As you might know i was due to have my spinal op on Wednesday, i had a high dependency bed, specialist nurse, specialist neuro surgeon etc all there but it was cancelled due to too many patients for the beds.
I was told to go back in after phoning at 7am and went in this morning. I sat for three hours waiting on a bed to be released by the doctors discharging other patients. At 11am, after waiting and stressing as I had been through a previous cancellation i was told that if i went to another ward to get changed they would do my op and take me to high dependency after the op that they had beds.I got prepped and got onto the theatre trolley and they push me to theatre. Half way there the nurse got a page and told me we had to go back to the ward as my operation was cancelled. i couldn't breathe for crying, i am gutted.
I went back to where i got changed and the consultant said that A and E was closed as they had to many patients and these patients would be using the bed i had with specialist neuro nurses and he and the theatre could not work.
I cried again and went home and have bee miserable since.
At 4pm the neurosurgeons secretary called and said to phone at 7am on monday and i would get a yes or no to having the op monday.
At 7pm I got a call to say this was cancelled and all operations next week are cancelled.
So I am at home, off my rheumy drugs so in pain, in pain with my spinal problem with absolutley no idea when i will have my op.
My family are gutted, they had arranged to come and help. I have to start over all agian but when and if they say i can have the op in the future I will have NO confidence in them whatsoever.
I have complained to PALS and they said they would act on it but this is still no use to me.
Sorry but i am miserable.
Axx
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allanah
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30 Replies
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Hi Allanah,
Sorry to hear of all the stress you have had. I know you had got yourself psyched up for the op and to leave it delayed yet again is dreadful.
Glad you got in touch with PALS, maybe they will be able to get things moving again and get you a definite date for the op to go ahead.
Omg i just dont know what to say except i am totally gutted for you!
I just cant believe the way you have been treated by our nhs, its appalling!
Do they not realise all youve gone through coming off meds etc and sorting out help from family along with all the build up to get yourself ready for the operation!
Im totally speechless but ive never had any faith in our nhs since getting ra.
Its no wonder you are so down and miserable.
Sending you heaps of hugs.
Take care.
Xxxxxxxx
Can hardly believe what I'm reading. I don't know much about you except that you like Barry Manilow and are a very strong person and this should not have happened. I've been thinking about you all day & checking this site for news. I so hope that you get some understanding and reassurance from the NHS very soon so that some trust starts to build up again.
I am so sorry Allanah. I am not surprised that you are devastated.
That is a disgusting way to treat people.
They need to set aside emergency beds for a/e patients.
Our upper GI surgeons often need to operate outside our region to meet with Ca targets.
Our NHS Is going down the drain. To many managers, not enough qualified nurses, nursing.
Bed management being done by managers who have no idea how the emotional effect of cancellations affects those cancelled.
Surgeons have no say as to how their lists are booked nor run.
Doctors and nurses equally short change when offering support too cancelled patients.
I now tell the managers cancelling the patients to come and tell the patients why they are cancelled.
I refuse to make excuses for poor management.
So sad for you and disgusted in a service that can provide excellent care. But is restricted, by targets,reduced staffing levels, poor practice and poor management.
this is the old classic ,, remove beds from hospitals and we will save a furtune on next years targets .. really ?? so here we have two departments closed ,, fully staffed with high paid doctors surgoens n nurses , who cant perform thier daily duties , because the hospital as run out of beds .. does paying someone to do nothing all day really save money .. does it chuff .. maybe on paper it does .. allanah , i wish you well and totally understand your gutted ,, im gutted for you .. with the department closed all next week ,, i feel you wont be on your own with the letters of complains to pals ...
That is dreadful treatment, you can just hope that your safety was their priority! I hope u get your op soon, the worst part is the waiting. So sry to hear u are going thru all this stress as if RA isn't bad enough, without additional stress. Stay strong this too will pass. Thinking & praying for you. Gina
I had much the same thing happen except i didn't get to the hospital they rang me the night before saying no beds and none in the immediate future the next time i saw my rheumy consultant i told her and she rang and wrote to the hospital and i was in within two weeks it might be an idea for you to try i wish you luck i had decompression laminectomy an d fusion at a hospital in the west midlands good luck xxx
You poor things, that's awful! And I bet that would never happen to any of our politicians... I'm sure all you feel like doing is crawling into bed and crying, but do get angry and complain and keep complaining as this is disgusting treatment. Really hope that things sort out the week after and the next time it all goes to plan. Pollyxx
All i can do is send you my love and hope that you get your op soon. Everything has already been said allanah. Hugs your way for a op asap. Love sylvi. xxxxx
Sending you hugs Allanah, I am so sorry this has happened and I hope you get a speedy new date for your op. The powers that be just dont realise a) the emotional trauma this causes patients and b) the practicalities, as we have to arrange for help at home, children to be looked after, time off work etc.....the list goes on and on.
