"Waiting a year and counting for gallbladder surgery"

A year ago my wife was diagnosed with gallstones after suffering for close to a full year prior to the diagnosis with stomach pain and nausea. Prior to the correct diagnoses she had numerous misdiagnoses’ from several of the GP’s based within our surgery. They said she had various food intolerances before saying she had IBS and then saying it was simply gastritis. They took a number of blood samples and stool samples and even prescribed her medication for these illnesses that she never actually had.

Eventually, she was sent to get an ultrasound scan where they discovered she had gallstones. It was immediately decided that having her gallbladder removed would be the course of action. By this point her symptoms had worsened significantly and she was beginning to have severe stomach cramps and vomiting on a daily basis. Her GP prescribed a range of medication and she was informed she had been put on an emergency waiting list to have her gallbladder removed within 1 year and that she was to manage the symptoms to the best of her ability through  medication as well as adopting a strict diet, avoiding all fatty and sugar foods.

We've had an incredibly tough year. She has had pain and nausea on a daily basis. She's missed a significant amount of work which has put her under a lot of pressure with her boss. I can’t remember the last time she was able to sleep through the night without waking up in pain. Her restrictive diet has caused significant weight loss. She was a healthy weight when she was first diagnosed, but has since lost 3 or 4 stone. Our family and friends now comment on how thin she looks, many of them concerned that she looks really ill. We have young children who she is unable to properly care for. I am solo parenting for the most part, and almost singlehandedly running the household whilst working a full time job. As you can imagine this has also put strain on our relationship. Her quality of life is incredibly poor at the moment.

Today she called the hospital as it has been nearly a year since the diagnoses. We were sure we should have heard word by now regarding going in for her operation. On the call she was informed that it was actually a two year wait as her GP had put her through as a routine referral. She broke down in tears on the phone. This is not what we were told initially. As you can imagine we are deeply DEEPLY upset by this. I think this is unacceptable.

I am now at the point I am gravely concerned with her health. She cannot continue to lose weight. She cannot continue with the unbearable pain and nausea every single day. She cannot function anymore, waking up at 2:00 am every night with severe abdominal pain and vomiting. She is a young woman with a young family and she is missing out on what should be the best years of her life. She is suffering and she can’t suffer for much longer.