NHS experience

[Scoobos]

I went into hospital with my wife for a routine operation with a less than 1% chance of "problems".

having seen the records via DPA , it turns out they didn't fill out any of the pre-op forms completely and totally missed the section on Respiration. (my wife had scoliosis so has a slightly decreased lung function)

Guess what happens? The anesthiastic gets the dose wrong, the surgeon did his job, my wife then stopped breathing when they brought her round, needing artifical respiration "with a fight, as she struggled as we tried to insert the breathing tubes".

Her op wound then bled out terribly , resulting in them taking her womb to save her from bleeding to death and then we faced 3 days of total piss poor bedside manner or treatment.

We are childless at 32 (at the time) having just got married after 13 years together to have kids. She had this op on preventative advice, travelling to the same hospital over 5 years, despite it being miles away (and sometimes on the other side of the world) and they still treated her like they knew nothing before the day she turned up for the op.

Tell me about horrible NHS stories.

All I ever heard throughout and after is stories about "Sorry that was cut,, this was cut,,, that was cut"...

I would have liked at least someone from the hospital to have called in the 13 hour window that was her going in and out of theatre and on life support. Alas no, I had to go and break down the bloody door to the ward 13 hours later to even get anyone to acknowledge I needed to know where my wife was. (the op was supposed to be done in 1 hr from dropping her off)

Yes it's still sore with me , even 2 years after.

[TimberWolf]

I went into hospital with my wife for a routine operation with a less than 1% chance of "problems".

having seen the records via DPA , it turns out they didn't fill out any of the pre-op forms completely and totally missed the section on Respiration. (my wife had scoliosis so has a slightly decreased lung function)

Guess what happens? The anesthiastic gets the dose wrong, the surgeon did his job, my wife then stopped breathing when they brought her round, needing artifical respiration "with a fight, as she struggled as we tried to insert the breathing tubes".

Her op wound then bled out terribly , resulting in them taking her womb to save her from bleeding to death and then we faced 3 days of total piss poor bedside manner or treatment.

We are childless at 32 (at the time) having just got married after 13 years together to have kids. She had this op on preventative advice, travelling to the same hospital over 5 years, despite it being miles away (and sometimes on the other side of the world) and they still treated her like they knew nothing before the day she turned up for the op.

Tell me about horrible NHS stories.

All I ever heard throughout and after is stories about "Sorry that was cut,, this was cut,,, that was cut"...

I would have liked at least someone from the hospital to have called in the 13 hour window that was her going in and out of theatre and on life support. Alas no, I had to go and break down the bloody door to the ward 13 hours later to even get anyone to acknowledge I needed to know where my wife was. (the op was supposed to be done in 1 hr from dropping her off)

Yes it's still sore with me , even 2 years after.

Sorry to hear about that. +Rep for sticking with her.

[TimberWolf]

Oooh, Co-Codamol seems like the real McCoy. [30mg Codeine Phosphate Hemihydrate + 500 mg Paracetamol per tablet]. Pain disappears plenty quickness, whereas Aspirin and Paracetamol, as bought in the shops in admittedly ineffectual doses, does flip all.

Codeine is the second-most predominant alkaloid in opium, at up to three percent
Codeine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Was wondering why I felt at peace with the world when I went for a leisurely evening stroll under summer's softly waning sun. Even with the joggers, who I cheerfully stepped aside for as a crescendo of pattering steps marked the progress of their approach from behind. Never mind, tomorrow is another, drug-free, day.

[TimberWolf]

Why aren't I sleepy? I had about 4 hours kip last night, followed by a General Anaesthetic, followed by tablets that are supposed to make one feel drowsy. I even watched an episode of Myth Busters in bed and didn't succumb to sleep (it's bed that usually sends me rapidly to la-la land, not Myth Busters).

[SantaClaus]

Go private.

Money talks.

Yep, then when it all goes wrong, your doctor will probably be on the golf course.

[Ignis Fatuus]

...
I draw two conclusions;
- if you think socialised healthcare is expensive, wait till you see what it costs when the insurers get their mucky hands on it.
- given economic circumstances we can afford either healthcare or health insurers, but we can't afford to pay for both. Take your pick.

And for anyone who's still following the logic that the market inevitably does things better than the state; try spending a day ignoring the Tea Party wingnut rhetoric and look at evidence for a change. The evidence from Europe is that socialised healthcare systems 1) work, 2) cost less for the consumer and 3) cost less for the taxpayer. Shove the right winged rhetoric up your arse and just hope there's a socialised healthcare system that'll send an ambulance to bring you to hospital where highly skilled government employees, possibly immigrants, will extract it safely and quickly and not send you an enormous invoice for saving you from your own abject stupidity.

A very important point, that I could not have put better.

[BrilloPad]

Oooh, Co-Codamol seems like the real McCoy.

Personally I love tramadol. Strong enough to sedate a horse.

[escapeUK]

The NHS is appalling. There should be a way of opting out of paying for it which mandates that you must have alternative cover.

I go to a cracking private dentist, which means each check up costs me £70, but they use all the latest technology, no scraping with a metal hook its a tool that sprays high pressure salt water. She would open the practise up at a weekend for me if I needed it, and I have her private mobile number just in case.

Compare that to my NHS doctor, I ring up on Monday and first appointment is Friday. I could either be well by then or dead.

One time I hurt my back, and I was literally crawling on the floor to get between rooms. I had moved away to the other side of the city, and my doctor refused to come out to me.

[TimberWolf]

Ah, noticeable swelling on one side of the face now. This can peak in 3 days or more, so I may start getting stares if it does get much worse. No mention of the use of hot face swabs under 'after 24 hours care', perhaps these are regarded as a bit pseudo sciency. Will try a hot swab or two anyway and the recommended warm salt mouth washes.

[Paddy]

As a cost cutting exercise I went NHS for the dentist. Over 18 months it cost me £230 for obvious poor quality work. Two months since that last checkup that gave me the all clear, the NHS work has failed. As a result I am not going back there and instead I am going back to my old dentist in Prague. Prices in Prague have gone up considerably but at least the work is first class.