"Cancelled major operation"

I was due into hospital in mid-January. So my fiancée and I went to the surgical admission suite, where I was poked and prodded, then told that I was the second person into theatre.

Hours went by and we were still waiting. By this time I was getting more and more anxious as the thoracic surgery I was waiting for is a major operation. It got to half two in the afternoon and still no one would tell me what was happening. So I went to the desk and eventually was told that my operation had been cancelled due to a high dependency bed not being available.

Going all those hours with nothing to eat or drink, plus not to mention all the stress, is unacceptable. To that end, I requested that I be put on an ordinary respiratory ward and then have the surgery at the next available slot when a HD bed was ready. This was rejected, and instead I was told to go home and wait for the next appointment.

Now this surgery has been put down as urgent by my consultant/surgeon. Then there is the pain to consider. I am on a very high dose of morphine now and I'm still getting the pain. If it carries on much longer, I'm going to do something stupid.

I don't think these people at hospital realise what they do to patients when they cancel operations willy nilly.

Today the bed coordinator rang me full of apologies saying that the next available date is two weeks away. And that that date could also be cancelled if a HD bed isn't available. Ridiculous.

Bristol Royal Infirmary need to get their act together, seriously.