"Very disappointed"

I was sent there for my keyhole surgery to remove my gallbladder, as due to covid it isn't being done at Derriford. The practice looks very modern.

But the care isn't so great, or it was my bad luck.

First of all, on my pre-op some bloods were supposed to be taken. I am a difficult bleeder, but they ended up not taking the bloods for some tests at all. The nurse wasnt able to do it and there was no one available to do so. So I had my op without the rest of the blood tests done.

The anaesthetic team was great, they struggled with finding my veins, but managed to do so eventually. They were lovely and kind.

I woke up to a really bad pain. I kept shaking in pain, the nurses injected me with some pain relief, but it didnt work at all. I couldnt help this shaking, I was in a really bad pain. They kept saying to calm down as I'm supposed not to feel the pain and that its self inflicted! At that moment I really couldnt control it. And the nurses reaction? Complete indifference. They said they have given me pain relief and my blood pressure is fine, which means Im fine. And I was still shaking in pain. They asked me one more time if I feel any less pain and saying no, they said its not possible and.....stopped paying attention to me at all. Then I was moved to the ward. By that time I learnt that there is no point of saying I am in a bad pain because no one will pay attention to that.

I do know pain after an operation is a regular thing. But this kind of pain was just so strong and wouldnt react to any pain relief. But I stopped mentioning it to the nurses as they thought I was being a pain ferry or just making it up.

Then it was time to move after the anesthesia. It looked so, the nurse made me sit on the chair. That's it. And then told me to use the toilet, where I had to go alone, barely being able to move, feeling like fainting. They were so busy sending me home, they didnt even tell me what to do with my wounds. Whether Im supposed to clean them or not or what to do in general. I didnt even know there was a tape on them, when to remove it, nothing. I was just being constantly told that I need to go home and if they give me any strong pain relief, then it will be difficult to send me home. And they kept repeating, that I have to go home now.

When it was time to go home and I stood up and tried to walk, I was still in so much pain and I felt so dizzy, I couldnt even walk properly. I couldnt see properly because they put a tape on my eyes during the surgery and it badly irritated my right eye. It was tearing badly and it was very swollen and sore. I felt so much pain and so weak, I kept leaning on the wall to somehow walk. I am not sure if this is a good idea to send a patient home in such condition...

I regret not having it in Derriford. I was never left alone there, never has my pain been neglected. And never did they send me home when I was in such a bad condition, not even after an endoscopic treatment which is nothing compared to an operation.