I recently went to hospital for a twisted knee, it popped out during a grappling match in MMA. This happens a lot to me so I thought I should get it checked out. The emergency room were amazing, Quick and efficient it was the aftercare which left a lot to be desired. I was scanned and they found out that I do not have the muscles that stop my knee cap from folding the wrong way. I could have been born like this as my mother has the same problem.

To begin with the specialist came in with my Xray and said I could not possibly done what I said I had because I had a muscle that would not allow that kind of turn. I had to argue my point before he went to ask a supervisor. The supervisor came and looked at my Xray and told me, and the first doctor, that what I had said could have happened and if the original doctor had done his job properly and actually taken notice of my scan instead of reading off what he saw in a book maybe he would have spotted the fact that the ligaments were not present.

They then sent me to physio to strengthen the muscles for a few weeks  and sent me a date to go and see if I had improved or if I needed an operation. They sent me a date, then sent me another date then cancelled and sent me another date, when I called had no knowledge of me and then sent me a final letter saying I had not turned up and so they were not going to see me…so now I am stuck not knowing if my knees are getting better, if I need an operation or if I can return to fighting.

This is not my first experience with the NHS and its not the worst.

My Nan went in to hospital for an operation that ‘rid her of cancer’ a week after the op she died…of cancer. The funny thing is she kept saying “I’m dying” we were like, “no you’re not, your fine” because the doctor had said she was cured, he had got rid of all her cancer. She had bad pains so we took her back to the hospital, even then the doctor said “What are you doing here? There is nothing wrong with you.” But there was, and she knew that better than any doctor. A few days later she died and what did the autopsy find out? That she died of Cancer!

Another example is that of my neighbours mum who went in to hospital after a fall in which she hit her head. She was ‘checked’ over and they found she had a bad liver. A few days later my neighbour noticed a strange smell coming from her mother’s room she went to look at her head and found an oozing pussy bloody smelly mess. When she questioned the nurse, she was told “Oh I didn’t know she had a bad head.” The doctor said the same thing but that’s why she was originally there, for falling and hitting her head, despite this there was nothing about her head in her medical notes. But how could it have gone unnoticed when it was oozing blood and smelly puss?

My own experience with hospitals is very slim. I do not go to them, I have never stayed in one. But the one time I had to go they did not have the right equipment. My smear had shown abnormalities and pre-cancerous cells and I was called in for a biopsy, the first one went well although the results were abnormal so I was called back for a second one. The gynaecologist had a look with a camera, as did I, as there was a TV with a massive image of my vagina on it, which was seriously off putting. Not only are you going to feel me ripping you in two with the smallest clamp I can be bothered to find but you’re going to see it too. Then she shoves a camera and cotton bud up there and puts dye in that changes colour, to which she explains “Yes you need another biopsy, the cells are abnormal. But I don’t have the right equipment for that. So we will have to call you back.” That was two months ago, I’m still waiting to hear whether they have the ‘right equipment’ yet.

Here’s another example, my other Nan was admitted in to hospital New Years day because she fell over. They sent her back home and the next day she was readmitted with a broken leg. They took her in to operate and during the operation found out she hadn’t just broken one leg but both of them. So her operation went from one leg to two while in the operating theatre causing her to lose a lot of blood and ending up in the ICU unit. Luckily she pulled through. But that is just the beginning of my complaints about her stay. While in the ICU they said she wouldn’t eat we went in and found out that the reason for that was she hadn’t been given her false teeth. So we had to go to find her possessions which were in a plastic bag in the old ward. When she was then sent to another ward, after waiting all day to be moved, we made sure her things went with her.

In the new ward things didn’t get much better. First of all they complained that again she was not eating. We went to make sure she had her teeth in this time and we found they were simply putting the food in front of her. Which would be fine…If she could see. We were very surprised that no one had picked up on the fact that she is partially sighted. So we told them and after a few days they finally put up a sign at her bed. But guess what? It doesn’t end there. The other day we found blisters or bed sores on her heels that no one had noticed. Now this means she hasn’t been checked over, had her bed changed, been washed, asked if she feels any pain, and raises all sorts of questions. One most notably being that the physiotherapist’s advice, to get her out of bed and in to a chair daily, has not happened.

