WWYD? Hospital "negligence"

Hootie19

First off, let me say, I am NOT interested in sueing - before I get flamed for that!

On 13th August, after experiencing pain, swelling and finding a lump in my calf, on the advice of the OOH doctor, I attended the Urgent Care Centre, to be assessed for a possible DVT.

After seeing three doctors, and having various tests, I was told that the blood tests showed that it was not a DVT, and sent home with a week's worth of two lots of powerful antibiotics. They weren't sure what it was, but mentioned a rather generic "infection", or possible abscess. I was told to go to the GP three days later, whether I thought the antibiotics were working or not.

This I did, and that GP thought it was an abscess. She said that she didn't think that the antibiotics the hospital had given me would be enough to get rid of it, and gave me a prescription for a further week's supply.

At this point, the pain was excruciating and the lower leg was very swollen.

After completing the course of antibiotics from the GP, there stil lhad been no improvement, so I went back and saw a different GP, who then prescribed a 10 day course of the same antibiotics.

After 5 days, I went back (pain pain pain pain) and she then also prescribed anti inflammatories. Maybe coincidental, but within 4 hours of taking the first one, the pain was almost gone and I was walking almost normally.

The swelling did not subside, so after finishing the third lot of antibiotics yesterday, me and my elephant leg (left calf measured 15 inches, right calf measured 18.5 inches, with a similar difference between the ankles), attended a third GP this morning. She wasn't sure, but said she was leaning towards a "something" phlebitis but wasn't ruling out DVT. She gave me prescriptions for more anti inflammatories and diuretics (thank goodness for pre-payment certificates!) and referred me to the DVT Clinic at a local health centre for this afternoon.

I attended there, where they took blood and analysed it there and then. The analysis indicated that treatment should be commenced for a blood clot. I had the first treatment there (an injection into the stomach - I am needle phobic ), and will attend tomorrow for a second dose, with a third dose being administered at home on Sunday by the District Nurse. No plans have been made for the administration of any further doses, as at the moment they are treating it as DVT as a precaution.

I have an appointment at 9.15am on Monday at the Imaging Department at the hospital, where they will scan my leg. The scan will show whether it is in fact a DVT. Further treatment will be decided after the scan has been done.

So finally to the crux of this post!!

Both the GP this morning, and the DVT nurse this afternoon said "but why didn't they scan your leg at the hospital when you first attended"? I'd quite like to know that too.

Would there be any point in taking it up with the phlebotomy department at the hospital, or the doctor(s) I saw there four weeks ago. Or do hospitals have complaints departments? If it does turn out on Monday that it is a DVT, then I have been walking around with a potentially fatal condition that should have been treated a month ago. Fortunately, I've suffered no real ill effects from it, but the "what ifs" are there.

As I said at the beginning of the post (sorry for the length of it) I'm not interested in any financial gain, but I if it does turn out to be a DVT, I would like to know how this could have been missed, and also would like to know what, if anything, they will implement to ensure it doesn't happen again.

mountainofdebt

tbh I'm not sure.

You've seen a number of doctors, not only at the hospital but 2 GPs before a 3rd GP decided to treat it as potentially DVT - so you could argue that the 1st GP you saw could have treated it as DVT and didn't - so should you be asking your practice why they didn't treat it as DVT as well?

Personally I think Doctors are basically people who have been trained in working out the odds of what condition you might be suffering from and then working out what is more likely to work.

Mojisola

I would ask why you weren't sent for a scan. My Mum's had several as a precaution on different occasions when her leg was inflamed. This was arranged by the GPs.

Start with a query to the head of the PCT and your GPs, rather than a complaint.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Try PALS (who will hold your hand, get the runaround from the people who have failed and do nothing other than sound sympathetic) or start as you mean to go on, by writing to the Chief Executive of the Trust and ask them. That usually gets your notes lost faster than Usain Bolt doing the 100m dash, but at least someone in authority actually has the opportunity to find out there has been a potentially fatal %&£* up - there should have been a serious untoward incident report made, which is the only way things get properly investigated when it's left to them, but that won't happen now - and the management of the Trust and Director of A&E needs to know that they are endangering patients and leaving the hospital open for litigation by such idiocy.

RAS

When I had phebitis, raising my leg on a cushion reduced the pain massively.

pigpen

tbh.. I wouldnt do anything. a complaint is pointless they ignore them and if you are lucky you get a generic letter saying sorry for your poor experience we will look into it

heretolearn_2

Part of me thinks you should make a complaint, as maybe it will lead to a review of procedure or something.

the other part of me thinks don't bother, as I made a complaint, got told 'sorry, that was wrong, and we'll re-train the staff' and next time I went back exactly the same thing happened again, so what a waste of time that was.

meritaten

The above replies are exactly why some people do go ahead and sue the NHS. Its not the money in most cases - its to get the people in charge to get off their backsides and 'investigate what went wrong and then implement measures to prevent it happening again'!

unless you have suffered hardship as a result of misdiagnosis, ie cant work so lose money, then its doubtful whether you would actually have a case.

jodie114

sorry to hear about your experience hun, just wanted to say that i have had 2 lower leg dvts (at the grand old age of 30!) and the injections in the stomach don't last that long, typically a week or so until your body gets it into the system then you can go oral - if the worst comes to the worst!

thegirlintheattic

Scans are expensive, the NHS will try treatments for more common aliments first before scanning for the majority of symptoms.

rainbow81

I would say that if you lodge your complaint with PALS it will at least highlight what went wrong with your case. I expect you will get a nice sorry letter but at least they may look into their procedures for future patients - which could be you again!
The more people who give feedback the better, in my opinion.

I hope you get better soon.