He was admitted to Glasgow's Southern General in late last summer for a scan to establish whether there was pressure from tumours on his spinal cord and to see if the Pain Management Team could help. A further metastasis in his spine was identified, but pain management was ineffectual and I felt no one took his predicament seriously.
He was very afraid of dying in hospital, but his condition deteriorated and because of the holidays there was no way to get him home. I was left to take him on a 3. 5 hour journey by car, which he was in too much pain to undertake.
The air ambulance was eventually organised for the Wednesday (though it was open to change and still down to me to find some way of getting him from the rural airport in to our house, and his pain was severe)
He died during the Monday night, and it wasn't until 5 hours before this that anyone showed any compassion towards him or myself. For two weeks I had felt helpless and ignored, and there seemed to be no way to have his condition or my concerns acknowledged.
Most staff were rushed off their feet, and unable to see that my partner's condition was worsening.
There were honourable exceptions, but it was not until it was clear that he was going to die imminently that he or I was shown any compassion.
I will never forgive the Southern General for its dismissive treatment of us.
"The death of my partner from metastatic lung cancer"
About: Scottish Ambulance Service Scottish Ambulance Service EH12 9EB Southern General Hospital / Pain management Southern General Hospital Pain management G51 4TF
Posted by Malin (as ),
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Update posted by Malin (a carer) 11 years ago
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