A doctor, who was saved from a life-threatening condition by his colleagues at St Thomas’ Hospital, said now that he’s recovered it has ‘changed how he is’ with his patients.
Nigel Beckett, consultant physician in ageing and health at Guy’s and St Thomas’, spent over seven weeks in St Thomas’ Hospital last autumn – but not for his usual shifts.
He was having emergency surgery for small bowel obstruction – a two-and-a-half-hour operation to remove scar tissue that had built up around his small bowel.
Following this operation, he developed intestinal failure, a serious condition where your bowel fails to absorb nutrients essential to staying alive.
The 58-year-old doctor told us: “It took me longer to recover from my operation than I was expecting, as I developed intestinal failure afterwards.”
Nigel returned to work at St Thomas’ Hospital following six months of recovery at home.
Now better, he credits his experience as making him a ‘better doctor.’
“I don’t want my illness to define me, but it has changed how I am with my patients. I’m even more aware of the impact that chronic illness and long hospital stays have on the wider family of a patient. It also highlighted those invisible conditions, and how you never know what someone is going through until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.
Nigel continued: “After being in the hospital for a few weeks, my morale started to dip, and the site nurse team allowed my rescue dog to visit me off the ward. I experienced the true importance of holistic care for patients in hospital for long periods.
“When I was finally discharged, I was allowed home with a feeding tube, known as Total Parental Nutrition (TPN). The equipment was on for 13 hours throughout the night and required a huge amount of kit to be installed in my house. It was eye-opening to experience the impact it has on patients and their families.
“I remained on TPN for almost four months, and then slowly reduced my overnight feeds and increased the amount of water I was drinking – as this was strictly controlled when I was first discharged. My recovery spanned the festive period which sadly meant I was unable to eat my Christmas dinner – which was hard for a foodie like myself.”
“This Christmas, I’m looking forward to my ‘new normal’ Christmas dinner, but sadly this means no Brussels sprouts.”
To thank the colleagues who cared for him, Nigel has raised over £3,100 for Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity, cycling from London to Brighton.