Bonhill pensioner fears dying before life-changing operation after two year wait

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An Alexandria pensioner has said she fears dying before having the life changing operation she has waited two years for.Mary Travis, 69, from Beechwood opened up to the Lennox about her wait for surgery to correct her twisted spine, as new figures reveal that one in eight people in Scotland are now on NHS waiting lists.Mary’s spine is now so severely twisted that she can only leave bed for a few hours each day, whilst a cocktail of morphine and high strength painkillers leave her drowsy and struggling to concentrate.And after being told she could still face a further 18 months for an operation which surgeons hope will reduce her pain levels by 80 percent, Mary told the Lennox that some days she struggles to see an end in sight to her suffering.She said: “Not having a date for an operation is especially tough.

You go through phases where you get really depressed and fed up about it.“You’re just questioning when it’s going to end. I’m in constant pain and it’s not going to go away.“Folk say they hope I’m feeling better.

But I won’t before the operation. That’s the problem.“The longer it goes on the more you don’t want to get out of bed, because it’s not worth it.“There’s not a great deal of pleasure in life because you’re so limited in what you can do.“There are some days where I get really down and frustrated because I don’t see an end to this.“I told my surgeon that I will be 70 later this year.

I might not even be here by then. My mother died at that age.“I hope to goodness I don’t end up dying before I get my operation.”Mary’s condition has deteriorated during her time waiting, making even simple tasks a struggle.She explained: “I manage to get up for about two hours a day, but then the pain gets so bad that I have to