Be strong my lovely xxx
Allanah - I'm so sorry - as everyone else has said its absolutely disgraceful and I hope maybe your rheumy or someone with clout can intervene on your behalf. I can't imagine how traumatic it must be trying to prepare yourself psychologically for this surgery as I know you've been doing - only to have the rug pulled. Oh my - poor poor you. Tilda xxxxxx
I am really sorry that you have been treated in this way. Not that it is any consolation but I was an NHS nurse for 28 years and one of the reasons why I left the NHS was because of the way the 'system' of running our hospitals now treats patients. I really hope that you get your op soon especially as you are now off your RA drugs.
Try and keep your chin up.
Wendy xx
it is disgracefu!,l my dad has advanced aggressive bladder cancer and had been waiting for a date for bladder removal at one of my local nhs hospitals he now has a date of dec 5th five months after he was told that the treatment he had been having wasnt working! my concern is how far it could have spread in that time!!. I often think I work for one of the worst nhs trusts in the country!.An article re poor cancer care for a named patient (2009) courst case was in my local paper last night.
Thank you for all these thought , my family and I are all touched by your thoughts. I am going to make a formal complaint and ask them to look at my individual case re drugs etc today and hope i get a reply from the chief executive. love A
I am so so sorry to hear this allanah,this is so awful,for you,not taking any drugs is bad enough,but getting tod time and time again its been cancelled is disgraceful.im so sorry. I feel so angry at the NHS on how you have been treated,all I can do is send all my love .take care Michelle xxxxx
Yes. Ale sure you do,I am feeling very sorry for you,and have just told my hubby and he is disgusted !!!! So sorry allanah you have been let down again and again :(((( xxxxx
Hello im so sorry...... i can't believe how patients are being treated these days, but it's properly not a supprise, I didn't relises how bad the NHS was untill i had to have key hole surgery on my knee over a year ago,this wasn,t due to the RA, it was due to Wear and tear,so they told me....It took at least 6 months before i had the op, And now having to wait 3 months for my first appointment to see a rehumy says it all.
I am so sorry to hear how you have been treated. I am sure that if your op has been cancelled so many times that you can insist in going private at no cost - but not sure how many times the op needs to be cancelled ( three seems to ring a bell ) so it may be worth lookinh into. Good luck and I hope you are not suffering too much x
No words to say except I am so sorry. Having had operations myself I know how stressful the lead up can be. It is so unfair and you are right to be miserable. I hope you get it all sorted out soon and that sharing with us has helped, even a wee bit xxx
Ohdearlord, Allanah, That is so horrid, inhumane, disgusting, careless and a whole raft of other negative-adjectives I could think of! Is there some "kingpin" head of the NHS that has to answer for such soddy treatment of the citizens? I am so sorry you have had to feel all this, especially being without the meds. I want to write a letter to those people and suggest they should just get out of their jobs, they are obviously NOT doing a good job in managment. Any wife and mother of a bunch of kids could manage better, the thought processors needed to manage a houshold would be just as appropriate for managing a building full of beds and people needing them!I wish I could instantly think of something to help you be more comfortable while you wait. Maybe review the photos from your trips this summer. I know you had a great time of it! Think fun things, when you go to bed at night, imagine being in one of those places you visited, and sleep will hold you close, atleast for a while. I will certainly be thinking of you, and praying you are treated with the kindness you deserve. Much love, Loret xx
One of the annoying things is that I have private insurance nd the doctor said not to use it as its too specialist to go to a small bupa hospital! Thanks everyone for your kindness it made me feel I am justified in complaining and that the help and support on this site is second to none A xxxx
Oh Allanah,
I have been out of touch for a while and probably a little too engrossed in my own problems. I'm both sorry and shocked to read about what has been happening to you. It takes so much effort to gear yourself up for surgery like that and to be turned away at the theatre door is just so awful.
How are you now? I really hope your fighting spirit and humour have carried you through this but rest assured, we are all rooting for you.
THANKS jUDY, got a call from the hospital divisional manager who really sounded upset and angry and apologized. I did say though that wasn't enough, i want a proper date for my op and asap!! She said she would get back to me, but i have lost faith with them now. Axx
Hi I’m so sorry to hear this. This has happened to me before (although not to your extent). Annoying it certainly is. I hope it goes ahead for you ASAP and you recover well. Sending best wishes to you xx
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Cancelled appointment - gutted.
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