"Operation efficient enough, pre and post operative visits very inefficient."

Having had extremely heavy, constant bleeding for a couple of years, I was diagnosed with fibroids. It was suggested that I have an IUD inserted rather than a hysterectomy. Being on a low income without health insurance, I opted to have this done in the public system.

The actual operation was efficiently done, but the amount of time wasted on seeing me multiple times before and after the operation, to no purpose, has been very annoying for me.

My first appointment was fine; lots of information taken and details checked. I was told I would have my operation cancelled if I didn't attend another half-day clinic. I took the day off work, drove into the city, only to find that all they wanted to do was take my blood pressure and weight. I was told to bring in all my medications, to compare to the list I'd made at the first clinic. When I pointed out a medication I'd stopped taking, the nurse told me not to worry about it. So I'm not sure what was the point of checking the list?

She conducted the tests in a room with the door open, so there was a constant flow of people in and out, chatting to her, ignoring me. She took my weight with my heavy boots and jacket on, and when I protested at her guess at how much they weighed, she agreed to take my word for my weight. So in the end, the only information that couldn't have been phoned in was my blood pressure, which I was battling to keep under control in compliance with the signs on the walls which warned me that they would call the police if I got angry.

As for after-care, they told me to call a certain number if the post-operative bleeding went on for more than 14 days. On the 14th day of bleeding, I spent the morning on the phone, trying to find a hospital number that actually had a person available to answer, being shunted back and forward between my GP and the hospital, each of which denied responsibility for my after-care.

Eventually I was told to come into Emergency, where I waited for six hours. I feel that that it must have been known that the doctor I was called in to see was operating that day, so wasn't sure why I was not told to come in at the end of the day?

It seemed to me that the doctor took a quick look when he arrived at 10pm, couldn't figure out what was wrong, and told me to attend the pre-arranged post-operative clinic to figure it out. The six hours I spent reading the signs about calling the police if I got angry I feel simply emphasized that the hospital could do with the services of a time-management expert.

The post-operative clinic was no better. I don't believe the doctor could imagine how annoying the glib advice is: 'Just wear pads to soak up the bleeding... every day for the rest of your life'. I'd like to see one of them put up with that regime!

10 months later, I'm still bleeding, but there's no way I am going back to the hospital to have my time wasted any further.