"Administrative nightmare from start to finish"

I initially presented at Rockingham Hospital ED with an infected left big toe. The following day, I had a doctor tell me that I should have gone to Fiona Stanley Hospital for anything that required surgery. (I'm not a doctor, how was I to know it required surgery?) I was transferred to FSH. Last month I went in for surgery. My left big toe was amputated. Two days later, I was discharged because, "We need the bed." I waited in the transit lounge for over two hours for medication and work certificate. The work certificate had the wrong dates on it.

At a visit to Fremantle outpatient a bit over two weeks later, it was discovered there was still an infection and I was sent to FSH ED. I was told my arrival would be put in their system, but it was done incorrectly, and I spent 5 hours waiting in ED. I was then in "short stay" accommodation for two nights. In my opinion, these bays are smaller than a prison cell with no control over the food you're given - I had diabetic requirements. I also had an eye injury (sustained elsewhere) that my sibling informed short stay about, and they were told it was put into their system. It wasn't. I had a contact lens that needed to be removed or else could cause problems. My sibling had to fight to get someone to come remove the lens.

A few days after that, I had to be transported to RPH for a check-up on the eye, as FSH doesn't actually have any ophthalmologists. I got ambulance transport there. Once I was done, I was sent to wait in RPH ED. I was there for two hours, with an infected toe and an eye at risk of infection, because apparently FSH was having an argument with RPH about who was responsible for organising transport back to FSH. My sibling and parent got put through to about eight different people trying to find out what was happening. I missed dinner as a result. FSH didn't have any of the medication needed for my eye because, "RPH should have given that to you." It was a daily battle to get the right medication for my eye.

A few days later I was finally able to be discharged. Except I then had to wait 90 minutes for the dressing on my toe to be changed because the ward I was in, and apparently three others, did not have the correct dressing for it. By now, after everything, I felt like a bad joke was being played on me.

In my experience, when you are in hospital, you are stressed, tired, and overwhelmed. If I hadn't had my sibling and parents assisting me and advocating for me, I hate to think what would have happened. A stressful situation was made 10 times worse because anything that could go wrong, went wrong. It was an administrative nightmare from start to finish. In my opinion, if I hadn't been pushed out of FSH to free up a bed less than 48 hours after my toe was amputated, with only a five day course of antibiotics, I think the second visit could have been avoided entirely.

The only bright spot was the ophthalmologist at RPH. His name was James. (I did not get a last name.) He was compassionate, thorough, took the time to explain things and didn't treat me like an idiot.