A WOMAN has described a seven-day stay at Glan Clwyd Hospital as “the worst experience of my life”.

Colwyn Bay resident Maria Pedrosa Estrella endured repeated cancellations of operations for her fractured humerus before surgeons at the hospital were finally able to operate.

The mother-of-two’s hospital ordeal followed a wait of six and a half hours for an ambulance, on April 4, when the 60-year-old fell while working at a bed and breakfast in Colwyn Bay.

Having called the ambulance at 5.30pm it finally arrived at about midnight and took her to Glan Clwyd Hospital, Bodelwyddan.

After her arrival she was made to wait for hours for an X-ray which revealed her injury, requiring an operation.

From there she was taken to a ward, arriving at about 11pm on April 5. She claimed for the next six days she was constantly told she would be having surgery, made to fast and then later in the day told the operation had been cancelled – some days not even given a reason.

Mrs Pedrosa Estrella said she went up to three days without eating and even then only breaking this period with a small packet sandwich which she was forced to open herself.

In a letter to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board requesting an apology, she criticises the unacceptable behaviour from the nurses who she said referred to her as “the Spanish”, did not help her go to the toilet, offer to bathe her or change her IV drip or plasters.

She requested a shower, with help, three times to which nurses responded by giving her a bucket with water and a sponge.

Mrs Pedrosa Estrella is from Spain and divides her time between her home in Valencia and Colwyn Bay, where she works and lives in a bed and breakfast.

Her daughter arrived at Glan Clwyd on the sixth day after having learnt of her mother’s experience.

“This was the worst experience of my life,” said Mrs Pedrosa Estrella.

“It was the most pain I’ve been in and the most I have been discriminated against in my life. It was the worst feeling in the world, people were ignoring me, it felt like I was a ghost, just invisible, it was very sad.

“After five days I just started to cry, I was just so weak and so sad, it was horrible. I was just lying there worried, thinking the worst, that they might cut my arm off.”

Finally on April 11, she underwent her surgical operation and will now recover with her arm in a cast over the next 12 weeks, while also undergoing rehabilitation.

This will also mean she is unable to work.

She said: “I opened my eyes after the operation and I started crying and tears just kept flowing.

But this time they were tears of happiness. I was very happy that I had finished the torture.

“Although, psychologically it was very damaging, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep for days after the operation.”

She has now written a letter to the health board requesting a formal apology.

A Betsi Cadwaldr spokesman said: “We’ve received correspondence from Mrs Pedrosa Estrella and will respond to her concerns as soon as possible.”

Jonathan Sweet, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s operations manager for North West Wales, said: “We appreciate this would have been a painful wait for Mrs Pedrosa Estrella, and it is not the experience we would like to provide for our patients.

“However, as an ambulance service we have to prioritise our skilled clinicians for patients with life-threatening conditions, such as cardiac arrest and stroke.”