"No food for over 48 hrs and very limited liquid"

I was readmitted to the Royal stoke university hospital ward 228 after being told to return due to my previous operation ( January 2020) breaking down. I was asked to return and report to A&E. There we waited from 11.30am I till just after 4pm. When we eventually got seen the lovely Neurologist on call. 

My scar from the surgery in January was leaking and had been for a number of weeks. I at first thought I was leaking from my back passage as I'm having issues getting the feeling to empty my bowels. However one day I realised it wasnt my back passage but my scar. It enough that it was staining bed linen as it was soaking through my clothes.

We were told that I'd have an MRI that evening to see if there was a large infection present. I was then readmitted to ward 228. I figured I would be ok because I had No trouble when I was in January.

After being admitted I was booked in and the usual carried on , regular obs and painkillers at specific times. I didnt get my MRI on the Friday. I got it on the Monday, it was a 3d MRI with dye. I couldn't have any surgery until the MRI was done.

On the Sunday at 12.30 PM my husband took me to the hospital restaurant to eat because the food at the hospital isn't very good and is always cold. That was my last meal until the early hours of Thursday morning after my surgery. Also i was on limited liquid ( only to take medication) from 2am on the Monday. 

The days leading up to my surgery were very stressful and the communication from the surgeons and ward were limited. I was woken up Monday at 5.30am Tuesday morning 5.30 and and Wednesday morning 5.30am to shower in the sterilising liquid. I was cancelled  firstly on the Monday because of an emergency,  which I appreciate. I was asked not to eat just in case they can fit me in. Unfortunately there were too many emergencies.  Tuesday came  washed again, no food, no liquid. I was told that I'd be done in the afternoon sometime so dont eat. Cancelled again. In the early ours of Tuesday morning I had a registrar come to me to say they would get me in and not to eat, I also had an anaesthetist come see me so I figured it would be going ahead. The hours were ticking by and by 4am I knew again I wasnt being done. At 5.30am I was asked to wash again and i was told I'd be done sometime Tuesday. No food and only sips of water with tablets. By this time I was starving and Very thirsty. Waiting All day Tuesday and again nothing, Tuesday evening I told them I wanted to discharge myself. 

The Wednesday morning I had All the doctors and A Matron and nurses around my bed. The Matron told them they had to sort themselves out because of the hours of no food and liquid was effecting my health and then I told them i wanted to leave and come back when they could actually fit me in. They were apologising  they even looked at my scar which was very red , sore and leaking and Not dressed. I'd asked on numerous occasions to be dressed but gave up after as the staff kept forgetting. 

On the Wednesday morning I was put on a glucose drip because I was dehydrated. The day was ticking by and night time was approaching. 

I told them that if I was cancelled again I'd be leaving. They did keep on saying that I had to stay and that I needed to be done. Eventually I was taken down at 6pm for the surgery. I got back to ward 228 just after 11pm. After having help to get changed and go to the loo and receive some food it was just after 12am Thursday morning. 

I was so happy to be able to get out on the Thursday afternoon.

I cant knock my surgeon as he is just Brilliant and I cant really knock the staff because they are run off their feet on the ward. I do however feel i was let down and forgotten about. I know it wasnt an emergency but they were adamant that I be there and that I needed to be done.

Being left for that long without food or water is just Not an acceptable situation to be in.  In the days leading up to the surgery the jug of water you get, I had 1 of those from Monday 2am until Wednesday night at 11.30pm.