Firstly I'd like to say that this isn't a dig at anyone who works for the NHS, over the past 3 years my experience of the majority of the front end staff has been excellent.
Clearly the NHS has serious issues, this being the G&D and not a place to talk politics, my intention isn't to take any discussion down that route.
For whatever reason the NHS is in the state it is, under funding- lack of staff etc.....I get that. For all of those issues every day they manage to look after thousands upon thousands of people which is something we shouldn't lose site of. However I'd like to ask someone who is directly connected to the NHS (hopefully senior management etc) this question as it's something which has been bothering me for quite some time.
My mother in law is 75- since Late Feb of this year she has been extremely poorly. Like all of us she had put on a few stone over the years and decided to do something about it. So shorty after the new year she embarked on a diet, did It sensibly- eating properly- more exercise and not some crash wonder diet she picked off the internet. 2-3 months later she had reached her ideal weight and was feeling great. I will at this stage say that she has always had a non threading heart condition where it slips in to AF quite frequently. At around this time she started suffering from horrific headaches, crippling headaches to the point she would be bedbound for several days. These were looked in to firstly by the GP and then the Hospital and after many weeks they found that the combination of drugs she was on for her AF was causing the headaches. Eventually the headaches stopped but almost straight away she started to suffer from a whole host of issues. Dizzy spells, swollen joints, severe cramps, intense pain all over her body, numerous urine infections, further heart issues, palpitations, crushing chest pains.....I could go on.
I will try and fast forward to get to the point but over intervening months she has been admitted to hospital more times than I can remember. In the past few months she has stayed in hospital three weeks, has been taken in the back of an ambulance on blue lights about six times and has had in the region of thirty GP appointments. Not to mention the outpatients, testing, MRIs, CT scans, X-rays, blood tests all done at separate occasions in the hospital.
Through out all of this she has never once been given any firm diagnosis, she had been chucked out of hospital before she was ready to go home only to be readmitted the next day, she has been passed from pillar to post seen multiple specialists all with different ideas. She is on a cocktail of drugs which I can only assume are doing her no good whatsoever ever.
She is not one step further down the line than she was nine months ago! Her life has been on hold, she's in limbo, has no confidence to travel, go out, has cancelled holidays because of it.
The cost so far to the NHS must run in to hundreds of thousands yet as already stated she is no further forward. Tonight she is now in hospital again with chest pains- she has had tests all throughout the day and they advised her this afternoon it looked like she had suffered a heart attack- about twenty minutes ago my wife rang to say they were wrong.
She is now on a ward and has been told she will be sent home tomorrow.
Im a man of little brain, after all I hit Land Rovers all day with hammers (dont worry David) but my logic tells me that there is something inherently wrong with the way that people are treated and their transition through the diagnosis of a problem is so flawed its staggering.
It seems they are only interested in dealing with the problems faced with them at that time, patch them up and kick them out the door attitude and worry about the problem if and when they come back.
How can this be right for the NHS? This repeat process which appears to be going on must be having severe effects, whats wrong with dealing with a condition, admitting the patient until its diagnosed and limiting the additional strain on the NHS to a bear minimum?
BTW I was going to stick this in the BP but wanted to open the question to a wider audience.
FFF?
NHS (read state) is not interested in people over the age of 60. In the best case scenario, assuming there are relatives present who can pester them (and potentially sue for negligence) they will provide a basic palliative management/care. If you want anything to be done about it - kick up fuss with your local MP and/or go private (and seek redress later, time and money permiting).
Fas est ab hoste doceri
B@ll@cks comrade, utter, utter.Originally Posted by VDG
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Then why spend xxxxxxx amount on her in the first place 9 months down the line?
I work in the NHS in a fairly senior role but am not a medic. Your situation is clearly very frustrating and you are rightly fed up at the apparent lack of diagnosis and treatment. Have you spoken directly with any of the consultants looking after your mother in law while she has been an impatient? What did they say? You are quite within your rights to ask to speak them about your concerns - they will not want your mother in law admitted and readmitted unnecessarily. Sometimes with elderly patients complex co-modifies make accurate diagnosis more difficult hence the multitude of tests but I am surprised this has not drawn them closer to a specific underlying condition.
