"how I ended up in hospital"

I was having severe pain in my abdomen and sides the just before halloween in 2009.

It was causing me to be hunched over at work and i was finding it difficult to do my job as a cook. I would go home from work and tried to find relief in hot baths but to no avail. By the wednesday i had managed to get an appointment at my local GP surgery where I explained i was having severe pain in my abdominal region and my sides just below my ribs and round my back, i said it felt like my kidneys.

I was then just told that my gut was in spasm even tho my bodily functions were normal and was sent away with a prescription for erythromycin.

By the end of my working week, the Friday night, i came down with a fever and was having uncontrollable spasms of shaking. I was too weak to move or eat or drink. i slept pretty much solidly until sunday when the spasms became so bad my teeth were chattering and the spasms were going on for so long my muscles were in agony.

I phoned NHS 24 and was seen at my local out of hours service. My temperature was at 39.4 and after the routine tests i was told my body was toxic. I was then rushed by ambulance to my local hospital.

After 4 days in hospital having water and morphine, ultra sounds and X-rays, i was told my kidneys were ballooned with a severe kidney infection.

I was sent home with 2 types of anti-biotics, anti-nausea tablets and tramadol. I had lost over a stone in weight and it took me 3 weeks to get an appetite back, as well as being unable to return to work for 10 days.

I feel if i had been properly listened to and diagnosed the wednesday i saw the doctor, the suffering and resulting hospitalisation and severity of my illness could of been avoided.