So Gutted Major surgery 7wks before our trip!!

[tinkerpea]

Hi all

Just had to vent as im soooo upset right now, ive been pretty sick for a few yrs and have had 2 Major surgery's on my head, I am due for another one in what was ment to of been last month.
Now we knew i was having another Op as after my last Op in december 2010 the infection/polyps/Cholesteatoma and now severe infection came bk only 6 months after having it all taken out( took 3 yrs the time before)its pretty rare for it to come bk that quick considering im only 26!! some people have it maybe come bk after 20 yrs but since mines more complecated with the Polyps and now also Biofilm disease its attacked my Mastoid cavity again(thats whats made me so sick).
Anyways we decided to book a surprise trip at the end of september for the kids and us because i havent really been able to do too much with them i get tired very quickly and because of balance issues im dizzy/sick alot... well after my last Op i felt amazing once healed i even felt much better(apart from pain) around a wk after the actual Op!! so after speaking to the consultant we agreed a family holiday and something to celebrate was just what we needed after a really rough yr now for the bad bit!...................

The Op should have been last month but whilst transfering me hospitals i got put on a diffrent hospitals waiting list( no where nr me) so after having my Pre-med they called and said they needed to transfer me bk to the original hospital as it was too complecated for the other hospital to do,well that was ok but 2 a month later and today i went for my new pre-med the nurse said everything was good and i have the all clear to go ahead with it.....well I dont have a date the Nurse says that is impossible you should have the date by now so she goes of with somebody else to find out my date.
30 MINS LATER NO DATE its not even been booked!!!!!!!! she then explains to me that the next date for this Op due to my consultant only operating on wednesdays and the fact somebody put on the pre op medical sheet that i would only be a day case and would be going home 6 hours after the Op is the 25th JULY (I was in high dependancy unit for 3 days and on a morphine drip for 5 the last 2 times)so i cant see me going home the same day after a 5 hour Op hahahaanyways she then adds that it cant be guarenteed as they cant book for definate that far in advance as the consultant may have booked leave

This leaves me with only 7wks to have fully healed from major surgery if i have it on the latest definate date which is 1st wk in august!! so now Im very stressed im sure thats doing wonders for my health,the doctor i seen this afternoon said on the plus side the infection is getting so bad,and im getting pretty weak that i may end up in hospital for strong IV antibiotics and they may do the Op then,..
Im a great lover of fast hard roller coasters and while yes i can proberly fly i may not be ready for the rides that are any harder then the ones for toddlers Not my idea of a DISNEY TRIP plus as we havent been to Universal in a few yrs and the boys was only 3,3,5 we decided to go for 22nights and do that and seaworld certainly dont want to do those without being able to do the rides.

Sorry for long post im just so upset, ive been planning this since last july and its whats kept me going for all the bad times! we even plan with the boys since they have been before by saying we are going next yr and asking them all there favourite things and they have been so good with me being ill and all the hospital visits,plus my hubby and mum also deserve it my mum puts her life on hold everytime im in hospital and drives from Cornwall to Bedford each time within hours of me needing her and well Hubby he is in the RAF so he works HARD then comes home and lets me rest while he takes care of our 3 boys!!, I feel so guilty that i may ruin this! I thought about moving the date but
1.the flights with Virgin are non-refundable
2.i wouldnt want to go when its any colder unless it was a wk trip around xmas as the boys love swimming and water parks plus the sun,
3.Halloween is our favourite time with MNSSHP

Thanks for reading &letting me vent again sorry for the long post x

 

[Kath2003]

You bought travel insurance when you got the flights, right? If you're not fit to travel, that should cover any costs ou incurr.

 

[catherine]

I'm so sorry that you're having to deal with all this when you're obviously feeling so poorly! If I were you I would complain to the hospital and tell them that it's their mistake and you want the date moving forward especially as you are now feeling so poorly. You may have to create a fuss and I know that is hard to do when you're not feeling well! Get the help of PALS or the equivalent in your hospital trust. I hope that you can manage to get your date brought forward and get this taken care of early and then you can go off and enjoy the holiday that you and your family deserve!

 

[zippy99]

Sending hugs your way

Maybe travel insurance will cover it. I have multi-trip insurance with my bank - always worth giving your company a call to see what they say. Whilst not illness - I was made redundant several months before our trip a couple of years ago and whilst my ex-bosses paid off my holiday, i did not feel i could go without having secured a new job - then trying to get a new job knowing you were going to need 2 weeks off just after starting... I completely understand your stress - i poured my heart out on here too several years back.

A call to my insurance company left me with the reassurance that i could see how things went on the job hunt and if i needed to cancel i would be covered. I was lucky and everything worked out for me - i hope you can get things sorted.

