I was supposed to be going in for op today to remove my ovaries & Fallopian tubes due to high oestrogen levels - during my pre-op last week the ECG showed blockage in heart. The pre-op people forgot to put the ECG results on my notes. I spoke to my consultant last week and told her myself about the ECG results but she refused to look into it unless it was on my notes. It was only because I rang the pre-op people myself yesterday that they passed my ECG results to an anaesthetist who promptly cancelled the operation. He said I need to have an angiogram and see a cardiologist before I can undergo any surgery. I have made several phone calls but nobody knows who is supposed to be referring me. I keep getting passed from pillar to post. This operation was supposed to be done last year but the referral got lost in the system. I’m feeling so depressed I’ve been switched from Anastrozole to Tamoxifen in the meantime.
I’m worried about my heart and also that the cancer will come back too. Finding it hard to cope.
First and foremost hugs xx I am sorry you are being messed around by the delights of the health service and that you are in this situation x
I would do 2 things in your situation (assuming you are in the UK) contact PALS and ask for help make it an informal complaint they will then do lots of the chasing for you and rather than have to call lots of people you have 1 point of contact it will make it a bit less stressful they will then call you (and they are usually good at calling when they say they will)
If that doesnt work as quickly as I would like (say 2 weeks) I would also go see my GP and explain that its stressing me out and ask him to get involved and contact the hospital . I would then also turn my informal complaint into a formal one.
Sometimes calling lots of different departments yourself can cause confusion as paperwork etc could be sat on a secretaries desk waiting to be typed up from a dictaphone so she isnt aware of it by getting PALS involved they get “kicked” into looking at the tapes/files for that specific day they could be telling you the truth as far as they are aware at the moment as say maybe the anaesthetist has dictated a letter to your consultants secretary but it hasnt got to her yet despite it being 2016 the admin processes in some NHS Trusts belong in the 1800s
Hope this helps xx
Jen