The best friend second in my original post was diagnosed with type two diabetes, usual symptoms excessive urination and a desperate thirst. He was one of those people who loved to be exacting in everything he done (he was a Technical Officer but also an ex mechanic who loved rebuilding cars at home . After his diagnosis he really struggled to control his blood sugars which I just couldn’t understand, he was logging his food intake and speaking with his Hospital contact regularly but he just couldn’t control it. I was looking after my fathers diabetes at that time so I couldn’t understand why he couldn’t do it. His first consultant tried him on a purely dietary solution that became common at the time (was it 700 calories a day?) which had no effect. His second consultant immediately put him on a insulin regime.
He then developed stomach pain and after an endoscopy and various test was sent home with pain killers (nothing found). He was losing weight, I was suspecting some form of stomach issues or even something cancerous but they just ran some tests every time and sent him home.
He was eventually admitted and the pain meds were increased time and time again. I remember visiting one time when his wife asked if he takes the offered medication when will he be permitted to take it again and was told (I think) four hours. She said well we know the effect only lasts two hours so what are you going to do for the remaining two? The meds were administered and sure enough he was screaming in pain (in a side ward) two hours later!
His wife asked for additional pain relief and was told “two hours”.
Surprisingly enough the docs were happy to jab him with something to calm him when he was pulling his catheter out and was being pinned to the bed by staff but not for the pain!
She walked down the corridor, found a wheel chair, lifted him into it (there was nothing left of him at this point, just bones) and wheeled him down to A&E in that very hospital. He was seen very quickly but it appeared the doctors were happy with the testing his doctors upstairs had done and sent them on their way back up to the ward.
After many days he was checked and tested (after screaming insistence from his wife) for cancer and was found to have had pancreatic cancer all that time ( no surprise his insulin injections were having little effect).
After confirmation of the disease and very limited limited life expectancy he was then prescribed Methadone to relieve the pain unfortunately there was none in the hospital!
Following day it arrived and although still conscious he was delirious but the pain appeared under control for the first time in months!
He died within the week.
Painful to watch but infinitely more painful to live!
Now I should point out that it may have been the staff were working within guidelines or from instructions from senior doctor/consultant and their hands were tied but in my eyes no one in 2022 should be screaming in pain for two hours within a UK hospital or any hospital for that matter!
I should also note that the other deaths (where applicable) I mentioned where the NHS were involved were very much in line with what a human (or animal) should expect in the UK this decade!