Hospitals and the NHS have been in the news for numerous mistakes just last week there was a story of a woman who went in for a bypass and died because they left a hole in her stomach. It’s not good enough. But of course their argument is ‘We are understaffed due to funding’. This overwork and underpaid attitude explains how things get missed and undiagnosed. Nurses are warn out and tired and everyone makes mistakes when tired. No wonder so many accidents happen and there are so many unexplained deaths.

Going to the doctors is a complete farce now days, in fact, in my opinion, it’s completely pointless. That’s why, if I go to one, believe me, I am sick. I’m talking mind numbingly, wheezy breathing, fainting, high fevered in agonising pain sick. Even then I don’t know why I bothered.

Is it any wonder people don’t bother going to see a doctor when many of us don’t have the time. I usually leave for work at 7.30am and get home at 8ish pm. Since the surgery opens at 8 and closes at 5 I don’t get time to go unless I take the day off. So I awoke Tuesday morning in absolute agony down my ear and throat and thought, ‘damn it I have got an ear infection’. So I rang work and said I would be in late. I then had to wait till 8am to ring up on the extremely lucky chance they will have an emergency appointment. Luckily, on this occasion they did.

Usually you try and get an appointment and they are fully booked. So you try and book one for the day after but their fully booked. You ask ‘When is your next appointment then?’ and they um and arr and finally respond “Next week.” So now you have to book being sick a week in advance, you have to pre-empt your illness. “Right” let’s face it, you expected nothing less than disappointment when you started to make this phone call it comes as no surprise to you. “Well can I book for next week then?” haha, no, no you can’t! Because their ‘appointment books’ don’t go that far, but guarantied when you ring up on Monday their fully booked. How, how did you get booked? Where are all these sick people? Who is booking so many appointments?

Anyway, they give me an appointment in an hour’s time. I’m ready for work anyway, so just make my way there and arrive twenty minutes early in the vein hope that being there early may speed up the process. It didn’t.

I sat there, in the waiting room, surrounded by sick people, for an hour. An entire hour, sat there on mismatched stained seats flicking through old ripped up magazines from the nineties. But at least I’m not alone, right? No I’m surrounded by smelly, weird people. So these are the ones booking all the appointments. They all look contagious coughing, spluttering and sneezing, without even the common decency to cover their mouths spraying their dirty diseases everywhere. You see one or two of them stumble to the desk to complain but none of them have the capacity to speak.

Also, why is there no hand sanitizer? The NHS bangs on about not spreading diseases and yet there is no hand sanitizer in most of the doctors surgeries. Is this not one of the places sick people who have contagious diseases go? Did I get that wrong? Maybe I did, it does look like the inside of a community help centre!

I digress, I do apologise. I finally get called in to the Doctor who says she hasn’t seen me in a long time and how am I? Oh I’m fine, just came for a chat…I’m sick stupid why else would I be here? And of course you haven’t seen me, I can’t be bothered to fight all the misfits in the waiting room, surely it’s a good thing she hasn’t seen me anyway? I explain my throat and ear hurt she checks it, there’s nothing wrong with my ear so she tries to send me home. “No” I yell “there is something wrong this pain is not ‘nothing’” she looks complaitative and checks my throat, and of course it’s a little swollen. “Oh” she exclaims and then feels the outside of my neck “aha” she mumbles before listening to my breathing through a stethoscope. “You have a respiratory infection; your glands have swollen to protect yourself that’s where the pain is coming from. You have probably had it for a while, from over exerting yourself in this cold weather. But your glands are doing a good job so I’m not going to give you medication.” Thank god, it’s like £8 for prescription medicine now days. “Have you had a temperature?” she continued.

“I don’t know, I don’t own a thermometer” I said.

“You should get one and keep an eye on it. If you get a temperature come back and see me. Its good you came so you know and keep an eye on it” she said. No, what’s good is that a second ago I didn’t take your quick ear check and dismissal, that’s what’s good. “If your temperature stays for more than three days you should go to hospital” she said, as she sent me on my way, wheezing like a fat man thinking ‘hospital? Yeah right!’