"Kingsmill Hospital first and last visit!"

I went into Kingsmill Hospital Thursday April 16th just before 9AM after visiting my doctor with unbearable stomach pain and he believed I had a suspected appendicitis..so off to Kingsmill Sutton In Ashfield I went.

I was warned by my doctor that the department I needed to be admitted to were moving into the new building so I may experience a little chaos and disruption - I understood, so left any attitude at the door...plus I was in too much pain to care if I was left in a toilet or cleaners room. As it turned out the staff I initially met were lovely and wheeled me to a bed, took my blood and left a needle in my hand ready for a drip if needed - they also gave me three tablets for the pain. However, that was the last 'care' I received as just after 12PM I was taken to the new part of the hospital - ward 22, placed in bed with a needle in my hand ready for the drip and given morphine for the pain. I had never been in hospital before so I had no idea what to expect...but my experience was not good! I was told nothing and instead was plied with pain killers and just left in my bed. I was given an injection in my stomach to thin my blood and was put on a drip between 7/8PM - even though a nurse had told me that she didn't know why I needed the drip as I was able to drink water, but because it was on my file she had to hook me up. I asked if she knew what was happening with any treatment as I had been told nothing and she said that I was booked in for an ultrasound scan Friday at 3:30PM and I was to stay in hospital overnight. I was asked if I had been given any cream to protect me against MRSA - which I hadn't... so she said she would go and get me some...she never reappeared. Then about 9PM I began to get sharp pains in my hand and my arm - where the drip was... I asked a male nurse if this was supposed to happen - he said he was unsure and he would keep an eye on it, I was never asked about it again.

In the bed opposite me there was a lovely lady who, unfortunately, was suffering with dementia and she took a shine to me.. I was given no peace to relax myself and each time the nurses came into the ward they repeatedly told the old lady that she had someone new to talk to - I was exhausted and really just wanted to relax myself as I was ill too - but I was unable to get this as the old lady was lonely and I felt for her...so every five minutes she would be at my bedside talking to me - unfortunately a lot of the time, she didn't make sense and it was hard going. She then knocked my jug of water over by accident and it went all over my belongings, my bed and the floor. The nurse came in and mopped up - but my bedding was never changed and even though I requested clean bedding, I was left in a wet bed...luckily it was only at the bottom of the bed, so I could manoeuvre myself to avoid sleeping in it.

The following morning my hand and arm had swollen up and I could barely wiggle my fingers.. according to one of the nurses, this shouldn't of happened and said it should have been taken out the previous night, so the drip was removed. I was then asked again if I had been given any cream to protect me against MRSA and again, the nurse never came back with any cream. A cleaner came into the ward and started cleaning the windows, bedside tables and nurse workstations with a cloth drenched in bleach - which is no bad thing...but I was concerned when I watched her clean the windows, as each time she moved the bleach/water dripped into my jug of water and then she left...I told the nurse what had happened and she just sighed and emptied the water into the sink and refilled the jug....would you do this at home or would you exchange the jug? If I had not seen this...I'd have drunk it!

Then it was breakfast time...cold toast anyone? So I didn't eat.

The doctor came round to check me over and because of the pain killers I had been given the pain wasn't as bad as it had been - so I told the doctor this and he cancelled my ultrasound scan. I spoke with the lady who I assume did admin for the ward and said that the pain killers would mask the pain, so I wasn't happy the scan had been cancelled as I really didn't want to leave only to come back again, wouldn't it be better to do the scan and find a cause for the pain? She said she wasn't able to make that decision but she would ask the doctor for me.

It was now 11AM...I had been waiting for what seemed like forever for someone to tell me what was going on - so again, I went and found a nurse. The nurse told me that the scan had been re-scheduled for Monday....which meant I would need to be in hospital all weekend, I couldn't understand why it was cancelled in the first place and no one was able to tell me. So I was of course upset and after thinking over the treatment I had received over night, I couldn't contemplate spending a weekend there, I doubt I'd have come out without some other complication. So I discharged myself and went straight back to my doctor. I explained what happened and he tried to get me in for the scan as an outpatient, So I would be able to be at home but still have the scan on Monday... but whoever he spoke to on Ward 22 - wasn't interested as I had apparently gone against their advice... yet I was given no advice. So then my doctor tried to get my blood and urine test results and again Kingsmill wouldn't give them to him. So its Monday 20th April...I’m still in pain and no further forward - but I know one thing I will be going private! In my opinion, the free healthcare at this hospital is definitely not up to standard! Lets just hope my condition doesn't get any worse!