"Chronic Gynaecology Pain nearly 2 years later.."

I posted here nearly 2 years ago under the title Chronic Gynaecology Pain to give my poor experience of the Gynaecology department at Raigmore hospital, Inverness. The background of my pain is described fully in that post but to recap, I have lived with Vulvodynia since my early teens and have tried various treatments for this (some privately and self funded and others from the NHS). 

Following my last complaint, I was finally offered an appointment with the Gynaecology team near the end of the year in 2020. I attended and when I arrived I was informed they had made a mix up with my appt and although I had been sent a letter with the appt for that day, I was not actually scheduled for an appt. They apologised and said I would have to leave and return when they rearranged the appt.

Frustrated and deflated, I pleaded with them to see me and after a long wait they 'squeezed' me in. This meant my appt was rushed and I do not feel I was given a full consultation due to this.

As said, the appt felt rushed and chaotic. The consultant was clearly stressed and busy and listed off to me the work they had been doing over the last 24 hours. I felt like an inconvenience.

By the end of the consultation, the consultant agreed that not enough had been done to help treat my pain and said they would refer me to private Gynaecology clinics with Inverness for more specialised treatment.

The consultant warned me this could take a few months to arrange. They also told me they had used my situation and pain as a 'case study' for their medical students.

While I don't mind this in principle, it was very frustrating to hear this had been done despite the Gynaecology department doing very little to nothing to help me over previous years. 

By February 2021 I had heard nothing from the Gynaecology department and so phoned to request an update on my referrals however they were unable to tell me any information or give me any estimated time line.

I phoned again the next month asking to speak with the consultant. The consultant did phone and we had a brief discussion where they asked me to be patient as these things take time.

After hearing nothing for another month or so, I phoned back. I then received a letter from the consultant reiterating that they were doing all they could to help me and that these things take time. I felt it was implying for me to stop calling.

Fast forward to October 2022, nearly 2 years since my Gynaecology appointment and.... silence. I have received no update on my referrals and I have not had a follow up appt since.

I have called the department a couple of times throughout this and have been repeatedly told by the secretary that there is lengthy waiting list and they are unable to offer me an appt at present. 

I feel extremely let down, frustrated and fed up. At my last appt my consultant 'promised' to help me but I have received zero information for nearly 2 years.

Throughout this time, I have continued to live in on going pain that hugely affects my quality of life - both physically and emotionally.

Unfortunately I feel the Gynaecology department is just not fit for purpose. In over ten years I have been let down by the department time and time again.

I don't want another appt where they re-hash the same information over and over. I need them to actually provide some treatment. I understand my pain is chronic and unlikely to ever fully resolve however I do believe more could be done to help improve my quality of life and reduce the frequency/intensity of my pain.

I feel forgotten and dismissed and if I do try to advocate for myself, I am made to feel like I am being unreasonable or difficult.I am at a loss of what to do to actually receive the help I need (even the consultant agreed that I have been let down by the service).

As I said, the Gynaecology department at Raigmore is clearly not fit for purpose - the patient care, lack of communication and lack of commitment put in to helping patients is shocking and beyond disappointing.