WIBU to still show up to the hospital appointment?

[Cockapoosforlife]

I have a long term health condition which impacts my life considerably, with a sizeable impact on my vision. I have had a hospital appointment scheduled for a while to review the conditions impact on my eyes and to decide if surgery is necessary, this was to take place tomorrow morning. I have just had notice from my mother who I haven’t lived with for a while that this appointment has been cancelled.

WIBU to still attend as they did not inform me and this is the only time I can do the appointment for a long time?

For context I work in quite a high pressure field with my work scheduled far in advance (think 5 years). It also involves working across multiple countries and time zones, to reschedule would place substantial delays on projects. For the appointment to also not go ahead it poses a considerably high chance of total vision loss, as well as raising the risk of unplanned surgery.

I’ve turned up to an appointment that had been cancelled- only they’d only sent the letter that day to inform me. I didn’t get seen as I’d turned up as it was cancelled 😞

I'd go in and act like you know nothing about the text message. The worse they can do is send you home.

I had an appointment with a consultant cancelled by text but there was an alternative date. I was on holiday for the new date so I called and they squeezed me in to the original clinic as the wait for the next one would have been too long.

Ring the hospital and find out for decimate if it's been cancelled. Explain the situation and try and get in asap ( and change the photo on file to yours).

No point turning up, they don't squeeze you in

It does say the appointment is cancelled with information as to the clinic, date and time as well as location

OP, I don't understand why you are asking. How can anyone on here possibly know whether you will be turned away if you turn up on spec, or whether (by a stroke of good fortune) you will be seen? Are you sure they have your number to contact you - if they do, then maybe it is their error, but this is something you need to check with them for the future.

What's more important to you - your job or your health problem? If your job aren't understanding, then you have to make up your own mind whether this is the first consideration to you or whether your health is - show me the person who is totally indispensable, because they don't exist.

With the greatest of respect, think about what your priorities are long-term.

I understand you're totally committed to your job and the needs of it and your employer, but that really wouldn't be my priority - they can't sack you and if it comes to it they'll be other jobs if they make life too difficult for you.

If you lose your eyesight, I guess they'd be little chance of getting that back and that would have a great impact on your quality of life and doing your current job.

It'd make it a lot harder for your employer, so they should also be thinking long term.

Regarding your appointment, you don't know why it's been cancelled - would be doctor/surgeon has their own health issues, personal emergencies and just can't be there, so no point in attending the appointment.

@Cockapoosforlife my NHS trust recently sent me two cancellations in error (by text).

They were for appointments I have not made/been given.

A day or two later they sent an apology SMS (technical error).

I'd go anyway, it could be an error on their part and it might just be coincidence that it arrived on the eve of an actual appointment.

Make sure when they update your record your mother's phone number is not on your record. It must be buried in there somewhere otherwise she wouldn't have got the text. It might well be hidden under alternative contact details, and they may have tried to phone you without any answer.

I turned up for a hospital appointment last year - wasn’t informed it had been cancelled. When I got to the hospital there was no clinic on at all. Reception explained that the whole clinic had been cancelled due to staff shortages, and that another appointment date would be sent out. I think you’d be wasting your time if you just turned up.

It is Feb half term
The entire NHS consultant body is ski-ing
Last minuted cancellations in school holidays as the consultant has decided to go away are the bane of my life.

i’ve just not long ago had the same happen to me! my mum got a text telling her my appointment reminder at the antenatal clinic before i’d even told her i was bloody pregnant :’) i don’t know how they had her number or why they texted her because they texted me the exact same one anyway - the only thing i can think of is that ive been seen at 2 other departments in the same hospital my whole life and she would have been my point of contact when i was young but im 26 now!! shocking really confidentiality wise

hope you manage to get seen op

I once had an appointment cancelled by text, obviously I didn't go, then 2 weeks later got a letter saying that I hadn't shown up for an appointment and was being sent back to my GP and removed from the waiting list. This was an appointment I'd waited 18 months for. They said it was an error on their part but I never got put back on the waiting list despite them saying that I would be, I went private in the end

I'm convinced they are told to do this on purpose to try and skew the statistics.

It appears I missed that memo - shame, I quite like skiing!

Consultants have to give 6 weeks notice to go on leave and departments will have rules regarding how many can be off at any one time. Suggesting the whole department has gone skiing is quite insulting.

I'm working all week whilst paying for my kids to go to holiday club because too many people wanted the week off.

Reasons I've had clinics cancelled at short notice include JD strikes, being pulled from clinic to cover emergency work due to sick colleagues, being switched out of clinic for a theatre list due to an urgent case or a spare theatre becoming available, flooding in outpatients etc. Not because everyone has fucked off to the Alps.

If I am honest, I think you’re arrogant and expect all to dance around you. Your sight is important. Every other patient’s sight is. Check it’s cancelled. Arrange another if it is. Check your info.

She doesn't have any insurance. She was hoping to take a single trip policy. Which she has done with cruise cover but not declared her health condition

I don't know about yours, but many large hospitals have an Eye Casualty department, so if you're very worried I'd consider going there

Fingers crossed for you to be seen

That may be what you do but not all

But last year my DH and I had numerous cancellations of long standing appointments- all because the consultants had gone on holiday (the secretaries were very open about it)

We joke that my DHs consultant will cancel any appointment in school holidays and he always does. DH has also turned up with many other people several times to find the clinic cancelled and apologetic staff but no consultant. There is only 1 consultant- not a wider team here

Just remembered that I turned up at the LGI having flown home early in August to discover no appointment- they said it had been cancelled by phone the week before- it hadn't- in fact there was a long message left a few days before with information about what I needed to bring. When I arrived they said- oh you can't be seeing X- he is on holiday!

How do you get to that point based on what OP wrote? She had an appointment but it was apparently cancelled by text to the wrong person. She's disappointed because sight is important and appointments are scarce. How is that expecting people to dance around her?

Ring the consultant's secretary and get clarification.

Hope you get seen.

I’ve been under a consultant at the Dental Hospital for many years. Appointments are very hard to get - usually have to wait 6+ months for follow ups even when the dentist has said I need it within 6 weeks!
some time ago, I had an appointment for clinic during the school holidays - as I’m a teacher I always aim for school holidays appointments (patients book their follow up appointments with the receptionist at the hospital after seeing their dentist in clinic). I arrived as per usual for a 1pm appointment (everyone gets 1pm appointments as there are lots of dentists at the clinic) and was waiting to be seen, when a nurse called me over, told me my consultant wasn’t in clinic today as an emergency had come up and that I needed to rebook. She gave me a card to take to reception downstairs. When I attempted to rebook, the receptionist let slip that the consultant was, in fact, off skiing with his kids.
I got an appointment for 2 weeks later, and asked him how the skiing had been. He spent ages telling me all about it!

Where do you live? I'd be asking to be referred to Moorfields. I'm surprised you haven't been if it's that serious and rare. You'd probably have more appointment options there too.

Did you go? I don't think YABU to want to have your app but I think you'll be wasting your time. I turned up for a scan that had been cancelled - they never told me. The sonographer wasn't there, I wasn't put on any other list.

Really though, you need to prioritise your health. It sounds like your job is very important to you and I am sure it is. But they really will replace you if you go blind and can no longer work regardless of how important/ influential/ significant you are the project. I hate to say it but you are replaceable. We all are

There is no appointment.
What are you planning to do? They won't miraculously magic one up for you.