"Thorough investigation of pain not provided"

I presented at FSH on a weekend morning due to ongoing hip/back pain that had been going on for 3 weeks but had changed significantly overnight resulting in extreme pain and my inability to walk/weightbear on my left side.  

A staff member saw me get out of the car at the ED entry, grabbed a wheelchair and took me inside whilst my partner parked the car. I was very grateful for the assistance. 

After being admitted to the ED and going through a number of very painful tests, I was transferred to the short stay ward for overnight. There was some talk of possibly being sent for a scan during the night or in the morning however this did not happen.  When the drs did rounds in the morning, I asked what scan I would be sent for and when that would likely be.  I was told I would not be going for scans and that I would be discharged with pain meds.  I was surprised by this as at no point in time was my pain under control since arriving the previous morning.  The Dr assured me that there was nothing they could do and sent me home with pain meds.  The physiotherapist was also surprised given I was struggling to take more than a few steps from the bed and still in extreme pain.  

I left the hospital in a wheelchair and was offered a zimmer frame and shower chair to take home with me for support. 

I went to see my physio the next day (Tuesday), he immediately wrote a letter to my GP asking for a CT scan to be done urgently.  I saw my GP the next day (Wednesday) and had a CT scan done same day.

The CT scan showed that I had not one, but two impinged nerves at L5 and S1 and my pain was continuing to increase, my ability to move was decreasing. 

I was then sent for two CT guided injections on Friday and Monday to help relieve the pain and free up the nerves. 

I am horribly disappointed that FSH did not bother to investigate the source of my pain and send me for scans a week earlier when I presented. It would have been easily identified and could have been treated there and then, rather than me continuing to suffer extreme pain for another week at home and not be able to get out of bed. 

I believe I should never have been sent home when my pain levels were not under control with medications in the hospital. My partner should also have been given clear information about my condition, pain levels and followup care before we left the hospital, but instead they were not told anything.  Nor did we receive any discharge paperwork with instructions regarding medications, or follow-up care other than a generic back pain pamphlet. 

This could have been a much better experience had the Drs been more attentive to my pain levels and done a basic CT scan to investigate my pain.