Bradford grandmother's brain tumour surgery cancelled twice and postponed 4 times
The 57 year old says she has “lost faith in the system”
Last updated 28th Jun 2021
A grandmother from Bradford says she's 'lost faith in the system' after waiting for brain tumour surgery and having her operation postponed four times.
June Oakley who works as a frontline care assistant, was diagnosed with a meningioma brain tumour in December 2020.
She said:
“When I started with pains in my head well over a year ago, I rang my doctor, but he didn’t seem concerned and didn’t offer me an appointment. The headaches persisted; it particularly hurt when I coughed and I knew something just wasn’t right.”
In March 2020, June called her GP again and was advised to get an eye test.
She said: “I had only recently been to the optician for a check-up but I took the doctor’s advice and went back for another eye test. The check-up cost me £25 and it didn’t detect any reason for my headaches.”
A couple of months later, June managed to speak to a trainee doctor, who was also consulting with a qualified doctor.
June said:
“They said it sounded like I had a build-up of pressure in my head. I replied: ‘so, not a brain tumour then?’ After I put the phone down, I got a text message from the surgery, saying they had booked me in for a CT scan and that I would receive a letter in the post with details of my appointment. A month passed and I’d still not received the letter. On 29 October, I got back in touch with the surgery and was told that when the doctor sent me that text, he forgot to tell the receptionist to book it in.”
The next day, June got a phone call that she was booked in for a CT scan the following day.
“Because of the COVID-19 restrictions, I had to go on my own, which was really scary. Shortly afterwards, I had another CT scan with dye contrast, because the CT had picked up a ‘large growth’ at the back of my brain, on the left side.
“A week later, on 8 November, I was back for an MRI scan. After that, they said I would need another one with dye and a week later I had to go to Bradford Royal Infirmary for that scan. I was told that the scan images would be sent to a surgeon at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) and that they would be in touch with the results.”
"The surgeon drawing a line on my head, to indicate where the incisions would be made, when, to my huge dismay, just after midday, I was told there was no bed was available and that I was to go home. It was a massive blow.”
June met with a neurosurgeon on 22 December 2020 and was told she had a low-grade meningioma, which was very large and couldn’t be left untreated.
June said: “Unfortunately, at 4cm, it was too big to be eligible for gamma knife treatment, so he said surgery would be the best option. I agreed and he said I would be treated as a priority and should expect the operation to take place towards the end of February 2021.”
On 15 January, June went for a pre-op assessment.
However, in mid-March she received a phone call to tell her that the date of her surgery would be 15 April and that she would need to go back for another pre-assessment on 10 April.
She said: “When I arrived at LGI on 15 April, they said I was second on the list and should expect to be going into theatre around noon. I spent the morning preparing for my operation and had even got as far as the surgeon drawing a line on my head, to indicate where the incisions would be made, when, to my huge dismay, just after midday, I was told there was no bed was available and that I was to go home. It was a massive blow.”
June said: “On top of that, having been told all the significant risks of the surgery, I’d really worked myself up, only to suddenly be told the operation wasn’t going ahead as planned.
“I went home, expecting to hear from the surgeon about my rescheduled craniotomy but after two weeks, I’d still not heard anything. I emailed the surgeon’s secretary to see if they had a date, and she said it looked like it was going to be 10 June but that I would receive written confirmation in the post. That written confirmation never arrived but I eventually got an email, to say that the surgery was once again delayed until 24 June.”
On Tuesday (22 June), June went to LGI to take a mandatory pre-op COVID test. While she was there, she got a call asking her to go for a CT scan.
She said: “I went to ward L25 for the scan. While I was sitting waiting, I was told they needed to take bloods, which they did. Then, to my absolute horror, I got a call from the surgeon’s secretary to tell me that my operation had been cancelled, again.
“I was so furious, I hung up the phone. I have been off work since 1 June, as my headaches have been so bad and I was expecting to finally have the operation this week. I am so fed up.”
According to Brain Tumour Research, brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet, historically, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours.
Hugh Adams, head of stakeholder relations at Brain Tumour Research, said:
“We were so sorry to learn about June’s brain tumour and the trouble she had getting a diagnosis.
“It’s very concerning to hear about the huge disruption to her treatment plan and we sincerely hope that her operation is able to go ahead as soon as possible.
“We know that many brain tumour patients have been affected by disruption to their treatment since the beginning of the pandemic and we cannot stand back and allow thi9s to happen. The impact of postponing brain surgery can be huge, leading to once treatable tumours becoming inoperable. We must do what we can to ensure that COVID does not completely disrupt care for brain tumour patients and that the research and clinical trials that will improve options and outcomes for patients, which have been in jeopardy over the past year-and-a-half, are able to continue.”
Dr Phil Wood, Chief Medical Officer, Leeds Teaching Hospitals
“We are very sorry that Mrs Oakley has had such a poor experience. We remain committed to getting her operation done as quickly and safely as possible, and on the two occasions that the operation was cancelled, it was either unsafe to, or were unable to continue. We are extremely sorry for that.
“The health and welfare of our patients is important to us and our clinicians are extremely saddened when they are unable to deliver the care that’s needed. This is in part due to how incredibly busy our services currently are, and we are busier now than at any point during the pandemic. Mrs Oakley has been relisted for surgery and we hope to have her on her way to better health as soon as possible.”