Dale Huntley, from Ipswich, Suffolk, fell in his garden on August 11 and hit his back on the edge of his decking.
The 56-year-old was unable to get up and was in intense pain so his wife, Ann, called for an ambulance to come and see to him.
They said the ambulance service told him he had soft tissue damage and it would be “a waste of their time” to go to hospital.
However despite a trip to the GP, it wasn’t until 18 days later when Dale began to suffer from numbness in his legs that he was X-rayed.
He had a T-10 spinal fracture and was “moments away” from being paralysed for life – and now his wife said she wants answers as to why he wasn’t treated immediately.
Ann, 52, said: “We’ve been to hell and back. It’s like a bereavement in that the way he was as a person, he isn’t now.
“Dale said he doesn’t feel whole because the bottom half of him doesn’t work.
“I would never want anyone else to go through this. People need to trust their gut sometimes instead of the professionals.”
Dale, a stevedore, suffers from ankylosing spondylitis – a long-term condition in which the spine and other areas of the body become inflamed.
The grandfather-of-one had previously been told by a consultant that his spine was “like a stick” and any damage could be severe.
Ann said she had expected him to get up after his fall in August but became concerned when he went pale and began to be sick.
She said: “The ambulance came within the hour and they told us it was soft tissue damage.
“They said you can go to hospital if you want but you probably won’t get an X-ray – they said it would be a waste of our time.”
Dale spent days of not being able to lie down on his back and not being able to get out of bed, sometimes taking a couple of hours to move.
His family contacted doctors who prescribed him some medicine and raised concerns over his ankle, which was swollen.
On August 19, Dale had an X-ray on his ankle which showed there were no breaks. His medication was also increased.
Ann continued: “When we got him home, he started to deteriorate.
“He started to get numbness and tingling in the legs and the bottom of his feet didn’t feel right and the pains were increased.
“He was doing everything the doctors told him to do. He was taking morphine, his legs were really uncomfortable.”
The couple were told to call 111 as they were informed an ambulance would be sent back out to them to check on him again.
They took him to the hospital and the following morning, he underwent an X-ray and an MRI scan on his back.
It was only 18 days after the fall that Ann discovered he had fractured his spine and was admitted to Ipswich Hospital for treatment.
Ann said: “This is when all hell broke loose.
“He had a fractured spine from back to front and a highly compressed spinal cord which had a bone piercing it.
“We were told he was moments away from being paralysed for life.
“Within an hour of us getting his results, he was taken to surgery – that’s how urgent it was.
“He had 18 days of suffering and pain when he could have had an X-ray immediately and they’d have found the problem.
“We were told that ambulance staff should, as a precautionary with a hit to the back, take anyone in.
“My husband deserves better than how he was treated.
“He was made to feel like he was making a fuss over nothing.
“He can’t work for months now and it could have been so much worse had it not been found when it did. For someone else it could result in death.”
Dale was discharged from hospital on Sunday (Sep 15) and Ann praised the staff who looked after him.
She added: “He was in hospital for 18 days – the same amount of time it took for him to be diagnosed – and he lost two stone in that time.
“He can move his legs but we don’t know the sensitivity and what he has lost at the moment.
“He can’t stand or walk unaided and we’ve got a wheelchair, frame and crutches.
“We enjoy travelling, playing with our grandson and Dale used to pick up extra shifts at work. Everything has come to a stop.”
Ann has now complained in writing to the couple’s GP surgery and the ambulance service over the missed opportunity to treat Dale.
An East of England Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We can confirm we have received a complaint from Mr Huntley’s family regarding the care he received.
“The complaint is being reviewed and a response will be provided in due course.”
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