What does her GP say?
She is quite entitled (or you as her advocate) to ask her GP to refer her to another consultant or another hospital entirely if you choose.
Whatever you do not consider private treatment. Private providers are useful for elective care (hips, knees etc) and after all are the same doctors but in case like this they will repeat all the tests (at great cost) and be no further forward.
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Partly my point FFF.
My Mrs is a Paramedic (obviously NHS but pre-hospital). She sees lots of complicated cases over time - often there is frustration from families and relatives over what they see as a lack of results or definitive diagnosis. Often chronic (long term) health issues are very complex and take time to find out what exactly is going on. This is very different to the critical stuff (mostly A+E) and the service has long past reached capacity. Sorry the read your frustration, but mostly they (NHS) do a decent job and they will resolve things - they prioritise pretty well in my experience and a neighbour has jumped loads of queues ow as he has (sadly) been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after a few months of being unwell, this in itself has a knock on effect to others.
Best wishes mate.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Also, I should add do not be afraid to raise your concerns (which are entirely legitimate) with the consultant, you can escalate further if you feel you are not being heard - ask why are they unable to confirm what the underlying condition is and if they are unsure - why and what are they going to do to get that assurance.
I am very proud to work in the NHS but we do get it wrong and communication is still lacking in too many cases. You must always feel that you can raise your concerns and not try to work things out for yourselves.
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Thank you.
I guess you really have to be at the deep end to see the wider picture and I fully appreciate for every person like my MIL there's a hundred more waiting in the wings. It is looking increasingly like she will be sent home tomorrow however we all know that she'll be heading back soon.
Another ambulance, visit to A&E, treatments, further testing, follow ups, GP visits all equals further costs to the NHS.
Hope you have a good private health cover, if not please remember your idiotic post once you've been given a run around by your local NHS trust.
Most likely, once diagnosed, your MIL condition will need an expensive treatment (possibly an op?) and she just doesn't score high enough on your local NHS pen-pushers/penny-pinchers system to justify the treatment, so doctors are not prepared to take responsibility to come up with a definitive diagnosis as it will mean they will need to provide a condition specific management. Either that or they all incompetent imposters like this one - Foreign doctor checks after fake psychiatrist case
Fas est ab hoste doceri
Thanks for the info
I work for the NHS and what you have said is utter nonsense and very ill informed, I personally find those comments offensive
It's not just the old. My daughter was having issues when she was one and kept ending up in A&E. They would treat the infection but never the underlying condition so she kept going back. Paid to go private and the solution was an hour with a specialist and a few quid worth of drugs. Was a very dark time for us and while I have every respect for many who work there, I have lost all faith in it as an institution.
They have discussed a condition ( excuse the spelling) polymyalgia rhuematica however because there appears to be no specific tests for a positive diagnosis nothing is certain.
She was taking 60 milligrams of steroids for this daily which at first helped but over time she has regressed back worse than before.
Her treatment seems to exists based purely on managing the concoction of drugs she is on when her symptoms are difficult for her to cope with.
The answer to your question is that yes the entire family have asked questions on so many occasions but getting an answer from someone is almost impossible.
Shove it comrade - you caused enough angst trolling in the BP before the gaffer hoofed you off.
You are in no way entitled to call anybody idiotic - you have almost defined the term, think yourself lucky you are still here and be a bit more respectful of others opinions.
Last edited by Chris_in_the_UK; 21st November 2018 at 22:50.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
My mother has had Polymyalgia Rheumatica for a long time. She’s 85 now. Some suggestion that it might have been associated with taking Simvastatin and the steroids she then took for the Polymyalgia Rheumatica wrecked her Achilles. She became a bit of a case study in hospital having two ruptured Achilles’ tendons at the same time.
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I can understand your frustration and unfortunately as with many chronic medical conditions it’s about managing rather than curing. Discuss options with her GP, they are key to getting access to the right clinician. Ask to be referred to a rheumatologist preferably when she is not in crisis. There maybe consultants at other Trusts with specific expertise in this area as they increasingly sub specialise.
