Cancer patient worried her luck is running out due to surgical delays

When Patricia Riley was recognized with colon most cancers in Might, she felt devastated at first. 

However as a result of the illness was caught early, the 51-year-old felt like she’d gained the most cancers lottery.

“I used to be a most cancers affected person who was really pleased, pondering I had the best-case situation,” recalled Riley, who works as a public servant in Ottawa.

The most cancers was localized and had not unfold to her liver or lymph nodes — which means the percentages have been good that she was going to beat this probably lethal illness. 

She mentioned docs at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) initially deliberate to surgically take away a part of her colon inside 4 to 6 weeks.

That interval has since come and gone, and Riley remains to be ready.

Riley is among the many many Ontarians impacted by a staggering hospital backlog made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, which by Might had amassed to a million surgical procedures in queue, in accordance with the Ontario Medical Affiliation.

Whereas probably the most critical of gastrointestinal most cancers sufferers are designated as a precedence cohort eligible for instant surgical procedures, Ontario Well being says these with much less pressing wants ought to nonetheless obtain surgical procedure inside a goal of two to 12 weeks.

Riley mentioned she now spends her days ready by the telephone at her dwelling in the neighborhood of Orléans, hoping to win what has changed into a hospital lottery of last-minute surgical procedure cancellations.

“I actually really feel like a ticking time bomb,” Riley mentioned about her most cancers. “Day-after-day you surprise, is it in the present day? Is it tomorrow? Is it subsequent week? When does your luck run out?”

Not all sufferers seen inside focused wait instances

In line with Ontario Well being, a couple of quarter of gastrointestinal most cancers sufferers ended up ready longer than the focused wait instances for surgical procedure provincewide between January and March 2022. 

Sufferers with gastrointestinal cancers ready for surgical procedure at The Ottawa Hospital waited barely longer than the provincial common — a couple of week longer for these on the decrease finish of precedence.

The Ottawa Hospital attributed a part of the issue to the pandemic, however advised CBC it’s working with the Ministry of Well being and different regional well being companions to extend working room capability.

“If a affected person’s situation worsens, they need to contact their care supplier instantly,” a spokesperson with The Ottawa Hospital wrote in an e-mail assertion. 

 “Whether it is deemed that they’re in want of pressing surgical procedure, they are going to be seen as quickly as doable.” 

Extra employees wanted to clear backlog: advocate

Barry Stein, president of Colorectal Most cancers Canada, mentioned the stress of ready for surgical procedure takes an enormous toll on sufferers and their households.

A colorectal most cancers survivor himself, Stein mentioned the issue seems to lie in a hospital staffing scarcity.

“It appears to be a scarcity of personnel accessible as a consequence not solely of extra surgical procedures, but additionally persons are simply drained,” he mentioned.

Stein mentioned he needs to see hospitals use the pandemic as a studying expertise and take preventive measures to climate future crises — beginning with staffing. 

“Constructing health-care resiliency into our techniques is known as a longer-term plan, however one thing now we have to work on instantly,” he mentioned.

Stein referred to as on governments to extend the health-care system’s capability and discover methods to allocate assets extra successfully. He mentioned that features growing preventive care measures resembling most cancers screening with a purpose to scale back the quantity of people that find yourself needing superior surgical care. 

Submitting grievance in opposition to TOH

For Riley, she mentioned until there is a last-minute opening, docs on the TOH most cancers centre have now advised her to anticipate her surgical procedure someday in August or September — greater than double the preliminary estimated wait time.

She mentioned she is submitting a grievance by means of the hospital’s affected person relations division in hopes of securing a sooner date. 

The expertise has left her feeling alone in her combat in opposition to most cancers — and never so fortunate anymore.

“If surgeons are telling the hospital there is a backlog, why is that not sufficient?” mentioned Riley.

“Why do the sufferers throughout the worst time of our lives … have to achieve out to the hospital and advocate for this?”