Hello,
Welcome to my website.
I am a 53-year-old general surgeon and oncoplastic breast surgeon. I am married to Dr Amna K Tellisi (Senior Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist) and have two children in their twenties. I worked for the NHS from 1990 until I was retired on ill-health grounds in 2014.
In 2011, I noticed a hernia in my left groin. My hernia was small, and it did not bother me, so I carried on working as a full-time NHS consultant. One day, while I was about to leave for work, my hernia popped out and became extremely painful. I immediately informed a trusted colleague of mine who operated on me three days later.
As soon as the effect of the local anaesthetic wore off, I was disabled with excruciating nerve (neuropathic) pain in my left groin. I could not even move in bed. I contacted my colleague surgeon, but he was dismissive.
Despite undergoing several surgical and medical treatments, I continued to suffer from severe nerve pain. I have also experienced some very unpleasant side effects of my nerve pain medications.
My emotional distress was off the scale, and my nerve pain was so severe that I considered life was not worth living anymore. I also saw myself as an unnecessary burden on my family.
I lost my beloved job at the top of my surgical career.
I cannot even begin to tell you how much this has messed up my life, and if it weren’t for my beloved wife, I wouldn’t be here to tell my story.
I do not want my suffering to go in vain, hence this website. My story contains many useful lessons and warnings for the public, the medical and the legal professions.
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
Maya Angelou
By telling my story, I aim to:
- Inform – the public and the medical profession. Lessons must be learned.
- Help prevent – the same mistake from happening to another patient.
- Improve – doctors’ responses to complaints and never to be dismissive of the patient’s complaint.
- Provide – some guidance (for patients and doctors alike) on what to do when things go wrong.
- Warn – doctors and expert witnesses on how not to conduct themselves.
- Effect a change – by making Expert Witnesses accountable and liable to damages and even to prosecution.
If my story helps one patient of medical mishaps
OR
if it helps inform one doctor so that he/she avoid a surgical mistake; then I would consider that I have succeeded.
I hope you will find this website helpful. If you do, please feel free to share it with others (adelhrateme.com).
For further details, please follow my blogs, which I shall update regularly. I look forward to your comments on my blogs.
I wish you and your loved ones health and happiness.
Dr Adel H Rateme
UK
January 7, 2019
It was a pleasure to read your first blog post. As somebody who worked as a healthcare assistant in the NHS from 2012-2018, it’s always interesting to see other healthcare professionals’ experiences (particularity the pictures you’ve shared from the hospital in Libya). It seems you and your wife have contributed massively to healthcare both in the UK and abroad and I look forward to reading your future posts.
Amber
Thank you Amber for your kind comments. I hope that you will find the website and my future blogs interesting, engaging and useful. Best wishes. Dr Rateme
Whatever happens to you in your life, never despair. Even when all doors are closed, God will open new passage for you.
The most important thing is to have faith and never despair.
You are my best doctor and will always be the best.
I wish to see you soon. keep well ……. عصوم
بارك الله فيك ياعصام علي هذه الكلمات الطيبة، مع تمنياتي لك بالتوفيق والتفوق