Don’t give up and always make a nuisance of yourselves if you’re not happy with progress.
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Still butthurt much that Eddie doesn't listen to you and couple of other losers trying to police the place?
Respect is earned comrade and you do not deserve any for your idiotic comments and name calling. Use that ignore function and be gone now.
Fas est ab hoste doceri
Out of curiosity, are you and your family are treated on NHS or have a private cover?
Fas est ab hoste doceri
There is only one person who is the 'Police' and your card was marked - get over it.
As I said, I am not sure why you feel entitled to conduct yourself the way you do, but crack on.
I would not welcome any respect from you given your behaviour as of late.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
[QUOTE=VDG;4946329]NHS (read state) is not interested in people over the age of 60. In the best case scenario, assuming there are relatives present who can pester them (and potentially sue for negligence) they will provide a basic palliative management/care. If you want anything to be done about it
Vey narrow minded and ignorant response
Goodness, what an offensive, ill-conceived, small minded, bigoted comment! I'm fortunate to have been a member of this forum for several years and not read such drivel however I suppose everything has to come to an end eventually.
I did an NHS clinic this morning where the majority of patients were aged over 60, following up from non life saving surgery and arranging life enhancing surgery etc etc. No pestering from relatives required and several of them have had or are also having private cover so it is not a lack of ability to have private care meaning that I am seeing them either.
With regard to the OP, A+E is designed for saving lives and unfortunately, A+E or inpatient stays resulting from it rarely get to the bottom of complex medical issues. In the olden days, patients were rightly admitted for invetigations until an underlying cause was found or stability was achieved but cuts to inpatient beds and lack of resources often means patients are discharged as soon as they are "well." I am not an expert in PMR but I believe definatively diagnosing it is particularly difficult. I would suggest trying to see a geriatrician who would be the specialise the the greatest overview of age related health issues and can generally spend a reasonable amount of time in a outpatient setting arranging targeted further testing/referrals however probably what has happened to date is testing to exclude possibilities/things requiring urgent treatment.
As for VDG's last spurt of verbal diarrhoea, no I do not have private insurance as it isn't provided through my employer (!) and is a waste of money in many cases with co-payments and restricted access to many consultants. I have had NHS treatment for personal health issues with no significant problems and if I wanted to see X consultant or have X done privately then I would simply pay for that as required (as I have also done) and I would recommend this route to others.
I speak from personal experience and the system is rife with sheer incompetence, penny-pinching and box ticking/targets hitting psyche. If you find it offensive so be it, it is what it is.Goodness, what an offensive, ill-conceived, small minded, bigoted comment!
Fas est ab hoste doceri
I find them hard to take too, my father (in his 70’s) has over the years had a few neurosurgery operations on his back, a bypass and a couple of weeks ago 2 stents replaced. while my mum does sometimes phone the consultants secretary to try and speed things up (this is a good way of getting appointments brought forward) I have to say that while there are sometimes waits and delays the staff at all levels are amazing.
Me personally have had very little to do with the NHS apart from 2 wisdom teeth out under general anaesthetic, again no complaints.
I think this is the main point - most hospital admissions are by A+E, and they deal with the immediate problem. A good GP should be looking at the referrals to specialists, if they have something concrete to go on; otherwise it’s a very difficult thing to try and track down causes.
I get very frustrated with the NHS on a personal level - but their primary care is usually excellent, and I have friends and relatives that work in local hospitals on each area that I live in different countries - so it’s not just the NHS.
I’ve been very lucky in the last month being treated in a hospital overseas - initially I had an appointment with a GP, who ran tests and then requested that I be admitted immediately once he had the results back - as it turned out unusually he was both the GP and the hospitals main Doctor - so for once I had the GP who requested admission also have every test he wanted once I was admitted. Usually there is a difference of opinion between referring GP’s and the Docs at the hospital.
On the whole I find the NHS excellent, for basic initial care at the point/time of initial need. However, I find some specialists lacking or restricted by NHS guidelines - something that private may not be. I’m lucky that I have private medical, but it’s fairly useless unless you know what needs doing/fixing, and I’ll only use it for any needed operations etc. I’m fairly happy using the NHS for any initial enquiries.
