World boxing champion Danny Green alleges his serious medical
condition was initially missed by a staff member at Busselton Hospital,
who told him to go home despite the pain he was suffering.
Speaking from hospital today, a wheelchair-bound Green
Machine said he had been on holiday down south when he realised there
was something wrong.
He went to Busselton Hospital suffering pain in his
abdomen, but alleged a staff member examined him and then turned him
away, saying his condition was not serious.
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Danny Green (left) ... misdiagnosed for a serious health complaint.
Photo: Getty Images The boxer later went to another medical professional in
Yallingup, who recognised that his condition, which turned out to be an
abscess on his appendix which needed removal, was serious and sent him
to hospital in Perth.
"I hope that lady realises the mistake that she made," Green claimed.
"I just got turned away from Busselton Hospital with
severe abdominal cramps. Unfortunately she misdiagnosed someone in there
horrifically, so I hope she realises she made a massive mistake, a
massive mistake and I hope she doesn't make it again for some other
patients because it could have been life-threatening.''
The hospital released a statement saying that the patient
had left before an assessment could be completed, Channel Ten reported.
Green - who had been in Yallingup since December 23 on a
family holiday - wouldn't delve into the specifics about what transpired
at Busselton and hoped the doctor would be spoken to by medical
authorities.
"It was fairly negligent on her behalf, fairly
ignorant," he said. "(But) it's history. Hopefully she'll get a letter
and someone will talk about her decision-making process and hopefully
it doesn't happen to someone else in the future."
Green is still recovering after having surgery on
Wednesday night to remove the abscess. It is not known when he will be
discharged.
He was looking pale and gaunt in a hospital gown as he
was ushered into a waiting room at St John of God Hospital in Murdoch in
a wheelchair.
Machines and tubes were connected to him, and he could only speak near a powerpoint so the machines could fully function.
Normally a proficient performer in front of the media, today a weakened Green appeared overawed by the glare of the cameras.
"I'm feeling a bit bizarre at the moment ... it's a
strange press conference to be having," he quipped before detailing his
journey from hell.
The 37-year-old was taken to Hollywood Hospital on New
Year's Eve but it took days of testing to determine that a large abscess
had formed around his appendix.
He revealed the problem had been ongoing for seven to
eight years but they couldn't work out what it was. He was also told his
appendix could have burst some time ago.
"Wednesday night they cut it (the abscess) out," he
said. "The abscess filled my pelvic region and took my appendix out as
well.
"It's pretty painful, like nothing I've ever had before.
"It was just ridiculous pain. The pain was like 11/10
and I've got a pretty good pain threshold. I can handle pain ... but
this was just ridiculous."
Green said this was the 10th time - and "by far the worst
case" - he had been admitted to hospital because of this hitherto
mystery ailment.
Although he described the past week as a "harrowing
experience", Green was grateful he was already in hospital when the
doctors decided to operate on him.
"If I had been out in the middle of the ocean or been
out in the bush, and the abscess had actually burst, then it could
have been a different story," he said.
"So I was just very lucky I was in hospital."
Green successfully defended his IBO cruiserweight title
belt with an unanimous points decision win over young American BJ
Flores late last year.
The Green Machine said he had been planning a fight for April, but "that's obviously impossible now".
He was tight-lipped about the venue for the fight but he
still maintained a sense of humour when asked how much weight he had
lost.
"I'm sure there will be a fair few ladies out there asking me for tips," he laughed.
A spokesman for the WA Country Health Service confirmed
Green went to Busselton Hospital but couldn't comment further due to
patient confidentiality.
"Mr Green did present at Busselton Hospital, however, he left before a thorough medical assessment could be completed," he said.