Colchester mum endures 4 year wait for hysterectomy surgery
A COLCHESTER mum who is in crippling pain says she is still waiting for surgery nearly four years after being diagnosed with endometriosis.
In 2021, she was approved for a hysterectomy, the surgical extraction of her womb, in the hope of helping with the pain she has been going through.
But since then, Katie, from Colchester, has been waiting for the procedure, with no date in sight.
“I’ve complained many times and taken the official channels to complain to the hospital, but I’m still waiting.
“I even contacted my MP, who wrote a letter to the head of the hospital, but nothing has happened.
“I’ve been left crippled up in pain and I’m tired of being thrown from pillar to post.”
As Katie is also suffering from kidney and bladder issues, and waiting for a hernia repair, the continued wait has had not only a physical strain.
“I have tried every little thing. It’s affecting my daily life, so I can’t even plan anything because I don’t know if I’ll be able to bear the pain.
“My son suffers from ADHD, ASD and non epileptic seizures, and I am worried about not being able to be there for him.”
Katie has been told that if she were to take on private health care, the cost would amount to £15,500.
The postponement of the hysterectomy and the hernia surgery are being blamed on the backlog due to the Covid pandemic.
Colchester MP Pam Cox, who was contacted by Katie, said: “I fully sympathise in this particular case, and it shows the impact that delays have on each person on a waiting list.
“I’ve been in touch with Colchester Hospital to raise my concerns, and I understand that some progress is being made.
“The new Labour Government inherited record waiting lists, including a gynaecology waiting list that stood at just under 600,000 women across the country. That’s 600,000 women in pain, waiting to be cared for. Almost half the women on gynaecology waiting lists are waiting more than 18 weeks. That needs to change, and it’s why the record investment in the NHS is vital to bringing down waiting lists for everyone.”
Katie has always appreciated the care she received on the Stanway ward at Colchester Hospital, but despite a recent multi-disciplinary team appointment, where a surgeon failed to attend, her wait continues.