As for older patients, the old main recently had a pacemaker and they couldn’t have been more helpful/supportive; likewise my brothers FIL has just had a triple bypass and again they have been exceptional in their care, treatment and aftercare/rehab.
It's just a matter of time...
Awful situation, but you shouldn't lose faith in the whole institution due to your experience with a certain part of your local hospital.
My dad, 89 suffered in a similar fashion. He had gall stones and was told by his consultant that they couldn’t remove his gall bladder due to a previous abdominal infection (caused by more NHS incompetence but that’s another story). Over the course of 18 months he was very poorly, succumbing to infection after infection due to stones blocking his bile duct. He collapsed several times, was in and out of hospital sometimes for weeks at a time and on a few occasions sent home, only to return hours later via ambulance. God knows what the cost was, but it must have been tens if not hundreds of thousands of pounds. Eventually, my niece who’s a nurse at the hospital spoke to the head of surgery as she thought her grandad wasn’t going to last much longer. He examined my dad who had a 20 minute keyhole procedure the following day to widen his bile duct and has been fine ever since.
I think the NHS is a wonderful thing but there is waste and inefficiency on a massive scale.
All I can say is good luck and best wishes for the old mother in law. All I can say is the NHS wants to know
“ do you have a DNR in place? “
That is the first question each nurse, sister, ER doctor, consultant etc wants to ask then it’s hello my name is ...........!
I am here to treat you. At the end they ask do you have a medical power of attorney.
Sorry sour grapes they treated my mother in law brilliantly after a stroke do to AF but she was 92 years old.
Be vigilant and be there as often as you can as they seem to bah bah bah all “old people”
Anyway that is my story with my old lady. She past away on the 30th of September this year. Then they wanted her taken away from their mortuary ASAP.
The stroke unit was/is brilliant such lovely staff except on bank holidays then “arsehole’s scrapping” bank holiday staff most of which can’t even speak unbroken English.
Anyway stand your ground try get your wife to be there to ask/pester the consultants at each stage.
This keeps them on their toes.
Your post really is my point- I struggle to understand in this day and age where testing and technology has come on leaps and bounds how this can happen.
I fail to see why that process should have taken 18 months and added additional strain to the NHS. Getting your father treated and cured in an efficient manner limiting the repeat visits and hospital admissions is surely a priority.
Although non of your business really I’m happy to confirm we are all cared for by the NHS who have been wonderful with my 79 year old mother who has some very complex and life changing issues.
May I politely suggest you attend the next annual public meeting at your local hospital to better understand the issues front line staff are dealing with. Freedom of speech is a wonderful thing but you need to gather your facts before ranting.
Que?
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
I must say I have not noticed that, I am over 60 and have a non curable but treatable cancer problem and am receiving AFAIK excellent treatment and most of the patients on the chemo wards I have met are older than me.
I deal with the NHS, one thing that becomes very obvious on a daily basis is the number of fairly senior people who's only interest is their careers and making technology introductions as difficult as possible, this way they can justify their positions, you could cull layers of managers and no one would ever notice. why isn't procurement centralised? why does every area have its own approval people and purchasing and accounts, the administration is a disaster, 2% is banded about as their administration cost but that's 2% of a very big number.
I had a very good friend, in march he started getting pain in one of his legs, he went to the GP and was told he had nothing wrong with him, it got worse so he went to A&E, who told him they could not find anything wrong and sent him back to his GP. the GP referred him to an orthopaedic consultant, he couldn't find anything so sent him to a pain man, this all took Four months by now he was unable to walk and the pain was unbearable, the pain man reviewed the notes and said, you haven't had an MRI scan, or have you had one and it is missing, he hadn't had one, he was sent for a scan. he had lung cancer and it had eaten its way into his spine, he was admitted to hospital and died two weeks later.
If you are not happy with the treatment make a fuss, don't let go until you are satisfied.
It’s in his last set of talking points from Moskva. I also suspect the BP ban is affecting his performance-related bonus; Christmas is coming and all that.
