I had a mastectomy on 22 March at Warwick Hospital. On the Easter weekend my mastectomy site filled with fluid. So I rang the telephone number given to me for after care. 23 hour ward as the breast care team not available. I rang 23 hour ward at 9.30am. I was told by the 23 hour team to go to A and E. I got to A and E for 10 am. Eventually I was seen in a dirty cubicle. I had the undignified stressful experience of having to tell 4 different A and E staff my problem. No one in A and E could help me. After hours of waiting in A and E I was sent to the 23 hour ward. The ward that turned me away at 9.30. By then I was very distressed, tearful and not coping. Breast cancer has wrecked my life and I am not coping physically or emotionally. No one examined me on the 23 hour ward. I was left waiting in a changing room / store cupboard in a, very distressed state and suffering from a panic attack. Apparently there is only one person in the hospital who could help me and they where allocated to critical cases, so each time they where supposed to attend they got called to an urgent case. After 6 hours of waiting it was clear unless I was critical or an emergency I wasn't going to be seen. So I left the hospital. Extremely upset and knowing there is poor to non existent post operative care. Is this how we should treat a cancer patient? I am seriously thinking I will not get good after care to recover or if the chemotherapy makes me ill I will be left in A and E in a dirty cubicle. So I am at home hoping I don't go to critical.
"Lack of post operative care"
About: South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust Warwick CV34 5BW
Posted via nhs.uk
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