly 10pm when another member of staff came to do my obs. Again I answered it was a 6 when I was at rest but if I tried to move, it was a 7/8 out of 10. Again I was not offered any pain relief. I felt like I was causing issues for the staff at this point and simply wanted to go home. My pain got unbearable through the night, at which point I asked for pain relief and was given more. I managed to get roughly 2 hours of sleep through the night due to my pain. 

The next morning at roughly 11am at rounds, the Doctor asked me, what happened. I did not know how to answer this question so stayed quiet. It was then decided by the Doctor that I would be discharged that day, without examination or asking me how I felt or what my pain levels were.

I was waiting on the ward until 7pm for my discharge letter and what I thought would be a prescription. I did ask the nurse what was happening and was told as there was only 1 Doctor on the ward it might be a bit of a wait, which I understood and appreciated. I feel I was extremely patient as I did not ask for further updates.

During this time I did ask for more pain relief and was told I was only written up for 500mg of paracetamol and did I want that. I took it in the hopes that it would take the edge off my pain which it did not. I was then discharged after 7pm with my discharge letter and no medication to manage my pain at home. 

I understand that staff are extremely busy on the wards, but I feel that they should be checking on patients that are there for pain management as much as they do for patients there for other reasons. I feel that pain as a whole is mismanaged in the NHS and that it would be beneficial for staff to be reminded that some patients, like myself, get extremely anxious in hospital settings due to past experience and that asking for medication brings an extra layer to that anxiety.

I would like this to be taken simply as a learning experience and for staff to remember that just because someone is only there for pain management and observation, they might not be in the best mental space to advocate well for themselves and like myself may close off if their anxiety level gets too high. That these types of patients need a little extra help to be able to get the support they need from the health service.