"Visit to Dermatology Department Outpatients"

I have been an In Patient at the GWH the 1st time was August 2012. Since then I have spent another three in patient visits and have on every occasion found the care and the staff to be exceptional even though they are kept extremely busy. I had quite a long stay on Meldron Ward and the care from the nursing staff was second to none. Unfortunately it all changed when on 19th January 2015 I arrived at Wren Ward for an out patient appointment with one of your Dermatologists. I had been struggling with a skin condition for quite some period of time and it had taken me 3 visits to my GP to get a referral and then had to wait for 3 months for the actual appointment. The consultant I saw treated me with total disdain. Having made me strip to my underwear which I feel very uncomfortable about anyway as I have a colostomy bag, they had a quick look at the patches of skin I showed them concerned me over my body and on my forehead. They didn't look impressed and told me to get dressed. They seemed to be running from one consulting room to another through a connecting door and I felt I was not being listened to or taken seriously. They eventually came back told me there was nothing I could do about the patches on my legs, hands and arms and they would fad. I pointed out that I had them since May 2014 and they were spreading and getting worse and I found them very unsightly. They made no response and told me to keep them moisturised. They never asked me if I had any questions which I might like to ask which I found strange because consultants usually give you the opportunity to do this near the end of the consultation.Then off they went again through the adjoining door. I was not told what the condition was called, maybe the consultant thought I was a bit thick and might not understand, they gave me no indication how it could progress or any advice on treatment that is available. I had to want till I received a copy of the letter to my doctor weeks later to be able to look into the disease and find out what I had. It is now on a lot of my body but the worst part is my face. It literally feels like its on fire, itches constantly as do my eyes and scalp and my forehead, nose and chin are covered in painful raised bumps. i can't have water on my face as this burns it so makes washing my hair impossible. It wrinkles the skin and causes me abject misery from the moment I wake up if i'm lucky enough to have had some sleep as the discomfort and itching throughout my body makes that difficult most nights. At the end of their letter the consultant wrote he did not wish to see me again. Totally dismissed not even a follow up appointment arranged to see how this horrible disease may have progressed. As you can imagine I cannot request to my GP that they requests a follow up appointment with this consultant as my faith in all the other good work and support given to me at GWH has been shattered.