"Misdiagnosis"

I was taken by ambulance to A&E with severe sudden onset abdominal pain and nausea. Nurses took blood and urine tests. I was given pain relief and IV fluids and waited on a trolley for 4 hours before being seen by a doctor.

By the time I saw a doctor my pain had gone and I was sent home without a diagnosis. Next day, the severe pain returned and my mother took me to A&E again. I was seen quickly, given fluids and pain relief, plus urine and bloods and seen more quickly by a doctor who did a portable abdominal ultrasound to rule out surgery. The doctor diagnosed me with likely kidney stones and told me to ask my GP to refer me for a proper abdominal ultrasound.

My GP arranged for renal scan based on the A&E doctors diagnosis. This came back clear. 6 weeks after my first A&E visit, the severe abdominal pain returned. My mother took me to A&E where I collapsed in the waiting room. I was taken straight through where I writhed in agony for at least 30 mins before being given pain relief. As this was my third A&E visit with the same sudden onset severe abdominal pain, the doctor admitted me for further tests. 48 hours later, I finally got sent for a proper abdominal ultrasound and immediately diagnosed with Acute Cholecystitis, an inflamed gallbladder caused by gallstones and infected gallbladder. This is a serious condition, for which one should be hospitalised as it can lead to potentially fatal complications if not treated.

This is one of the most common causes of severe abdominal pain presenting at A&E. And it is really shocking that it was missed not once, but twice in A&E. Also, the doctor completely missed the cluster of stones in my gallbladder during the portable ultrasound and misdiagnosed me. How can such a common cause of severe abdo pain be missed? And why wasn’t I sent for a proper ultrasound the second time I visited A&E with the same severe pain. I did ask for one! I presume that was a cost cutting exercise! But I could have developed fatal complications. 

During my hospital stay, I was scheduled for an urgent operation to have my gallbladder removed, but the op got cancelled at the last minute. In conclusion, eventually I had to get the op done privately because the wait to have it done on the NHS was too long. Not sure, how I was considered urgent, but then bumped to the back of the queue after I was discharged from hospital and wanted to schedule the op electively?