In the Sotadic Zone, apparently.
It's hard to comment on this thread without venturing into the world of politics but...
From my direct (limited I agree) and indirect (extensive with wife and near relations) the one thing that seems to be endemic in the NHS is simple incompetence.
Lost results being one of the main issues. Again and again we (myself/close family) have had extensive delays to treatment due to 'lost results' resulting in the procedures being rebooked with an extensive wait. If the results wouldn't keep on getting 'lost' then, IMHO, that would significantly reduce waiting list for these test. e.g. lost MRI, lost blood tests, etc, etc.
Next bad communication. Speak to one member of staff who promises to talk to xyz for referral/tests/consultation.... never happens. Recent example: Mother in law was told by the nurses on the care home that she needs an urgent OT referral. GP visited and agreed. 10 days later still no news and she's stuck in bed because the care home won't let her out until OT have been. Phone up and the referral never got through to OT. It's all the time...
Another example... not sure what this should be filed under. SWMBO goes in for an op. after a 6 month wait. Turns up early am, on the ward, in the gown and waiting. After 3 hours and no news panic... someone forgot to tick the box for some pre-op blood tests. Operating theatre sits there empty for 6 hours with surgeons and staff drinking coffee in the cafe. Eventually, by late pm, they give in and cancel the op. SWMBO is then put on to the bottom of the queue for another 6 month wait.
It's not like these are isolated cases; it's again, and again, and again.
I don't know who's to blame but my experience is the whole health service needs one huge kick up the jacksy!
The NHS is quite bad when compared to many continental health care systems. That is based on personal experience in both (15+ years in each) as well as official comparisons. Not because of individual people - just lack of resources and funding.
This is a good read: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices...-a7683541.html
Personally I blame GPs more than hospitals. There are definitely good and bad GPs and when care is primarily driven by your GP if you get a complacent, prejudiced or other bad one you are spit out of luck from then on.
If you don;t gel with your GP, find another one if you possibly can.
I have a mild heart condition (atrial flutter) which hopefully is now fixed but I've been through 2 GP's with this, one just didn't want to know and seemed to think that losing a bit of weight would fix it all up. My current GP arranged for me to see a consultant who got me on the list for catheter ablation, and put me on medication to control the incidents, improving my quality of life, and BLOOD THINNERS TO STOP ME HAVING A STROKE!!! When I told him about my previous experience with my former GP he said they should be struck off or words to that effect as I'd been in danger stroke, and other clot based blockages for years.
Overall I agree that we should be proud of the NHS, I've lived in the US and have seen the alternative, I also agree that there is room for significant improvement, I'll stop there as the rest of my thoughts are probably only worthy of the bear pit.
This is very true. With the current salary scales, and the GP being at the center of health management, the quaity of GPs should be higher, consistently.
Hospitals cope well at least in my area.
A&E brilliant.
As you move further along it gets worse.
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Wow....certainly some mud slinging going on here.
Blaming GPs is not acceptable. It is undoubtedly one of the hardest jobs in the medical profession - 30+ patients per day, each with a different problem ranging from Paediatrics to Gynae to Psychiatry.
Referrals, endless paperwork, prescriptions, visiting patients in their homes when they cannot get to the medical centre....
Yes, some will be better than others but, generally, each and every one of them will be trying to do the very best they can for their patients.
General Practice is UNDERFUNDED......perhaps one should start looking at a charge for their services rather than the current free service which, when free, is not valued by the consumer. It may keep some of the simple easy stuff away and allow GPs to concentrate on the more complicated and needy patients.
Last edited by DrDunc; 22nd November 2018 at 17:51.
Another arrogant bigoted brainwashed idiot. Cluck cluck..
Fas est ab hoste doceri
Keep it up comrade - soon be on the proper naughty step at this rate.
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Bigoted brainwashed idiots play the man, intelligent people with open mind discuss things.. Examples are shown above.
PS my sincere apologies to FFF and the baffled onlookers for the behaviour of my fellow members, they just can't help themselves with all that frustration and misguided hate. Just make sure you keep the pressure on your GP and consultants. I hope you get it sorted soon and your MIL feels better.
