"Busy department that needs improving!"

I've had what I can only describe as a broad experience with Gynae, both good and bad.

Firstly, the outpatients team were lovely, very caring during my internal exam and gave me lots of info to prepare for my surgery. However, the waiting room definitely needs to be reorganised. Having to sit with pregnant women as I'm waiting to find out if I need surgery to save my reproductive organs is incredibly insensitive. I notice on other reviews it's been like this for a few years, so I can't imagine them changing this any time soon.

After my appointment in April 2015 I was waiting for my surgery date, according to waiting times it should have been in September. It was booked for November, but I was fine waiting as I know it's a busy department. Then they cancelled it until December, then January, then the end of January. Considering I'd been in constant pain for two years, enough was enough. I put in a complaint with PALS, scared them with my knowledge of waiting times, so got a surgery date for the middle of November.

The surgery waiting room is small and cramped, far too small for the amount of patients sat in there. Considering how spacious and nice SEAL unit is, I felt like gynae was a bit of a let down. We were informed that once we'd had our surgery we'd be wheeled back to the ward, then would have to sit on a reclining chair. A chair. After having abdominal and/or vaginal surgery. of course, a few of the women were outraged by this, but this is how they work up there. I wonder whether male patients have to sit in chairs after vasectomys or prostate surgery.

The order of surgery times was abruptly changed due to complications with another patient (no complaint there, complications happen), and I was one of the lucky ones to have my surgery that day, a few patients were sent home.

I cannot fault the surgical and anaesthetic team, the prep work, going over the surgery, taking me down to surgery and looking after me in the recovery room was fantastic.

Once I got back to the ward I was very upset after getting bad news, and was crying a lot. No one came over to make me sit on a recliner chair, and to be honest I probably would have passed out from the pain. They gave me peppermint tea to help with the shoulder pain from the gas, and said if I had any pain relief it would delay my release to go home. In hindsight, I should have asked for pain relief, but in my blurry state I just wanted to go home, and I felt like they wanted me in and out of there too.

I had a follow up appt in January, and now I need a more extensive 3 hour surgery. It was supposed to be in April 2016 but was cancelled due to the doctors strikes. It's now been booked for June, I've asked to be put on the cancellation list and keep calling them for updates, but looks like I'll have to just wait. The previous surgery did not alleviate any of the pain, so of course I'm upset that I've been waiting so long for treatment.