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Exonian

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Everything posted by Exonian

  1. Community Post
    I’m so sorry that you have joined the ranks of those of us who were not given the correct information about hysteroscopy, and have suffered. The lack of care, respect, honesty and professionalism is truly shocking. You may be interested in The Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy, which has a Facebook and web page, as well as @HysteroscopyA on Twitter. CAPH has a survey, completed by over 5,000 women, detailing their awful experiences, and you may wish to complete one. If you feel up to it, put in a complaint. Another good way of highlighting your traumatic experience, is to detail it on Care Opinion, which is an independent organisation that highlights people’s experiences of health care, unlike the NHS which marks its own homework. The hospital concerned will be highlighted, and you may post anonymously. Sadly, so many of us understand and are able to empathise.
  2. Content Article Comment
    What an excellent, measured article. As a retired RN, I am very concerned by the proliferation of non - doctor roles creeping into the NHS. As indicated, CNS’s attached to specialities are in a different category. Surely, all of those carrying out these roles need to be supervised closely. I correctly diagnosed my husband’s first DVT at a weekend - not that I feel all that competent to diagnose, but I nursed for 40 years, so encountered the presentation of many a DVT during that time. In order to get him some medical attention, I took him to our local DGH to some sort of drop - in service, where he saw a Nurse Practitioner who decided that it wasn't a DVT. Fortunately none of the clot broke off before the Monday, when he saw a GP who confirmed my suspicions and started him on treatment. Our GP practice already has a paramedic attached to it, as well as at least one Nurse Practitioner. I believe that the public is being short - changed, because whatever function these roles were intended to fulfil originally, inevitably this function becomes distorted and exploited, and they are used as a substitute for a qualified doctor. I find it extremely worrying.
  3. Community Post
    So sorry to read about your all too familiar, inexcusable experience, Cassandria. I echo everything that Ellie May has said. When you feel up to it, could I encourage you to also record your experience on Care Opinion? This is an independent organisation, unlike the NHS which marks its own homework. You can post anonymously and name the hospital, and they are unable to edit what you have written. Pardon my cynicism, but I was an NHS nurse for 37 years.
  4. Community Post
    Excellent, thank you. Every bit of input helps.
  5. Community Post
    Unfortunately, you are one of many, many women who have not given their informed consent to this procedure. I am one of them, and though my barbaric experience was in 2006, I am sorry to say thst things are only getting worse. There is no reason whatsoever, in the 21st century, for anyone to be subjected to unnecessary pain, particularly on this level ( I passed out and was gaslighted and blamed for doing so. I was never a candidate for OPH, there were several red flags that, had anyone bothered to take a history, would have been obvious.). Pain relief was invented many decades ago, and should be given without a second thought. This torture is happening because of the arrogance and misogyny of gynaecologists, and because the NHS wants to save money. The Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy has collected over 5,000 horror stories, and is campaigning for women to be given the options to which they are entitled, to be given information to enable them to give informed consent. Would you consider joining us, and if you feel able, also posting your experience on Care Opinion?
  6. Community Post
    Thank you, Helen, and yes, it was horrendous. My experience was all the more shocking when I was gaslighted and it was inferred that my experience, which led to a vasovagal episode thanks to the unbearable degree of pain inflicted on me, was as rare as hen’s teeth. I was also treated as if it was my fault, and definitely as a nuisance. Because the gaslighting was so successful, I didn’t complain. I didn't find out how common my experience was until I read an article in a national newspaper that mentioned CAPH, some years later. My barbaric procedure was in 2006 and I can never forget it. When I was nursing, my special interest was pain relief, and I was horrified by the fact that far too many patients did not have their pain dealt with effectively. I had to try and educate the idiots who came out with “ but they might get addicted ”, particularly regarding the use of opiates when folks were dying. Pain relief in palliative care has improved considerably, but in other areas it has clearly got far, far worse. I will never, ever consent to any medical or surgical procedure again without doing extensive research, because HCPs cannot be trusted to tell the truth or act in the patient’s best interests, which is an extremely sad indictment.
  7. Community Post
    I’m so sorry to hear this. I, too have not had children, had a horrendous, traumatic OPH experience, and as far as I am concerned, this made OPH absolutely inappropriate, along with a few other contraindications. As a retired RN, I really don’t know how the perpetrators can sleep at night.
  8. Content Article Comment
    Indeed, and that is not the answer, any more than depleting other countries of their much needed staff is. The whole attitude of NHS management, from the top down, needs to change, but the institution has never been interested in listening to the views or experiences of either its staff or patients. If it ever did, then the necessary improvements might occur, but I won’t hold my breath.
