Northern Beaches Hospital — Local services in Sydney

I have previously left bad review before about my experience with having a week long stay, because of constant twitching seizure/stroke symptoms. I was hospitalised last October, and I'm still having to follow up with trying to find answers for what I was suffering with almost an entire year later. The Northern beaches hospital have falsified every medical document I have had to follow up with over a time period of 9 months. The hospital claimed they treated my symptoms with medication and that they got better. The hospital made no action towards correctly diagnosing or treating me, and forced me to prove I was mentally stable. Day 6 of my twitching like seizure was recorded on documents as day 3.

What actually happened is I arrived via ambulance at 1am in the morning on the 19th of October and they made no action to even check me until 9am the next morning. I was then told "You're not dying" and accused of faking my symptoms and sent home. 5 hours later I was sent back to the hospital with my symptoms staying consistent and gradually getting worse.

My symptoms were worse on my right side and eventually turned into a constant jerking movement. The nurses and doctors kept trying to tell me it was anxiety. I was then left alone for 15 hours in a back room to prevent other patients asking questions, while the same nurse from the day before accused me of faking my symptoms yet again.

I was finally checked by a doctor, who then told me that I wasn't dying and she was going to send me home. I requested an EEG scan or an MRI and I was told that neither of those would be happening because and directly quoted "we don't do those here, and why would you want to expose yourself to that radiation and die of cancer".

At this point I was getting really upset and frustrated, so they sent in another doctor who suggested it could possibly be a stroke and organised a ct scan. I was given no results from this scan and placed in a room with 6 other paitiens and told to wait. I was there for 8 hours with my symptoms still getting worse and no effort being made to treat me. I was treated badly for the attention my symptoms were getting from the other patients.

Over the next 4 days I was placed in a private room and I wouldn't be seen the entire day, and then only told "a doctor will see you soon" and then at 10pm told the doctor went home and they will see me the next day. They made no effort to correctly diagnose or treat me, and then insisted on checking my mental health. I had to prove to a therapist that I was not mentally unstable, and they refused to believe me.

On day 5 I discovered on my own that there was a physical issue in my back most likely causing the twitching like seizure, as I realised when I pressed on my back the issues temporarily stopped. The method to stop the twitching caused me the worse pain I've ever felt in my entire life, and when I asked for them to look into this they told me it was nothing.

This was ignored by medical staff and they refused to even look at me or find out what was happening to me. They also tried to diagnose me as having an anxiety disorder.

I was getting increasingly worried that my symptoms would be permanent, and I was given no answers or reassurance to them finding out anything to help me.

I finally had an mri on day 6, and I was shamed by medical staff the entire time. 9 months later I have found out there was a serious issue with the nerves in my back that would have easily been discovered if the hospital had done their jobs correctly.

On day 7 the symptoms stopped on their own. I was given no answers for if the symptoms would come back or what caused it. I was also told that if I want any answers I should go to a regular doctor. It's been 9 months and because of their false claims on every document they have made following up with trying to find answers a nightmare. They falsely diagnosed me, they neglected me, and the way they treated me during my stay was disgusting and traumatic. If you have the option of going to a different hospital...

My husband was treated by for stage 4 advanced bile duct cancer here. While some of their care was very good for e.g. they quickly identified my husband had a large infectious cyst in his liver after a hospital in Germany had failed to identify this (which lead to the spread of his cancer) and generally gave him some good care there were some areas seriously lacking which lead to his death. The main one was the management of his blocked stents. They inserted a stent in his bile duct because it had been blocked by the cancer. They did not tell me this could become blocked and lead to septicemia which could easily kill him and that this blockage typically occurs after a year. Luckily my integrative GP told me to regularly have this checked. After a year I did have the stent screened at the GP as my husband felt very ill. The GP said there was mucus but nothing much wrong just mucus. A few nights later he was rushed to hospital vomiting and found to septiceamic with a blocked bile duct. He was admitted Sunday and had to wait till Wednesday to be operated on (and only because I threatened to complain if they didn't operate soon). Its a miracle he didn't die then (its possible he survived because he 'd had cancer vaccinations in Germany). Later that year my husband became very ill in Germany during treatment and was admitted to a German public hospital. I admitted him into northern beaches hospital as soon as I returned. They promptly identified that he had a large infecteous cyst in/nr his liver causing the cancer to spread and treated it - which was great. I was also told that him getting an infection could be devestating at this stage. He partly responded to antibiotics. I questioned whether he should have his bile duct checked to see if the stent was blocked again. The infectious disease doctor was seriously considering this and spoke to the surgeon who talked him out of it. Peter was sent home and massively deteriorated with no help from palliative care who visited. After 3-4 days I took him back to hospital and they finally agreed to do the surgery to check and unblock the stent but he had to wait a few days as they were busy and I was quite angry about this as I was told he might have just a few days to live. When they finally did the surgery the stent had been blocked (potentially for weeks or longer) so they put another stent in but it was too late. The cancer had spread so much more and he was far too unwell to have chemotherapy as a result. He died a few weeks later a week before Christmas. When I spoke to my oncologist about the troublesome management of blocked stents for his bile duct cancer he was quite dismissive saying they are difficult to identify. If so I have no idea why they aren't managed more carefully. He also said it hadn't been blocked the second time it was just the duct. But I checked with the nurses who confirmed the stent had been and this was the reason for the operation. Essentially after the first blocked stent went septacemic my husband signficantly deteriorated. After the second blocked stent was overlooked and not addressed when it should have been - he died. I have no doubt at all he would have lived alot longer if this was managed better, especially if he had had surgery early on the 2nd time. My son would have known his father for at least another 6 to 12 months if not much much longer and any time is so precious for a young boy.

