Worthing Hospital 2012-12-28 Person 0 5 0

I attended Worthing A&E on 28th December with severe abdominal pains which I suspected was appendicitis. As I had also suffered sickness and diarrhea, I was isolated and after blood and urine tests was given fluid and paracetamol. A CT1 initially attended me and then I was checked by an A&E Registrar. Despite telling him repeatedly that my pain was distinct and acute low in my abdomen/groin, he kept checking my liver area. Following this I was diagnosed as having Norro Virus and that if I had no repetition of the vomiting or diarrhea in the following week I could safely travel to Burma on a planned holiday. However, one week into my holiday I suffered the same symptoms. A local GP recommended I went immediately to the nearest hospital. This was a Burmese Military Hospital in the Burmese Highlands about an hour's drive away. Once there, I was seen immediately by a senior army surgeon who after a pain killing injection performed an ultra sound scan which revealed a severe gynaelogical problem i.e. an ovarian cyst wrapped around my intestines. As this hospital had no female wards, I had to fly accompanied to Rangoon and was blue lighted into hospital from the airport. Subsequent investigation revealed I had malignant ovarian cancer with 3 large growths in my abdomen. Thanks to my insurance company I was air ambulanced after several days to Bangkok where a debulking hysterectomy was performed. A month later I was repatriated to the UK and unfortunately to Worthing Hospital. I have several issues I wish to bring to your attention. First, I felt the A&E team were blinkered in their diagnosis; reacting only to my symptoms of sickness and diarrhea. A short and simple ultra sound, as performed in Burma, would have revealed that as I suspected this was not a viral infection. Secondly, when I was repatriated to Worthing Hospital on February 4th, despite having been given 48 hours notice of my arrival together with full details of my condition by the doctor that flew out to Bangkok to repatriate me, I was not expected when I arrived. I therefore spent 12 hours waiting for a bed in A&E and CDU. It took 36 hours before I saw a Renal Registar despite poor kidney function being my most pressing outstanding issue. I am not making an official complaint but I do feel that particularly, A&E should listen more carefully to their patient and not assume that every case that has associated sickness and diarrhea is a viral infection. Their lack of diligence and care has caused me considerable distress in undergoing major treatment and surgery very far from home. Fortunately, however, the standard of administration and care in hospital in Bangkok was very much superior to that experienced in Worthing Hospital.