"Women's health disaster"

I had polyps in the uterus removed in Feb 23. Upon waking, my stomach kept swelling and swelling. Specialist reluctantly admitted that I'd had a massive bleed and that I'd 'accidentally' had 3L of water pushed through the IV, yet I could not pee. My bladder was screwed. 6 months later, while having scans to investigate why I'd developed severe incontinence post-op, another 6 polyps were discovered, leading me to decide on a hysterectomy...the worst decision of my life.

I woke in agony. My bladder felt as though I had knives in it. I was told a blue dye had been put through the bladder as they thought they'd punctured it - but all good it was apparently fine. Yet I wanted to die from the pain and the catheter was not draining. The day after, I was told I was just experiencing laparoscopic gas pain, there was nothing wrong, to get start moving around to get my bowels working and implied I was being fussy despite having multiple laparoscopes for endo in the past. Yet I overheard the surgeon and the 2nd surgeon arguing about taking me back into theatre – I recall one didn't want to as they had to pack for their holiday and the other wouldn't as I wasn't their patient. I started developing bruises across my belly, to the point where staff were questioning whether I'd been dropped in theatre. 39hrs post op, I rang the nurse and again begged them to take the catheter out because I was peeing anyway. The penny dropped and when they checked it, there was only 6mls in the bubble instead of 10mls and it had pulled down into my urethra. Instant relief when that angel nurse fixed it.

I was released with an entirely purple belly, stretching from my back on the left, all the way around. Yet my discharge summary says no pain or tenderness.

A couple of days later, I went downhill rapidly. The following day I was sent to a different hospital’s ED and they discovered a massive infected pelvic collection and sent me back to Sale despite me begging for them to send me anywhere else. The assistant surgeon was put in charge of my care. They called my surgeon in who was about to fly out for 2 months. They came in to see me while my best friend was visiting - who, unbeknownst to the surgeon, is a nurse practioner. I felt the surgeon spewed bull**** that I must have had a blood vessel relax and spill blood everywhere internally...I believe there was at least 1 litre of blood in my belly plus bruising. My gentle, quiet friend was so furious with the apparent lies i was seemingly being told that they had to leave. After my friend left, I believe the surgeon made sure no one else was around and informed me that they had actually knicked my bladder during surgery and had put a special paste on it to stop the ooze but it must not have worked and that if i wasn't so thin, it wouldn't of happened. They then left.

When the assistant surgeon came back, I lost it. None of their stuff ups were recorded or reported - not by the surgeon, the assistant, the anesthetist, no one. Because, in my opinion, the assistant surgeon knew they were busted, they refused treat with anything but painkillers and antibiotics. They ordered no blood tests, scans, nothing. If it wasn't for 2 particular amazing nurses (one night shift and one day shift) advocating for my treatment by demanding the surgeon do their job, I feel I would be dead. My saving grace was a locum who took over 5 days after being readmitted - they sent me to another hospital for a ct guided drain. By the time I got there, the infection was so bad that i was near septic and it took them 3 days to stabilize my blood before they could actually perform the drain...they were saying I was borderline being put into ICU.

I believe because the Sale surgeons refused to act or acknowledge their apparent stuffup, the blood had thickened too much to remove it all. The drain only removed less than half of the collection - 470mls so I have been left with an infected pelvic collection between my bladder and my one remaining ovary. It was too risky to operate again that long after as the other hospital didn't want to risk exposing me to more germs so I have had multiple trips back to the two other hospitals for more IV antibiotics. 5 months post op and i now have a fully incontinent bladder that is actually fused to my ovary and vaginal wall because the collection has thickened into a full-blown blood clot. I am now awaiting an appointment with a new specialist to try and work out what the hell the surgeon did to my bladder in the first surgery to cause such severe incontinence at a younger age.

The trauma this has caused on myself and my family is disgusting. 3 of my 4 kids have diagnosed autism and it has affected the 2 youngest to the point where GLCHC have had to get extra support workers in to help us. The 2 yr old developed night terrors and severe separation anxiety and the 4 yr has panic attacks and meltdowns every time someone has to go to the doctor - mummy went to the doctor and didnt come home for 17 days.

I believe the way surgeries are recorded needs to be changed. Someone else needs to sign off on the surgical notes besides the specialists and I believe that should be the nurses. They were the only ones who I felt were actually honest with my care and health.

Ironically, while in the other hospital, I was next to a patient - who was having corrective surgery after having their insides seemingly destroyed by the same surgeon 2 years previously. I believe not one thing listed on their discharge summary had actually been done, so it appears to me that doctoring notes isn't a one off in Sale.