Had my pre-op appt letters!

[chivasgirl]

Good afternoon everyone!

I got home today to find the envelope with the pre-op assessment letters. Great thinks me, first one is 9 April, which is great cos already got day booked off work! Second one is for, wait for it... 16 June!!!!!

Have phoned but nobody available, so will have to wait until tomorrow. Not sure if there is going to be anything I can do, but I did think they had to have these pretty close to an op date. If the anaesthetist date isn't until June, then there's no point having the other pre-op in April! And if it's June, then presuming say 6 weeks after that, then it's going to end up being August. Good job I didn't book my grand prix tickets!!

Have also received an appt for an echocardiogram which hopefully is just because I have been treated by a cardiologist in the not too distant past and obviously advised the hospital about this, and they did ask for the cardiologist info. I don't have a SERIOUS heart condition though, so hopefully there won't be any problems there.

So, it will be interesting to see what other dates come out now!

Lorna

 

[Sambucca]

great news on the letter Lorna, but a bit disappointing that your 2nd pre op isnt until June.

I know that some of the others ended up having their dates bought forward.

 

[chivasgirl]

Well they'll be well past their breach dates by the anaesthetist appt. So by the op it will be something like 2 months over, and I presume they don't want to do that! I'll try to speak to someone tomorrow and see what happens then.

 

[Sambucca]

good luck Lorna.

 

[chivasgirl]

Cheers Sam! I'm not overly worried at this point - when all's said and done it may be the case that Walsall is going to end up being like Chichester (Shaw Somers) and people may end up waiting 6 months even for an appt with the hospital, and another year for an op. That's just how it happens! I will keep my fingers crossed I can bring the June appt forward but if not then not to worry!!! I've left a message for Dr Hartland's secretary to call me tomorrow, so she may be able to just answer whether this is now the normal thing. I don't want to go to the appt in April to find I have to go again because it's been too long a delay between appointments & op date!!

 

[tesmaralda]

blimey lorna I thought the gap of 4 weeks between my 2 original pre op dates was pushing it but thats crap is the date of you heart appt in between them or are you still waiting for that date?

 

[phatgirl]

Congrats hun, you are finally getting somewhere. As for the ECG, I was given one as part of my pre-op and I have no previous heart problems. It was just done as a matter of course to make my op safe (used to be that the number one killer of obese surgical patients was undiagnosed heart conditions) with a simple test so that they know what they are dealing with before your actual surgery. Don't worry.

Best of luck hun & hope they can move up your second appointment.

Nic

 

[chivasgirl]

The echocardiogram (not ECG, that's an electrocardiogram where they use 12 leads normally - echo is an ultrasound) is in a different hospital, the one where I had an appt last year (had a few palpitations, nothing serious, but they picked up a slightly thickened heart wall - left ventricular hypertrophy - due to the high blood pressure). I have the appt for that in 3 weeks, so no worries about that one. After all, it is to clarify the situation for the hospital no doubt (I suspect Walsall asked for this to be done), and it is better to be safe than sorry! But an 11 week gap doesn't seem right to me.

 

[tendersage]

wow at least you can now see movement towards your op, shame about the length of times between appointments but i am sure you can sort it out

 

[Sambucca]

Cheers Sam! I'm not overly worried at this point - when all's said and done it may be the case that Walsall is going to end up being like Chichester (Shaw Somers) and people may end up waiting 6 months even for an appt with the hospital, and another year for an op. That's just how it happens! I will keep my fingers crossed I can bring the June appt forward but if not then not to worry!!! I've left a message for Dr Hartland's secretary to call me tomorrow, so she may be able to just answer whether this is now the normal thing. I don't want to go to the appt in April to find I have to go again because it's been too long a delay between appointments & op date!!

You are right Lorna, we are lucky I suppose that we get seen relatively quickly at Walsall, but as Dr H said at that WLS meeting when I met you, they dont want to go over the 18 week wait as it costs them money. I'm sure that if they can they will treat you before this time is up.