I also discovered a specialist in bile duct cancer recently at RPA who does surgery (and nanosurgery) for bile duct cancer patients with a 40% patients still alive after 5 years. My oncologist was against surgery and I appreciate his concerns but I think its immoral not to inform patients of other options when a person's life is at stake (even moreso when they have young children). I felt like they were just trying to keep patients there for monetary reasons. Effectively their lack of more integrated management and care lead to his death when he could have lived...

I leave in Castle hill as my friends did the operation at Northern beaches hospital & were very happy with Dr Chia after being checked by other 3 Surgent I have chose Dr Chia. The day of the operation was 25 January I’ve checked with Dr Chia secretary re long weekend staff they said all the staff is on board. On the 25/01 on the arrival I have been checked by 2 personnel they kept on asking me the blood test /SCG/& scan is not on your file. I said all this has been done in this hospital the beginning of the month by Dr Racheal I started to get very uncomfortable as they were ringing the lab even then had no reply. Cut this story short in e very bad mood in the operator room the doctor said the have all that … thanks God …where are the communication? After the operation in my room just noticed that I had a casual staff could not answer not even one of my questions she actually gave me the pills in my mouth not in a cup did not feel very well as that nurse would have touch many patients will I get Covid? Then they place a vibrating sock on the left leg that after 4 hours I realise only noise but no vibration so i looked by myself found that all air hoses tubes were twisted & kinked not working & that was suppose to stop the blood clot . Had to call the nurses to change the tubes. Did not see anyone else that day. Next day when x a shower when in bed they did not place the vibrating sock back on x the rest of my staying the Physio came x few minutes telling me what to do & not telling us how often should we do the exercises. no one was consistent in changing the ice pack no one ever fitted another sock on the operating leg. I had to rely on SHOE THE NIGHT NURSE THAT KEPT ON CHANGING MY ICE PACK EVERY TIME I BUSSED. That FIRST DAY OF THE OPERATION I WAS ASKING X PANADOL TABLET TO THE STAFF SO THE Casual NURSE CAME GAVE ME 2 tablets after 15 minutes another nurse tried to give me another 2 tablets as I just took them I said checked on your your tablet screen was that recorded ? they said nothing was recorded. That’s not a great start. X the next 2 days did not see anyone came to see me x updates ? Physio? The only thing that the physio lady as she saw me walking with one stick she SAID YOU ARE DOING VERY WELL ( the only really investigation & support was on the day as I was going to lakeside in NORWEST. X rehab On Monday 29/01 I have been bombarded with this new physio very good SHE Said YOU could NOT Walk WITH 1 stick you should have 2 sticks not to limp ( witch the other physio did not say anything) she tried to do all this exercise that I should have done x the past 2 days by trying hard enough to raise 10 times the foot & moving back to 80 degree some bleeding have started at bottom of stiches witch she marked & to be keeping an eye on it still do not know why I did not do all this on the other 2 previous days ….i was not leaving happy I’ve seen more staff personnel on that walking out day than any other day Even the pharmacist that I have not seen x 4 days wrote that I should have not taken this tablet with that tablet. NOT A HAPPY PATIENT I SHOULD HAVE NEVER ACCEPTED TO HAVE MY OPERATION ON THAT WEEKEND THAT I WAS TOLD ALL CRÜE ARE ON board End of story who is the looser out of all this is ME YOU GO TO HOSPITAL TO BE TAKEN FULY CARE OF as my friends did when they got booked in on a normal WEEK WITH NO LONG WEEKEND/holiday /or other I hope that this bleeding will not cause me...