"My surgery was cancelled"

I arrived at a different hospital's emergency at around 9.30am after breaking my arm during a soccer match. After an X-ray I was told it's broken and needed to see a specialist to look at it.

I was booked for the following week to see the specialist.

On the day, I was told my appointment was moved to the following day. I told them I couldn't make it as I was at work.

They then referred me to the Hand Hospital in the city.

The following day, I was seen by a specialist at the Hand hospital in the city, I was told I would need an operation. They in turn booked me into surgery a few days later. On the day before my surgery, they called me saying the surgery was pushed back to the following day.

When I arrived that morning I was asked to do a PCR test and told me I would be staying over night. This was the 1st time I was told I would be staying over night. I was told all along that it was only a few hours for the operation. I had made no preparations.

That afternoon I was prepped to go into surgery. Around 30 mins later, I was in the anaesthesia room. I was asked, I'm sure all the standard questions. I was also warned that the arm deadening may not work for all patients. I had a cannula inserted into my hand and was injected with Antibiotics.

After 45m I was still in the room awake whilst the anaesthetist waited for the surgeons permission to inject me with anaesthetic. I was quite nervous by now and was trembling. As I feel certain details maybe shouldn't have been shared with me.

5 more minutes past roughly and the surgeon came out and said my surgery would be cancelled as there was no more time for my operation as they had a COVID patient to go in before me. I told them I didn't care as they could put me in after them but I recall they said it was policy that they couldn't as it needed to be cleaned. Ridiculous, in my opinion.

I was prepared to go in to surgery. Antibiotics pumped in and was cancelled at the last minute! I was so nervous I was shaking like a leaf! I must have been waiting for at least 30-45m.

By this stage I was quite upset. I demanded they take me out immediately as I wanted to go home. I had not eaten or drank anything all day and by this stage and had to be picked up from the city.

The next day, the surgeon called me and told me they found a surgeon that would operate on my arm in a Private Hospital. I also had an appointment with him that day, that surgery would be that afternoon. During our appointment, the surgeon told me that he supported my decision not to have the operation. The operation after we spoke in detail about it, would not be needed in the end.

I originally went through the public system to get the operation done as quick as possible but in the end it wasn't even needed.