"Lack of care"

About: Cork University Hospital / Emergency department Mercy University Hospital South Infirmary Hospital / Emergency department South Infirmary Hospital / ENT

(as the patient),

It started 4 years ago when I had symptoms of a tonsil abscess. I went to the emergency room where I waited 12hours to see a doctor who looked inside my mouth and dismissed me. They sent a referral to South infirmary. 12 months later after numerous antibiotics I was finally seen and told I would need tonsillectomy. I previously reacted to general anasthetic so they said they need to gather notes from the maternity hospital where it happened and I would be called in due time. My symptoms worsened severely, the infection spread, I ended up in the emergency room multiple other times where they did nothing so I eventually walked into the south infirmary and asked to be assessed by an ENT doctor that day. They agreed to see me as I refused to leave. I was in very severe distress at this point and scared. 

 The doctor said possible issue with the glands and ordered an ultra sound which showed nothing. Then my doctor started ringing the hospital weekly for 4 months and they finally removed my tonsils, the abccess and a large fistula that had formed in the area, I did ask for a CT as I suspected the infection was in a larger area and they refused.. I went home recovered from surgery but I still had symptoms and got another very severe infection a few months later. A year later I've had 3 severe salivary gland infections and my doctor suspects a blockage and I'm now on a waiting list again to see a different ENT department in a different hospital because I have too much pride to beg for help again. This is degrading. 

This is an issue with the system as a whole and I blame the HSE as a medical card patient because these issues are happening due to a lack of access to patient notes, poor communication between departments and a lack of patient care as well as a lack of staff. I have no access to my own history to show the hell I've been through

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