"Emergency visit"

I had a doctor's appointment, who then sent me to the hospital. After being seen in accrue medical, I was admitted to ward 57 on surgical.

Now to be honest I was told I would be going to surgery that evening or next morning. I was given a bed no pillows we will be up shortly around 12.00. I was seen and checked in at 2.00 pm. I asked for medication which was a total nightmare having to give 5 tablets of same sort, no matter I took them eventually I was given 1 thin hospital pillow.

I continued to sleep until 7.30 8.00 pm, where I asked for my evening meds ok ok we can give you this one but not that one till 10 and that one we don’t have in stock yet, they knew my medication required. All I heard was negativity in the 4 bays.

After being told this I told the staff I was going home to get my meds as it’s now 8.30 and due late. They asked me to return to the ward, which I promised to do. I went home and got my own medication. Upon returning to ward my meds had kicked in and I was able to move without being in tears.

I got told at 23.15 I wasn’t going to theatre so had 30 minutes to have a coffee and sandwich as had fasted from 9am without warning. Trying to sleep on a rubber mattress and one she and one thin blanket and 1 pillow wasn’t the greatest night sleep.

After being wakened at 8.00 with the noise and the lights going on for ward round. Where it was explained for the 4/5 time what was going to happen, still no gown, no stockings for theatre either.

Lucky enough there was a member of staff Iona who actually spoke and communicated with our bay. She is a perfect model of how you want nurses to be on your wards. I could list so many things about her but I won’t bother you but she made the visit worthwhile. She organise the gown and stockings oh and paperwork someone else was supposed to do. Do people higher up realise so of these nurses only have 1 pair of hands yet so many people to look after?

Not long after getting changed they turned up to take me to theatre, lovely ladies chatted all the way there go down to pre room, where the anaesthetist said so you’ve spoke to my colleague, ermm no I haven’t, to which she apologised and said break down in communication, with I respect her honesty and went through everything with me.

From then on everything went fine from sedation to op to coming round and return to bay. On return Iona made sure I was ok and if I needed anything. I waited for 4 hours before being able to leave with my own meds and a discharge letter as my daughter was coming to stay after work.

But from a personal opinion the staff forget as soon as they step out the bay door because A. they get asked by a member of staff to do something else or B. they are answering a call from a patient. But being dumped in a ward and left on the bed with no pillow at first and just left to sleep to ignore the pain was I asked if I needed pain meds for the issue I was in for no they didn’t.

I feel that patients aren’t getting the correct treatment in the hospitals. I swear if I fell ill again 999 would be my first point of contact for hospital as it’s a mess. But as I said, thank you to Iona,  can't thank her enough.