IIRC (and I hope @Busy-Lizzie will correct me if I’m mistaken) he had been due to have his op done at a private hospital on the NHS, but then, because of possible BP/heart problems (since discounted) this was changed back to having it done at an NHS hospital where there are intensive care facilities etc available (unlike at the private hospital).
Then a glitch arose as someone in the paperwork trail treated it as a new referral and he was put to the bottom of the list. This was amended later on but, what with Covid and Flu etc it has sadly resulted in a very long wait indeed for him. I do hope he gets his op very soon. 🤞
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
@Ergates, OH was transfered to a private hospital paid for by the NHS just before the Covid pandemic to speed things up as they said his hip was in a bad way. Then Covid happened. The private hospital was closed and put on standby, like the Nightingale Hospitals.
Eventually OH had his pre-op assessment. He was so worried he wouldn't have his op that his BP shot up and his ECG wasn't quite right. At home his BP is normal. He was sent for a load of tests at the NHS hospital and appts with a cardiologist and a lung consultant. They found nothing to prevent him from having his op but it all took about 9 months as he had to wait between each appointment.
Then he has his 80th birthday and the private hospital said he was too old for them as they didn't have an intensive care unit. He was referred back to another NHS hospital and another waiting list. The surgeon said it was urgent but he was booked up until January. Now Covid etc is stopping it again.
It will be 4 years this spring since he went to his GP with hip pain. Wrongly diagnosed at first as a pulled muscle, then a sprained tendon. Took a few months to get an X ray.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
You're not boring me at all @Busy-Lizzie and l'm sure nobody else either. I think you really need to start kicking up a stink now. I know that the Covid pandemic and its knock on effect was something that no one could have foreseen when your OH's story began, but he has been so unlucky, to put it mildly.
I know it's more than likely that he and you don't like to cause a fuss, but unfortunately it's often the case that those who shout the loudest get results. I think various suggestions were made last time about people to contact, l sincerely hope that this time you get somewhere. I wish there was something l could do.
I rang the doctors this morning as instructed, sat through the two minute pre-instruction messages to make sure I'm not having a heart attack or anything, then spoke to a 'fully trained' human. They said I could have a phone consultation as the nearest appointment but didn't know if the doctor would be able to diagnose the problem over the phone. I assumed a stethoscope would be involved but I'm not a doctor. I could have a phonecall on Monday or a proper appointment after Wednesday... both next week. Another week of this and it will either sort itself out or make me eligible for an emergency appointment I would have thought.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
That's beyond a joke, @wild edges. Hope you start to feel better very soon, doctor or no doctor...
My son-in-law's father tried to get an urgent doctor's appointment because he had problems with his sight, weakness in his right foot and increasing difficulty using his right hand. No appointments available. After a fortnight, the physio appointment he'd had booked for months for a different problem might have saved his life - the physio looked at him, put him in his car and drove him to A&E, where they found he'd had several small strokes... he's at home again now, very slowly improving, but will probably be permanently disabled to some extent.
Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
That's appalling @Liriodendron . Even I, as a non-medical person, would suspect that a stroke was a possibility from those symptoms. Surely whoever's doing the phone triage at the GP's surgery could have told him to go to A&E if an urgent appointment wasn't possible.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
So far I have had a new 'smart' speaker stop being able to play radio as the software/firmare /licensing changed. Then two of my smart internet radios have recently been telling me (that's how smart they are) that the BBC feeds they receive will stop in 2023 and to contact the manufacturer (the manufacturer tells me that I'll need new radios) - and now the perfectly working ITV Hub streamin'* app on my smart TV has been replaced with ITVX and, yep, ITVX doesn't work with my smart TV. Smart? Or just another way of building in inbuilt (how else?) obsolescence?
Our so-called "smart" TV had lots of apps for this and that when it was new. Most of them have stopped working over the years. I can't remember how long we've had it, but no more than 10 or 12 years.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
You've got to love the internet. I'm trying to price up dog food and a 12kg sack is advertised at £42.49 or you can get the special offer which is 12kg plus 2kgs extra free for only £56.55.
I gave in and ordered some bird food though. 66p/kg more than the last lot I bought and this was still the best price I could find. The birds don't even seem that bothered while it's this mild. It'll be a low count for the Big Garden Bird Watch if it stays like this.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Posts
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Eventually OH had his pre-op assessment. He was so worried he wouldn't have his op that his BP shot up and his ECG wasn't quite right. At home his BP is normal. He was sent for a load of tests at the NHS hospital and appts with a cardiologist and a lung consultant. They found nothing to prevent him from having his op but it all took about 9 months as he had to wait between each appointment.
Then he has his 80th birthday and the private hospital said he was too old for them as they didn't have an intensive care unit. He was referred back to another NHS hospital and another waiting list. The surgeon said it was urgent but he was booked up until January. Now Covid etc is stopping it again.
It will be 4 years this spring since he went to his GP with hip pain. Wrongly diagnosed at first as a pulled muscle, then a sprained tendon. Took a few months to get an X ray.
Sorry to bore you all with such a long post. It seems like life has been on hold and OH has been in pain for nearly 4 years.
I think you really need to start kicking up a stink now.
I know that the Covid pandemic and its knock on effect was something that no one could have foreseen when your OH's story began, but he has been so unlucky, to put it mildly.
I know it's more than likely that he and you don't like to cause a fuss, but unfortunately it's often the case that those who shout the loudest get results.
I think various suggestions were made last time about people to contact, l sincerely hope that this time you get somewhere. I wish there was something l could do.
My son-in-law's father tried to get an urgent doctor's appointment because he had problems with his sight, weakness in his right foot and increasing difficulty using his right hand. No appointments available. After a fortnight, the physio appointment he'd had booked for months for a different problem might have saved his life - the physio looked at him, put him in his car and drove him to A&E, where they found he'd had several small strokes... he's at home again now, very slowly improving, but will probably be permanently disabled to some extent.