"Never Again!"

I am a 69 year old woman suffering widespread emphysema in both lungs and am on home oxygen. I was due to have a tumour removed from my bladder on 4th March and was told to be at admissions for 7.30 am. Knowing admissions was a long way from the entrance, my 81 year old husband who suffers from C.O.P.D. got me to the hospital at 6.45. My last drink of water had been at 6.am. By around 10 am, I had been seen by the anaesthetist and surgeon, signed consent forms etc and was in a hospital gown. I then sat in the waiting room in a wheel-chair connected to my portable oxygen. My 81 year old husband with me. I began to worry how long my own oxygen would last and one of the nurses connected me up to the hospital oxygen in the waiting room. Unfortunately, the hospital oxygen only had about 2 or 3 feet of tubing so when I needed the loo, my husband had to disconnect me and re-connect me to the portable, then back to hospital. By midday,(6 hours without a drink) I was beginning to feel distressed. By 2 pm, (8 hours without a drink) my anxiety (a known side effect of emphysema) was such that I felt weak and was becoming more breathless, even with constant oxygen. Now, my poor husband is having to swap oxygen over, put my portable with me in the wheel-chair and push me to the loo, just a couple of meters away. This went on until 4 pm, (10 hours without a drink) and I feel near to collapse. I was then finally taken to theatre in my wheel-chair. Once in theatre, I was asked to take my own oxygen off for a moment and get on to the op table. I took my oxygen off, stood up and immediately had a massive panic attack. The anaesthetist was very quick to give me a sedative and time to clam down and recover, I thank her for that.

Post op, I was on ward 10, once again, tethered to a small amount of oxygen tubing. feeling confused and nauseous. I could go on, but what's the point?

Lastly, I wan't to make it clear that this is not a complaint about the nursing staff. All nurses I came into contact with were pleasant and apologetic, but run off their feet, no time.

My complaint is directed at those who thought it acceptable to leave some-one on oxygen, with severe emphysema, sitting in a waiting room for 10 hours without fluids. That was not the nurses fault.

If patients are being admitted with a pre-existing severe condition and that condition is ignored, well, there's no hope.

And that is why, I will never step foot inside Heartlands again