"Frimley Park Hospital - late diagnosis of bladder cancer"

I was under this hospital from early 2003 for water infections and blood in my water which I was in pain for, I had several tests done but the symptons continued over a 5 year period and all I was put on was antibiotics which doesn't help.

Over this time up to 2008 I had made several attempts to get my problem sorted through appointments with urology department - even made a few attempts through a&e but told by triage that I only had stomach ache and to go home and take paracetomal. This was all the care I received until june 2008 when my husband who is a disabled person called an ambulance. When they turned up I had the same treatment as before, that he should have called for a doctor as I only had a stomach ache which wasn't bad enough for an ambulance. my husband was very upset and told them that they either take me in to hospital or he would take me in himself as I was in so much pain that I couldn't walk properly. They did then take me but they made me walk in acute pain bent over to the ambulance which was over 200 yards away from my home.

When I finally got to Frimley Park Hospital the doctor that saw me told my husband and I that I was suffering from acute kidney failure and if left a few more days I would not be here talking to you, i would have been dead.

I was in hospital for over 5 days in this time I only saw a doctor a couple of times and in this time was told that they had put a stent in to my kidney so that it could work the best way it could as I was only born with 1 kidney and this is the reason for all my water infections. Apparently my kidney wasn't working to its fullest.

So why did this hospital leave me for 5 years in pain from water infections and blood in my water?

Released from hospital in June 2008, told everything was fine but I had to go back after a few weeks for a check up and results on outstanding scans.

My husband and I went back sat in and sat in out patient department for over a hour and half over my appointment time. I listened to another person complaining that they were going to be late for further appointments so the staff decided to put this person in before me to keep him quiet, not bad considering I was already one and half hours over my appointment.

When it finally came to my appointment a man came out and called my name and I asked my husband who he was because I had never met him before and my husband said he had never seen him before either. I walked in through the door and before I had a chance to sit down he said he was sorry to hear that I had Bladder Cancer, which you could imagine took me by complete shock as no one had mentioned that I had suspected cancer when I was in hospital a few weeks before. I remember sitting down and listening to this urology surgeon talking to me but don't remember everything that was told to me other than they were releasing me from the Hospital as they were sending me to St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey for them to sort my Bladder Cancer out.

At no point did I have my husband with me when they broke the news I had cancer - there wasn't even a nurse in the room with him either. I left the room in a daze and in shock I walked past my husband and when I got out of the front entrance of the hospital broke down in tear. I told him what I had been told and he was at that point very angry because no one at any point had told him that I had cancer. He wanted to go back and find out what their game was and wanted to know how the hell I got Bladder Cancer after being under Frimley Park Hospital for over 5 years for treatment of water infections and blood in water and nothing sorted until I was rushed into hospital with acute kidney failure. Since having bladder cancer I have found out from cancer research that continuous water infections and blood in water is a symptom of Bladder Cancer so I am disgusted with Frimley Park Hospital as I was seeking help from this hospital for this condition with out any help.

Since I found out I had Bladder Cancer I have had my bladder removed straight away because the cancer was so far advanced the other hospital could not save my bladder. I have had to live with incontinance problems since and had to live with a stoma and a disposable bag which has to be changed every time I go to the toilet. I feel this is all because Frimley Park Urology department couldn't work out why I was having continous water infections over a 5 year term.

I did make a complaint to this hospital but this hospital didn't take any blame in me getting bladder cancer. Apparently a letter from a senior manager at the trust which stated that I should have known I had cancer and that it was my doctors responsibility also - but I feel that it isn't mine or my doctors fault that this was not diagnosed because my doctor did everyting thing they should have, and I continually sought help. The hospital advised them to do because after all I was under Frimley Park Hospital for treatment which I certain did not get and still don't.

This hospital seems to have a very good reputation with the public but in my case, the hospital failed to diagnose me with a very serious illness and I have not received an apology.

I am still under St Peters Hospital Chertsey and this hospital seems to often get the rough end of the stick with the press but in my opinion it is a great hospital and in my experience, there is always some one there that will talk to my about any worries - something I've not experienced at Frimley Park Hospital.

I do give any one a bit of information though and that is if you have any of the early symptoms that I had, which ever hospital you are under, push hard to get answers but if you are not happy with what a hospital is saying I would say get a second opinion because I wish I had - I might have been saved all this in the first place.