First I'm very happy with the BC treatment, diagnosis, chemotherapy and care but my recent 24 hrs in hospital have left me shaking my head in amazement. These things happened to me. In the scheme of things minor incidents but as I've described them to friends and family have caused much amusement. If had a bilateral mastectomy with full node clearance On my left side and partial clearance On the right side. T Rex arms.
On the Recovery ward.
1. I was brought a commode 3 times. No toilet paper, no method provided for me to wash my hands.
2. My sheet was soaked with sweat. My body outline was clearly seen as I was sat on the commode. I was asked if I wanted it changing?
3. I requested a meal after 24 he of fasting. It was brought and left on my table at the bottom of the bed, the table height was level with my head.
4. Meanwhile the young man next to me who had had surgery on his hand had a nurse carefully holding his yoghurt pot so he could eat.
5. It was decided the gown I had on was also soaked with sweat so needed changing. However, oxygen tube, 2 drains and the two drip lines were so hopelessly tangled the Nurse cut me out of my gown. I watched with envy as a different nurse walked up and down carrying her personal electric fan to keep her cool.
6 my cannula was pulled out and had to be replaced. I was sweating so much the plasters holding it just peeled off. So I was delivered to the ward with a leaking cannula.
On the ward.
1. My buzzer was tied to the head of the bed on my left side, bad side, so I didn't loose it amongst all the tubes. On raising the head of the bed to reach my coffee, left on my table at the end of the bed, the buzzer was pulled out of the wall along with the wires.
2. I was capable of going to the toilet, however I couldn't get out of bed because I had to have the sides of the bed up because I was on morphine.
3. It took two hours to get the leaking cannula sorted. I didn't want to use the morphine pump during this time because they were recording how much I was using and it was actually soaking into the bedsheets.
4. The bedsheets don't fit the bed. The days of hospital corners are long dead. Leaving me laid for much of the time lying on the blue plastic mattress. I decided that the recovery exercises were not needed during my stay as I had to remake my bed each time I got out of it.
5. I was discharged without seeing the Doctor. After all why would I need to speak to anyone about the surgery Id just had? The nursing staff didn't have a clue because I was on the ward that deals with Colon Cancer. That was after I had shown the Nurse how to empty the drains.
I'm home now and between us we are muddling through. The left drain has finally started working after 2 days of nothing. Don't worry no redness ,heat, temperature or excessive swelling were identified by my combat first aid trained son. OH far too squeamish to go rooting around.My legs no longer have red rings around them created by the thrombosis stockings the Nurse was unable to pull up because they were the wrong size.
How did anyone else go on? Major, serious issues don't count just the ones that cause the classic face palm.
I totally empathise with you Silverberg , this sort of treatment should never happen. I would recommend writing to PALS to advise them of your issues. If we are just grateful to be home, then nothing will change.
I spent several months in hospital after a major RTA when I was 17. Those days, they weren't perfect, but it worked! Matrons were to be feared by the nurses and because of this the care was SO much better and common sense prevailed with care.
When my parents were ill just over a decade ago, their care was absolutely shocking. I also believe that there's an unspoken agreement that elderly don't get the care they should - even my Dad's solicitor said this. After some dreadful care my Mum had, which I hadn't realised at the time - it wasn't until I obtained her hospital records after her death that I realised just how bad it had been. The hospital caused her death by overdosing her on morphine, gapapentin and fentanyl all given at the same time and over the prescribed dosage of gapapentin x 3 times.
I was lucky enough to be able to go into the hospital whenever I wanted when my Dad was admitted. My Mum had organised a health and welfare power of attorney for me over my Dad. It's worth more than it's weight in gold this document - the hospital couldn't refuse me entry outside of visiting hours and it meant I as able to be Dad's carer in the hospital too. They still made shocking errors, but at least most of the time I was able to pick up on them and prevent them being life threatening (Dad was a stroke survivor who couldn't even sit up on his own). They often laid him flat, thus risk of him choking to death as he had dysphagia from the stroke too.
I was waiting for the doctors who were with Dad one time and I was in the main area. 3 x nurses were chatting about a chap they fancied and talking about his bum - meanwhile a dementia patient was near me with a walking aid on wheels, he was about to sit down on the bar until I stopped him. The more senior nurse was at her station allowing the 3 nurses just to gossip. Appalling behaviour! That's just one example, I have dozens more, but the senior nurses appear to be frightened of being accused of bullying behaviour if they pick up on jobs not being done / or they just can't be bothered.
Some are great, but I have witnessed first hand some really diabolical staff and wonder why they ever went into a caring profession at all. Some blatantly lied on my Mum's hospital records - she "ate all her breakfast / drunk 0.75l of water on her own" 4 hours after her not being able to swallow as they'd failed to give her a tablet overnight (no action taken by those nurses), and at breakfast, tried to pick up a cup of tea and dropped it and they'd had to dress a burn. 2 hours later she stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated. So yeah right, she really ate her breakfast on her own!
I tried to hold them to account for what they did to her, but unfortunately because she survived 3 days in intensive care there wasn't enough legally to prove that the overdose killed her. But, I made darned sure I looked after my Dad when he was in. When he was discharged to the care home and had to be assessed by social services I was told "He's amazingly robust after 2 weeks in hospital, normally after just a week patients wouldn't be as strong as he is". That said it all to me - when I hear people say to patients "at least you're in the right place" I don't think they realise that they are actually not. I knew my Dad wanted to live as he was a scientist and as such, didn't believe in God. I had to fight so many times with doctors who told me he ought to have a 'do not resuscitate' on him. and "they won't want him in intensive care" and a junior doctor did actually did place a DNAR on him stating I wasn't available - when I'd been there for 5 hours that day and they had 2 x telephone numbers for me. It was quickly removed when I was aware. Hence the ageism that I think is in place.
I had an MRSA infection a few years ago and was lucky enough to have Acute Hospital At Home treatment. It's fantastic. Nurses visited to give me IV antibiotics twice a day and take my readings. I was even able to go to the pub after they'd been. This is something that would be great if they could expand if patients are capable of being at home.
I wonder if nurses had 3 x 8 hour shifts, rather than 2 x 12 hour shifts they'd have a bit more energy and willingness to do their jobs better?
Glad you are now home and hope you are recovering well.
Kindest wishes, Lesley
