"The most unpleasant experience of my life"

What I liked

One nurse out of the whole unit over the weekend actually took time to come and ask me how I was feeling after I had an adisonial crisis after the surgery. She stood out as she actually showed compassion.

What could be improved

I had been sick for a few months with Hyperthyroidism before my surgery and over that period of time I became very unwell to the point I had to be pushed around in a wheel chair. Out of everything that happened over that time, the worst part for me was the hospital stay over the weekend after the surgery.

The nurses showed no compassion at all, their communication was dire and their attitude was very harsh towards us patients. I suffered an addisons crisis after the surgery and I was told that I could not see a doctor, it wasn't until I became very poorly that they changed their tune and got a doctor to see me, by that time I was extremely unwell and the nurses were looking rather sheepish and guilty.

Before my experience at Southampton Hospital I was an advocate for nurses and believed that they did a fantastic job. However, now my opinion has now changed drastically and I fear ever having to go in to hospital again.

Anything else?

There were 5 of us on the ward at that time I over heard a couple of patients raising issues with the nurses for bad decisions.

I was asked recently by my consultant what was the worst experience of my sickness over the last 6 months - I replied "The nurses in the ward I was staying on after surgery"