"Spinal tumour removal- maybe!"

Just this week I was to have a spinal tumour removed from my spine, a big operation involving a large team of surgeons anesthists and operation nurses, so when I got a date to come in to Southampton I was overjoyed, from start to the operation it has been 9 months, the average in 20 weeks so a big disappointment there, I like everybody else has to phone up a couple of hours before admittance to check if a bed is available, after an hour of chasing the bed manager, "yes" a bed is available, so in I came, I was pushed in a wheelchair to my appointed ward only to be redirected to what became obvious to be the women's ward where there was a single room but alas no call bell, so reluctantly I declined and had another 3 hours to wait before I ended up at the same ward 3 hours earlier so another disappointment, that's No2 and I haven't even got in to bed yet! This tumour is extremely painful and so I got in to bed and spent the next 8 hours trying to adjust the bed but to no avail, I thought thank goodness I'm having this tumour removed today as the pain is off the scale, a nurse offered me a wash which I accepted and as it was now 7.00am and I was 1st on the list I thought that I was now on my way. As the night had been so painful I.decided to sit in the chair rather that get into bed. I was visited by junior and senior anesthists and a junior Neuro surgeon informing me what was about to happen, as I have been in and out of hospital for the last 30 months, I was by now getting used to the chats by the different teams involved in this my operation.

8.00am came and went along with 9.00 & 10.00 and 11.00. About noon time the junior Neuro surgeon had that look, I'd seen it before having had to wait 2 days consecutively waiting for an operation in Poole only to be told sorry no operation, next week, so when this junior Neuro surgeon was about to speak, I said something like No you haven't cancelled to which they replied "oh you're heard then" no was my reply, but I could tell from their body language that this is exactly what has happened, so they began to explain, as this is a very serious operation and me being a "large" patient that my after care would be in ICU (intensive care unit) there was no bed spare, well my reaction was to say, " Well why was I brought here then with no bed in ICU" the doctor went to say that beds in ICU come and go and as my operation was just after New Year there had been a run on beds in ICU, but then I said that this scenario could happen over and over, their reply to that was well if a relation of yours needed a bed in ICU but one was being reserved for a patient who had already had 2 cancellations then what would I do, I replied then shall I bring a bed with me next time. About an hour later the bed manager came, they looked embarrassed and well might they, they did promise to stay in touch with me and apologised. The NHS needs more money and more sympathetic managers for this very occasions