waiting for surgery

Hi

I was diagnosed with a complex ovarian cyst in June and after an MRI was told i needed a hysterectomy urgently as they could not determine if the cyst  is malignant or not. I have seen the consultant who has said it looks like the cyst has adhered to my bowel too.  I have done all the consents and had my Pre op assessment on Monday gone and he had thought the operation would be in the next two weeks.  I called the waiting list team who said they have got me pencilled in for the 21st September , another 5 weeks of waiting, and my consultant is now on holiday for 2 weeks.  This will take me to 4 months from being diagnosed with a complex cyst which may be malignant. Is this an acceptable/normal time to be waiting for surgery? 

Thanks 

  • Hello and thanks for your post.

    I’m sorry to read about your situation and appreciate how difficult it is waiting to have your surgery.

    In the UK there are targets for maximum waiting times for cancer patients to start treatment. For example no more than 31 days wait between the decision the doctor agreed the treatment plan and the start of treatment.. We have more information about cancer waiting times on our website here.

    Hospitals will do their best to meet waiting targets, however many are finding this difficult to achieve. This could be due to staff shortages and the effect the pandemic still has on the NHS. 

    Each hospital has a Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) which people can contact to raise a concern or make a complaint.  The NHS website explains more about this on their website here where you can also search to find your local PALS if you know the hospital you will be attending. 

    Please get back to us if you need any more information or support.  You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

    Kind regards,

    Celene

  • It certainly seems a long time. Is there only the one surgeon that can do the operation?

  • Thankyou for your reply, I may just ring the support number. Regards Christine 

  • Hi Mary, 

    I understand there's 2 consultants that do this surgery so appreciate there is a list, but just concerned about the waiting time now. 

    Regards June