A Surfleet man has spoken of the heartbreak of his wife dying after she’d previously been misdiagnosed.
After two previous discharges from Boston’s Pilgrim Hospital earlier this year, Rod Filby was told wife Margaret only had ‘five to seven hours’ to live on the third occasion.
She died four days later on February 15 with the cause of death being lung disease secondary to methotrexate, bronchopneumonia and chronic obstructive lung disease.
“Margaret was beautiful,” said Rod. “I don’t think we had a row in 21 years together.
“She was very popular and spoke to everyone.”
The first time Margaret was admitted to hospital was on January 19, three days after turning 78.
She spent a few nights in the Pilgrim Hospital and Rod says he wasn’t told by consultants what she was being treated for, but nurses told him the medication was for pneumonia.
After a week at home she was readmitted on February 7 but sent home with the same medication, along with a tube of Zorovax due to an eight inch rash.
Rod says he had to get a wheelchair as she was unable to walk when she left the hospital.
Margaret was re-admitted on February 9, two days after she was discharged.
Rod says she spent 24 hours in A&E and he came back the next day to find her in what he describes as ‘a cubicle no wider than the bed’ where she’d wet herself and hadn’t been served breakfast so not had food for 24 hours.
On Tuesday, February 11, Margaret’s family arrived from Northern Ireland and when they rang to ask if they could come, they were told to come right away.
Rod says lung disease was not diagnosed as a cause of death until Margaret’s post-mortem.
The pair met on a golfing holiday in Portugal and kept in touch.
Margaret initially told her Irish Catholic family she was working in the UK rather than admit she was seeing someone who spent 30 years in the Royal Navy.
“They came around eventually,” said Rod, who then introduced Margaret to Spalding Golf Club. “We had 21 really happy years together and were married ten years ago.
“I had colon cancer and she looked after me when I had 14 inches of it cut out.
“She nursed me back and it hurts I haven’t been able to do the same.
“Some part of the NHS are fantastic and the end of life care at Pilgrim Hospital Margaret received was exceptional.
“But sadly some of it was really poor from what we experienced.
“The whole experience has left me angry.
“I’m easy going but I found some of the consultants impossible to get answers from.”
A spokesman for the the United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We would like to offer our sincerest condolences to Margaret Filby’s family.
“We are unable to comment on individual cases, but will continue to speak to the family about their concerns as appropriate.”
