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Sunday, January 19, 2014
Patient Liaison Officer.
Hervey Bay Hospital.
Nissen Street,
Pialba, 4655
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am wondering if you are running a hospital or a torture chamber! I have written to you before regarding the lack of treatment I have received.
First, for your information… I do not have Diabetes. I have Psoriatic Rheumatoid Arthritis which is hard enough to cope with without being treated like a guinea pig by your ER staff.
Yesterday, Saturday 18th January, I supposedly had an appointment to see Dr. D. Pxxxxx which was organised by phone between my GP, Dr. Gxxx Kxxx and Dr. Pxxxxx on Friday 17 th January. This was to bypass any involvement with E.R. staff. I was instructed to arrive at E.R. at 10.00am on Saturday. I had a letter from my GP to give to Dr. Pxxxxx but when I presented it to Triage I was told Dr. Pxxxxx didn’t make appointments.
I explained that arrangements had been made the day before between my GP and Dr. Pxxxxx and HE said I had to be there at 10am. I was told to take a seat. In hindsight I should have left there and then.
Ten minutes later I was taken to the area behind Triage where my blood pressure was taken and I was given the third degree about my appointment with Dr. Pxxxxx. It seemed like they thought I was making up the story. I could see I was going to get nowhere once more!
Eventually I was taken to a room (supposedly) after Dr Pxxxxx had been contacted. Again I was given the third decree about my problem. The ER staff member (I can’t remember his name) decided I should have a blood test after removing the dressing from my left foot and observing the ulcer under the middle toe.
A female staff member came in and attempted to draw blood. She had a minimum of 4 tries before she had success. I might add here… I get blood tests once a month at Sullivan and Nicolaides and I know you are NOT supposed to move the needle around once it has been inserted. It should be withdrawn and tried again. Perhaps your staff should get lessons! This ER staff member DID move the needle around once it was inserted. I pulled her up on that but was ignored.
The blood sample was taken away and I was told I had to go to X-Ray. Fine… but my ulcer was still open (without any dressing or covering). I couldn’t walk so they decided to get me a wheelchair. I asked if my ulcer should be covered but was ignored.
I had about a ten minute wait before getting the X-Ray… not a problem, the gentleman was busy. Once that was done I was shuttled out to the ER waiting area…. My foot was beginning to sting, from the ulcer being open to the air. I asked for it to be covered but was ignored again. I might add that by this time almost 3 hours had passed.
After some considerable time I was shuttled back to the room I had been in before. There was something wrong with the blood test results! They would have to draw MORE blood!
It took FIVE different staff members, each jabbing me 3 or 4 times, in assorted places on my arms and hands, wiggling the needles under the skin and causing me considerable stress and pain! It wasn’t until the 5 th person, a lady called Tonia listened to me. I was freezing so I suggested that I soak my hands in hot water before she tried. She agreed and she was able to draw the blood with less problems.
I had suggested this to the other staff members but was ignored. By the time the second lot of blood was drawn I had around 20 or more injection marks on my hands and arms. I was covered in so many sticky patches I looked like a drug addict! By this time I was crying from the pain and the stress and was once more shuttled out to the ER waiting room and still my ulcer wasn’t covered!!
I felt sick, my arms were sore from all the needles and from having the band (I don’t know what it’s called) pulled tight on my arms so many times. As I type this they are still sore, a day later. It was embarrassing being put on display in front of others waiting to be attended to.
By this time it was around 3PM. I was exhausted physically and mentally and I fell asleep in the wheelchair. The nurse from Triage woke me up to make sure I was OK. I fell asleep again.
A short time later someone decided to take me to a “Relatives Room” so I could lie down. I was grateful. I fell asleep and was woken by a nurse who informed me that according to my blood results my (I don’t know the technical description) infection rating wasn’t high enough for them to be able to do anything!! WHAT A SURPRISE!!!