When we traveled with friends last year they were looking to get their insurance month before we went - I reminded them that insurance is not just for when you are out there but can also cover you if something happens and you need to cancel.

hope everything works out xx

 

[disneyholic family]

i'm so sorry!!
i hope everything works out for you!!

 

[Lisa x]

Oh no sorry to hear what you have been going through and now the added stress of this situation. Maybe if you stress to the consultant directly about your trip and how it was encouraged as being a good idea, and also considering how serious this operation is, maybe they can give you the earliest earliest slot to give you more time to recover.

Wishing you lots and lots of luck. Hope you get this sorted and you can start to relax and look forward to your trip again

 

[Pootle]

.... I feel so guilty that i may ruin this! I thought about moving the date but ....

I am sure that you are the only one who thinks you may 'ruin' this. The other adults are more likely to feel that your health and well-being are far more important than the trip

If you can't rearrange the date for your op, then just go with it. You can enjoy your holiday another time - even if the dates don't seem ideal at first.

Here's a bit of pixie dust for the outcome you want

 

[wayneg]

Sorry to hear this, hope the op goes well.

Insurance depends how good they are, did you delare the condition etc.

Virgin, if insurance is a no go then ring VA, you never know, they could possibly move your dates for a fee, £90pp & any difference in ticket cost is normal.
I bought a non refundable ticket (not VA) for my Mum the year she passed away, Expedia said non refundable under any circumstances, I contacted the airline who informed Expedia to refund me, so they will waive their T&C's if you get someone who is willing to be compassionate.

 

[tinkerpea]

Hi all thanks for your replies,Dis boards and reading peoples trips etc is what normally apart of course from my Amazing family is what keeps me going!!
Ill answer some questions
No i only bought the flights literally a wk ago and in the mean time have been searching insurance companys to see who we wanted to go with!
my hubby has been away for the last 2 wks on a field experience with his students as for the last 2 yrs he has been a Intel instructor, so this is why i didnt do the insurance straight away he always sets this up! and whilst i can proberly buy insurance right away most of them in their terms state that if your not fit to fly then they will cover costs MY consultant is saying that i may still be perfectly fine to fly just not do most of the things i actually want to do!
He says i will still be suffering from the odd bouts of dizzyness from imbalance (wont tell till the time comes,as i was very bad 1st Op alot better 2nd)
and that i still might be pretty tired,well when we went in 2010(before 2nd Op) I had a few days where i had to go back to the room early with my mum and sleep for a few hours due to pain and sickness,but either hubby took boys down to pool or my mum did so they kids still was ok,i ended up in hospital 2 days after landing!
The hospital has now put me on a emergency drop out list so if somebody at the last min rings and says they cant have the Op or they have flu etc and its not safe then they will call and let me have it,the reason my chances are low is the consultant that is doing my Op only operates on wednesdays so the person would have to be having a simular Op to me and i know for a fact i would not back out of mine so i doubt others will Now as i mentioned befor if i get sicker(which is happening) then i may get moved forward or i could end up in hospital as a emergency which means they may operate whilst im in,but they have been known to give Iv antibiotics to patch up and keep the patient going then call them bk in on their date!
I have gone to my doctors this morning as i needed a anti sickness injection and my Doc said she is going to ring and say i cant go on like this much longer and see what they say.

Again thanks for the and the advice I just dont want to let my boys down again or my hubby/mum they have been so good I.E being quite whilst mummy rests being let down last min due to me being to poorly to go out even on DH bday this month we went out to dinner and I couldnt eat anything as i felt to sick and we went home early instead of the planned evening we had.

 

[loobzuk]

Sorry that I haven't anything useful to add but I hope something works out for you whether it's a shift in your holiday dates or an earlier operation. I know you said you would never back out of your operation but sometimes people are forced to for various reasons out of their control so there is always a chance of a cancellation slot.

 

[queendisney]

so sorry to hear of the problems you are facing. I do hope that your op is brought forward and you can get to Orlando and do everything. But even if you are not able to do all the rides you are still going to have a wonderful time. Your health must come first so if the op doesn't get brought forward at least you know that you are going to get there.

Now....I work for the NHS and we have a PALS office. Which basically deals with complaints and problems. If a patient contacts them they normally achieve a really good outcome. You really should see if your hospital has them as well. Unfortunately, Consultants only need to give us a few weeks notice of any annual leave and as you have discovered they only operate a certain amt of times, ie one day at your hospital, another couple of days of private ops and then they are in clinic for the rest of the time.

