"The death of my parent"

My parent was very ill when admitted to Liverpool Hospital’s ED. Without informing my other parent or myself, the doctors commenced potent frusemide (diuretic treatment) on them which ultimately resulted in the removal of some 17L (I have the hospital records) of fluid from my parent’s body. My parent was in their 90s when they did this to them.

My parent didn’t survive and couldn’t recover from the side effects of this drastic treatment done without consent. It was truly awful for them and they tried to refuse this treatment. They begged me for water. I felt we were kept completely in the dark with what was happening to them and what happened to them.

These facts and the pointless suffering my parent endured still haunt me to this day and I am undergoing psychological help as I’m so overwhelmed still with what happened to them that I have thoughts of harming myself too. This happened just under three years ago.

Their care was also very poor in one of the wards there and I have photos of my parent's numerous skin tears to support this assertion. I tried to raise these issues at the time but I believe I wasn’t taken seriously by hospital staff. My parent died a horrible death and suffered greatly before they passed.

I don’t believe the doctors consulted with my parent's treating cardiologist at the time - a fact which leaves me in despair and keeps me up at night asking repeatedly why? Why make them suffer so much? Why not consult with their cardiologist and family first? Are we really in a first world country with treatment of the patient and their family in this way? Finally what were the specific constraints that resulted in the dire consequences that my parent suffered? Will I ever find out? These are the reasons now that I’m in so much despair.