I was sent to the Maternity Day Unit by my midwife yesterday with intense back pain since Friday. I posted about it yesterday but basically they gave me stronger painkillers and said I'd have an appointment with the orthopaedic consultant on Friday, and his secretary would call me with a time today.

NO phone call by lunchtime so I called the MDU and they said leave it a couple more hours. I did and still nothing. I managed to get the name of the consultant and got through to his secretary's answer phone. I left a message and she called back an hour later and said she had nothing to do with making appointments and had faxed my referral to central bookings. She gave me their number and after 20 minutes on hold they answered and said they have no record of me and no way would I have an appointment for tomorrow as he has a 10 week + waiting list.

I called the MDU back in floods of tears and the lovely midwife said she'd get on the case...

She called back with bad news... the consultant isn't even running a clinic tomorrow! The secretary she spoke to yesterday to arrange the appt was not returning calls and the other secretary told her this info. She said she would leave another message for this secretary but she didn't think anything would happen soon, especially since his clinic is not even running tomorrow.

She advised me to go to A+E to get seen soonest but I hate hate hate waiting there and will probably catch bloody swine flu waiting around there. Husband has swapped days so he can be with me tomorrow so it looks like we have to go to A+E then but I'm so p***ed off and I know they won't be able to do anything, either. AND they'll tell me off because it's not an emergency.

I'm so cross and sad and fed up. WHY are hospitals so crap?

Oh hun - no wonder you are so mad with it all! xxx

Sounds like a huge run-around, and really poor communication between everyone! I'm so sorry you got caught in the middle!

Sounds a total nightmare hun, Im so sorry you are being given the run around, I hope you can get some answers soon, take care XX

One of the lovely midwives has just called and is trying to get me in to see someone at the other local hospital tomorrow but won't know until tomorrow morning if she can. Fingers crossed... I'm so touched she is trying.