Hope it all works out for you

 

[Shazzie B]

However much everyone was looking forward to it - they'd still rather have you better as soon as possible. Don't feel guilty (I know you are -you're a Mum!!) you didn't choose for this to happen. If you're still able to go you'll have a fabulous time even without being able to ride the 'big' rides. Wishing you the best outcome

P.S. I just scowled at Bedford Hospital as I drove past, not sure if it was their fault or not, but thought it might help

 

[mcarthur205]

I'm so sorry you're having such a bad time with your health right now. I hope everything works out for you with the operation and you get to enjoy your holiday.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

So sorry to hear about your illness. I did want to mention that if your doctor feels you are not fit to fly the Dr. can write a note to the airlines to the effect that you cant fly and the airlines will work with you.

I also wanted to mention I went to Disney 6 weeks after surgery and did just fine. But I want to caution you to be take it easy at Disney. Take lots of breaks. Also when you fly if you have been cut on your belly take a small travel pillow with you. Put the pillow on your tummy then fasten your seatbelt. It will make fly much more comfortable. You can also do the same thing while riding in a car. Also if you have stairs to go up an down, go up the stairs backwards. YOu use stomach muscles to go up stairs and by turning around and dooing it backwards it won't hurt as much.

Also after surgery REST.. You only get one chance to heal so make the best of the time. Cleaning and vacuuming can wait till you are better. You just need to put your feet up and rest.

 

[RDP]

I work in a hospital and we see lots of people declining surgery in the spring / summer time as they want to go on holiday; you may well get lucky and pick up a a cancellation. Hope it works out.

 

[Rach78]

Hi,
I just wanted to say that I am sorry to hear about your situation. I really hope that everything works out for you and that you get your much hoped for and deserved holiday.
All the best and keep us posted,
Rach xx

 

[tinkerpea]

I work in a hospital and we see lots of people declining surgery in the spring / summer time as they want to go on holiday; you may well get lucky and pick up a a cancellation. Hope it works out.

I really hope so, I have needed this surgery for a while and would never have ever booked a holiday if there was a chance of the surgery being so late,I still cant believe they have forgotten to book my date
And thanks x

 

[tinkerpea]

so sorry to hear of the problems you are facing. I do hope that your op is brought forward and you can get to Orlando and do everything. But even if you are not able to do all the rides you are still going to have a wonderful time. Your health must come first so if the op doesn't get brought forward at least you know that you are going to get there.

Now....I work for the NHS and we have a PALS office. Which basically deals with complaints and problems. If a patient contacts them they normally achieve a really good outcome. You really should see if your hospital has them as well. Unfortunately, Consultants only need to give us a few weeks notice of any annual leave and as you have discovered they only operate a certain amt of times, ie one day at your hospital, another couple of days of private ops and then they are in clinic for the rest of the time.

Hope it all works out for you

Thanks for the advice im going to call the hospital tomorrow and see if they have anything like this where i am I was told at the app that i may not even have this date as they have given me it without knowing the consultants plans and as its not within 6 wks then he may well of booked leave they did explain the same as what you have said that they only give a very small amount of notice before taking leave, Its a shame my surgery cannot be done by a surgeon but apperently its too complex as he also has to be a facial nerve consultant incase the surgery causes him to cut a face nerve which would cause face nerve paralysis so def need that consultant!!
Thanks again

 

[tinkerpea]

However much everyone was looking forward to it - they'd still rather have you better as soon as possible. Don't feel guilty (I know you are -you're a Mum!!) you didn't choose for this to happen. If you're still able to go you'll have a fabulous time even without being able to ride the 'big' rides. Wishing you the best outcome

P.S. I just scowled at Bedford Hospital as I drove past, not sure if it was their fault or not, but thought it might help

Thankyou, My hubby tells me all the time that its not my fault.......and my boys are understanding I just cant help that feeling,Had to laugh hard at the SCOWLING shame its Lister that is doing my treatment went to Bedford once when i 1st moved here HATED that hospital so now i go to Lister which is not too bad just as long as they remember to book you in hahaha
Thanks again for the well wishes and the Scowles

 

[tinkerpea]

Again thankyou to all who have posted!
I went to my sons football tournaments today ( in the rain) and was so pleased to be feeling well enough(well...good for me) as the 9year olds won 1st place if i could have jumped for joy i would have!! It was a proud moment as the team was beaten badly by alot of the teams they went up against today when they 1st started last yr,and the year 2 came 2nd soo cute to see them all trying so very hard!.

Anyways back to the issue at hand,I had a call on saturday morning YES A SATURDAY!! and the nurse said that they felt terrible about what had happened and that they had tried hard to find another slot for a closer date and they cant get one! they said that they definatly have me on the cancellation list 1st..... but that if i find myself getting sicker then hospital treatment is going to be necessary and then they may operate early as it will be done in a different hospital to the Surgi center.

ill keep you all posted Im not sure what im hoping for wether I get too sick and need hospital treatment or a slot to come up! either way I just want to be better for my family and this holiday so horrid that planning the holiday was what kept me going everyday and excited and now i feel like im planning for something that is no longer happening!!
Thanks again