Am I mad.

[ladylite]

Well I tried to phone my clinic yesterday and it was engaged every time I rang. Today I got through and asked for a date as I need to know as I have lots of animals that need looking after when I have surgery, Dogs, cats, kittens, horses and my backup want to know when I am out of action.

Anyhow they have given me a penciled in date of 17th June which I am really annoyed about. When I first phoned the clinic I asked how long from beginning to end she told me a month. Well my first contact was 9th April, well a month after that is the 9th May not 17th June.

This is now well and truely gonna mess up my season, as we show horses throught the summer and I will be recovering mid season.

Oh I am so annoyed, I have contacted another clinic which is a lot nearer and it looks like I wont get in there until about the same date as I have to start again.

I know to a lot of you who are going on the NHS this may seem trivial, but I am paying. I felt like the secretary was telling me the surgeon was doing me a favour fitting me in.

Sorry rant over, but I am still fuming.
:argh:

 

[galm37]

Hi
I know when you are paying for a service you want to have it done when you want it. But sometimes in reality it doesn't always work out that way. For me, having a longer wait could mean that the surgeon in question is good & in demand (I'm presuming you've done your homework on your surgeons/clinics credentials).

I understand that once you have made your mind up that the need to have the surgery completed is all consuming, but sometimes having a little longer to wait for it helps you get your head in the right place, giving you longer to prepare etc.

If the clinic/surgeon are the 'ones' for you, then waiting a little while longer, even though inconvenient, at least it means that you'll have the team you have chosen.

If I phoned a clinic and they said they could fit me in next week, it would raise alarm bells for me. Why don't you see if they have a cancellation list? I'm sure some people must back out at the last minute for what ever reasons. At least that way you'd possibly get a date earlier if that was the case.

I'm sorry it's not happening for you within the time you wanted, good luck x

 

[thinnerangela]

I know you are paying for a service - but expecting the 9th May was a bit unrealistic - its May 6th today!!

You also will have to factor in the pre-op diet which is usually at least a fortnight to shrink the liver

June 17th is only just over a month from today - perhaps thats what they meant by a month - I agree a wait may mean your surgeon is popular

Hope you get what you want

Angela

 

[ladylite]

I can definately see where you are coming from but it is all about trust, I trusted the hospital with the information provided to me.

If they had told me 2 months or more I would of looked somewhere else.

 

[cazbandy]

Maybe you should wait until after the busy time for you and your shows...then you can recover at a more relaxed pace. Some people are out of action for 2 months with surgery, so this would still conflict with your important schedules.

If not, this operation is obviously a life changing decision and I am sure that your life can be placed on hold for it. I am sure all those around you will understand totally.

I think sometimes we loose sight of the larger picture and focus too sharply.

 

[ladylite]

There is no non busy period, there are just little lulls in between. That is why it was very important to me to know how long and when. The best time to have it for convenience would be round about Jan/Feb but then I will be nearly 63 and dont want to wait that long. I couldnt of had it this year as I didnt have the funds in Jan/Feb. My decision to have surgery was not a quick thing, I have thought long and hard over a number of years.

As I said it was important to me when I enquired how long it was from of my enquiry til the approximate date of the surgery.

I know you all mean well and just want to make me feel better but I am most upset.:cry: I had allowed at least 2 months of non activity after the op and do have a lot of back up, but the longer it is the harder it will be for them too, but I am sure they will still support me.

I do feel that I have been cheated and lied to. Dont get me wrong the hospital are one of the best in the country, but their administration seems to be a little lacking.

Well I best go off and have a bloody big long sulk and probably a bit of a cry, there is nothing I can do and will just have to work round the date, thats if they decide I can have that date - remember I am just penciled in at the mo.

Sorry I keep moaning.:cry:

 

[galm37]

Have you asked if they have a cancellation list/stand by list? This may be a little tricky for you if you need to make arrangements but it's always another option.

