Regular readers of my blog will know that back in March I had my gallbladder removed, after many months and numerous medical investigations it was deemed that my gall bladder should be removed. I went and had the procedure done and couldn`t say a bad word about my treatment....until now.
Today my husband went into hospital to have an inguinal hernia repaired. When he was first referred by our GP to the specialist we had to choose where to been seen and were very surprised to have the choice of being seen at a private hospital. We chose the private hospital as the waiting list to bee seen was almost 4 months shorter than the regular NHS hospitals. Yes we went to a private hospital but the NHS have paid for all treatments.
Like I said hubby went into hospital today and his experience couldn`t be as opposite to mine if it tried.
My experience involved having a 3 hour wait sat in a overcrowded room of other people who were also waiting for surgery whilst wearing a very flimsy see-through gown. To say I was a nervous wreck is an understatement!!! Why couldn`t I have someone to keep me company?
I was ushered into a room by a rather flustered nurse to be anaesthetised and had the op..on recovery I awoke in a busy ward and sent to another ward way before I was ready. Then was forced to eat a greasy fish and chip dinner within 30 minutes of waking which resulted in me feeling and being very sick. I thought this was normal.
I was left to fend for myself, I never saw a doctor after my op, and only saw a nurse if I called for one, on dismissal my notes were thrown and me and told to go home...no post op advice, nothing. Again I thought this is how it was.
Today my eyes were opened.
On admission my husband was taken into a lovely private room; we met his nurse who would be in charge of his individual care, his anaesthetist, chef and lastly his surgeon. The whole process was seamless and stress free. He got to choose what he wanted to eat on recovery and when he wanted to eat, once he felt ready. If it was me having the op this time I would of been fine. Not a nervous wreck; alone and shaking from head to toe. I was allowed to stay in hubby`s room with him right up until he walked down to theatre and was allowed to stay in his room watching TV whilst he had the op so I was there when he awoke.
The staff couldn`t of been more helpful and nothing was enough for them. It was like a visit to a hotel rather than having an operation. When I was in hospital I felt like a piece of meat on a production line.
Thankfully hubby is now at home with loads of pain medication if he needs it. Another thing that I wasn`t offered from the NHS. I was told to go to the shops and get some paracetamol. Hubby had been given morphine if the pain gets too much, something I would of loved after my op!!
Like I said at the beginning of this post I appreciate everything that the NHS does but now know how different your treatment can be. We are seriously considering trying to budget our monthly finances to allow private healthcare for the family.
Paul had his cruciate ligament sorted out on the NHS but like Chris, he opted to have it done at the Nuffield Private Hospital in Bournemouth. He still talks about how he got wine with his posh fish dinner after his op!! he had his own private room, the service was brilliant and it just seemed less chaotic than the NHS wards. x
ReplyDeleteWe have an insurance plan where if you can't get treated within 6 weeks on the NHS you can go private. I agree the NHS are an amazing resource and if you were critically injured I believe there is no better service in the world, but for the day to day stuff they are seriously over stretched and under appreciated by the majority which makes their job even tougher. Glad he is on the mend. xxx
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