"Six weeks three days in Royal Surrey with..."

I was admitted with severe back pain on 9 December 2017 as an emergency.This folllowed dry major heart surgery in the Royal Brompton in August 2016 and a 9 day admission to the Royal Surrey in September 2017 with a fever. A bacterial infection of the blood was quickly diagnosed and the doctor and his team rushed through a thoracic echo cardiogram and established that my three repaired heart valves and new aorta had not been compromised. Nine days on intravenous antibiotics appeared to have cleared it.

Unfortunately that was not the case and again it was quickly established that I had the same infection. Another thoracic ecg established it had not affected the heart and I was quickly given an MRI scan.which found the infection was in the spine - it only shows up on MRIs.

The treatment is six weeks on intravenous antibiotics every four hours, regular bloods and other monitoring. I was on Merrow for nearly all the time. The care from the doctors - initially cardiology then rheumatology -nurses, ward clerks, radiologists, porters and others was superb and could not be faulted. Even the food at least matched the private wing of the Brompton!

I would add that every body I encountered was friendly, understanding, and determined to help me get better and to go the extra mile to treat me at short notice.

The only critism I have is maintenance. The shower in my bay was out of action the whole time.

I am now well on the road to full recover although receiving treatment at home and being monitored by a doctor.

Thankyou