I can’t comment on your condition or experience in that regard but I can hopefully explain how waiting lists and referrals work so you have some more information.
so, when you are referred from your GP to the hospital for any (non-cancer suspected) condition, you start what is known as the 18 week referral to treatment clock (from the date of referral, not the date referral received). The nhs standard is you should be seen and treated (treated could be surgery, medication or decision not to treat) by 18 weeks. 92% of all patients should be treated within 18 weeks or the trust gets hefty fines. If the patient is not treated within 52 weeks the trust gets an even heftier fine and investigations launched into each episode. The “working” theory is you’re meant to have an outpatient appt by 6 weeks, any diagnostics ran by week 12 and a decision by week 18.
as you can imagine, this has absolutely gone to pot since covid. But the standard remains and the teams are working hard to achieve the 92%. Unfortunately even prior to covid gynaecology generally had a poor achievement wait and many patients waiting 30+ weeks, now most departments are on 52 weeks at least for Gynae.
you are added to a waiting list when a clinical decision maker makes a “decision to treat”, that could be any time in the pathway, and you are added in chronological order, unless the doctor highlights category for urgency which would bump you up the queue some.
in your experience it sounds like there was a delay in decision to treat due to the delay from the reporting from the MRI in August. This is something you can complain or at least ask questions about. Diagnostics should all (and regularly are) reported by 2 weeks (so your first instance of taking a week to be reported is fine).
it also sounds like ypur clock will have stopped as treated when you were given the medication. So you are now on a non-open pathway (but still should be being treated in a timely manner, there just isn’t the fines associated)
the cancelling of multiple dates is very upsetting and stressful, and not at all unusual, I am sorry about that. Did they give you reasons? You won’t have gone to bottom of the list though. Unfortunately more urgent cases/in patient cases may have taken priority though which is why you haven’t moved up yet. Incredibly frustrating for you.
SO - TLDR
if I were you I would contact pals and ask for the directorate manager of gynaecology to do a review of your pathway and provide a timeline and an explanation to all the delays, an investigation into the delay to radiological reporting and for a clinician to assess if you have come to any clinical harm due to this delay, ask for a date for your surgery (they should know the next 4 weeks or possibly 6 weeks of lists). If this isn’t offered/resolved, explain you would then like to raise as a formal complaint.
hope that helps somewhat! And hope you are treated soon!