"Treatment and follow up at Emergency"

Late last year I attended Northam Hospital Emergency Department (ED) at the bequest of the Radiology Department who x-rayed my foot and declared it broken in several places. My General Practitioner (GP) had referred me.

When I got to ED (after a long wait and a subsequent CT of my foot), I was given a boot and told that a follow up appointment would be made at Royal Perth Hospital (RPH). After waiting for several weeks, no appointment letter ever arrived.

At this point, I returned to ED and asked where my appointment for RPH was. It turned out that no referral had been made. I was rather taken aback about this. The attending Doctor asked for another x-ray to be taken (at Northam) and this time included my knee as I had been complaining about my knee being hurt in the same accident that broke my foot. Please note: I complained about my knee at each visit, including the initial visit.

The x-ray of my foot and my knee was undertaken approximately 3 weeks from initial presentation. The Doctor at ED assured me that an orthopedic specialist had reviewed the x-ray of both knee and foot. I was also assured that a follow-up appointment had been made at RPH.

Several months later, I attended RPH. After another very long wait and another x-ray of my foot I was told that my foot had healed and that a cortisone injection would take care of the residual swelling and pain in my foot and that I was then discharged from the clinic. Before I left, I asked about my knee. I was told that only my foot was included in the referral. At this point, my right foot pointed to 2 o’clock and my knee pointed to 10 to 2.

Fair enough, I thought, there must not have been anything noteworthy wrong with my knee and my weird foot and knee position must just be because of my foot. Throughout the following months, my knee been became increasingly painful. It swelled and I had pain walking.

Moving forward to mid this year. I stood up and my kneecap moved further to the left. It became extremely painful and I was having trouble walking at all. Once again, I went to the GP. They were horrified and stated that I had a noticeable deformity. This was not news to me. They ordered another x-ray, this time of my knee.

I attended Northam Radiology again. Whilst I was waiting, I downloaded to “MyRad” app. I then duly had the x-ray.

Once I got home opened the app and reviewed my images and reports. When I read the report dated from late last year, I was stunned. It noted a number of issue with my knee. Days later, when I report for my latest x-ray was available, it compared my knee in the middle of this year to my knee late last year. My knee had indeed got worse.

My GP has confirmed I need a knee replacement. They have referred me to RPH. I have had an SMS to say my referral has been received.

I find it difficult to believe that any orthopedic surgeon could have looked that the x-rays and report of my knee taken late last year and deemed that no further treatment was required.

I believe I have been treated appallingly and it is not acceptable. I cannot walk without a brace and a walking stick. It hurts like hell. I have limped and suffered for nearly a year and this has impacted on my quality of life and my mental health.

I would like to have my knee assessed by a suitably qualified person as soon as possible and a treatment plan instigated.

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