Last edited by VDG; 22nd November 2018 at 21:41.
Fas est ab hoste doceri
Snce this thread was started she has been back in hospital 3 times.
She is currently in now (8 days) and before that was in and let home 3 days before Xmas.
Shes lost a further 8lbs in weight and now is totally reliant on sticks and a walking frame.
She is unable to cross the room unaided to use the toilet due to not being able to negotiate the doors.
We have bombarded her specialists with questions and as suggested kept the pressure on but they are happy to keep on pumping her full of drugs- dealing with the problems they are faced at that time and then sending her home.
This latest spell in hospital was because the new specialist who saw her took one look at her and admitted her on the spot. Promising that they would "get to the bottom of it"
She was told last Friday that she needed an abdominal scan due to her specialist feeeling something in her stomach. He requested nil by mouth until the scan was done- 2 days later she hadn't been given the scan despite constantly asking the nurses what was going on. She eats very little anyway but as you can imagine she was ravenous after 2 days, she had the scan Tuesdays.
The specialist who admitted her hasnt been round and not seen her since when she was admitted.
Weve asked question after question but not one person knows what's happening.
Its simply shocking.
Which scan she was given, CT or ultrasound?
PS her GP should get a copy of the results, give them a call to find out if they received it, if not ask them to request a copy for their/your records.
Last edited by VDG; 17th January 2019 at 11:03.
Fas est ab hoste doceri
This is quite an ugly thread. Probably against my better judgement I will contribute.
Firstly, I am sorry FFF that your MIL is having such a rough time of it. As for a scan that was done on Tuesday, i am pretty sure that will have been reported by a Radiologist by now, try to catch the ward round and ask a doctor to look up the report, or ask the nurse to ask the doctor. Generally, when people ask for things like this, they are rude and aggressive, please don’t be. For the sake of getting what everyone wants, be polite, courteous and understanding of the time pressure everyone is under.
As for your and your MILs situation as a whole. My thoughts are this. Your mil clearly has some very very complex health needs. What needs to happen is a thorough overview of all tests that have been done so far and for a plan for actions. Try to speak to the nurse in charge on the ward, explain the situation and ask if you could have a meeting with the consultant responsible for her care on this admission. Not just a quick chat during ward round, a good 10min discussion at some point. This may or may not be possible. If it is not then probably a double appointment with the GP with pre warning to the GP about that you would like to discuss.
From a a medical perspective, we are quite bad at saying “I don’t know”. But sometimes we just don’t know what is going on, particularly with older complex patients, that is not a symptom of the health care system, but a symptom of a complex patient. This doesn’t mean no further help can be given but that expectations do need to be managed. Unfortunately, your experience in and out of hospital is not an uncommon one. With A&E it is their job to rule out the really serious stuff that is going to kill you now. That is it. From there they admit if they think you can’t cope at home or need more work done or discharge back to community if they think that is safe.
During a hospital admission staff are under enormous pressure to see far far too many patients, make them “safe” and discharge them. I hate it. It would be incredible if we could spend hours on each patient, make long term plans etc etc but it is just not possible most of the cases due to ridiculous pressures, under funding and most importantly understaffing. Along with doctors, physios and occupational therapists play a key role in getting people home safely, if you have concerns about safety at home then speaking to them may aslo lead to some fruit.
So to sum up, hospitals are really just too full and busy to provide the best possible care for complex patients with chronic conditions (as staff, we all hate this!). But hopefully if you manage to chat to the consultant for a bit to sort out a plan that might make things easier to stomach. Failing that a long appointment with GP, be prepared in the appointment with diaries, lists of the most important issues and worries etc. But also, I am afraid, manage your expectations of what can actually be done.
Finally, I will not be drawn into bickering. What I will say is the NHS is the envy of the world. That we can provide any kind of healthcare to all, free of charge, is a miracle and is taken as a right by too many people, not the privilege that it is. I have worked with people from places in Africa where people have sold land to pay for tests, the results of which meant they needed surgery, but couldn’t afford the surgery. The current system is indeed at breaking point, it is multifactorial, lack of funds, staff, expectations of the public, ageing population, lack of long term planning. Peoples issues with this should be taken up with politicians, not the frontline staff in GPs, hospitals and the like. No-one does this stuff to be shit at what they do.
