"Testicular Torsion"

Recently I took my toddler into Albany Health Campus ED with serious concerns for testicular torsion.

At 10pm he rolled in bed awake and started crying. Then he rolled again and started screaming. I patted his bottom to calm him and he tried crawling away from me in pain. When I changed his nappy his scrotum was very red.

My relative called ed ahead to let them know we were coming and why. By the time I presented to ed with him, he was pale white, shaking and sweaty in serious pain. when we were triaged I made it known i was concerned about TT and that I believe you cannot triage him based on his presentation because he always presents fine and happy.

Then we proceeded to wait around an hour to be taken out the back. Eventually the nurse checked him and did his obs and I repeated to them that I believed they could not base their diagnosis off his presentation. He tested fine to the nurses.

At some point in the next hour, another parent came in with their child presenting with croup no worse than I have seen my son dismissed for and my son here with a possible emergency condition still hadn't been seen by a doctor. I got very angry.

We had now been here 2 hours and no dr for what I believed was a possible emergency condition. I put his nappy back on and he was crying in pain and I walked out saying im not waiting any longer to our nurse. I put him in the car which was parked in front of the door and when I went to do his harness up in the car seat he instantly was screaming in pain again. I called the hospital for the Aishwariya number and was told that I wouldn't get through to them at that time of the night and was put through to the nurse manager instead. I told the nurse manager everything and begged them to come to the car and see him in pain. They did.

We went back I side and the nurse manager organised the dr who was making arrangements to send a patient to perth but that they would come straight after. After the doctor examined my son they had the opinion that I was right and called on for the surgical dr. Who then came and examined him only to eventually come up with the plan from the senior dr who was on call, to send him home and ultrasound him in the morning.

I went to leave again and once again as soon as I put him in the car he was a screaming shaking mess in pain and this time I took a couple of second video. I came back again and said we couldn't leave because there was no way he was going to make it home safely with me alone in the drivers seat. So they put us up for the night.

Morning came and so did the ultrasound. I showed the staff member who was taking us to the ultrasound that he was still in pain. As we were walked passed the ed drs I heard them talking about us and I spun and yeh and he is still in pain. I felt mocked even though I dont actually know what they said about us. I recall I did hear 'that's the...' and saw them looking at us.

Ultrasound show no torsion but did show edema. I was told by the dr who discharged us that there was swelling and that his muscles were trying to retract his testes and that I should treat him with paracetamol and ibuprofen and that the hospital would follow up but not sure when.

And now I am angry. I presented with serious concerns for my son having an emergency condition. If he have lost one or both of his testicle because the hospital didn't listen to me! I would have been doing more than just complaining.

I am so sorry angry. I am sick and tired of being dismissed as a single first time parent. It's disgusting and as his parent I know more about him medically than any dr ever will. I believe that something needs to be done. I want people held accountable this time. I have had enough. Because of experiences like this with mostly albany but also other regional hospitals, we are now moving to Perth to be closer to PCH. The only hospital who's first question has never been 'are you a first time parent?' The only hospital who listens to my words as the person that knows him best. And because of that cured a cough he has had for over 12 months without steroids unlike Albany who bandaided it by giving him steroids and sending us home.