My Mystery DNR

[MichaelJH]

You may remember write about five months ago I posted my surprise, no rather shock, on finding the ambulance service had a DNR on me.

I think I have now unravelled what led to this and personally I find it both frightening and infringement of my human rights.

Apparently in the early months of the first lockdown DNRs were put in place on people like care home residents, disabled, those with multiple medical conditions like myself and many others. This was done without consulting either the person involved or their relatives as it was an emergency measure!

In autumn 2019 I was referred to vascular services after an X-ray for arthritis on my left leg show shadows, caused by calcification, on the arteries in the calf area. I finally got an appointment at the start of April but this was cancelled has the pandemic overran the hospital. A few days after this where I have been treated for an ingrowing toenail the area ulcerated.: I saw my private podiatrist within 2-days, was referred to my GP and onwards to A&E. I spent most of the day on an assessment ward with the planned ultrasound scan never happening. I believe that the DNR was then put in place. After numerous delays they attempted an angioplasty in late July. This didn't work and I had a BKA (below knee amputation) at the end of the month. At that time the DNR should no longer have been in place. I have confirmation it is not in place at that hospital.

However whilst a simple change such as your home address or GP practice can get lost in the system (the letter from my consultant was sent to my current GP and copied to me whilst the appointment letter for surgery noted my previous GP in a totally different area!). However the DNR seems to have spread like another virus. The advice I was given was to check both with my GP practice and any other hospital that I have attended. I suspect even after checking I will double check for quite a time there's one thing I know NHS databases can get home address, GP practice, medical conditions, treatment and medications very wrong!

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

Test...

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

If you can see this please post Yes.

[Forestdweller]

I can see it

[MichaelJH Heart Star in reply to Forestdweller]

Thank you! You are the only one so far. Others I have messaged either cannot see it or if they see it in a list of posts results in an error.

Can you see any reason why a moderator would try and delete it. Thank you..

[Forestdweller in reply to MichaelJH]

Oh I don’t know, it seemed like a reasonable post. I wonder if it was about dnr’s. My post may disappear because of this but I am aware myself having a disabled son with neurological disability , that the nice guidelines do differ. The care pathway is different and they focus less on preserving life and more on making the patient comfortable. I wonder if during coving if they extended that to disabled people in general.