  9. Content Article Comment
    The worst, and unforgivable thing about this situation is that it was entirely predictable. Those of us working as NHS nurses knew that when governments of both parties started to slash bed numbers from the late 1970’s onwards, despite the known demographic of an ageing population, as well as a population that is increasing in numbers year on year, then this was a recipe for disaster. Added to this is the fact that staff have been put under unbearable pressure ever since then to fulfil government targets that are unattainable, and are not able to give the care that they were trained to give, leading to burnout. My colleagues and I often said that we had given our lives to the NHS, but it would not be there for us when we needed it, although we have all been surprised by the speed at which this has happened . Staff shortages will continue until the NHS learns to treat its staff well, as it is an extremely poor employer. From the point of view of working at the sharp end in a dangerously understaffed NHS, I am so glad that I am retired.
  10. Community Post
    Don’t apologise. What your experience illustrates is the complete lack of respect, indeed I would say utter contempt with which women are treated when they “dare” to disagree with medical staff trying to railroad them into having office hysteroscopies, when they stand their ground. The gaslighting is appalling, but appears to be standard. Basically, medical staff are behaving unprofessionally, it seems on a daily basis. If I ever needed another hysteroscopy. ( and I now don’t believe that having breakthrough bleeding whilst taking HRT was an indication for being subjected to one ), hell would freeze over before I would have one without a GA. Whatever happens, stand your ground. I’m not sure if you’ve heard of it, but there is a Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy that many of us have joined after being subjected to barbaric treatment involving excruciating pain, inexcusable in the 21st century.
  11. Community Post
    I had a hysteroscopy and endometrial biopsy in 2006 when I was already post menopausal. I always had really bad period pains from day one. A friend who has given birth said that the period pain that I described was like bearing down pain during labour. I have a high pain threshold, and just get on with things. I have also never given birth. I did NOT give my informed consent under the rules that applied at the time, and I was never a candidate for OPH. I wasn’t sent any information, and, being a health care professional ( RN ) at the time, thought that I would have been given any relevant information. I wasn’t, and when I had a vasovagal reaction to the unbearable pain, I was treated as if it was my fault, and was gaslighted re: how often this happened. For this reason, I didn’t complain. I would have hoped that things would have improved in the years following, but reading recent accounts of other women who, like you, have also been violated in this fashion, things appear to be getting worse instead of better. This is misogyny at its worst, and some of the people performing these barbaric procedures are women, as was the incompetent, unprofessional female Dr who performed mine.
  12. Community Post
    So sorry to hear this. Unfortunately you are one of many of us who have been subjected to “trial by hysteroscopy”.
  13. Community Post
    www.hysteroscopy action.org.uk Action page! Campaign against painful hysteroscopy
  14. Community Post
    Yes, this was a hysteroscopy, to which you should have given your written and informed consent, so whoever did it actually broke the law. You are entitled to have a general anaesthetic, although Drs will do anything to persuade you not to, and will put obstacles in your way. There is a campaign against painful hysteroscopy, for which there is a private group on Facebook, and there is much information to be had there. You have been “trick and treated”, something with which many members of the above mentioned group are familiar. Do join the group, where other members will try to help you decide on the right course of action for you.
  15. Community Post
    I was post menopausal, have never been pregnant, and have a retroverted uterus - none of which was taken note of when I had my horrendous OP hysteroscopy. In other words, I was never, ever a candidate for this procedure on an OP basis, nor did I give informed consent under the rules in force at the time. I nursed for 40 years and was taught to treat people as individuals, as well as tell them the truth. Unfortunately this seems to be extremely rare in the case of OP hysteroscopies. The medical model seems to me to be to hope that nobody will research the procedure before having it. Had I done so, there is no way that I would ever have consented to having it done without a GA.
  16. Community Post
    This is what happened to me. I did not have a compassionate nurse, and I might as well have been a piece of meat who caused both the nurse or healthcare assisitant, and the female Dr, ( neither or whom introduced themselves ) inconvenience by passing out due to the indescribable pain. I have not had children and was post menopausal at the tie of my barbaric procedure. I also had really bad period pains from day one, all of which are contraindications for OPH.
  17. Community Post
    I had an outpatient hysteroscopy for which my informed consent was not obtained. This was before Montogomery rules applied. I was completely misled re: the possibility of pain. If it was mentioned at all, it would have been described as being like period pain. As I had suffered from severe dysmenorrhoea from day one, I might have considered this to be acceptable. I was not offered any pain relief, nor was I given the option of a GA. I was most definitely not a candidate for this procedure as an outpatient: I was post menopausal, have not given birth, and have a retroverted uterus, all of which are contraindications. I have never felt such pain in my life. It was absolutely excruciating, and as a result I dropped my blood pressure to my boots ( I assume, because no observations were recorded, which is in itself unacceptable ). In layman's terms, I passed out. Not only did the female Dr who performed this torture shove the hysteroscope through my cervix roughly, she took an endometrial biopsy, which was when I passed out. There was no help from what I presume was a nurse, who was also present, and I was unceremoniously dumped in a corridor, with oxygen in situ, for about half an hour, my reaction clearly being a source of irritation to both members of staff. I was led to believe that my response to their barbarity was as rare as hen's teeth, only to discover years later that it was not, indeed it is a common occurrence. This practice is being promoted inappropriately as the gold standard for the investigation of heavy menstrual bleeding, but this is a disgrace of national proportions.
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