"Plastic surgery waiting times"

In response to zebraxd77 waiting waiting

I had a fall recently one evening. Was taken to a rural hospital with severe lacerations to my face, in particular inside and outer lips and chin. An ECG in that hospital showed irregular heartbeat so I was transferred to a larger rural hospital late that night arriving in the early hours the morning. I was monitored there but I felt no attention was given to my injuries.

A little later in the morning I was told to get to Fiona Stanley within the next few hours for plastic surgery reconstruction to my face. I had also fractured my nose. We arrived at FSH at just outside of the given time frame and was given a bed in ED? I asked for pain relief which I recall I was told could not be given until a doctor had approved so no pain relief for hours.

A Dr from plastics came in to see me in the afternoon and attempted to clean the wounds to no avail as it was dirty and full of gravel. They said I should be going in later that day but came back and said it wasn’t going to happen. I was given pain relief but nothing else. Hence I had fasted twice by this stage.

I was given food that night then fasted again after that for surgery the next day. Plastics came to see me early the following morning and said there was someone in theatre then I was next. I waited and waited with dirty wounds that were beginning to smell as a lot of the skin had died inside my mouth. By the afternoon I couldn’t take the pain etc any more and said if something didn’t happen I would contact the media. This was just not good enough.

Around half an hour later a nurse came in and they got me ready for theatre which I went in over an hour after that. I also had top hospital cover which I said I would use to hopefully move things along but I feel waste of time in public hospitals. I completely understand that there are priorities and in normal circumstances (if it wasn’t my face) I would happily wait for those more in need but I believe my injuries were severe and needed attention way before it finally happened. I feel I should have been given a little more priority than what I did, after all it wasn’t their face to live with the rest of their life! They were talking reconstruction so I will leave it to your imagination what I looked like. 

I was extremely anxious, upset and angry for hours and hours concerned of the outcome of the surgery. I feel you can’t tell patients they are going in, going in over and over then not follow through, then expect the patient to follow up and ask the questions? What a joke, in my opinion. I believe this needs to change and I feel for fellow patients who will endure the same terrible time I had which I'm sure will happen.