Scarborough woman’s fears over tumour surgery delay

A woman who has been waiting 10 months for abdominal surgery has said she is terrified her tumour could burst inside her stomach “at any point”.

Michelle Richardson was told she would have emergency surgery at Scarborough General Hospital after a tumour was found on her left ovary in February, but instead she was discharged after a 22-hour wait in A&E.

The 54-year-old said since then, the tumour had more than trebled in size and she had been left in “constant, debilitating pain”.

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said patients were “prioritised based on urgency” which meant waiting times could vary and apologised for the distress caused.

Miss Richardson said her latest MRI scan eight weeks ago had shown the benign tumour had grown from 7cm (2.7ins) to 22cm (8.6ins) by 13cms (5.1ins).

She said: “It’s like carrying a washing-up bowl in front of me, it swishes around.

“The surgeon has likened it to a balloon with a growing membrane and he said that on removal if he spills a drop, it will probably leave me with a catheter or a colostomy bag for life, if not death.”

A qualified lorry driver and keen motorcyclist, Miss Richardson said the pain meant she was unable to do everyday tasks such as making a cup of tea.

“I can’t lift the weight of the kettle or pump the soap dispenser because it all pulls on the abdomen.

“I’m normally an active and positive person but I’ve aged 20 years in the last year.”

Although she has been on pain relief for nine months, Miss Richardson said she was unable to sleep for long periods due to pain and discomfort.

She added: “I’m not want one to kick up a fuss, but I’m terrified this is going to burst or rupture inside me at some point.”

A spokesperson for the hospital trust said: “People who need the most urgent treatment, including patients with suspected or confirmed cancer, are seen and treated more quickly.

“This means that patients whose condition is assessed as less clinically urgent may wait longer.

“We recognise that some of these waits are still too long, as we are still feeling the impact of the pandemic, coupled with increased demand and the impact of industrial action.

“We are working hard to reduce waiting times overall and improve patients’ experience.”