Permanent Spinal Nerve Root Damage????

[amcareless]

Hiya Mike and Bob,

Thanks very much for all your support and knowledge. I've found one of the most difficult things over the last few weeks to be health professionals tendency to tell you what to/not to do without explaining the rationale behind their instructions.
I believe that's why forums like this are so beneficial to us laymans)

Mike: I've seen two highly recommended Physio's both with their masters in manipulative therapy who have refused to touch me apart from assessing my loss of fuction in my left leg. They both suggested i do some hydrotherapy but no more than once a week. I have no pain when i plantar flex but sharp pain in the back of my thigh when i dorsal flex my foot. I do have full range of motion though.

PhysioBob: Having worked in a public hospital for years myself, i had complete faith in the system and never signed up for private insurance.
Turned out this was a big mistake.

Case in point:
I presented to ED at a public hospital here in Perth, RPH, three weeks ago exactly. My back had spasmed, i was experiencing 10/10 pain and my left leg and foot was numb/ all pins and needles. They sent me home on analgesics and a letter for my GP instructing him to organise an MRI. I couldn't get in to see my GP until the following Tuesday. Over night and all the next day,Saturday, i experienced excruciating cramps in my left calf. These would last for about half an hour and occur at roughly two hour intervals. on Sunday, concerned that this meant my condition was deteriorating i represented at RPH ED. I was told not to worry as i Probably had a prolapsed disc and the cramps were a typical symptom of this. Again i was sent home with no investigations performed and no referral to a NEURO/ORTHO specialist.

On the Tuesday i saw my GP, at this point still in severe back pain, he told me GP's cannot organise MRI's, only CT's. Two days later i have my CT and the radiologist states i need an MRI. I called the offices of every NEURO/ORTHO Dr in the state only to be told they wouldn't see public patients. At this point i called in a huge favour from a friend who's Boss is an ORTHO surgeon. He reviewed my CT and requested the MRI for me. Upon seeing the results he stated i needed surgery ASAP. As i mentioned before i couldn't afford the $10,000 fee for going private and asked my GP to write a referral to SCGH ED, another public hospital in WA. I was reviewed by a Emergency Registrar who finally put through a referral for me to be seen by a Neurosurgeon.
Two days later i receive a phone call stating i have an appointment in four months.
Completely despairing at this point i call in another favour and have my friend's Boss write a referral to his friend, another surgeon, at a public clinic at RPH.
Post this I had an appointment to see a specialist in a matter of day's.
It's not what you know, or more importantly what your symptoms are, but who you know!
My appointment was this morning and the Consultant spent two minutes assessing me and the MRI and booked me in for surgery for two weeks time.

I think my story illustrates the gatekeeping/insufficient supervision of junior DR's in emergency and the effects of the FOUR HOUR RULE that was implemented over the last twelve month's in the hospitals here in WA. I'm fairly certain the FOUR HOUR RULE was trialled in the UK but just in case a quick explanation is that; ED Drs have four hours from the time of triage by the nurse to decide weather the patient should be discharged from ED or admitted to a ward. As in my case where further investigations and review by a specialist was warranted this is simply not enough time.

Without knowing people in the system i would have been waiting at least three months to be reviewed by a specialist, let alone have surgery! All the while not being able to attend work and conditionally deteriorating.

It concerns me that the administrators of our hospitals here in WA are more concerned with statistics than patient health/care and outcomes.

Thank you all again and i shall keep you updated post-op,

Annie