"Simple operation went wrong, disrespectful Staff,..."

What I liked

Nothing, it was a horrible experience

What could be improved

Had an ear grommet fitted as a day case (day ward). It was not by the consultant I had seen in Cheltenham (where the ENT Dept is exceptional and efficient). Cream didn't anaesthetize the ear but they carried on anyway. Had to give me a needle anaesthetic (very painful), didn't work & they still carried on. Theatre Staff were disrespectful & said there was no way I could feel the operation. I was in tears & very distraught. Was told I would have to go back & have a general anaesthetic if I couldn't calm down. The grommet was fitted (with no working anaesthetic so I could feel everything. They had to put in yet another needles to manoeaver it in place and only then could I not feel it. The grommet was not fitted properly. You are supposed to get your hearing back straightaway but this didn't happen. It was also hoped it would help my tinnitus which it didn't as it wasn't in properly. This was confirmed at my hearing check when it was shown there was no improvement in my hearing and the grommet was actually sitting in the outer canal (when it should be in the inner). I was told at the check up that they should not have let me go on my own. I had to travel 10 miles & hike to the bus, and to the hospital, then back again. I was in the hospital for 5hrs (for a 20 min op), & out the house for 7 hours. There's no sheets on the bed, only the blue canvas, I only had a thin blanket & I was left sitting around for hours. Worse experience of my life and I have to decide whether to have it done again. I am still suffering with my ear some 13 weeks later.

Anything else?

They won't admit they did anything wrong and did not even acknowledge that the op clearly didn't work because the grommet was never in place properly in the first place. How they expect me to go through all that again is anybody's guess. I want them to pay for me to have a private

operation. It was bad enough that I was expecting the Consultant to do it, and would not be surprised if some trainee Doctor had done it! I was not even told my Consultant would be away that week. They just shunt you in the operating room, try and rush it, just to shunt you out again and go on to the next patient.

I was told to get my gown on, & was left sitting around in the cold (with no back rest up on the bed, so I had to sit in a chair), for ages. The numbing cream was left in so long, it had worn off, and they treated me like some hysterical lying person.