 

[ladylite]

I did ask that but the secretary seemed so vague. Anyway I havnt even had my pre op and as I havent started the pre op diet either, it will seem very slim, but I will mention it to her again, although I would be prepared to start the pre op diet tomorrow if necessary. Like many of us I can diet but I can never keep it off.

Thinnerangela - I think you misunderstood - I wasnt expecting a date of 9th of May I was just saying that from the day I started this journey, and they specifically told me a month, I expected a month or thereabouts. I would of been quite happy for end May beginning of June.

I hope I dont sound stuck up. As I have said before I am making a great deal of sacrifice for this op, it may sound like I am loaded having horses etc, but my daughter rides for someone else who pays us for the job. She probably only gets a £1 an hour if you added up all the hours we put in to this but we love the job.

I would love to have it on the NHS but it is not to be at the mo.

I am waiting for a call back for them to confirm the pencilled in date and will let you know.

 

[lifebeginsnow]

Hi Ladylite i know how you feel.

I asked about timescales when i was researching who to go with & the same clinic (if its S/L) told me a couple of weeks for a consultation & then op 2 weeks after that.

Once i decided to go with them after weeks of soul searching, i was told i would have to wait 5 weeks just for a consultation & they did not actually have any op dates at all at that stage, they were waiting for them to be confirmed!

I felt very let down, but i moved on and i am now booked via Healthier Weight & feel very happy with them, they are very professional.

I wish you well & hope you can get something sorted ASAP, as i know this will be all you can think about until resolved.

 

[ladylite]

Thanks lifebegins it is streamline and I checked my emails and I was told on 30/3/10 that it would be about a month.

Dont think moving on is now an option, but I think I will put in writing my feelings as from what I know the team down in Chichester are suppose to be brilliant.

The should be honest and up front.

 

[LisaG]

Oh I'm sorry to hear you're having so much trouble...I'm sure it's very frustrating and upsetting. I hope you manage to get what you need when you need it in the end

 

[Ellie65]

Ladylite can I just say something here, I know you are going private my love and if I were dishing out that type of money I would want a pretty damn good service too.

However, even though you want to choose your op date to fit in with you there is still the matter that if you go for your pre-op assesment they could still turn you down if the surgeon may think there is a health risk problem that needs sorting out, sleep aponea, bloods etc etc. I know this from experience as I started my journey last september and im still waiting. I hope I havent offended you but just wanted to point this out to you.

Much Love Ellie xx

 

[seawaves]

Hey i started my journey last May & i'm still waiting, but if i had the funds to go private i'm sure i would have felt the same & would have wanted the surgery within the timescale promised, after all its alot of money

 

[ladylite]

Hi Ellie, you have defo not offended me and thanks for you comment and I understand where you are coming from, but I did have a cancer scare recently which thankfully turned out to be a fatty lump, trust me........ LOL

I had the lump removed and had to go through the same pre - op before that op, ie blood pressure, ECG, MRSA swabs, blowy thingy and bloods, this was mid March so I was quite confident that I would be fit for surgery, unless anything untoward had happened, and in life you never know.

Anyway I have contacted the clinic again and spoke to the first person I spoke to and explained how disappointed I was and thought it only far to tell them personally instead of just moaning on a public forum. I explained that they should be more aware of timescales when quoting about surgery. She was so helpful and has suggested she may be able to get me into another hospital even closer to my home with Shaw Somers. I wont go into detail yet as they wont know for certain until tomorrow and it may not happen, but I am at least pleased that they understand where I am coming from.

I mean I am paying £11,800 which equates to 18.3 months mortgage payments on my house. I will have to leave my dream home 18 months earlier than anticipated ....... I will keep doing the lottery, but as I have said before I do have another dream to replace it, being healthy, which I am not at present.

 

[J-Mo]

Ladylite, I hope it all works out for you!! After knowing how much u are paying to have the op privately it makes me feel even more privileged to know I (fingers crossed) will be getting mine on the NHS. I've got more chance of being run over by a herd of hedgehogs than I have of raising £12k.

GOOD LUCK!!

 

[dottychic]

I bet your gutted! I hope you get sorted soon I know how the waiting gets you down X