"Resolution of care"

I went with my partner to ED at Sutherland hospital after a week of fluid building up under their arm and extreme pain. Over the few days prior the fluid was still building up and parts were starting to feel more palpable and solidified. Had been using ibuprofen to treat pain but it was only taking the edge off. The reason for the ED visit was due to the tingling my partner was now feeling down their arm and across their chest in addition to the above mentioned signs and symptoms.

Arriving at ED was a really pleasant experience. The admin staff, the triage nurse and the initial consult with the nursing staff was seamless. Bloods were taken immediately and a comprehensive blood panel was ordered. They also told us around how long results would take.

The initial exam with a doctor was calm, informative. We were the told that a surgeon would be coming for a consult to see if surgery would be required for what was probably an abscess.

The surgeon seems very knowledgeable but the issue we had was that once they decided it was not in fact an abscess and surgery was not required we were left in the lurch and had no idea what the next steps would be. The surgeon said it was probably just a swollen lymph node and would self resolve. No mention of imaging, antibiotics or even an indication what the next steps at the hospital would be. Even if no surgery was required there is still a mass under my partner’s arm that has continued to grow and become more painful over the period of a week and it was mentioned by everyone we saw that that the mass was pressing on nerves, hence the tingling. We spoke to the doctor who consulted before the surgeon and said what happened. We had to ask for a referral for an ultrasound. Which conclusively showed that it was in fact an abscess. No antibiotics were offered, no imaging requested and we just sat there with no idea what was happening next.

The experience overall was not a negative one. As a patient my partner felt let down by the resolution of care which was primarily self directed, which it really shouldn’t have been. Especially when the issue is extreme pain, a mass under their arm which was impinging on the nerves and increasingly limited shoulder movement.