Suing Hospital/Surgeon

Humphrey10

mynameistallulah wrote: »

The only impact it will have on the Trust is that their insurance premium may increase.

So what the OP needs to work out is what they want out of this - answers, and to make sure it does not happen to anybody else, or cash.

If it will make their insurance premium increase, then it's a disincentive.

The only person I know personally who took legal action against the NHS got both answers and money. I don't see how taking legal action could fail to get answers - surely all the details of the case would have to be presented as evidence along the way?

Anyway can't the OP do both, make a complaint, and then if that isn't resolved to her satisfaction, take legal action?

Savvy_Sue

You say that stoma patients usually get counselling beforehand: even though yours is temp, I'd get yourself some counselling, for the whole thing - it may help deal with the 'I nearly DIED!' thoughts which can be overwhelming.

floss2

dramaqueen1973 wrote: »

.....living with a bag is worse!

It's not the end of normal life - you are going to have it reversed. We have a friend who has had a bag for nearly 7 years now, and had 2 bags for 5 of those years. He has travelled, gets priority check-in on planes, and carries on with his normal life, despiote having had bowel & bladder cancer and most of his bowel & stomach removed. And before you say "but that wasn't an emergency" yes it was. He also had peritonitis which resulted in the bowel removal and bag from missed diagnosis in an NHS hospital.

dramaqueen1973 wrote: »

...given sick bowls, well most of time sadly it was other patients getting bowls for me as nurses were busy..

Maybe this is why the Dr seemed to think you had not been sick, as it may not always have been recorded.

OP have you made a formal complaint to the hospital? I would assume that this is your first step to any litigation and if you don't follow the hospital's complaints procedure, you run the risk of any case being thrown out because due process has not been followed.

dramaqueen1973

"................

j.e.j.

It's not a competition!! OP went in for a routine gynae op and came out with a perforated bowel, stoma bag and to add insult to injury they've now cancelled the reversal op.

It's outrageous, imo.

dramaqueen1973

It's not a competition!! OP went in for a routine gynae op and came out with a perforated bowel, stoma bag and to add insult to injury they've now cancelled the reversal op.

It's outrageous, imo.





Thankyou

Drama xx

Stephb1986_2

I hope your feeling better soon OP, I don't really have any advice, a customer of mine was in labour and they decided to do an incision down below somehow it went wrong and she ended up in the same situation as you, she had a stoma for a few years as it had basically rotted inside after many ops I still don't think she's back to normal.

She tried to sue the NHS but half of her notes went missing (strange eh) so eventually she gave up.

I hope you get the outcome you deserve

Steph xx

floss2

dramaqueen1973 wrote: »

...I understand that mine is not permanent, I understand that lots of people out there have permanent ones for serious illness and it keeps them alive and I truly admire them. I'm just saying that for me it's difficult and hard to get my head round, I was devastated, yes I have to cope, but I came on here just to vent out my personal feelings as it helps, not to get sympathy and be put against another person who has one as we are all different and cope in different ways!

I value your feedback though.

Drama xx

TBH, you have had a lot of sympathy and a lot of very good advice - and I was trying to point out that having a bag isn't the end of the world that you may think it is. My friend was being used an an example of living with a bag/bags, not to hold up against you!!

I would second the suggestion that you ask your GP for an urgent referral to the local stoma clinic.

BTW, you didn't answer my question about the formal complaint - have you advised the hospital that you will be making a formal complaint and asked what their procedure is?

dramaqueen1973

".................

heartbreak_star

Firstly, I am very sorry to hear about all this, it's awful, and I hope once your stoma is reversed you can get completely back to normal It sounds like a lot of different things all gelled together in a very bad way for you to get so ill

BUT my cynical side says make a big fuss about your aftercare rather than the actual surgery...ensure this doesn't happen to anyone else. The title of your post makes me think that you want to make a buck out of this, please tell me this isn't the case as the hundreds of thousands of pounds used to go to court (of which you will see peanuts) could fund care instead. The NHS is in a bad enough way - my mum had serious nerve damage after a knee replacement, a few people said sue but she didn't want to take cash away from hospitals.

I hope they investigate thoroughly what happened and you get some answers.

HBS x