Over the past couple of years I had developed a large cyst in the middle of my back. Last summer I tried to have it removed, my GP said No, NHS wont do it, No worries I retorted, I am blessed with health insurance, so off to a dermitologist consultant, who recommended that although it was asymptomatic, it was large (golf ball sized) and in danger of future infection. However, a 'sales advisor' at AXA PPP advised me that No was also their response.
Like a self fulfilling prophecy 2 weeks ago it started to grow and achieved monstrous proportions of both size and pain. I went to my GP on Friday morning, she prescribed antibiotics and panadol for the pain, booked another appointment for the Monday and left me to it. To be fair, she warned that the antibiotics may have no effect due to the extent of the infection, but she was duty bound to try them for 48 hours and anyway it was a weekend, what else could she do.
By Sunday morning, the pain was unbearable, I literally had not slept for more than 40 minutes at a time, I could only lie on my left side. I contacted the emergency weekend call out service on Sunday morning as I could no longer manage the pain, I was taking 2 Panadol every 3 hours, well over the recommended 8 per 24 hours. I went up to the NHS Careline offices at Royal Berks hospital and saw a very helpful Doctor who immediately called Surgical and booked me in for emergency surgery on Monday morning. He also gave me some stronger pain killers, but of course I couldn't take anything after midnight.
When I woke up after the general at 11 am on Monday, the relief was unbelievable, despite a raging fever. I was able to leave at 3pm, with instructions to see the nurse at my surgery on Wednesday to redress the wound.
What they failed to explain was that I should have gone the following day, and that I would be going every day for the forseeable future whilst they clean and pack the wound to keep it open to encourage healing from the depth of the cavity, not from the surface. Today is Tuesday, 7 days after surgery, I am still not over the effects of the anaesthetic and surgery, very tired after the slightest activity. I have been off work now for 7 days and am signed off for the rest of this week. Estimates on the healing time vary from 5 to 10 weeks, although the daily clean/pack routine could change to every other day in 2 weeks time. In exactly 6 weeks we are due to fly to Turkey for a beachside hotel holiday.
Why oh why would neither the NHS or my Health fund excise the cyst on the advice of a highly trained and experienced consultant, when it would have been a relatively straightforward procedure. What is the point of paying hundreds of pounds to a health fund if they are simply going to mirror the decisions of the NHS. The ongoing cost of my treatment to the NHS, the loss of earnings to my company (who forced this particular fund upon me), the personal discomfort, and now concern about the viability of our holiday all created because of a significant lack of foresight by health administrators. As part of my exit interview at the hospital, I was given all kinds of information, except the fact that I would need to have daily visits to my surgery or the methods that would be employed for 'cavity maintenance' as it has since been described.
If I sound angry, it is because I am. What a complete waste. I thought that changes to the NHS would put decision making in the hands of GP's driven by the needs of their patients. It doesn't feel that is the case from my experience. My GP hid behind a mantra 'NHS says NO'
Today is a fast day, I do not feel like fasting, but I will, I can just lie in bed and drink water, I fasted 2 days last week, although to be fair I chose the day of the operation and the day after, and lost 0.9Kg in the process. That at least was a bit of a victory I had been stuck on 94Kg for the previous 2 weeks.
Sorry to go on, I just felt like a bit of a rant............
Like a self fulfilling prophecy 2 weeks ago it started to grow and achieved monstrous proportions of both size and pain. I went to my GP on Friday morning, she prescribed antibiotics and panadol for the pain, booked another appointment for the Monday and left me to it. To be fair, she warned that the antibiotics may have no effect due to the extent of the infection, but she was duty bound to try them for 48 hours and anyway it was a weekend, what else could she do.
By Sunday morning, the pain was unbearable, I literally had not slept for more than 40 minutes at a time, I could only lie on my left side. I contacted the emergency weekend call out service on Sunday morning as I could no longer manage the pain, I was taking 2 Panadol every 3 hours, well over the recommended 8 per 24 hours. I went up to the NHS Careline offices at Royal Berks hospital and saw a very helpful Doctor who immediately called Surgical and booked me in for emergency surgery on Monday morning. He also gave me some stronger pain killers, but of course I couldn't take anything after midnight.
When I woke up after the general at 11 am on Monday, the relief was unbelievable, despite a raging fever. I was able to leave at 3pm, with instructions to see the nurse at my surgery on Wednesday to redress the wound.
What they failed to explain was that I should have gone the following day, and that I would be going every day for the forseeable future whilst they clean and pack the wound to keep it open to encourage healing from the depth of the cavity, not from the surface. Today is Tuesday, 7 days after surgery, I am still not over the effects of the anaesthetic and surgery, very tired after the slightest activity. I have been off work now for 7 days and am signed off for the rest of this week. Estimates on the healing time vary from 5 to 10 weeks, although the daily clean/pack routine could change to every other day in 2 weeks time. In exactly 6 weeks we are due to fly to Turkey for a beachside hotel holiday.
Why oh why would neither the NHS or my Health fund excise the cyst on the advice of a highly trained and experienced consultant, when it would have been a relatively straightforward procedure. What is the point of paying hundreds of pounds to a health fund if they are simply going to mirror the decisions of the NHS. The ongoing cost of my treatment to the NHS, the loss of earnings to my company (who forced this particular fund upon me), the personal discomfort, and now concern about the viability of our holiday all created because of a significant lack of foresight by health administrators. As part of my exit interview at the hospital, I was given all kinds of information, except the fact that I would need to have daily visits to my surgery or the methods that would be employed for 'cavity maintenance' as it has since been described.
If I sound angry, it is because I am. What a complete waste. I thought that changes to the NHS would put decision making in the hands of GP's driven by the needs of their patients. It doesn't feel that is the case from my experience. My GP hid behind a mantra 'NHS says NO'
Today is a fast day, I do not feel like fasting, but I will, I can just lie in bed and drink water, I fasted 2 days last week, although to be fair I chose the day of the operation and the day after, and lost 0.9Kg in the process. That at least was a bit of a victory I had been stuck on 94Kg for the previous 2 weeks.
Sorry to go on, I just felt like a bit of a rant............
