Ok, so over a year ago I had my bottom removed, my rectum and anus to be exact, and sewn shut. I thought ” Great I can start to recover and get on with my life”, how wrong was I.
A month or so later I noticed some fluid coming out of the wound. I got my poor husband to take a look ( he gets all the good jobs) and low and behold I have a neat little hole. I went to see my GP who took a swab and said I had an infection. I was given antibiotics and things improved for about three days. It came back with a vengeance. I was due to see my surgeon anyway and he said it was a sinus tract. He wanted to leave it for a bit as they can sometimes heal themselves. A few months later I was still in distress with the fluid and pus coming out so my surgeon said he would do an MRI to see the wound and how the sinus was situated inside. I again has to wait a few months for the MRI and again to see the surgeon for the results.
The result was that the sinus seemed to have a cyst at the top near the bottom of my spine and he wasn’t sure if it was connected to the sinus. He needed to ask some colleagues opinion and get back to me. The surgery would either be a simple laying open of the sinus tract which can sometimes return though, or a bigger operation to fill in the dead space left in my pelvis which is causing the leakage and some sort of flap surgery where a plastic surgeon would be involved.
I waited more weeks and rang a few times for an update. Eventually the secretary said he wanted to see me in clinic again to discuss. I then had to wait a few months for that appointment which was just over a year later from the proctectomy in which I have this continuous leak with discomfort and often leakage through clothes. It has been a complete nightmare especially when I am out of the house either socialising or at work. I have leaked bloody fluid at a party and my wonderful friends had to strip me in the toilet and rinse my clothes and dry it under a hand dryer. I was close to going home but didn’t. I leaked at a restaurant on holiday in Spain and leaked through my shorts, and again needed help to tidy myself up. This is all with panty liners on too. What is going on here? because I am now a minor surgery in comparison I am deemed well enough to suffer. I now sometimes wear “nappy” pants which is demoralising enough. I get through lots of panty liners which is costing me money as I have not been offered an alternative.
Yes this is a moaning blog post, I feel I have to moan to keep sane. People need to see what is happening to their neighbours, friends and family.
I don’t blame the NHS per say, I blame the government for allowing this to happen. My surgeon is so busy that he is back logged with surgeries. The 18 week NHS deadline is a farce. What happens when you are not seen within the deadline ? nothing at all. I can’t afford to be off work because I need those weeks to recover from surgery. I pick up every bug going because I have the sinus and it is tiring. I have very low Vitamin D and borderline iron deficiency, which I am convinced will improve once I am done with surgeries.
I feel left in limbo for a year with no date yet for my surgery, I am struggling to cope with it all now and can’t plan my life. I have made the mistake of believing the NHS dateline and booked an paid for a holiday with my friends in plenty of time to recover, or so I thought….. alas it looks like I might not make the holiday after all. I can see my beloved NHS taking a turn for the worse this time, and it truly breaks my heart.
I was in this predicament in the first place because there were no beds, and I was pushed to one side. It isn’t just me, it is many people playing the waiting game………..and that game is in extra time.
