"DTC and A&e"

I was in DTC for day surgery at the beginning of March at the weekend for an operation that was to extract wisdom teeth.

I had been nervous and not been in a hospital requiring treatment for years, I initially had seen two conultants to explain in depth my proceedure one of which was a coronectomy.

I had assumed, given that I had seen these people I was going to have the top consultant and surgeon required for this complex job.

Unfortunately, I was given the news that it would be someone else, half an hour before my main operation.

I was also told I 'd get no sedatives even though I said I needed it, and eventually it was given.

I was told after my op, I'd suffered alot of blood loss and needed intravenous drugs during my surgery and I had to be readmited following more heavy blood loss after.

There was a lack of communication between the staff nurses and surgeon giving rise to the fact, no one was really prepared and I felt some of them were unsure what to do, until panic filnally begun to set in, and a call out to the surgeon was finally made. One ward nurse accused me of setting the damage to myself, when it was clear I had needed more surturing and it was my first big extraction.. Discharged me saying to take any painkillers I want.

I had no call back and when i did call the next week i had a vague response who told me no one was there to ring back another day.

A week later I end up in A&E and endured an abismall response from the trauma nurse which was frank and to the point over my concerns about sepsis, abscess and blood clotting after feeling really feverish and unwell, I was told to take ibuprofen or aspirin. Later managed to get seen elsewhere by a consultant who told me I didn't have an abscess but to avoid most of the painkillers I had been taking, as it could block the healing process.Also, I'd had traumatic surgery and was told my stitches would dissolve out eventually, and I have alot of inflammation but that I am healing.

Bettter training and communication in this hospital would serve to make patients feel they do have a choice and their real concerns and symptoms have been heard.