And Dr H's secretary seems to be on the ball so Im sure she will help you tomorrow if she can

xx

 

[tesmaralda]

The echocardiogram (not ECG, that's an electrocardiogram where they use 12 leads normally - echo is an ultrasound) is in a different hospital, the one where I had an appt last year (had a few palpitations, nothing serious, but they picked up a slightly thickened heart wall - left ventricular hypertrophy - due to the high blood pressure). I have the appt for that in 3 weeks, so no worries about that one. After all, it is to clarify the situation for the hospital no doubt (I suspect Walsall asked for this to be done), and it is better to be safe than sorry! But an 11 week gap doesn't seem right to me.

I was just thinking that maybe the delay was due to the fact that you waould have to have to echo cardion gram. But clearly not and you are right it doesn't seem right hope its just an error on their part.

 

[chivasgirl]

Well as a friend has pointed out, if pushed they will put these on the same day if you stress how difficult it is when you have to take a full day off work and drive 1.5 hours each way... I'll try to get some clarity on it tomorrow though.

 

[Sambucca]

Well as a friend has pointed out, if pushed they will put these on the same day if you stress how difficult it is when you have to take a full day off work and drive 1.5 hours each way... I'll try to get some clarity on it tomorrow though.

That would be great if you could kill two birds with one stone so to speak. Will have fingers crossed for you x

 

[Brunetteandred]

Congrats on getting your MBE, Lorna.

The second appointment is with Mr. Yousseff, who at the moment only has clinics on Tuesdays, though they are trying to get more arranged.

When I had my MBE, I rang and spoke to Tracey Lowe (Patient Access) told her of the dates I wouldn't be available but otherwise I am available for any cancellations.

Within a couple of days I received a new appointment for Mr. Yousseff, 1 week earlier than the original.

 

[chivasgirl]

Hi Red, I need to speak with someone about it as I didn't think these could be that far apart (11 weeks). If I then find out it's completely fine and they're not bothered about breaching their waiting list targets, then I will ask for any cancellations but also will just wait my turn. I'll get there eventually!

 

[teen]

congrats Lorna and good luck with the phone call tomorrow

 

[waynetta]

Oooo Lorna that is a long time in between dates, I dont see the point in having the pre op so early before your op, I was under the impression that a pre op was, well... a pre op, hence surgery pretty much soon after!

 

[chivasgirl]

Allie, that's exactly what I thought!! I thought things like the MRSA test had to be less than x weeks old. Or else you could have picked it up in between times, especially as you have to go in again!! ha ha!

 

[chivasgirl]

Received pre-op appts but both now cancelled...

... because apparently my funding has been cancelled. I don't know what is going on with Walsall but it seems I was put on the waiting list having ascertained that I met the criteria, but the PCT then asked for the clinical files or something and then decided I didn't meet their criteria. Their criteria is BMI between 35-50 with comorbidities - mine ranges between 45 and 49 and I have quite a few comorbidities, ranging from high blood pressure (uncontrolled at the moment), heart problems related to the high blood pressure, osteoarthritis in my knees which is sometimes so bad I can't walk down the stairs. Obviously lots of less serious ones too, but these are ones which really affect me.

So, next move the hospital are going to fill in the forms for exceptional cases and fax that off to the PCT. I have a call in to the PCT to find out exactly why I have been refused, as it's not easy to know how to progress things without that. I know that my PCT want you to have undergone 'lifestyle' and pharmacological interventions - the hospital advised when I was there that they wouldn't have put me on orlistat (IBS) or reductil (blood pressure/adrenal tumour) so that criteria is one I can't meet, but shouldn't be forced to. Lifestyle - well how many times have we all tried Weightwatchers and Slimming World etc, only to end up here. If I have to do it again, then so be it, but I do feel it is putting off the inevitable.

I do wonder whether this is just the end of year putting things off until the next financial year ploy. I'm also concerned that if I have to wait too long they will make me go to the more local hospital which they don't commission from at the moment, but are hoping to in the 2009 financial year. They have done 10 ops since September...

*Sigh* - a very frustrated girlie

 

[teen]

sorry lorna that aint good news for you at all what a mess I can imagine you are well p@@@ed off Hope some good news in the near future