I have been in and out of hospital (A&E) over 7 times due to very bad pain in my upper abdomen area. Due to my bloods not showing infection the A&E department they would keep sending me home. It wasn't until I kept pushing and asking for further action to be taken that they then eventually did an ultrasound scan to find small gallstones and sludge.
However, although some people can manage symptoms at home, I haven't eaten for over 30 days, and my diet is always low fat anyway, I had my ovaries removed at a young age so the gallstones suggest to me that they appeared due to lack of estrogen as this is one of the common things women get.
My pain has worsened over time, and has become consistent, 24 /7 along with no food, sickness, then my stools were very pale and urine very dark, they still sent me home even though I had signs of trapped bile duct and jaundice. It wasn't until I deteriorated further when my liver enzymes blood test results showed up at marker 66, I was then informed to go home and return when I have a MRI scan was booked in, I informed the doctor that if they sent me home and something happened then I would take further action because I am not well.
They admitted me into hospital overnight where I was monitored and given antibiotics. The nursing staff team were amazing and very good, the doctors that visited, some were very good and informative but some not. On my last day, I was told I could go home because they could not see a gallstone trapped in my bile duct and my blood results had gone down to 29 instead of 66. (Liver marker should be between 0 to 17). So I am still higher than the max.
Although there has been improvement, I have been sent home to be left for this to potentially happen again in the near future. I still feel sick, in pain and cannot eat anything, surely this will lead to malnutrition and organ failure if left too long. Who's to say my bile duct will not get blocked again soon? And if so I'll have to have another MRI scan again for them to check?
My question is, all that time and money spent on me in and out of A&E, in hospital to then send me home again for me to return and go through the same process again. Money and time it makes no sense. And also with my health, I cannot live normally and to me it is an emergency because I cannot eat or drink, cannot sleep due to the pain and I have had symptoms of jaundice, pain very day. Why isn't this urgent?
If anything happens to me it will be taken further. I am happy with the nursing staff and 1 or 2 doctors, specialists are great, but I found most of the A&E doctors and surgeons extremely ruthless and they seemed not to care or question my health needs. One surgeon even cancelled my scans and tried telling me I had gastritis! Jaundice and trapped bile duct can lead to sepsis and serious conditions which I had, but send home again? All of our bodies are different and I think this gets forgotten at times.
I have had a horrible long journey and it could had just been very simple.
"Why isn't this urgent?"
About: Royal Bournemouth Hospital / Accident and emergency Royal Bournemouth Hospital Accident and emergency Bournemouth BH7 7DW
Posted by Saltt57 (as ),
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