"Emergency care for Necrotizing Fasciitis"

I was brought in to Ealing Hospital on the evening of Saturday 12/10/2013 after having collapsing twice and my partner called the ambulance. I had flu like pain accross my body and a swollen foot. I had been on a 30 m charity walk the previous week and wrote the swollen foot off to putting pressure on my foot during the walk and the body aches (which were excruciating) down to getting a bad cold. The ambulance brought me in and I was taken to the urgent care centre where I was in and out of conciousness. The healthcare professionals in this department saved my life. The illness is rare and misdiagnosis has on many occassion resulted in death. The staff was knowledgeable and efficient and took all the right steps to save my life. The surgeon was called in and he diagnosed me accuaretly with Necrotizing Fasciitis and operated on me within hours of me coming in to the hospital. The ICU staff treated me with care and dignity and the soft tissue nurse helped save my foot and was caring and compassionate each time he treated me - the treatment by its nature being very uncomfortable. The professionalism and care I was given was phenominal especially by the doctors and ICU staff. The nurses overall are very caring and some I think of fondly - there is how ever a very small number of nurses who unfortunately taint the record. The majority of nurses work very hard and is under pressure due to staff shortages- I would just recommend that the matrons take more care in who they place with vulnerable people as patients are not there to annoy the staff they are there because they are ill. Sometimes due to feeling rotten and perhaps age some patients are less smiley than others but they need the care and love and compassion of those placed to care for them to heal. Being left in a vulnerable state by an uncaring nurse can make all the difference to an experience that would otherwise have been far more positive. However ....... Overall I can only say thank you to Ealing Hospital, the doctors (I had many different teams involved and even though I can not remember all the names I rememeber each one of you!) the urgent care centre, the ICU, the 7th floor both south and north - thank you for saving my life.