Post traumatic stress

[angelrock]

It has been two years since my ICU experience, I am now beginning to feel so awful and very angry with a certain GP who initially misdiagnosed me which resulted in me having a life saving operation. I can't get my head around her actions and simply why.

[BBDEBS]

I guess Angel, we all kinda ended up in itu due to a mis diagnosis somewhere along the line (unless it was an accident or heart attack etc.). For example I was diagnosed with pneumonia (correct) but my GP missed flu (swine), then 111 triaged me to receive an ambulance 1 hour after my mum called but when she dialled 999, they sent one immediately. 111 you don't always get a paramedic who can realise the severity of the issue.

As a result I very nearly died first in my bed then second in the ambulance. Then my poor poor husband and family were told I'd not survive the night and they waited for hours in the family room waiting for me to die, something I cannot to this day comprehend just because it sounds too crazy to me and then I question whether I am alive still.

I arranged cbt with EMDR for my husband which worked wonders. He is now fully functioning and back to work full time however when I speak to him about that night, as I did last night, he struggles to discuss it with me, he tries to avoid the issue and his eyes get watery.

I'm now having counselling myself, not cbt as I've already had that in my past, but just a good old fashioned talking therapy. I've had 2 sessions so far and both times I walked in thinking I'm ok, and then ended up blubbing. Never underestimate how much your soul needs to heal as well as your body.

Can you speak to your GP surgery to tell them what happened and help them understand what symptoms etc you believe your GP should have spotted? I think making it into a positive will help you get past this. GPs have 10 minutes to meet you, diagnose you and prescribe you medicine, I don't blame my GP any more, he said I was the first proper sick person he'd seen all day and it was nearly midday. People put way too much pressure on the fragile NHS and waste GPs time, 85 people didn't attend their appointments in my surgery this week, 85!!!

I hope you can move past this, I really recommend counselling and having a positive discussion with your surgery. No matter how much you are angry with the GP, I'm sure she'll never want to make that mistake again, help her understand it and stop it happening to someone else. GP stands for general practitioner, they are (forgive me!!) jack of all trades master of none (can't think of another term), as in they need to know enough about everything but specialise in nothing as we are all just humans, not computers with massive brains.

Seek out an icu steps support group if you can too xx

Good luck,

Debs xxx

[angelrock in reply to BBDEBS]

Thank you for your reply, I don't want to see her again !!!!

[Luckyone]

It will be 6 years for me on 18th December and like you my GP failed to spot how seriously ill I was just giving me antibiotics for a chest infection, had it not snowed the night before I would not be here now my wife & daughter would have gone to work & then on to their Christmas parties and I would have died before they returned home.

I spent 3 months in ICU at the Conquest Hospital in Hastings where the doctors & nurses preformed a miracle in saving my life as I was later told I was so critical I should have not even made it to the hospital let alone survived, I suffered major damage to my lungs, along with other problems associated with ARDS & severe sepsis which unfortunately ended my working career at 52 and being I ran my own company it meant the end of that to, which lead to some very dark days for me, fortunately one of my nieces is a ICU nurse at the hospital and she managed to get me a follow up after 3 months it would have normally been 6 months, the consultant was very helpful and arranged for counseling which I found pretty useless, it was my second follow up that help me most when the follow up nurse asked me to speak to a patient that had been in ICU for 2 months and feeling very down, I visited him on several occasions even planning on having a beer together when he was discharged but unfortunately he never made it, making me realise how incredibly lucky I was and changed my outlook on life completely, leading to me to help set up a local support group, doing talks at the hospital & from 2013 being a trustee of ICUsteps.

I don't don't feel bitter towards the GP as my wife was told by the doctor in ICU it would of happened anyway and the GP left the surgery after another mistake when he gave someone the wrong results s I guess karma finally caught up with him.

Unfortunately your GP misdiagnosed you but try not to let it consume you as none of us can turn the clock back as much as wish we could, but remember we are the lucky ones that survived something we're all grateful for and believe me things do get better with time and I have a wonder grandson who's 3yrs old now to prove it for me.

[angelrock]

Thank you all for your kind words.

[angelrock]

Thank you very much for your support and kindness.