Patient tells NHS board she discharged herself from Lister Hospital after pain ‘dismissed as one of those things’
A patient suffering from endometriosis has told health chiefs that she discharged herself from Lister Hospital after staff refused to give her painkillers and dismissed her symptoms as “one of those things”.
Mary-Kate, 36, had been admitted to a ward after spending 11 hours in the hospital’s Emergency Department. She was experiencing complications following surgery she had undergone just days earlier.
However, without access to pain relief, her antibiotics stopped, and being told it was “just endometriosis”, she felt she had no choice but to discharge herself.
The mother-of-two shared her experience with members of the East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust board on Wednesday (May 14) as part of a regular session focusing on patient experiences.
Nationally, concerns have been raised that women suffering from painful reproductive health conditions – such as endometriosis – often have their symptoms ‘normalised’ or their ‘pain dismissed’.
During the meeting, Mary-Kate spoke about her long struggle with the condition, which was only diagnosed in 2021.
She told the Trust board that she had always had “heavy periods”, but didn’t know what was “normal” and assumed others experienced the same.
She explained how it had affected her mental health growing up – stopping her from doing certain things and making her avoid social situations due to embarrassment.
Following a Caesarean birth, she said the pain and bleeding worsened – but she was too embarrassed to seek help.
It was only during the pandemic, after moving in with family, that she was persuaded to see her GP.
After undergoing an initial procedure at another Trust in 2021 – after which she experienced pain in her left leg and now uses a walking stick – she was diagnosed with endometriosis.
She said she then took it upon herself to research the condition and to “fight for myself” for a referral to Mr Lim at the East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust.
That referral, she said, had “changed her life”.
She told the board that Mr Lim had listened to her, explained the condition – which she says no-one had done before – and gave her options, which led her to choose surgery.
However, just six days after the operation, she returned to the hospital seeking emergency help. She told the board that her symptoms were dismissed, painkillers were refused, and antibiotics were stopped.
After discharging herself, she said her haematoma was only dealt with after she approached her NHS surgeon through his private clinic.
Mary-Kate also raised concerns with the board about the quality of information made available to other clinicians following her discharge.
She added that despite the need for repeated surgery, initial efforts had been made to discharge her from the Trust.
Trust board chair Anita Day said it was “not easy listening” but acknowledged that it had been much worse for Mary-Kate to live through the experience. She added that the board would not forget what had been shared.
Board members also discussed the accessibility of electronic patient information.
Following the meeting, the East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust issued a statement in which the chief nurse thanked Mary-Kate for her honesty and continued collaboration with the Trust.
She said: “We are so pleased that Mary-Kate shared her story with the Trust Board, highlighting the issue of women’s health, specifically endometriosis.
“It was good to hear of the great care from our surgeon Mr Lim, at our Hertfordshire Endometriosis Centre at Lister. The specialist centre treats the most complex cases, which are often referred from other hospitals.
“We are grateful that Mary-Kate is working with the trust on improvement projects to speed up access to specialist care when women attend the emergency department, and also on accessing expert advice seven days a week to reduce lengthy waits for emergency care.
“Thank you Mary-Kate for sharing your story, and Mr Lim for your fantastic care.”
After the meeting, Mary-Kate told the Local Democracy Reporting Service:
“It’s brilliant they are listening and that they want to improve services.”
Deborah is a Local Democracy Reporter covering news across Hertfordshire, with a strong focus on councils, local government and public policy. Her reporting includes county council decisions, council tax, spending pressures, legal and regulatory issues, healthcare stories including junior doctors, and community projects affecting local residents.
