"I felt overlooked at the JR Oxford"

After 14 months of seeing my GP for stomach ache and swelling, I was finally rushed into hospital on the 3rd December 2008. I was in the emergency surgery unit for 4 days and in gynaecology ward for a further 6 days. Although I was generally well cared for in the surgery unit, I was not informed well as to what was happening. My biggest issue was with the gyny ward, I didn’t see a doctor for 3 days, when I did, it was the consultant from the surgery ward, when I mentioned that I hadn’t been seen by anyone since being sent to the gyny ward, I did finally see a surgeon. After having a scan, and finding a 7inch ovarian cyst, he spent approximately 2 minutes with me. After finding out I’d just had morphine, said he would come back and see me again. I never saw him again... despite the fact that I was bleeding and on morphine for intense pain. Whilst I was in the hospital I was not once examined by either doctor or nurse, didn’t have one internal check... I left hospital with no follow up appointment.

I have refused to go back to this hospital, my mother had to clean the toilet and shower room each day. She had to come in to help me bathe, there was used / soiled sanitary towels in the drainage hole of the shower, and blood on the toilet seat, as well as used cardboard bedpans on the floor or on top of the bin. I asked my mother to bring in cleaning products. Two of the other patients on my ward left hospital with stomach bugs they didn’t come in with, and I was already in so much pain I was terrified of catching whatever it was that they had.

I have since been referred to the Horton in Banbury, and I am having my surgery to remove my now 12 x 12 x 10 ovarian cyst on the 2nd of April, The reason it has taken so long is due to the fact that when I was referred to the Horton and they received my notes. It was realised that I hadn’t even had the basic tests, I therefore had to wait again for all the tests to be done that should have been done already, it took a further 6 weeks waiting to find out if it was Cancer or not, thankfully it was not, however I was left in pain unable to sleep properly in total now for four months since I was sent in an ambulance my the GP, and before that 14 months of GP visits... Do I think it was because they were to busy? NO I don’t, I honestly felt like because there was no doctor involved I wasn’t a priority, despite my requests for help for the pain to stop.