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"Abysmal ENT my Timeline"

About: Essex County Hospital

My ENT timeline at Essex county. July 2012 first appointment via choose and book suffering from loud tinnitus, severe headaches and hearing loss in the right ear. August 2012 MRI scan at the oaks as Colchester’s scanner was broken. September 2012 review visit and told that the tinnitus is caused by the hearing loss and that the MRI scan was clear other than a small vein anomaly, so no further action required. September 2012 to Jan 2014 headaches much worse, tinnitus getting unbearable. Further visit to ENT at Colchester hospital convinced in my mind that there was a physical problem after several cancelled appointment’s finally got to see a registrar at Colchester hospital in February 2014 who in a passing comment asked me how I got on with my second scan and showed me a letter in my file from a radiologist in 2012 two years previously recommending further scans as the first MRI indicated I had an arterioveinous fistula that could result in a brain haemorrhage, this was new news that obviously Colchester hospitals had failed to inform me of. May 2014 another MRI scan at Colchester general Hospital 30/06/2014 received a letter from Essex county hospital stating no changes between the scans of august 2012 and may 2014 to the dilated blood vessels but that they had now referred these scans to the Neurovascular surgeon at the Queens Hospital Romford. July 2014 called to queens hospital Romford to meet the neurovascular team where I was shown the MRI scan from two years previously that clearly indicated I had arterioveinous fistulas on the right side of my brain that required neurosurgery to remove in order to prevent a bleed on the brain which would also cure the headaches and the tinnitus both of which I had complained to Colchester’s ENT Department back in 2012! On the 30th of October 2014 I underwent a five hour brain operation followed the next day by a further 3 hour brain operation by the absolutely brilliant neurological teams at the Queens Hospital Romford. I was told that I would need a follow-up angiogram three months after to check on the fistula and to see if the tinnitus had gone. Three days later in November 2014 I developed chronic sinusitis, the symptoms of which are amongst others tinnitus and headaches, this meant there is no way I can tell if the brain surgery has been completely successful or whether my current chronic sinusitis is the problem, 7months later my symptoms getting worse with a constant foul smell and with green pus dripping into my mouth and throat I finally got an appointment with ENT At Clacton on the 13th of march 2015, no medication for the headaches and tinnitus, no answer for the pus and the smell just another booking at Colchester hospital April 13th. Had a CT scan May 8th no results. May 9th appointment for august 26th, constant daily headaches, with foul metallic tasting green pus dripping down my mouth and throat, with a constant repulsive foul smell and no furthur on!!!!

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Responses

Response from Essex County Hospital 8 years ago
Essex County Hospital
Submitted on 12/06/2015 at 10:43
Published on nhs.uk on 13/06/2015 at 01:01


I apologise you’ve not had a good patient experience. We try really hard to improve our services based on the comments we receive from our patients, their relatives or carers. We would like the opportunity to discuss your experiences more fully and to apologise in person. If you are willing I would appreciate it if I could ask the matron to contact you. Could you email me, using the reference “Comment on Ear, Nose & Throat at 09/05/2015 15:12:29”, please? Many thanks Paul Searle, Head of Communications Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust info@colchesterhospital.nhs.uk

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