'When will I get better?' asks woman awaiting hysterectomy

Airport driver Caroline Morgan was originally due to have an operation in early December, but was sent home after being told that there were no beds available.

It was then rescheduled for 12 January, but just two hours after having pre-surgery blood tests earlier this week, she was told it would once again be postponed, this time indefinitely.

‘We’re dependent on these operations to start feeling like half a human being again. I don’t know where it all ends. The system at the moment just seems quite unfair,’ said Miss Morgan.

Health & Social Care said the cancellations of elective surgeries was due to significant staffing pressures in the critical care unit due to Covid-19.

As a temporary measure, Miss Morgan has been treated with monthly injections into her stomach which she said were incredibly painful to receive.

‘When December came, that was the tail end of the last injection, the surgery would have been a permanent fix but then everything had to start up again.’

Her son had handed in his notice at work earlier than planned to support his mum through her six- to eight-week recovery time and help care for her two young children. This time around, her daughter had taken time off work for the same reason.

‘I keep thinking I could have been more or less healed by now. I would have been off my feet for Christmas, but I had made provisions for Christmas and put all the decorations up early.’

From the time between her original surgery date and now, her pain has worsened considerably.

‘I’ve been trying to spend extra time with the children because I was going to be laid up. It’s the same thing all over again – you try to compartmentalise a bit but I’m going to have to go through it all over again. Is it going to be a couple of weeks or a couple of months? You just don’t know,’ said Miss Morgan.

Critical Care at the PEH has been split into two units, one dedicated to patients with Covid-19 and the other, which has seven beds, is for all other patients.

‘All operations are cancelled apart from those for things like cancer, which is obviously life-threatening and I understand that.

‘But the next step down from that is something like this – it’s important for me, to get better and live a better life.

‘I think to a degree I do believe someone should be looking at the impact on normal people like myself.’

She added that staff from the Medical Specialist Group deserved recognition for their patience and dedication over the past months.

n Active Covid case numbers fell slightly yesterday to 2,312 cases. 166 new cases were reported, alongside 264 recoveries. There are currently five people in hospital with Covid.