Op cancelled today, no beds, gutted

[Madame Butterfly]

Well all psyched up I arrived at Walsall Manor at 7am. Had pre meds and injection, saw surgeon and anaesthetist and then at 11am told op cancelled as no beds.

Gutted to say the least. Another three weeks till possible date. I now have a concern as I go on holiday in 8 weeks time and Walsall say 4 weeks for liquids. Will I be well enough to go? How will I manage on purée for two weeks hols or do I postpone op till September?

Seriously upset and angry, why me....

I'm sure this must have happened before. Just annoyed that other people's operations were going through fine...

 

[FeeBee]

Oh no how upsetting for you. Are you NHS or private? A few other posters have had the same happen to them and I can't imagine how frustrating it must be. You really have to psych yourself up for this too. Only you can decide whether to postpone or not but I guess it depends whether you are self catering on holiday or how easy it will be to adapt your diet?

 

[TiaLi]

So sorry to hear that, that must be soooo frustrating! What type of surgery are you having? If you get an op in three weeks time, that would just leave you 5 weeks till your holiday. It's really hard to say if that is enough, everyone heals at a different pace. For me personally, there is no way I would have been able to go on holiday at 5 weeks post-op. For many others it would have been fine. I had a bypass though, if you're getting a band recovery time is usually quicker. I also had problems with severe nausea and oral intolerance for about two months, and developed vitamin deficiencies that really messed things up. It is only now, at 10 weeks post op (and another stint in hospital) that I have been able to start eating and drinking properly.

I'm not telling you this to scare you or to try to persuade you to postpone, there are many others who had their surgery around the same time as me who skipped back to work in a couple of weeks feeling absolutely fine! I guess what I am saying is that you need to be aware that it would be a calculated risk, and that your holiday MAY be jeopardised. So if we're talking about the holiday of a lifetime, that you've splashed out loads of money on already... well, there is no way of knowing beforehand if you will develop complications in the first month post surgery.

...and as Fee says, will there be self catering or similar so you can adapt your diet? You really need to stick to the plan in those first two months after surgery and not rush the stages.

Have you discussed it with your team?

 

[Madame Butterfly]

Thanks for the replies. Luckily this year due to knowing I would be having my op, a sleeve. We decided to stay in this country. We're away for two weeks. A week in guest houses and a week self catering in a caravan. Kids are so looking forward to going away to seaside and I'm hoping especially the self catering parts I'll be ok.

I seem I've come so far and don't want to postpone till September if I think I'll be fit enough. As long as I feel ok I can cope with whichever eating issues I have.

I discussed it with my head nurse today and she said the eating aspect would be the only issue. In guest houses and hotels though they're usually accommodating she said. Just don't know what to do for best.

 

[SAM55]

Thanks for the replies. Luckily this year due to knowing I would be having my op, a sleeve. We decided to stay in this country. We're away for two weeks. A week in guest houses and a week self catering in a caravan. Kids are so looking forward to going away to seaside and I'm hoping especially the self catering parts I'll be ok.

I seem I've come so far and don't want to postpone till September if I think I'll be fit enough. As long as I feel ok I can cope with whichever eating issues I have.

I discussed it with my head nurse today and she said the eating aspect would be the only issue. In guest houses and hotels though they're usually accommodating she said. Just don't know what to do for best.

What a bummer That nearly happened to me but they just managed to squeeze me in. I would have been gutted after all the planning I did around transport and aftercare.

Will you be able to stay in the guest house during the day if you need to rest, or do you have to be out? Tiredness was my biggest problem. If you plan ahead on food prep with foods you can puree, or protein shakes, for the first week you may be ok. Planning food ahead is the key and is vitally important. Those who have gone back to work after a couple of weeks have said not having time/facilities to plan meals meant their recovery was difficult.

I would ask questions of others and of yourself...

Have they told you September if you postpone?

Can you be put on a cancellation list after your holiday and go in at short notice?

