I was a bit unsure whether to post this in the NHS section or the Benefits section but rather than fret about that, I'll just get on with it as I'm sure a moderator will move it if necessary.
This is a bit of a saga, I'm sorry, so I'll try to break it down into bite sized chronological chunks. I have been deliberately nonspecific where possible as some of this is a little personal and I'd like to preserve my anonymity.
I have a history of depression spanning possibly back to when I was 11 in 1971. It certainly spans back to when I was in the Forces between 1976 and 1986.
In 1996 my then partner left and took our two children away to live with her previous boyfriend in another EU country and I haven't seen them since. Unsurprisingly my depression became much deeper.
About two years ago I had routine keyhole surgery to treat a hiatus hernia - a Nissen Fundoplication. I should have been in hospital for between 24 and 48 hours and been left with a couple of tiny scars. I was due to start a very well paid new job a week after the operation.
About midnight on the night of the operation I started getting severe pains which went from my lower right abdomen to my left shoulder which got worse and worse. My self-administrating pain relief was empty and it became unbearable. I called a nurse who briefly came and then left me. As the pain got still worse, I began crying out and the nurse came back and told me to keep quiet as I was disturbing the other patients.
I asked that they phone my partner but they refused saying it was too late. I found my mobile and called myself. Despite being in agony, I was watching the time as there was a clock on the wall right in front of me.
Another nurse came along and tried to replace my pain relief but said she could not find my prescription. I could not understand why she didn't just look at the empty container in the equipment. After about half an hour it was finally replaced.
It wasn't until about two hours later that a doctor turned up. I remember little after this as I think I was anaesthetised. I remember being woken up and asked to sign a form - I later found out that this was a consent form to perform another operation.
The next thing I knew, I woke up in intensive care. I could hardly move and my body was swollen from my waist down. I had a scar from my sternum to about two inches below my navel and tubes coming out everywhere, my stomach, hand and neck. My scrotum was swollen like a haggis with a catheter coming out of it - my penis had been drawn into the swelling. I was in a lot of distress.
I was informed that during the surgery my stomach had been punctured. Its content had been emptying into my abdominal cavity - hence the pain.
I spent the next two and a half weeks in intensive care and special high care unit. I had pneumonia and twice had to have half a litre of fluid removed from my left lung. I could not stand up and when I was finally helped out of bed it took two physiotherapist to support me as I shuffled a few feet.
The consultant who had performed the original operation rarely saw me but when he did he was aggressive both verbally and physically. When he drew fluid from my lung he did so without anaesthetic - despite one of his assistants seeing my pain suggesting he do so. When he inserted a suppository, he did so with such excessive force that I was left in pain and tears The nursing staff had to my partner at home to come in and comfort me.
After being discharged, I could not walk very far and was constantly tired. I developed constant diarrhoea and severe flatulence - up to 30 times a day. There was no way I could start the job I had been offered. I had a drain from my stomach which I had to dress which sometimes leaked.
My depression took a severe turn for the worse but I resisted pharmaceutical treatment for about six months. When I finally started taking medication, it had some positive effect on the diarrhoea - though I frequently had to get up during the night and would have several 'accidents'. It all became a way of life. The hospital could find nothing wrong with me and my GP diagnosed the problem as IBS.
I was getting very frustrated being stuck at home and I sought help to get back to work. I was found a job driving kids with special needs to and from school which I loved. I still had the diarrhoea problem but having a toilet at every child's house and one at school made it manageable. After several months I injured my back pushing a large young adult in his wheelchair up a ramp. I did everything I could to avoid stopping work - I stressed to my doctor that I wanted to keep my job - and my boss had a lift installed in my minibus.
Unfortunately, when fuel prices peaked in May this year, the route I drove became unprofitable - my employer was losing £40.00 per week - and I was made
redundant. Initially, I wasn't really affected but slowly the depression returned - though I was still taking the anti-depressants for the diarrhoea.
I got a bit weary of people asking me if I was going to sue the hospital so in order to appease them I contacted a lawyer who after an investigation told me that I had signed a disclaimer (when I was barely conscious) and I didn't have a leg to stand on if I were to make a claim - so that went no further.
A month or so later, an old injury to my toe flared up and an X-Ray revealed that it was broken and I needed an operation to remove some bone. Now, several months later, my toe is far more painful than it ever was before.
So, my current position is that I am suffering from depression, diarrhoea/flatulence, a bad back and constant pain in my toe. I am receiving Incapacity Benefit and I have been informed that I have to go for an examination with the DWP to assess my situation. I'm quite angry that much of my situation is due to errors when I was in hospital - yet it feels like I am the one being put under investigation. Whether it is a flashback to when I was in the forces or not, I don't know, I feel guilty for being unable to work and as pleasant as my GP is, I don't like asking for sick notes.
I can't really think what advice I am seeking but I would be very grateful if somebody could suggest something for my peace of mind.
Medical negligence - Incapacity Benefit 
