Mr Mohamed Mabrouk

Written by a patient at Addenbrooke's Hospital

I attended the A&E three times with lower abdominal pains. I was hospitalised and discharged with no diagnoses. In the following couple of weeks, my pains worsened and my first routine appointment with the Gynaecology department was booked for 3 months later. The department cancelled and rebooked my appointment a few times. I contacted the department as this was not a pain I could survive for 3 months and I asked for my MRI to be reconsidered. Once they reviewed my MRI, I was asked to come in urgently by one of the senior doctors. When I attended I had an ultrasound scan and I was told that I had lost an ovary… “likely to have e suffered a torsion whilst I was initially in pain” and either could wait for things to get better (?! if they would ever just get better) or have an urgent operation. The doctor who saw me was due to be on annual leave and had squeezed me in after reviewing my MRI. It felt as if he just wanted to go on his holiday. I was in a cold hospital room, half naked, unaware of what may be happening and the doctor carrying out my scan just casually said that I had lost an ovary! This was a very sad and shocking experience. I do not have children and it is something I look forward to in life and finding out that I had lost an ovary in the time I was in and out of the hospital was extremely frustrating. I have always had heavy periods but no doctor has ever investigated it further. I had had a scan which showed mini cysts a year before and my GP had said that this was all normal. The doctor at the hospital introduced me to the emergency evening team who were happy to operate me rather "go in and remove the lost ovary". I asked to have an emergency operation but not with the evening team. I wanted to be booked in for the day surgery. I was extremely lucky because my operation was booked in with Dr Mohamed Mabrouk for the next morning. I had not met Dr Mabrouk but I had previously heard from endometriosis patients talking about him in the ward whilst I was initially hospitalised for a week. They were talking about how he is an amazing doctor and truly a specialist. In the morning of the operation, Dr Mabrouk came and introduced himself to me. I told him all of my concerns. I told him I did not want to lose an ovary. He was very different to all the other doctors I had previously met in the A&E and the wards (which was probably about 8-10 doctors ranging from general surgeons to Gynae's). He listened to all of my concerns and answered all of my questions. He assured me that he is Gynaecologist and that his job is to recover and save as much of the productive system as possible. He told me all the details of what he will do and any scenarios he may face. He said if the ovary is there and there is any chance to save it he would save every possible part. He explained the worst case scenario, the best case scenario and all the possible outcomes from one end of the scale to the other. He really assured me that I can trust him and that he would do his best to preserve my ovaries. When I came out of the operation, he came to see me in the ward about an hour after I woke up. This also assured me that he really cared for his patients. He had saved my ovary, in fact there was a large cyst on my left ovary and a burst cyst in the douglas pouch. He explained everything in detail to me. I was diagnosed with endometriosis. He had carried out an extensive operation and his assistance did not end there. I suffered a heavy bleed a week after the operation and was taken to A&E; I was told that this was my period probably induced by the operation as the body can sometimes go in to shock. I was able to speak to Mr Mabrouk on the telephone and in person. He continued to support me and answer my questions. He had wondered if my endometriosis had caused any damage to my bowels and I had a colposcopy. He is so great that he called to give me my colposcopy results during lockdown and checked on my progress. He is definitely to be trusted. In the 7 months I have been under the care of Addenbrokes hospital Gynae department, Dr Mabrouk is definitely the doctor I trust. I would recommend him any Gynae patients. For me, he made a miracle happen. He has great knowledge, he listens and he cares. He is a fabulous doctor.

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Written by a patient at Spire Cambridge Lea Hospital

I strongly recommend Mr Mabrouk, for the two most important things you want in a doctor: 1. A compassionate and thorough approach to the care of patients, and 2. Top-notch expertise and skill. I was diagnosed with a 9cm ovarian cyst that had twisted, which needed to be removed urgently. I had a history of two Caesarean-sections and a horrific uterine rupture. Because of the large size of the cyst, and the likely scarring and adhesion from previous trauma, I was told categorically, by another gynaecologist, that I needed to have open surgery. I ended up having a successful keyhole procedure with Mr Mabrouk. I know nothing about his field, but I get the impression that he is renowned for his skill in laparoscopic surgery (two other doctors told me this on separate occasions). My recovery from the operation was nothing short of miraculous, especially compared to the consistently terrible experiences I’ve had in the past. My recovery was also a lot better than that of an acquaintance who was operated by a different doctor, even though she had a less complicated version of my procedure. I suffered very little discomfort and was almost back to normal after two weeks. So, I lucked out on having been treated by such a brilliant surgeon. It is noteworthy that whilst Mr Mabrouk felt that laparoscopy was feasible in my case, he was very focused on my safety and was careful not to over-promise. Before the operation, he explained to me that he could not be sure what procedure I would end up having, until he had inserted a camera through a small incision and was able to assess which was the safest way to remove the cyst. To cover any contingencies, he was assisted in the theatre by Mr Gerald Hackett, who is another great doctor. Lastly, I am touched by how Mr Mabrouk took the time to check on me after the operation, to make sure I was ok and to answer my questions about after care, etc. This is after the Covid-19 crisis had set off, so he was even busier than normal. In case you wondered, this was not because I went through the private healthcare route. I can say this because I had private treatments in the past, and Mr Mabrouk and Mr Hackett really stood out in their communications and attitude. So, Mr Mabrouk is five stars out of five for everything you wish to find in your doctor.

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Written by a patient at Addenbrooke's Hospital

I this Doctor several months ago and I was very happy with his attitude and approach during my visit He and his staff behaved in a very professional way with what for me was a very sensitive issue

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Written by a patient at Addenbrooke's Hospital

Mr Mabrouk has given me the quality of life and the chance to have a family which is something I thought I would never have. Mr Mabrouk started my initial consult by acknowledging my pain and apologising on behalf of the many healthcare professionals who have dismissed this prior to being referred to him- it was from this first sentence that I knew he would be able to help me. Mr Mabrouk showed empathy, compassion, respect and had brilliant communication skills throughout my treatment. Appointments were scheduled in a timely manner and he even called me to follow up on any questions I had or to check I was ok before he went on leave. He was responsive when I needed him to be and went out of his way to liaise with the fertility consultants when decisions were needed regarding support. I had severe endometriosis involving my ureter, bowel and nerves. My surgery took 8 hours and required input from Bowel, Urology, Oncology and both Endo surgeons. Mr Mabrouk oversaw the whole surgery and was in the theatre with me prior to me being put to sleep. This really helped to keep me calm given that I knew I was going to have a long and complex surgery. Recovery has been hard physically and mentally but I have been reassured all throughout my treatment that I have had Mr Mabrouk to go to should I have any concerns. During my 2 week hospital stay Mr Mabrouk saw me at least once if not twice a day. This was of huge comfort to me. Having many doctors come each morning from different specialties can be hard particularly when they may have varying opinions. Mr Mabrouk helped me to understand my situation as a whole and followed up with urology and bowel where concerns arose. Mr Mabrouk is a highly skilled surgeon who clearly has a passion and drive in supporting and treating women with endometriosis. We need more consultants like him! I cannot thank Mr Mabrouk enough for the support he has given me over the last 6 months and for the time he invests in research and his drive to build an endometriosis centre at Addenbrookes. He clearly cares! Mr Mabrouk was employed by Addenbrookes at just the right time for me and for this I count myself as very lucky. I hope other women get to have the positive experience I have had when suffering from such a horrible disease. Thank you Mr Mabrouk, I will be eternally grateful for all you have done for me!!

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Written by a carer at Addenbrooke's Hospital

Looked after my sister brilliantly

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