Sunday 22nd December
First thing in the morning we took the prescription to the chemist
who could not read the writing. As our Health Centre is open 24
hours we took the prescription there and showed it to the doctor
on duty. He looked at it, guessed and said, “I think that’s what
it says” and gave us another prescription which we took back to
the chemist which they made up immediately.
Throughout Sunday my condition worsened and come late afternoon
we called our Health Centre for another visit from the Doctor.
We were asked to go to the Health Centre as no Doctor was available
for house calls at that time. I was taken by my family to the Health
Centre where I was examined.
Again, I was told that I had a skin infection and this time also
an abscess. I must make it clear at this point that my buttocks
and my scrotum were both extremely swollen to about the size of
tennis balls.
As the evening went on my condition deteriorated drastically,
I was drifting in and out of consciousness and my scrotum and buttocks
were becoming very swollen. My wife and family were becoming very
concerned. Around 9:45pm my daughter phoned the Health Centre,
the female who answered the phone was given the whole background,
she advised us that no house call could be available for a couple
of hours.
My daughter then asked to speak to the Doctor. It was explained
to him that my scrotum was swollen the size of tennis balls and
my daughters words were “My father is in excruciating pain and
deteriorating in front of me”. He said that she was exaggerating
so my daughter asked “Can you not at least come out and see?”
Reluctantly the Doctor then told her it would be at least two
hours before he could get to me. In frustration she put the phone
down and my wife phoned the A&E at our nearest Hospital. She
was told to phone for an ambulance straight away. The ambulance
arrived within minutes.
The paramedic looked at my scrotum and said I should be taken
to Hospital straight away. I arrived at 10:30pm and was taken to
a room at 11:25pm. I was seen by a Doctor at about 2am Monday 23rd.
Monday 23rd December
The Doctor examined me and advised myself, my wife and my eldest
son that I was very ill and would have to be operated on. I signed
the consent form and was then told by a different doctor that I
had Fournier’s Gangrene, the dead skin needed to be removed and
that I might loose my testicles.
The surgical senior house officer was then sent for, he diagnosed
Necrotising Fasciitis. They gave me some medicine to drink and
sent me for an x-ray. I was in and out of consciousness at this
point so I do not really recall very much at this point so I relied
on my sons records which he kept during my time in Casualty and
the ICU.
I was only operated on at 9am, because the Doctors were concerned
about when I had last had a drink. My last drink was approx 8pm
on the 22nd Dec and I had not eaten since 19th Dec. After the operation
I was transferred to the ICU. At 1pm my wife and family was called
to the Hospital.
A nurse took my wife and family to see a Doctor at 2:30pm. He
advised them that I was very ill and had Necrotising Fasciitis
and explained that it was a flesh eating bug. He also explained
that on Tuesday afternoon they could see a Mr Chaubey, who had
previous knowledge of this illness.
Tuesday 24th December
About 1:30 – 2am my family were asked to sign a consent form
for yet another operation, my wife was to exhausted so therefore
my two eldest sons went up. They signed the form and went home.
7pm the Hospital phoned again they had forgotten to have a consent
form signed for a colostomy bag to be fitted so my wife gave her
consent. During my family’s visits to see me, the staff in the
ICU explained that the Doctors had to remove more flesh that morning.
This took place in ICU – the reason for this I do not know.
During my stay in Hospital I was infected with M.R.S.A.
John |
