"My first operation - and I hope my last"

In 2007, around July time, I was admitted into Scarborough hospital for a routine operation. As I had never had an operation before that point, I was apprehensive and had no idea what to expect.

Firstly, they took me to a ward where the women on it ranged in age between 60 and 95, and I was only 16! My operation had been due early in the morning, but I didn't get in until 4:30pm. By that time, I had nearly gone for over 12 hours without food and the person who came for a blood sample didn't really speak to me.

The operation went ok and the nurse in the recovery ward was lovely. Although, when I did come around, I was in agony. I could feel everything, even though I was fully dosed up on morphine.

Back on the ward, the day shift nurses were lovely, they fetched a sandwich and snack menu as I'd missed the evening meal. It all changed at shift change. A nurse came and shortened my IV line, not telling me what she was doing and frightening me when I saw blood going up the line.

It got gradually worse. At the time they dim the lights down, they discovered that the light above my bed didn't work. There was one seriously sick, fragile, elderly woman. During the night, she was sick many times and as I was across from her, I saw everything. she had no way of calling the nurses except to call out with her voice. In the end, I had to use my call button for her. Because of that and other reasons, I hardly slept that night.

I spent the entire night on oxygen (something that no one explained why) and with an empty iv fluids bag attached to my arm. When I asked about the bag, they just said it would be dealt with in the morning.

When the morning came, a nurse removed my iv without tapping my catheter. Blood went everywhere. This really freaked me out. Then, when they came with my meds, they gave me them in a dirty med cup without realizing!

On my way out, I was forced to walk all the way to where my dad was waiting in the car and it was my mum who helped me.

I have been left hoping that I shall never have to go in hospital for an operation again.