The following is a direct testimonial from a mother in Northland.

I would first like to acknowledge all of the people who have severe illnesses and diagnoses. To those who have been continually put down the queue for receiving much needed surgeries, due to Covid. To those who have been misdiagnosed because the current government requested from all medical facilities that only urgent blood tests be done. To those who have suffered due to the diabolical health care system currently running. To those who have had to wait for hours upon hours to see a doctor at hospital because the hospitals are understaffed and overrun.

I am a protective Mum.

My children mean the world to me, and I will do anything and everything to protect them.

I have been thankful for growing up in New Zealand with the medical resources and system that we have… until Covid hit. Since then, the help you receive as a patient has turned to absolute custard.

Please bare with me as I share my story that has so far lasted 3 days.

My teenage daughter who is recently become independent, became unwell three days ago. She called me to say that she was having pains every time she went to the toilet, and that she had noticed blood in her urine.

She had a dentist appointed in Warkworth that day, so I advised her to go to Wellsford Medical Centre, and to be there at 8am when they opened.

My daughter and I both live in Maungaturoto.  The reason for not encouraging her to go straight to our own local medical centre, was based on the fact that they are struggling, and that more likely than not, she would have been sent from Maungaturoto to Wellsford anyway. Unfortunately that is common knowledge now, especially with the doctor shortage, nurse shortage, and staffing shortages due to Covid.

My daughter arrived at Coast to Coast Wellsford just after 8am. She did a urine test, which showed that she had a UTI. She was prescribed antibiotics accordingly, which she started straight away. The doctor also sent her urine sample away for testing.

Unfortunately, she did not improve, anthe following day I took her to the Maungaturoto Medical Centre, as by this point her pain had severely increased, she was bleeding more, passing blood clots and her kidneys hurt.

We were instructed to go to Wellsford Coast to Coast Medical Centre to see a doctor there. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, our local clinic had no appointments to see a doctor. All of their acute appoints had been taken up first thing that morning.

So, another 1 hour plus return trip to the Wellsford Clinic.

We were seen pretty quickly (another family member had waiting 3 hours to see a doctor a few days prior). The doctor had thankfully read my daughter’s prior notes and checked for the results for the urine test the day prior. He spent minutes with us, and let us know that the test results had shown that the UTI was resistant to the antibiotics my daughter was placed on the day prior. A script was given for the new antibiotics, we returned to Maungaturoto, filled the script at the local chemist, and my daughter proceeded to take the advised large dose of 3 antibiotics in one hit to help the fight in attacking the UTI.

My daughter, still in horrendous pain, still urinating blood and blood clots, returned home to rest.

Here’s where things went from bad to worse very quickly.

Approximately 4 hours later, my daughter phoned me to say that her tongue was swelling. I advised her to phone Wellsford doctors for advice. They advised that she come over to my place, get an antihistamine tablet from me, and if her symptoms became any worse then she was to take her EpiPen and phone for an ambulance.

When she arrived at home, her symptoms were worsening. I phoned 111 for an ambulance, we administered her EpiPen, gave her an antihistamine, and waited for the ambulance to arrive.

The ambulance crew were absolutely amazing! They listened to our whole recount of what had been going on for my daughter. They showed compassion for the pain she was in, hope that the hospital would administer intravenous antibiotics and adequate pain relief, and were quick in getting her off to hospital.

Whangarei Hospital were useless.

They did not give my daughter intravenous antibiotics, they advised that she had had an allergic reaction to the new antibiotics she had taken, gave only some of the medication she needed, and a script for other medication (this was late Friday night, when there are no chemists open in Maungaturoto until Monday), and sent her home with a tongue that was still partially swollen. In addition, they told her to resume taking the original antibiotics she was prescribed (that we were told by Wellsford Coast to Coast were resistant to the UTI according to the results from the urine test!)

Day 3. My daughter did not get home from hospital until after 2am. She was tired, exhausted, in severe pain, her bleeding had increased along with her passing of blood clots. Her tongue is still swollen. The swelling in her tongue increased throughout the day. Another call is made to Wellsford Coast to Coast Medical Centre, and they advise that we go there to see a doctor, because the hospital should have given my daughter prednisone to deal with the allergic reaction she had to the second lot of antibiotics. All the while, we are all still trying to work out why she has been put on the original antibiotics that the day prior, we were told the UTI was resistant to!

Back to Coast to Coast Wellsford – after hours. Another return trip that takes over 1 hour.

The nurse was amazing. She had read all my daughter’s notes from Wellsford, Maungaturoto and Whangarei Hospital. She showed compassion for all my daughter was going through, and a true knowledge of what was actually going on.

In comes the doctor, and everything the nurse had displayed goes out the window.

He is focused on the reaction she is having, advices a course of prednisone (good), and goes to get my daughter some. He comes across as a Doctor who has not actually read all my daughter’s medical notes over the passed few days, and as someone who is in a hurry. I question him about the increase in bleeding with the UTI, which he explains will settle within 3 days of antibiotics. For goodness sake Doc, we are heading into day 4! He goes to check the notes.

He comes back and says that she needs to continue with the antibiotics prescribed yesterday. You have to be kidding me! We all explain that those are the ones that resulted in a reaction with the result ending in the use of an EpiPen and a trip via ambulance to hospital.

He says that he will go and change the notes he has just made.

I encourage my daughter to speak up about the severe pain she has been in for days, which she does. The doctor gives her some additional pain relief medication.

What an absolute fiasco!

In 3 days, my daughter has gone from Maungaturoto to Wellsford  Coast to Coast Medical Centre 3 times, Maungaturoto Coast to Coast Medical Centre, and Whangarei Hospital.

My daughter is, for the first time ever, trialing being independant.

The cost has been 3 doctors visits, one of which is after-hours, petrol for 3 trips from Maungaturoto to Wellsford (return), 1 trip from Maungaturoto to Whangarei (return) and all the petrol attributed to those trips. In addition, my daughter now has a script for a new EpiPen at a cost of over $160!

My heart goes out to all the families who are financially struggling with rising petrol costs, medical costs, etc.

Our entire medical system is stuffed!