An Alexandria pensioner has said she fears dying before having the life changing operation she has waited two years for.
Mary Travis, 69, from Beechwood opened up to the Lennox about her wait for surgery to correct her twisted spine, as new figures reveal that one in eight people in Scotland are now on NHS waiting lists.
Mary’s spine is now so severely twisted that she can only leave bed for a few hours each day, whilst a cocktail of morphine and high strength painkillers leave her drowsy and struggling to concentrate.
And after being told she could still face a further 18 months for an operation which surgeons hope will reduce her pain levels by 80 percent, Mary told the Lennox that some days she struggles to see an end in sight to her suffering.
She said: “Not having a date for an operation is especially tough. You go through phases where you get really depressed and fed up about it.
“You’re just questioning when it’s going to end. I’m in constant pain and it’s not going to go away.
“Folk say they hope I’m feeling better. But I won’t before the operation. That’s the problem.
“The longer it goes on the more you don’t want to get out of bed, because it’s not worth it.
“There’s not a great deal of pleasure in life because you’re so limited in what you can do.
“There are some days where I get really down and frustrated because I don’t see an end to this.
“I told my surgeon that I will be 70 later this year. I might not even be here by then. My mother died at that age.
“I hope to goodness I don’t end up dying before I get my operation.”
Mary’s condition has deteriorated during her time waiting, making even simple tasks a struggle.
She explained: “I manage to get up for about two hours a day, but then the pain gets so bad that I have to go back to bed and lie flat again.
“I can’t bend or lean over. It’s difficult even sitting.
“I can’t sit for any length or time, walk or stand.
“It’s a nightmare.”
Having explored a options available her family found a consultant spinal surgeon at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital who was willing to conduct the complex surgery.
However Mrs Travis has been on the waiting list since then.
Mr Craig has written to Mrs Travis to advise her that these delays are due to the Scottish Government imposing an emergency status and that he is unable to resource the surgery as a result.
And Mary said she feels sympathy for the surgeon who she hopes will change her life.
She added: “I was going through a really bad spell of pain. I made an appointment to speak with my surgeon.
“I felt sorry for him. All he did was apologise.
“He said he knew I was in agony and more or less bedridden. But said his hands were tied.”
Mary contacted Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie about her situation, and the Labour member slammed the delays - questioning why no action to slash waiting lists was being taken.
She said: “The case of Mary Travis is truly heartbreaking. This woman is in severe pain and needs this operation urgently.
“She has already endured two years of agony and there is no end in sight for her and her family.
“Sadly there are countless others like Mrs Travis who are suffering under the SNP’s watch.
“The government wants to pretend the problems in the NHS have all been created by Covid - but that is not true.
“Scotland’s NHS was in crisis before Covid hit and that’s why we are struggling to recover.
“Our NHS is 1000 beds short but this First Minister cut beds before the pandemic.
“We are 5,700 nurses and midwives short, but this First Minister cut training places before the pandemic.
“Staff and patients like Mrs Travis are crying out for help but no practical action is forthcoming.
“The result of 15 years of poor management by the government is burnt out staff wanting to leave, and patients being failed and languishing on waiting lists.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “The pandemic has seen our NHS under the most severe pressure in its 73-year existence.
“Pausing of non-urgent activity has taken place in health systems across the UK and has inevitably led to a build-up of numbers waiting for treatment, and the emergence of Omicron in
late 2021 has undoubtedly added to existing significant pressure.
“We have to be upfront and honest that recovery will take time, we have to balance competing demands and pressures, making the best decisions we can, none of which are easy nor taken lightly.
“The NHS Scotland Recovery Plan sets out plans and ambitions for recovery, backed by more than £1 billion of funding. The plan will support an increase in inpatient, daycase and outpatient activity to address the backlogs of care. Key actions include investment of more than £400m to create a network of National Treatment Centres across Scotland which will significantly increase capacity to deliver elective care.”
