"Peritonitis, caused by undiagnosed Diverticulitis"

V. serious operation recently, due to Peritonitis caused by Undiagnosed Diverticulitis.

Surely we should be tested for diverticulitis at the same time as for bowel cancer?!

Spent the whole summer in RD&E ICU, High dependency wards, Dawlish hospital, and Barton Lodge care home, Dawlish.

Traumatic Op., from which I will never fully recover.

Ambulance excellent (Must have been “Category 1”)

First possible signs of Diverticulitis in late ‘90’s (IBS). Was taking a lot of medication. I think my GP, back in Wokingham, tho’ she was generally excellent, should have paid attention to this.

Last visit to Yarty Day Case. Yarty DC v. gd.; friendly, welcoming, and competent. They weren’t responsible for the dosages.

Terrible constipation afterwards; laxatives didn’t work. Surely constipation is the last thing you need with diverticulitis!

I reported the constipation to my Clinical Nurse Specialist, and also reported it on the Yellow card reporting site.

The constipation got steadily worse until it was extremely painful, and we called an ambulance. Their response was very good indeed; the paramedics were excellent, and they got me to the ICU within minutes.

The emergency op. was devastating; when I came round, and heard what they’d done to me, I honestly didn’t want to regain consciousness. What was the point?- I had nothing to live for.

When I was being tested/treated for NHL, Myeloma,bowel cancer (after routine over 60’s bowel cancer tests), etc., I had numerous tests; Colonoscopy without sedation, at Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading. This was excruciating. The next time, I insisted on sedation.

Also CT scans, X rays, ultrasound scans., etc etc. Surely, throughout all this, I could have also have been tested for Diverticulitis?

I am very grateful for help provided by ELF and FORCE at RD&E. ELF provided me with one of their bank of 6 independent counsellors, to help with the PTSD caused by the operation. They were the best Therapist/Counsellor I have ever had. I benefitted, and learned so much. It was great that all this was free, thanks to all the fundraising for ELF. I donated to ELF, but realise that it wouldn’t even have covered the cost of the first session.

FORCE has done so much to make Yarty Day Case etc.a pleasant environment, and to support patients generally. Unfortunately, because we live out in Teignmouth, we tended to be a bit too late to make use of their therapies etc.

The dietitian at Torbay hospital was also very helpful. She emphasised the importance of a high fibre diet with Diverticulitis. This is completely different from my previous diet (for the stoma).

We need to make a great deal of alterations to the house (ensuite toilet, disabled bathroom/ wet room, ramp to sitting room, etc, etc, but OT are helping and supporting us with this.

We are extremely pleased with our new GP surgery (Barton Surgery, Dawlish). We live between Teignmouth and Dawlish, so are eligible to join them. They make a point of seeing their patients face-to-face (a rare privilege these days), are very accessible, and have close contacts with Dawlish hospital, where I recuperated for a fortnight. The hospital treated me extremely well.

We go to the surgery for blood tests, and the results should automatically be forwarded to RD&E.

We have a huge amount of our shopping delivered, because of my difficulties in leaving the house..

We aim to get out twice a week. I belong to Countryside Mobility and hire Trampers (All Terrain Mobility Scooters) through them.

I am helping with a case study for them, which I’m hoping will be relevant for their funding.

We also like to sample new restaurants/cafes and live music venues. I need to find “Covid Safe” venues, as I am at risk from Covid and someone has to stay with me too as I can’t change the stoma bag myself, due to my neuropathy.

We have joined Powderham Castle, our nearest location for Tramper hire, and are very much enjoying exploring there

I have joined a Zoom class in Embodied Creative Improvisation. It’s very good for building confidence and spontaneity...

I practise mindfulness, which helps a great deal with my mental health.

All my carers are trained in Reablement, and I do the exercises every day. I find it hugely beneficial.

These notes give a summary of the traumatic nature of my operation, how I think it could have been prevented, and the help that I had along the way.

I also produced some more notes that went into more detail, but they were too long. It would be helpful to know about the word/character limit beforehand.

All the Best.