"My care from Gynaecology has been very slow & frustrating"

I have found my care from Gynaecology very slow and frustrating. I understand things take time and the NHS is under pressure but my care under the Gynaecology unit has been going on for over a year now and I am still waiting for information when my surgery will be - at the time of typing this I am still waiting to get on the surgery list.

Over the past year my issues with Endometriosis  has had a massive effect on my mental health as well as physical health. I have went from someone who had an intense job and busy life to someone who now is exhausted all the time and in a lot of pain. I have struggled to maintain my life and keep any kind of healthy mental health. I had to quit my job due to being in pain while on shift and with no end in sight this became unbearable. Being a type 1 Diabetic it has also greatly affected my Diabetes as a lot of meals I had before I can no longer have as they make my bowel worse so I am limited to what I can eat and have had to try to adjust my insulin accordingly. 

I was given an appointment at East Ayrshire Community Hospital with a Gynaecology consultant. I was then referred for an MRI last July (2023) after a  cyst was found in April on my Ovary (diagnosed after MRI as a Endometriomas cyst). The MRI also showed I had a large area of damage along my bowel/colon. My Consultant insisted that I would need to go for a further scope to see what type of bowel surgery I would require. He thought it would be 1/2 months for this referral. I was referred in October 2023. My Doctor insisted it would be a quick call after the scope and I would immediately be on the waiting list for surgery. Feeling very depressed I clung to this hope. This is where things with me declined further. 

I waited 8 months for this scope. Had to continuous chase up waiting times and stress how much pain I was in and how low I felt mentally. I had an infection that left me feeling horrendous for weeks. Finally I went for a Flexible Sigmoidoscopy towards the end of May at Ayr Hospital (this was a short notice cancellation appointment so I would still be on the waiting list if this hadn't came up). As it was a short notice appointment it wasn't noted that I couldn't have the sedation due to a previous illness I had which meant the procedure was agony and left me very sore for days afterwards. After the Flexible Sigmoidoscopy the Surgeon said that I might still need the most serious bowel surgery and they would know more when doing my surgery. This left me devastated to think that after 8 months waiting in immense pain with low mental health and having given up my job, what was it for if we didn't actually know any more information after the Flexible Sigmoidoscopy? 

It has now been a month since the Flexible Sigmoidoscopy and I haven't heard from my Consultant and have been trying to contact him and his receptionist to find out what exactly is going on. There has been no quick phone call or update and I feel like after all this time waiting there should be some effort to contact me. A month is a long time when you are desperately waiting for news of surgery.

I phoned last week asking to know what was going on and was ensured I would be updated and yet again I am having to phone to please ask for an update as nobody has contacted me. I have felt throughout this I have had very little communication from the Gynaecology department and have been left feeling really upset about how long this has went on for.

My life has been dramatically affected by Endometriosis and to wait for a year and still be no further forward is unacceptable. Nobody seems to want to keep me updated and I feel like I have to continuously phone to try and get updates. I have felt the patient care has been poor.