"I wish to pass on my thanks to the superb surgical team"

I was admitted by ambulance to A&E last week and diagnosed with a suspected acute gallbladder attack. I had to wait several hours before being sent home as the pain had subsided and I was asked to come back the next day for an ultrasound. I eventually saw a consultant who was able to diagnose large gallstones and booked me in for surgery six days later. I followed her advice and ate a very low fat restricted diet, preventing another major flare up.

On the day of my surgery, the surgical team behaved in an exemplary way. I cannot praise the consultant surgeon or anaesthetist highly enough for their compassion and skill. I had a laparoscopic choleocystectomy - a keyhole procedure to remove my gallbladder. I was in hospital for 12 hours- leaving at 8pm. It is amazing that an organ which was causing me so much pain has now gone and the scarring, bruising and pain have been minimal.

The NHS is clearly underfunded and understaffed in certain areas as my experience in A&E and waiting to see my consultant were not positive ones, involving sitting for long periods of time waiting with no pain relief. However I feel really lucky to have had such an expert surgical team looking after me and would like to thank them all for their compassion, skill and professionalism.