"They made me feel very welcomed and loved"

I start way back in 2023 was found with a fibroid large fibroid in the pelvis abdominal area. I needed to have it removed as it keeps on growing. In 2023 I had two ultrasounds and got put at the top of the waiting list but never got seen for 22mths, until November 2024 at Torbay Hospital, then in January this year had a MRI scan but couldn’t get what they needed so had to have a CT scan but unfortunately I was very ill and had a fall just before Easter that delayed it till May then had the CT scan.

I got told the team aren’t specialised enough at Torbay to be able to do my surgery, so I needed RD@E Exeter where we had the specialist surgeon who was a cancer surgeon to be able to perform my surgery but he did say he was having to do the unknown as the scans weren't given a clear picture.

So I ended up having surgery and I find out from the surgery from the size the fibroid was 15lb in size and I had a full hysterectomy with both ovaries removed and some lymph notes all this was removed in surgery. My experience with RD&E Exeter was out of this world. I was someone with a mild learning disability. I was very scared and frightened of the whole experience but they made me feel very welcomed and very supportive.

They understood me and spoke to me in a way that I would understand, everything that was happening at every time my experience in hospital from the pre assessment, all the way up to having surgery and the after-care waiting in hospital it was just amazing, they made me feel very welcomed and loved while I was there and I take my hat off to all the specialist surgical team or the nurses and doctors and any other workers that ended up helping and working with me. While I was in hospital I had a very pleasant and lovely experience.

I got discharged and went home but unfortunately by 11 o’clock that night I ended up back at the hospital. I was in excruciating abdominal pain and from that time until I was discharged they were super amazing yet again and got to the cause of to why I was in that pain. They did a CT scan and thought it might have been a bow had been damaged but it wasn’t found out it was just a load of wind and not being able to do number two but I appreciate all specialist surgical team and everyone on the ward - doctors and nurses, cleaners, tea makers, people who bring the food etc. You all do an amazing job and I take my hat off to you.

Thanks for making this experience so so much easier for me to have managed to go through, plus I will not forget each and every one of you you’ve got a place in my heart.