I asked her if she was serious. She had been told to inform me there was nothing they could do and I should go home. I asked her if she could at least dress my open ulcer, which she did. I didn’t get the option of a wheelchair to take me out, I had to walk. I asked how to get out and was given directions… how kind! By this time it was almost 5pm. I’d spent 7 horrendous hours of torture for nothing!
I could barely walk. By the time I reached the nurses’ station a nurse asked me if I was OK. I’m sorry to say I was rude to her and I apologized later. She and an ambulance officer got me a wheelchair. I was a total wreck, sobbing and told them I am sick of this hospital. They don’t practice preventative medicine! You have to be half dead or well on your way out before they pretend they care. They at least were kind and caring and organized for my son to be contacted to come and collect me. They did their best to calm me down. They and the ladies who work in the office in ER, Tonia and the Triage nurse were the only people who showed any signs of caring.
Of course I never saw Dr. Pxxxxx. Should I be surprised?????
Once more I went through hours of pain, agony and being ignored for what… NOTHING!!!
My arms are covered in bruises and they ache.
Over 2 years ago I came in requesting information about the intravenous antibiotic I received which cleared up my first ulcer. Of course I had to be screaming with pain before I was admitted and put on the drip for that first ulcer. I wanted to know if I could get an oral equivalent since I had a scab about the size of a five cent piece on my leg that could possibly be the start of another ulcer. I thought that if I could get the same antibiotic I could nip the possible ulcer in the bud. BIG MISTAKE!
The scab was ripped off by one of your staff also named Jamie (can’t remember his last name) who decided it needed a biopsy! He gave me a local anaesthetic BUT didn’t give it time to take. I yelled from the pain and was told to basically shut up because my yelling would upset other patients. I couldn’t stop screaming because the pain was excruciating. Thanks to his treatment the tiny (possible ulcer) became a huge ulcer with which I am still dealing.
Last October I was in pain with the “potential” ulcer under my toe caused by uneven pressure on my feet when standing because my toes have twisted in the last few months. I came in for help. I saw a young Irish “doctor” in ER. After a lot of useless conversation she told me that the Hervey Bay Hospital cannot treat feet problems. She went off and checked with her “boss” and was told to tell me they could do nothing for me.
Early in 2013 my GP had sent a referral to your hospital in the hope something could be done for my hands which are twisted from Rheumatoid Arthritis. I finally got an appointment with a Dr Gxxxx in NOVEMBER and another in December. We decided that my feet were more important since my foot problems had begun from July 2013 and were worsening quickly, He told me that THEY COULD TAKE CARE OF MY FOOT PROBLEM AT THE HERVEY BAY HOSPITAL, my hands would have to be attended to in Brisbane.
So….the Irish “doctor” TOLD ME A LIE !!!
Then, early this month I received a letter from Queensland Health advising I needed to renew the referral. I panicked because I didn’t want to miss my next appointment with Dr. Gxxxx. I phoned Q.H. advising I wouldn’t be seeing my GP until 17 th January. I was told that’s not a problem because my next appointment with Dr. Gxxxx wasn’t until 13 June 2014!
I discussed this with my GP and we both agreed that if my toe was left unattended for 6 more months I will have huge problems. This is why she contacted Dr. Pxxxxx, to see if I could be attended to in the meantime to treat the ulcer before it became too late to do anything.
Well, thanks to the staff at your hospital and the lack of caring for whatever reason, the next time you see me will be on a slab with a ticket on my toe…. Obviously not my middle toe because it will have fallen off!
Then again, maybe I could make one more visit and hope that one of your ever so caring staff would be kind enough to prescribed Penicillin…as was done before…. when it states on my history folder that I am allergic . That would finish me off nicely.
You don’t care… so I’m beyond caring anymore. I will not let myself get to the stage where I need physical assistance when I know I could have had help before my problems escalated. I will not be a burden to anyone. I will not end up my days in a ‘home’. You can read into this statement whatever you like. Just know that whatever happens it’s thanks to the Hervey Bay Hospital.
Jamie Furner
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