Surgery cancelled whilst in the waiting room.

[Skinnyplaits]

Has this happened to anyone else? I was up at 5am this morning to get there. Childcare arranged and DH and family prepped. Meals sorted, club lifts arranged, work arranged and everything. I was sitting in the surgery admissions area at 7:15 and I got a call saying my surgery was cancelled. The surgeon has pulled his back. I have waited so long and I'm devastated.

Its taken me until now to get home and I'm back at my desk working with a very grumpy employer.

i had a csection cancelled minutes before i was due to go down. It was a planned cs but my waters broke a month early so i went into hospital and was all set but an emergency took priority over me which was far enough so i had to deliver vaginally.

Yes this happened to me and my dad. I agree it’s very annoying! But things happen out of our control. I hope they book you in again soon.

Sorry this has happened OP.

I wish there was some way of claiming back the lost time, travel etc. For me, a 15 minute outpatient appointment is a 2.5 hour journey there and back, so it's almost a full day. But a cancelled operation and all the associated stress? There should be some compensation/vouchers of some form as an apology.

That's unfortunate but I would have still taken the day off work at least!

DH needed brain surgery for a brain tumour that was making him blind. Three times we got to hospital before 7am with DH having nil byoith from 6pm night before. First time sent home after about 3 hours. Second time in hospital gown and prepped and an emergency came in and hospital apologised but sent home at 12 noon. Third time in gown and prepped another emergency came in and I thought it would be cancelled again but another person was released from intensive care so it finally went ahead. The second time we were told a motor bike accident person was admitted in a very bad way so couldn't grudge the person the intense care bed.

I feel for you op it must be so disappointing as you mentally prepare as well as making sure all life admin is organised. Take comfort in the fact that they don’t cancel operating lists lightly. I’ve worked on a surgical ward and it would have been a last resort to cancel a whole list.

Twice this year for me. Both times I was admitted the night before then told at lunch time next day it was cancelled. Was so hungry both times I couldn’t wait to get out to eat. It is what it is. Hoping it’s not till new year now so I can be fit for Xmas.

Happened the other way round to me, my surgery took a full day from 9.30am - 6pm and they had to cancel everyone else. I felt awful

I get that you are upset OP. Anyone would be but the last line here seems a bit off. They dont cancel or postpone surgery lightly. What recourse would you expect for something out of their control? Your surgeon is injured. They cant just magic up another. You will be rebooked quickly.

How exactly is the NHS going to fund that. Dont be ridiculous.

Don't blame the NHS. We had the same with private - they cancelled on the day when the anaesthetist saw my DH and said they weren't comfortable due to long term issue.

This issue had been clearly declared right from the start - and at every appointment/ on every form.

But, it is up to the anaesthetist on the day and they did not feel they had the experience to manage the situation.

There was no refund offered. Private insurance paid thousands for nothing to happen - other than disruption to us both and quite a lot of stress.

Similar thing happened with my DH when he was due a procedure that meant he needed a week off work. He had booked off a week - 3 days without pay as he only had 2 days holiday leave left, and they covered his shifts at work.

We got up on the Monday morning, to take him to the hospital. (The hospital is 30 miles away, on the opposite side of a city,) and he was due to be there for 8.15am.)

We were two thirds of the way there at around 7.45am, and we got a phone call from the hospital, saying it had been cancelled, and to not come. He would be give another date as soon as possible.

We were dumbfounded, and gobsmacked. DH was so upset and pissed off as he lost the 3 days pay, and 2 days holiday leave, as the manager had re-arranged the work rota, and all his shifts were already covered, so he wasn't needed. So he used his last 2 days leave, and lost 3 days pay, for nothing.

tl;dr, he was rebooked for 3 weeks later, and had to book another 5 days UNPAID LEAVE. Luckily it wasn't cancelled again!

It is fucking annoying when it happens though! It's all right people saying 'I would rather have a fit and healthy surgeon la la la,' but it doesn't take away the sheer devastation when your surgery is cancelled on the day you're about to have it, or the day before. Most normal, not over-privileged people who have jobs have arranged childcare, and re-arranged work shifts and booked holiday leave and the like, and it completely fucks them over! It's ludicrous to suggest the procedures/surgeries are cancelled because the surgeon is 'ill,' or 'in pain.' 🙄

.

Not exactly the same, but happened with my planned C-section! I was literally gowned up and then they had to cancel.

The NHS is so overstretched. I don't know if it will ever be fixed.

Yep. Hysterectomy cancelled after 4 hours of being in waiting room! The consultant came down herself and was very kind. Overrunning of complicated surgeries. Not their fault.

That's a horrible thing to have happen and frustrating and disappointing beyond words. However, the surgeon was being responsible by choosing not to operate when they knew they weren't up to it. I'm sure you wouldn't want a surgeon going ahead when they weren't in top form to do the surgery. I do hope they can reschedule you very soon.

Why wasn't your husband taking sick leave if he was sick? Obviously it's very frustrating and upsetting but certainly in my organisation and all the organisations I have worked in, post-operative leave would be sick leave.

I had a relative who had to be driven over 100 miles to the specialist hospital for a major op. They needed to be there by 9 a.m. so left home at 6. They arrived on the ward and 5 minutes later were told that the surgery was cancelled so had to turn round and go home.

Thanks everyone. I only have an hour left to work so I'll have a nap before school run. Its my birthday Saturday so at least I'll be able to have a nice meal!

Yes, happened to my DH.
I dropped him off, he signed in and I was heading home (Covid, so couldn’t come in with him) and got a call to say a piece of equipment they needed was missing so he wouldn’t be operated on after all…….

I work for the nhs and sometimes have to go to the waiting rooms to tell people and it’s not nice having to tell patients even as we fully understand all of these things.

I always remember a good few years ago now, one old lady I cancelled was crying, telling me she’d taken her cat to a cattery as her daughter was away and now she’d be going home to an empty house so I called my manager and then I took the lady to the cattery to get her cat and drove her back home.

Yes, all gowned up for an 8
hour operation and then the theatre was needed for an emergency instead.

They asked if I could reschedule at short notice, I said yes, and I ended up having the op a few days later with 1 day notice.

Even if it had three times the funding cancellations would likely still happen. You would hope there would be less, and less repeat cancellations because there would be more spare capacity. But even a properly funded health service wouldn't have the resources to keep entire rooms and full teams of medical staff on standby for emergencies/staff sickness which is what you would need to ensure that. Better funding would hopefully mean people were waiting for less time for surgery and that any cancellations that did happen were rescheduled quickly.

It is still really really shit to be on the receiving end of it. I would be fuming from hunger alone let alone all the other inconveniences and worry.

I’m surprised how common this is and it’s so sad to read everyone’s stories.

I was due to have jaw surgery, went in, spoke to everyone and was told the next person I saw would be the nurse who would put me in a gown and I was first on the list. The next person I saw was indeed a nurse but she called all of us into a room to tell us the surgeon was unwell and our surgeries would be postponed.

Im autistic and massively struggle with changes of plans like this. I cried most of the day. The shift in mindset to being about to have surgery on your face to knowing you’ve got to go through it all again was huge.

It was many years ago now and of course I understand why it had to be cancelled. I since had the surgery with a much more experienced surgeon so I tell myself perhaps things happened for a reason. And I know they don’t, but sometimes it helps to tell yourself that!

NHS is a shit show

This sounds extremely annoying. 😩