Have you rung the guest house to see if they cater for your diet/have access to a microwave?

Will you loose money if you cancel or can you postpone until later in the year with no financial consequences?

Who is going with you and are they going to be able to offer the support you may need to take time out?

Can you just do the one week in the caravan?

Is it a very long journey?

 

[Want2b3]

So sorry! The anticipation and build up is horrendous...but to even have the pre op Ned's then told cancelled is bad management! I think a caravan will be good as all on one level tbh! Will you have to go up and down stairs for toilet in guest house. Plus you have injections, wound care and pain management to think of! You won't be covered for driving and will possibly be in pain using brakes etc unless you got someone to support you it will be tough, but that is based on my experience only.

 

[Madame Butterfly]

Thanks all. About 3 hour journey. Hubby will do all driving for me and he's keen that I do as little or as much as I want. He wants me to rest.

The guest house is going to help foodwise if I need anything and in caravan , large luxury job so can lounge about all day with a book if I want or sit in a chair on beach. I know I won't be up to doing a lot but hoping pain manageable by 5 weeks out.

I have cancellation cover if needed but hopefully won't come to that.

 

[SAM55]

Thanks all. About 3 hour journey. Hubby will do all driving for me and he's keen that I do as little or as much as I want. He wants me to rest.

The guest house is going to help foodwise if I need anything and in caravan , large luxury job so can lounge about all day with a book if I want or sit in a chair on beach. I know I won't be up to doing a lot but hoping pain manageable by 5 weeks out.

I have cancellation cover if needed but hopefully won't come to that.

Pain should be manageable at 5 weeks out. A lot will depend on whether you have a drain as that is the wound that takes the longest to heal, and that is down to individual surgeon choice at the time, or if any get infected. I was only having the odd paracetamol if i had overdone it by then. Also drove a 100 mile round trip in the car at 5 weeks to say goodbye to my daughter before she emigrated to NZ (she did 400). Wouldn't have chosen to do it (I had started driving at 2 weeks but only very short trips), but my only ill effect was exhaustion for a few days. It was also my first meal out and I stuck to what I knew I had been able to manage indoors which was mince and baked beans. Constipation was still a problem at that stage which was the cause of pain, so make sure you are prepared with a suitable post op laxative, and keep the fluids up.

Providing you can rest, manage your food intake, put up with the temptation of the sort of food you would normally be looking at eating on holiday, then it sounds as if it is doable if hubby is doing all the driving and offering you support. I went away for a few days at 7 weeks on my own and it really did me good to have the break.

 

[Mollypop]

@Madame Butterfly
Hi. Just wondering if you had your rescheduled date yet? If so how long did you end up waiting for your new date?
My Op was cancelled at Walsall Manor today in very similar circumstances to you.
Nobody would put themselves on the line to give me an estimated new wait time, so I'm really hoping it will be less than a couple of weeks.
xxx

 

[Madame Butterfly]

Hi , sorry to hear this. They have to operate on you within 28 days as part of their patient charter. I went back in after 22 days unfortunately when they operated found a massive undiagnosed hiatus hernia so now got to have this repaired and change from a sleeve to bypass . Been told next op date will be 8-12 weeks. Hope you get your new date soon and all goes well. Anita x

 

[Mollypop]

Oh my Gosh. I bet that was a huge shock. How to you feel about changing from sleeve to Bypass? xxx

 

[Madame Butterfly]

I've got pcos so I always had to either do sleeve or bypass to reduce the effect of my hormone and insulin receptors. Sleeve seemed best option but if they are fixing a hernia a banana shaped stomach may cause another hernia and pressure on the repair. Don't want further surgery if I can help it after I'm all done so bypass seems way to go. The shape of tummy after bypass stops it moving up and herniating again. Luckily I have no other medical conditions so if vitamins and minerals are needed every day I won't be too concerned.

I've kind of come to terms with the new surgery option. Reckon it will be September before I'm done and have to do another month on milk diet. X