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Still waiting for urgent endoscopy and in pain

Posted By PatientUK

"Still waiting for urgent endoscopy and in pain"

About: Glasgow Royal Infirmary / Endoscopy Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow / Accident & Emergency

(as a service user),

I started to have problems with my stomach in 2020. My GP thought it was stomach acid and put me on a medication that reduced the amount of acid in the stomach which kind of helped but soon stopped working. I was then put on a different medication and after that another different medication. Nothing worked and actually made my stomach pain worse. I have been in pain for around 1.5 years. My GP referred me in for an endoscopy at least a year ago.

Due to the pain, I even went to A and E and QEUH. I am not someone who goes to A and E so you can imagine how bad the pain was/is, for me to go there. I found the receptionist to be unhelpful and said so you're here because you have stomach ache? It made me feel uncomfortable so I left after 20 minutes.

My GP ran some tests after I explained that I had changes in bowel habit (2021). He ran blood tests at the end of 2021 when I said that I was losing weight. The results showed changes on liver function and said he'd ask the hospital to put me on as an urgent endoscopy. I received a letter from the hospital late 2021 and thought it might be an appointment letter but when I opened it, it was a letter asking 'do you still want to be on the waiting list?'

I've been in ongoing pain since 2020 so yes I so want to be on the waiting list especially as my GP is that concerned that he requested an urgent appointment.

I can't explain how much pain I am in  and it's been a daily pain since 2020. My bowel habits haven't been normal since then either. I have recently lost my appetite but if I don't have food in my stomach, the pain gets worse. So I have to force myself to eat but gag when doing so.

I male aged early 20s. Why have NHSGGC ignored my symptoms and my GP's request for an urgent endoscopy?

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Responses

Response from Margaret Barlow, Interim Lead Nurse, Endoscopy, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde 3 years ago
Margaret Barlow
Interim Lead Nurse, Endoscopy,
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Submitted on 14/01/2022 at 16:14
Published on Care Opinion at 16:15

Hi,

I am very sorry to hear that you feel the NHS have ignored you and your symptoms and you have been waiting for such a long time. As you know at the beginning of the pandemic all elective services were cancelled and only urgent endoscopies were being seen. When things were starting to settle down strategies were put in place to re categorise all referrals from 1-4, number 1 being most urgent. At this point your own referral would have been re looked at. I don't have any information to look at individual cases and am concerned that if your GP re-referred you as an urgent case why this was not acted upon.

I would be grateful if you could contact the Endoscopy Administration team by telephone at the New Victoria and pass on your details and we can then investigate further.

Once again I can only apologise for the delay and hopefully with yourself contacting us we can resolve this matter as a matter of urgency. I do appreciate your feedback as this allows us to look at our short comings and how we can improve on our systems.

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Update posted by PatientUK (a service user)

Thank you for your reply. Do you have a contact number for the New Vic?

It looks like you have not deemed my symptoms to be urgent - weight loss, changes in bowel habit, abnormal liver blood test, chronic stomach pain, and now changes in appetite. I am a non-drinker.

Response from Margaret Barlow, Interim Lead Nurse, Endoscopy, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde 3 years ago
Margaret Barlow
Interim Lead Nurse, Endoscopy,
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Submitted on 26/01/2022 at 16:35
Published on Care Opinion at 16:35

Dear PatientUK

My apologies for not including the telephone number in my original response. If you can telephone 0141 347 8324 and they will be able to give you an update on your referral.

Regards

Margaret

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Update posted by PatientUK (a service user)

Thank you for your advice Mrs Barlow. I managed to get an endoscopy in late Feb, when they took biopsies, after which a CT scan was done in mid March. The endoscopy showed that I have 4 areas in my abdomen that have 'significant extrinsic compression', which is why the CT scan with dye was done.

It's now 6 weeks since the biopsies were taken and 3.5 weeks since the CT scans were done but I still haven't heard back. How long do biopsy results take? The nhs website says a few days.

I asked the secretary just over 2 weeks ago about when I'd get the biopsy results but have not heard anything back yet regarding a time frame for results.

Response from Margaret Barlow, Interim Lead Nurse, Endoscopy, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde 3 years ago
Margaret Barlow
Interim Lead Nurse, Endoscopy,
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Submitted on 11/04/2022 at 10:58
Published on Care Opinion at 11:38

Hi Patient UK,

I am sorry to hear that there has still not been a good outcome for you in this matter. I have spoken to Endoscopists who carry out the procedures regarding the normal time for biopsy results to be sent out. At the present moment it is normally around 6-8 weeks.

There are a few steps in the process: (1) Pathology send the results to the Endoscopists, (2) the Endoscopist then dictates a letter to yourself and the GP with the results and (3) these are sent to the Secretaries to be typed and returned to the Endoscopist for checking and signing, before sending out.

This unfortunately does not help your situation but hopefully you will receive your results soon.

Please let me know if there is anything further I can do.

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