We've had the call from Birmingham, they've got a bed for Mark ......... we're on our way shortly!!

First two hurdles passed

We got print the all clear for the last blood and urine tests and I have the print outs in my little hot hand to take to the hospital.

I rang the hospital today to find out what was being done to ensure we didn't have the same cock up with the tools not being ordered again and was told they were already at the hospital waiting for us.

We're both getting very nervous all over again.  All we need tomorrow is a bed ..... how patiently will we be waiting tomorrow ..... not very me thinks!!

First near cock up

With only a week to go before next op, I'm paranoid that something stupid is going to get in the way of it happening.  My paranoia is well founded as it seems.

We went to our local doctors today for Mark to have another blood test as his pre assessment rather than trailing all the way down to Birmingham again. Before we went I rang the hospital in Birmingham to make sure I had the information for where the results had to go. Great, should be no problems now I have that.

Not so.  When we got to the doctors explained to the nurse why we needed the blood test again she first asks 'what tests do they need, they usually send a form from the hospital to tell us'. Needless to say that form hadn't been sent. I go cold at this point thinking, cockup number one!  I ring the pre admissions dept at the hospital and we speak to a nurse to get the information we need. Blood taken and the nurse assures us the results should be back before we have to go to Birmingham next Tuesday. No guarantee though. 

I am ever the optimist, but somehow in the back of my mind is a little voice ... 'if it can go wrong it will' with regards to this op.  I really hope I'm proved wrong.

We're counting down to op day AGAIN

Tomorrow we're at the local doctors to have blood and urine tests as part of the Pre Op assessment and although it's a relief we don't have to go all the way to Birmingham to do it again, it opens up the possibility of another glitch in the system and that is we can't get the results to them in time. We've tried to cover every base, we have the results from the blood and urine from a week ago which were fine and that will be sent, we'll also take it with us to make sure it gets there, but we can't be sure we can get the results of tomorrows tests quickly enough. We can only keep our fingers crossed.

Emotionally, the nerves are beginning to build again. It needs to be done, we've fought hard to get it done, but so many things can go wrong that it's also very scary. 

From tomorrow Mark also has to stop taking one of his drugs and after a couple of days when it's out of his system, his pain gets worse. We just have to get this done!!

We've got to the bottom of the cock up

We had a phone call last night from the Assistant Director of Nursing. She has been looking into what happened last week to see where any fault lay in the cancelling of Marks operation.

She explained she had looked through the process, particularly the part played by the Theatre Manager as we had specifically identified him as the cause of the cockup.

Apparently it wasn't the Theatre Manager who was at fault, his role is to put in the request for the tools and the department responsible orders them. It seems all through this process it has been the 'unknown' department' who has been completely incompetent - words used by the A. Dir. of Nursing. She told Mark it had flagged up a system that was inefficient and totally unacceptable. Now they were aware of the problem they were going to make changes so it can't happen again - do we believe that???

Give her her due she openly admitted they were totally at fault and apologised. Offered the name of the Theatre Manager and didn't try to hide the inadequacy or dodge any responsibility on the behalf of the hospital.

So now picture the scene, Mark is on the phone having a calm conversation with this woman and I'm jumping up and down in the background getting irate because he's not asking enough questions or tearing a strip off this woman.  I want an apology in writing, want to know who is going to be held accountable - the unknown department?? - and what's going to be done to put it right, but Mark doesn't want to take it any further. His view is 'what good will come of asking for it in writing' or taking it any further. He's far too nice ......... me I'm still angry!

Do I go against his wishes and ring this woman back and make my own demands and upset Mark or do I let it go and stew on it ???? ............ for ever probably!!

What is happening with our NHS???

We had a call half an hour ago from Mr Flint's booking person and we were expecting him to say either your bed is available, make your way down to Birmingham OR we're sorry there isn't a bed today we're rescheduling it for tomorrow. We didn't get either of those options, what we got was "there is a bed available for you but unfortunately the Theatre Manager hasn't ordered the tools we need to do the operation".  WHAAAAT!!

This sodding Theatre Manager has caused all the hold ups to this operation being done, since last October. How can this happen again and again and again with no one being accountable for the continuous cockups.

I was so angry I wanted to get him by the throat and throttle him. Next I wanted to scream at someone - LOUDLY, then I just wanted to cry.

What a waste of the Surgeons time, the Pre-Admission staff's time, our day going down for the pre-admissions and probably more people in the chain as well. What a complete waste of money.

I rang the Staff Nurse at Pre Admissions, she was really good when we were down there, she gave me the number of PALS Patient something Liaison Service but I had to get Mark to talk to them, I would have just completely lost my rag and it's not their fault.  Poor Mark was nearly in tears when the guy said it was cancelled. They're going to look into it and set a complaint in motion and it should be taken all the way to the Chief Exec. If it isn't we're going to take it to him/her.

Having said all that, it's absolutely NO consolation that we can make a complaint - all we want is for Mark to have the operation.

At this stage all we know is it won't be until May because Mr Flint is away or doesn't have space to do it. 

We are both very down now, we need a pick-me-up each, not sure what that is going to be.

Pre Assessment at Birmingham Hospital today

Well operation date looms and I for one am getting quite jittery about it. Anyway today we had to trail all the way down to Birmingham to get Marks pre op assessment done and I thought we were talking to the surgeon as well to discuss in more detail just what was going to happen next week. But I was wrong!! Not the first time as Mark would remind everyone lol.

He had blood pressure done, copious forms filled in, urine tests, ECG and blood test. Now, I ask you, in this day and age of modern technology, why Mark couldn't have all those tests done at a local hospital and sent down to Birmingham.  Three hour drive to get there, two and half hours in the hospital and another three hour drive home again, what a waste of resources!!

Long and short of it, he's fit enough for the op and now we have to wait for a call next Tuesday afternoon to confirm they have a bed. We might not get that call until 4pm or after and if they say there is a bed for him, we have to set off toot sweet and get down there. Admissions normally close at 8pm but they will have to hold that open for us if we can't get down there by then. So in a way we're still on tender hooks and still don't really know if it's going to happen next Wednesday or not....... watch this space.