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Ongoing back pain

Posted By induswf34

"Ongoing back pain"

About: Bairnsdale Hospital / Emergency Department Bairnsdale Hospital / Medical Imaging

(as the patient),

I’ve had ongoing back pain for the last couple of years, and recently, I presented at Bairnsdale Hospital with chronic pain. It felt my kidney was going to explode, felt like I had a knife. I was doubled over in pain, walked into emergency.

They did everything correctly. They did a full body / torso scan with contrast. They said we can’t see anything on the scan, but they said we can see on your history, that you’ve got degenerative disc disease. I can’t stand up without a walking aid. They sent me home and said to just go see your GP. I asked them for pain medication before leaving, and they gave me a 7 day dosage for oxycodine. The Dr that wrote the script didn’t put it on the PBS too and I had to pay full price.

They said you probably need a cortico steroidal injection, see you GP and I literally walked out of the hospital doubled over in extreme pain. They just let me go.

I had a telehealth appointment with my GP. He said we need to get a complete image of your spine. Go back and get another scan. I presented back at the imaging department a few days later and they told me just go wait in the waiting room. About an hour went by, I was in agony, and I asked the receptionist when I would be seen, because I was meant to be first, and they said oh we’ve had an emergency come in. I said I’ve been sitting right there, couldn’t you have said something.

The receptionist went and spoke to the radiologist, and they said oh well you only had a scan a few days ago. They said we might be able to look at your scan and re-image it to look at your bones. Another hour went past and I was leaving a literal puddle of sweat from the pain. I said I would go home, so I went home and called them back, and asked if they managed to get the image and they said yes, we’ve got the scan and we’ll get it looked at. That was a couple of weeks ago and I have not been able to sleep ever since. I am writhing in bed, I am taking oxycodone and sleeping tablets and I am still writhing in agony.

I rang my GP and they said they hadn’t got anything. So I rang the imaging department and said they had done it but hadn’t sent it off yet. I said how long has it been done, and they said I can’t tell you that. They said they sent it off to the GP now. But now I have to wait for the GP and they are booked our for weeks at best.

I rang the hospital complaints and told them and they said they will ask the ED why they sent you home. When I was visibly in agony. That’s their thing though, it seems to me they basically say if it’s not life threatening then to go home. I am ringing Care Opinion to say this hospital system is in such a state, in my opinion. I’ve been lying in bed this whole time. I can’t even get out of bed. My spouse has to help me to go to the bathroom.

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Responses

Response from Ann-Maree Reggardo, Quality Co-Ordinator, Bairnsdale Regional Health Service yesterday
Ann-Maree Reggardo
Quality Co-Ordinator,
Bairnsdale Regional Health Service

Submitted on 19/06/2026 at 2:28 PM
Published on Care Opinion Australia at 2:55 PM

picture of Ann-Maree Reggardo

Dear induswf34,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. I am very sorry to learn about the pain and distress you have been experiencing over the past several weeks. From reading your account, it is clear that you have not only been dealing with significant physical discomfort, but also considerable frustration and uncertainty while trying to understand your condition and access further care. I appreciate how distressing it must have felt to be referred between services while still seeking clear answers.

I can confirm that your feedback has been received through our consumer feedback process, formally recorded in our feedback system, and shared with the Emergency Department Senior Medical Officer, the Medical Imaging Manager, and the Medical Imaging Administrative Manager. These teams will review the concerns you have raised regarding your emergency department presentation, imaging pathway, and subsequent communication.

As your concerns relate to multiple aspects of your care journey, it is important that we undertake a thorough review to fully understand what occurred and to identify any opportunities to improve the experience for future patients.

Once this review has been completed, a member of our team will contact you directly through our consumer feedback process to discuss the outcome.

In the meantime, I note that you have indicated you are still experiencing ongoing pain. We would strongly encourage you to contact your Primary Care Provider so they can assist you in accessing timely clinical support and appropriate pain management. If your symptoms worsen or you are concerned, please seek medical attention promptly.

Regards

Ann-Maree – Quality Coordinator

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Response from Donna Smith, Medical Imaging Administration Manager, Medical Imaging, Bairnsdale Regional Health Service yesterday
Donna Smith
Medical Imaging Administration Manager, Medical Imaging,
Bairnsdale Regional Health Service

Submitted on 19/06/2026 at 3:10 PM
Published on Care Opinion Australia at 3:18 PM

Dear induswf34,

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I am sorry to hear about your ongoing back pain and understand how frustrating this situation must have been for you.

While I’m unable to comment on the care you received in the Emergency Department, I would like to provide some clarification regarding your appointment within Medical Imaging. On the day of your visit, our radiographers were required to prioritise an urgent Emergency Department patient. This unfortunately resulted in a delay to your appointment. I sincerely apologise that this was not communicated to you at the time, as our administrative team were not made aware of the delay.

I appreciated your time on the phone recently, and I hope we can assist in arranging your injections once a referral is received. I also apologise for the delay in reporting your imaging. I-MED is currently experiencing a backlog and is prioritising reports based on clinical urgency.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your experience.

Kind regards

Donna

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Response from Acting Nurse Unit Manager Emergency and Short Stay Unit, Emergency, Bairnsdale Regional Health Service yesterday
Bairnsdale Regional Health Service

Submitted on 19/06/2026 at 3:33 PM
Published on Care Opinion Australia at 3:36 PM

Good afternoon induswf34,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. I acknowledge the concerns you have raised regarding your care in the Emergency Department and the delays you encountered with imaging and follow-up. We will review this feedback and follow up with the relevant teams.

I am sorry to hear about the ongoing pain and difficulties you have described. If you are still experiencing pain or have any worsening of your symptoms, please seek medical care.

Sincerely,

Gemma Granger

Acting Nurse Unit Manager - Emergency Department

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