Orthopaedic help please - promise its not too complicated :)
Discussion
Help!
The MiL lives a 7h round trip away and is becoming increasingly frail
Last Tuesday she fell and broke her wrist.
She was taken to hospital and had the bottom end of her radius (we think) relocated in A&E with an injection into the fracture for anaesthetic. They said it didnt work and she needs a proper operation for either pins or a metal plate to fix it and was sent home in a plaster splint without any pain killers. Its now Sunday and she still hasnt heard back with a date for the op.
First question is should we start to make a fuss about the delay?
She's in pain and friends where we live have had broken bones fixed on the next working day at our local hospital.
The main question relates to the place she went to. It has a terrible reputation and I have first hand knowledge of it being awful. The current treatment of the MiL is doing nothing to dampen this prejudice.
How would we get her fracture fixed at the next nearest hospital which is marginally further away but a much, much better establishment? Is this likely to be impossible or worth a punt?
Cheers - advice much appreciated.
The MiL lives a 7h round trip away and is becoming increasingly frail
Last Tuesday she fell and broke her wrist.
She was taken to hospital and had the bottom end of her radius (we think) relocated in A&E with an injection into the fracture for anaesthetic. They said it didnt work and she needs a proper operation for either pins or a metal plate to fix it and was sent home in a plaster splint without any pain killers. Its now Sunday and she still hasnt heard back with a date for the op.
First question is should we start to make a fuss about the delay?
She's in pain and friends where we live have had broken bones fixed on the next working day at our local hospital.
The main question relates to the place she went to. It has a terrible reputation and I have first hand knowledge of it being awful. The current treatment of the MiL is doing nothing to dampen this prejudice.
How would we get her fracture fixed at the next nearest hospital which is marginally further away but a much, much better establishment? Is this likely to be impossible or worth a punt?
Cheers - advice much appreciated.
The recent cold weather will have caused an epidemic of these injuries and the department is probably overwhelmed. No doubt she will be on a list that is kept by the trauma coordinator at the hospital that she attended. Delaying definitive treatment for up to a couple of weeks is unlikely to affect the outcome significantly but it would be worth phoning the coordinator for an update. If she’s got the dosh then she could have private treatment but it’s likely to cost a couple of k. Hope she gets sorted soon.
numtumfutunch said:
Help!
The MiL lives a 7h round trip away and is becoming increasingly frail
Last Tuesday she fell and broke her wrist.
She was taken to hospital and had the bottom end of her radius (we think) relocated in A&E with an injection into the fracture for anaesthetic. They said it didnt work and she needs a proper operation for either pins or a metal plate to fix it and was sent home in a plaster splint without any pain killers. Its now Sunday and she still hasnt heard back with a date for the op.
First question is should we start to make a fuss about the delay?
She's in pain and friends where we live have had broken bones fixed on the next working day at our local hospital.
The main question relates to the place she went to. It has a terrible reputation and I have first hand knowledge of it being awful. The current treatment of the MiL is doing nothing to dampen this prejudice.
How would we get her fracture fixed at the next nearest hospital which is marginally further away but a much, much better establishment? Is this likely to be impossible or worth a punt?
Cheers - advice much appreciated.
1. Sounds like she's had a 'manipulation under haematoma block' in A&E, which is quite common, and can be done very easily and tolerably. Often it's all that needed to get it right in the cast.The MiL lives a 7h round trip away and is becoming increasingly frail
Last Tuesday she fell and broke her wrist.
She was taken to hospital and had the bottom end of her radius (we think) relocated in A&E with an injection into the fracture for anaesthetic. They said it didnt work and she needs a proper operation for either pins or a metal plate to fix it and was sent home in a plaster splint without any pain killers. Its now Sunday and she still hasnt heard back with a date for the op.
First question is should we start to make a fuss about the delay?
She's in pain and friends where we live have had broken bones fixed on the next working day at our local hospital.
The main question relates to the place she went to. It has a terrible reputation and I have first hand knowledge of it being awful. The current treatment of the MiL is doing nothing to dampen this prejudice.
How would we get her fracture fixed at the next nearest hospital which is marginally further away but a much, much better establishment? Is this likely to be impossible or worth a punt?
Cheers - advice much appreciated.
2. 5 days from fracture to today isn't too worrying, but obviously delays cause unnecessary pain sometimes, if they need to move the fracture and fix it, you have 10-14 days to do this. It may be in a good position currently, in which case it is simply healing now.
3. The orthopaedic service at your hospital will usually have a Trauma Co-ordinator who sorts admissions out. You might be able to speak to them via switchboard. I would ring at 5 days, because it is drifting on a bit if you've heard nothing.
4. Pain killers: this is an easy answer> There is no way in the world that she should not have some and/or be given some. Fractures hurt and she need not be in pain.
5. Going to another Hospital Trust...... You always have the right to change teams. I suggest you make contact with the consultant treating her (on call consultant for orthopaedics) and see if he/she can make this episode better.
If you really wanted to change trusts ( and remember Trusts often manage 2 or 3 hospitals and get all the fracture work done at one site) then the best thing would be just to start all over again at A&E in the second place, making sure you let them know of the days lost.
HTH
Thanks all for the help.
Firstly it is a measure of the organisation that she attended that she was sent home without pain killers and we cant get through to the trauma coordinator. Whats frustrating is that the other hospital a little further in the opposite direction are a separate Trust and extremely good, however the old duck "doesnt want any trouble" and wishes to go back to original port of call for her op.
In the meantime she's in her 80's with a splint on her dominant wrist at the wrong end of the country.
We'll try some more phone calls tomorrow, fingers crossed.
Cheers
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