"Shown little dignity or respect."

On the 28th August 2014 I visited the Surgical Assessment Unit on Lincoln Wing on the advice of my GP as cyst on my back had developed an infection. 3 different staff members asked me the same routine questions and one took my blood pressure. The third nurse told me that the cyst would need to be drained under local anaesthetic (contrary to what my GP had told me) but when I was seen by the surgeon he confirmed that this would be done under a general anaesthetic and asked me to return in the morning at 9 am (why was I given conflicting information?) I returned with my husband before 9 and was asked to take a seat in the waiting area. After about 15 mins I was given a gown, surgical stockings and paper knickers to put on but was told that they would come and let me know when to do this because there wasn't a bed ready for me on the ward and I would have quite a long wait but I was assured that they would give me plenty of time to do this. I was also told that I would need to remove the nail polish from my toes.Gradually the waiting room began to fill up but at no time during those 3 hours of waiting was I asked to put the gown on. The unit is accessed by an entry system and porters/patients had buzz to get in but I had to keep getting up to do this even though I was in pain. At 12.15 the same nurse came and said the porter was here to take me down to theatre and I pointed out that I hadn't got changed. I was hurriedly pointed towards the ladies toilet and asked to get changed in there. This was a cramped unhygienic space without a toilet seat so I was unable to bend to put the stockings on and could not do up the gown at the back because I was in too much pain. I asked the nurse to help me and she did the ties up in full view of everyone affording me little dignity or respect. She then took me into their office to help me put the stockings on and took my bag of clothes from me and shoved them down the side of the chair (separate to my other belongings). I was assured that my belongings would be sent down to the ward after my op. I was then taken to the pre-op room and at this point she remembered that my nail varnish not been removed so hurriedly did this just before I was taken to the anaesthesia room. After waking from my op the nurses in the recovery room were wonderful and made sure that I was given pain relief 4 times as I was in a lot of discomfort. I heard them say that I would need to be put on an IV drip when I was taken to the ward but when I got to Ward 43 I was met by a nurse who introduced herself and said she would be looking after me but I never saw her again! My belongings eventually turned up after 3 hours during which time my family had frantically been trying to contact me. I could not get a signal on my phone (however the patients on the opposite side of the room did not have a problem) and it was one of those patients who showed me where the phone was so that I could call my family. I was never shown the all button or toilet