"Severe pain and uncertain wait for gallbladder removal"

I attended my GP in December following being very ill and barely able to eat over the festive period due to suspected gallstones. I was diagnosed with multiple large gallstones by ultrasound in January 2023 and advised I would likely need surgery due to how symptomatic I was and how large my gallstones were.

My consultation with the general surgeon at Chelsea & Westminster hospital was supposed to be in March but delayed by NHS strikes to April.

In April I let the surgeon know I had been increasingly unwell, having intermittent fevers, losing weight as I am often vomiting or scared to eat. The consultation was very short and the consultant told me I was not yet on a surgical waiting list and needed an MRI to check I had no stones blocking my ducts first.

The consultant told me following the MRI I would need to come back to see him before he would list me for surgery, which he said is another 12 week minimum wait. I pleaded with the consultant to add me to the surgery wait list in the meantime as I was barely able to tolerate food and on an extremely low calorie diet as a result.

Although the consultant was medically knowledgeable, I felt he was dismissive of the impact my condition is having on my daily life as he told me to simply follow a low fat diet and to attend A&E if needed.

I cried following my appointment as I had been so patient waiting months for this appointment and really thought I would get a definitive date for surgery or at least know I was on a waiting list but I felt still completely in the dark about timescales and powerless to do anything about my own health.

The MRI happened 4 weeks later (during which time I remained very ill, even fainting at work), but I was only given an appointment date a whole 4 months later to discuss the MRI (end of august).

I have since managed to get a consultation sooner (June). But I am suffering so much with daily intense pain, nausea, and vomiting that this still feels ages away. I have lost 6kgs in 6 weeks and I was not overweight to begin with. I am taking codeine and antiemetics daily and I am now vomiting on a daily basis.

I have asked my GP for antidepressants as my mood and quality of life has been totally eroded by this and some days I actually think I am dying the pain is so bad. I can no longer commit to or enjoy social plans or holidays and I am worried I will lose my job and be put on statutory sick pay as I am having attacks at work and my performance is suffering.

I went to A&E a few weeks ago during an attack but although the staff were lovely and efficient, they said my bloodwork was fine and told me to come back only if I have a fever or develop jaundice as they can't offer me the surgery unless I develop emergency complications.  At this stage I am hoping for emergency complications so I can have some resolution to my situation.

I have no savings to afford private surgery as it's several thousands of pounds and I am having to consider borrowing money to go abroad to have the surgery, which I resent as a taxpayer who is not able to afford such an expense.

Online I have found out about S2 funding options to have the surgery funded in Europe but not sure if the NHS would agree this as they consider me non urgent? I have also tried to ask to change hospitals as my treatment falls outside the 18 week waiting time but been discouraged from doing this by the hospital as according to the admin they said I have "already started my care at Chelsea" and switching hospitals would reset the waiting time to zero?

I contacted PALS and spoke to someone on the phone who said they would look into my case and call me back but nobody did.

At this stage I actually dread waking up in the morning as it's such a struggle through the day. I feel totally in the dark about my options and likely timescales- why can't this be communicated to me as an adult whose entire life is currently on hold?

I understand and am sympathetic to the system pressures the NHS is under but communication is key, if I at least had a timeframe I could make a decision about whether I can afford to wait.

It would also be good if the NHS has no capacity to operate on patients if they could at least proactively transfer you to another hospital or offer to part fund private treatment elsewhere or at least advertise the S2 funding route. Instead it feels patients are discouraged from trying to navigate or reorganise their care.

Also, the advice to attend A&E every time I have pain lasting more than half an hour (which is every day!) is more costly for the NHS in the long run than elective surgery within reasonable timeframes and adds pressure on A&E staff who either have to just send patients home with painkillers after said patient has been several hours waiting to be seen or they are forced to operate on an emergency basis for something that could have happened in a safer planned way.