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My dad's health care

Posted By ospreyhf45

"My dad's health care"

About: General Practices in NHS Highland Raigmore Hospital / Gastroenterology

(as a relative),

My elderly father who has had three strokes and walks aided by two sticks requires regular blood infusion due to loosing blood possibly from his stomach as he has a strawberry stomach. This being where the blood vessels in the stomach leak    This has been treated for in the past by what is called halo procedure, where the stomach is cauterised, the first time was pretty successful.

The second time it happened drs insisted that he went on blood thinners against his wishes and we think that didn't work as good as the first time. I was absolutely appalled that the drs went against my father's wishes and have voiced my disgust at that. We are at the stage now where we have no clue what is going on, his drs practice say that they cannot take blood for testing purposes for his anti bodies, he has a rare blood group, that he needs to go to an ITR clinic which is either a 20 or 30 mile round trip depending on which one Fortrose or Dingwall, either appointment would take away a morning or afternoon of my time, I work and have a husband with dementia. The surgery say that NHS Highland won't allow them to do the blood tests which is absolutely shocking. I know that covid restrictions are in place but a simple blood test?

We have no idea what gastroenterology are planning as they seem to have signed him off with regards to the halo procedure so we are at the moment going to AEC at Raigmore hospital and getting infusion of blood and iron nearly every two weeks this again is time consuming. My feeling is that the buck is being passed back and forth and we are getting absolutely nowhere with my father's condition or his health care. I am at the stage now where I feel that it's time for some communication between the drs at both Raigmore hospital and the GP and for some sort of concrete plan to be put in place before anything serious happens to my father. I am his carer and deal with all his medical issues. So to my end a solution would be great to what is going to be happening for the health care that my father deserves.  

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Update posted by ospreyhf45 (a relative)

Still no response yet...... In the meantime I had to call 999 after my son found my father on the floor totally confused and delirious ( due to uti unbeknown to us ). I suspected another stroke hence 999 ... paramedics didn't want to take him to raigmore as covid was pretty high despite his history of strokes...instead gave us antibiotics for his uti they found by doing a urine test. I stayed with him and phoned 111 for advice later that evening and was told just to carry on giving dad the antibiotics and to contact GP in the morning. By morning he was completely off his legs and I was unable to carry on with his care. I spoke with surgery and the Dr said she was going to admit him. So off he went into hospital and with no visitors allowed it was a very difficult time. Communication I found was shocking. I have since learnt from our GP that he signed a form as they deemed him uncapable to make desicions....my father will be 90 this year, he went into hospital with a urine infection it's not rocket science that a uti in the elderly causes confusion.... he was perfectly capable of making desicions before he went into hospital and he is making desicions now that he is home. Again they were giving him blood thinners when he cannot store blood as well as a really healthy person does due to his strawberry stomach .....I immediately asked this to stop. Dad told me I would go nuts when I asked him what they were doing for his care ...injections in the stomach...I said iron or B12 ...no blood thinners he said ....my reaction said it all ..... so why he had to sign the form when confused by a uti is beggars belief to me. I was also appalled by the reaction of the nurse on duty when I eventually got to visit when I produced the email with regards to my LFT apparently I was the first person to show the result ...surely it should have been standard practice to have to show the results of the lft test before a visit to the wards. The ward was closed a couple of days later due to a covid contact being in the ward, I was supposed to have been phoned with this information but wasn't. I really think the way the NHS Highland is handling the whole covid thing needs to be looked at and I also think that the communication from Dr's needs to improve especially if they are dealing with people who are hard of hearing. Especially when they are wearing masks.

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