‘We live in pain every day’: Frustration as COVID-19 prompts BC to cancel surgeries again | The Canadian News

Lauren Swan finally got an answer to what was responsible for three years of increasing pain in her back and legs last spring.

The Burnaby resident has two lumbar discs that are degrading and need to be replaced, a condition that has left her unable to work and taking half a dozen pain relievers just to function.

“It is exhausting. That’s pretty much the best way to describe it, ”he told Global News.

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“I am sure that there are many other British Columbia people going through the same things that we live with with daily pain. It is not really our choice to have surgery, but it is necessary. “

Swan said he’s already had the necessary surgery postponed three times, and with the province announcing that it would postpone all scheduled non-urgent surgeries starting Jan.4, he believes he won’t see the inside of an operating room until June 2022 at the earliest. .

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Click to play video: 'COVID-19: Health Minister Adrian Dix says scheduled non-urgent surgeries will be postponed early next year'



COVID-19: Health Minister Adrian Dix says scheduled non-urgent surgeries will be postponed early next year


COVID-19: Health Minister Adrian Dix says scheduled non-urgent surgeries will be postponed early next year

Instead, he opted to fly to France for the surgery in February, at an estimated cost of $ 30,000.

“‘Elective’ surgery is not cosmetic, sometimes it changes people’s lives completely,” he said.

“For me, while I wait for the surgery, I can’t work, I barely leave my house. My whole life is on hold at the age of 26. I didn’t even have a year to start my career and work in health care. “

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Swan is one of thousands of British Columbia residents facing potential delays when the province moved this week to open a hospital space amid never-before-seen numbers of COVID-19 cases fueled by the highly contagious variant of Omicron.

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The province registered more than 2,000 new cases on Thursday, nearly tripling in a week, breaking records and beating the province’s own “worst case” scenario.


Click to play video: 'Covid-19: New restrictions now in place in British Columbia'



Covid-19: new restrictions now in place in British Columbia


Covid-19: new restrictions now in place in British Columbia

Health Minister Adrian Dix told Global News that the decision to cancel those surgeries was not made lightly.

“Because hospitalizations tend to (lag) increases in cases by a couple of weeks, we have to take our action now,” he said.

“The Omicron concern variant is simply dramatically more transmissive than the Delta concern variant and the COVID-19 that we’ve had for the past 22 months… we need to prepare for that and take action now. We can’t act like things haven’t changed. “

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Matthew Chow, President of Doctors of BC, acknowledged that the decision would be difficult for both patients and physicians.

But he said the decision was a necessary precaution, in case Omicron’s hospitalization numbers began to match the trajectory of the new case numbers.

“This is a very difficult decision, it is difficult for families and patients, and yes, also for surgical teams who want to do the right thing, who want to help patients, who want to alleviate suffering,” he said.


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COVID-19 Restrictions: For Small Businesses, Help May Not Come Soon Enough


COVID-19 Restrictions: For Small Businesses, Help May Not Come Soon Enough

“But I think we all realize, looking at the experience from other jurisdictions and even watching it unfold now in real time in British Columbia, is that Omicron is very, very serious, that we anticipate a lot of patients and that we need to have the hospital capacity available should it happen that people need emergency care to save lives. “

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Despite the circumstances, news of another delay has left many British Columbia residents in need of surgery feeling desperate.

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Elena Lawson, a Metchosin mother of two, was scheduled for a hysterotomy in May due to an increased risk of cancer due to a condition called Lynch syndrome.

“Four days before it was canceled,” he said.

“And that was after I had already done my preoperative with my doctor, I had the admission nurse call me and take all my information, I booked my flights and hotels, I took care of children for my children … in addition to preparing myself. Mentally myself and my family mentally to be away for three days and then have to get someone from Vancouver Island to pick me up and drive me home. “


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UBC Researchers Provide First Molecular Level Analysis of Omicron Peaks


UBC Researchers Provide First Molecular Level Analysis of Omicron Peaks

After being informed that his surgery would be at high risk of cancellation again, he chose not to rebook and instead has had regular scans to look for signs of cancer.

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She told Global News that she hopes the pandemic subsides soon enough that she can schedule her surgery without the fear and anxiety that it will be canceled again at the last minute.

“I’m not a hypochondriac, but in the end you end up feeling this way… are they going to find anything? There is stress with that. To be honest, I have tried not to think about it and just live my life and enjoy my children and my family and move on, “she said.

“We are just going to do the tests that are necessary and wait, and once the pandemic is over, hopefully I will book it again and do it … but there are a lot of people who can’t wait.”

For Swan, waiting was not an option, prompting her to seek relief from her chronic pain abroad.

She is recently launched a crowdfunding campaign to help cover the costs of travel and surgery, and she hopes to be able to recover in a few months.

With surgery reserved, Swan said she felt “an instant sense of calm.”

“I can go back to work, I can see friends, I can see family, I can live a life and go back to a life that no longer has all these barriers,” he said.

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