Martin (not his real name) was suffering with stomach pains, needing to use the toilet more regularly and weight loss. Despite going to see his GP and Accident and Emergency department on several occasions over a fairly short period of time, and after taking an x-ray, the hospital were planning to carry out a sigmoidoscopy to find out more about what was wrong. Unfortunately the sigmoidoscopy wasn’t successful, and Martin was referred for a CT scan instead. The scan found that Martin’s bowel was partly obstructed, and that emergency surgery was needed.
Because Martin’s condition had progressed since his original GP and hospital appointments, he had to have something called a Hartmann’s Procedure, where part of the colon and sometimes the rectum are removed, and sealed up, with poo being sent into a bag that’s connected to your tummy through a hole called a stoma. Martin was diagnosed with diverticular disease.
During the next two years Martin struggled first with his ileostomy and then with his stoma. He was relieved when the stoma was eventually reversed, however it took several small but very unpleasant procedures to achieve this. Several months after the reversal Martin started to suffer very uncomfortable and bothering symptoms requiring him frequent and urgent access to bathroom facility. These symptoms became so invasive that Martin’s sleep pattern was completely disrupted. It also led Martin to leave his job as he could no longer perform his duties. Martin would have avoided these symptoms had his surgery was performed before his bowel obstructed.
Martin’s life has been overtaken by his symptoms, he now sleeps in a separate room as when he needs the toilet, it’s immediate and urgent; he became depressed and did not want to leave his house other than it was necessary.
We were able to achieve a settlement of £650,000 for Martin, and while it can’t fully compensate him for what he’s been through, it will help to make his life easier.