Last edited by watchstudent; 17th January 2019 at 13:51.
Well said
While the NHS, like most organisations, could, I'm sure, be run with greater efficiency and 'smartness', I think the bottom line is when people get to a stage with so many conditions (my father is an example: diabetes, heart condition, tumour, polio as child, etc) it is nigh-on mission impossible to treat everything without each process interfering with the other.
Something as relatively simple as a car problem can stump very experienced and capable mechanics; the human body is infinitely more complicated.
For many people, sadly, there is no solution. My dad would have died much much younger had he been born 50 years earlier. I think we simply have unmanageable expectations now. I certainly wouldn't assume that if my father had a hospital to himself, with 10 highly experienced doctors and 20 similarly qualified nurses, that his health would be MUCH better. His body is failing.
Firstly I'm sorry to hear about your mother in law, I'm quite sure this is most distressing for her as well as those who care for her. If your unable to get a definitive answer from the medical staff, you may want to escalate the issue through the hospital's Patient Advice and Liaison Service. It may not give all the answer's your looking for but it may force the medics to at at least give a bit more insight to her treatment and way forward.
I absolutely agree. Some of my work is helping people adjust to the uncertainty there is about the complex, interlinked difficulties they face. Those difficulties often combine biological, psychological and social difficulties (Engel's bio-psycho-social model).
Sometimes people can expect a definitive answer in a few weeks or months (e.g. following a scan) and so the uncertainty will ultimately be resolved. More often though there is not a definitive answer at all and the search for the certainty they are seeking prevents them from managing their condition and maximising their quality of life. That is not to say that there are not also cases, some of them highly emotive and infamous, where there ought to have been certainty about a diagnosis and errors mean it was missed.
I think healthcare staff in general find it very difficult to work with this widely held public expectation that technology and medical expertise means there must be an answer to every problem. I think that as a healthcare system and as a society we need to have better recognition of the degree of uncertainty in healthcare and in our lives more generally.
Many of the people I meet are still on their search for certainty and hoping for a test and a cure and I encourage them to take that as far as they need to. I suggest to them that whilst they are doing that they try to notice the effect that their search is having on them. Would you rather be living with some uncertainty and connected to the people and values that are important to you or keep searching for certainty even if it means being disconnected from what you hold dear? If the cause of your difficulties might ultimately be complex and uncertain with no clear treatment, what will you do then? If possible, do some of both looking for answers and living a life you value.
The above is based on Barry Mason's 'positions of safe uncertainty' and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and there is also some excellent work on dealing with uncertainty in medicine.
You're going down a route it doesn't need to be taken down.
My MIL is seriously ill and has been for a year, without going through it again she's been in and out of hospital like a fiddlers elbow, prodded, poked, scanned, tested, with every method available and still nothing. So either as you'd suggest, we all have an unrealistic expectation of her becoming better OR her condition is so complex that not one of her doctors or specialists have seen this condition before.
If she could flick a switch and stop one symptom she has it would be to stop the crippling pain she has in her lower left side- her consultants are all aware of this.
Shes been complaining about this for months- all they could find was hugely increased infection levels which responded well to treatment.
Yesterday she was diagnosed with a perforated bowel, guess where abouts?
Yeh that's right, her lower left hand side- so when they've been bombarding her with antibiotics it's been bringing down the markers- she's released home until the infection levels increase to a level where she's admitted on blue lights again.
Now she has again been dosed with antibiotics and they've told her today that they're happy with her progress because the markers are coming down......well no shit Sherlock!
They think that surgery might not be needed but let's face it all the family know where it's going.
Im sorry but for me it's very simple.......in this instance the NHS have made my MIL worse.
How can a perforated bowel have been missed so many times?
I go back to my original statement and say that shes been patched up and sent home.
I don't think any of the family have ever had a unrealistic expectation of her being fixed overnight but FFS come on.
Last edited by Franky Four Fingers; 20th January 2019 at 11:49.
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