Patients losing patience with long waits for surgery in N.L.

Two Newfoundland and Labrador patients one anactive senior, the other a new mother who've been waiting for surgery for months are sharing their frustrations, saying they'd just like to know when their turns will come.

COVID-19 restrictions have slowed down the delivery of many health-care services across the province, and that includes surgeries.

Aubrey Budgell of Stephenville is waiting for heart surgery, after a coronary angiogramlast June revealed five blockages.

"What I'm afraid of [is]I might have a heart attack," said Budgell, who is worried about the long wait he's endured since being told he needs cardiac bypass surgery.

Kelsey Vincent of Triton needsgall bladder surgery, something she learned five months ago after having multiple gall bladder attacks.

"It's like a really sharp pain. It's so bad that it causes me to vomit. There's times I've curled up in a ball," said Vincent. "And it can last anywhere from an hour to days."

A heart for the outdoors

This is the time of year when Budgell, 73, would normally be looking forward to his favourite summer activities, including fishing, hiking, and motorcycle-riding.

Last year, after suffering pain in his chest and jaw, and being told he had five blockages in his heart (including three 90 per cent blockages), Budgell didn't feel it was safe to do some of the things he loves. Now he's worried about missing out on another summer.

He's changed his usual walking routeto be closer to help in case of emergency. He and his wife now get their exercise by walking along town streets in Stephenville, instead of their favourite walking trail at nearby Ned's Pond.

Clearing the wait list

Dr. Sean Connors, Eastern Health's clinical chief of cardiac care, said wait times for cardiac surgery have become longer since the pandemicdue to cancelled surgeries during the province's two lockdowns. As of April 20,he said,198 people were waiting for heart surgery.

But Connors said the Health Sciences Centre has been able to increase capacity in its operating rooms to get more of those surgeries completed, and he hopes much of the backlog can be cleared up over the summer, especially with the addition of another cardiac surgeon joining the team in August.

I would not want to be in that position myself.- Dr. Sean Connors

"Waiting is not easy when you have a problem with your heart and, being told you have a blockage and you need that fixed and you're at home and you think about that every day, and every hour of every day likely, I would not want to be in that position myself," said Connors.

But, he said,high-risk patients are given priority and may have their surgeries completed promptly, while those who are sent home to wait for a surgery dateare generally those whose conditions can be managed with medication and by limiting strenuous activity.

Connors said any heart patient whose health worsens while on a wait list for surgery should get in touch with their family doctor or with the cardiac-care unit at the Health Sciences Centre.

New mom

Kelsey Vincent knows her wait for gall bladder surgery isn't likely to become a life-and-death situation. But, like Budgell, her quality of life is also being affected by the wait.

Vincent, 22, a mother ofa six-month-old baby daughter, said she can't enjoy her newborn's first year of life like she should be able to.

She started having gall bladder attacks while she was pregnant, and she was told five months ago that surgery would be the only way to stop the attacks completely.

"It's been hard because I've been trying to enjoy this time with my daughter," said Vincent.

"And it seems like, every time that I think I'm making a bit of progress in the right direction, I suffer another attack and end up in hospital."

When that happens, Vincent said, she has to get someone else to come look after her baby for her.

Vincent's situation is all the more heartbreaking when one considers the grief and loss she endured after having a stillborn baby in 2019. At that time, Vincent raised money for a cuddle cot for the hospital in Grand Falls-Windsor, as a way to help other families suffering from infant loss.

Catching up

In a statement emailed to CBC, Central Health said elective surgeries were reduced twice during the pandemic, but surgeries that were considered emergent or urgent went ahead.

"Significant work has been completed to catch up on postponed procedures," said the health authority in its statement. "Many services are caught up."

Central Health couldn't say how soon Vincent will get gall bladder surgery.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador