Daily pain is off the scale
ChARMAYnE Oakey has suffered excruciating pain for more than a year after knee replacement surgery was delayed.
The grandmother from Oxfordshire, who had severe osteoarthritis in her knee, was told in February that she could have the procedure at the nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford within a few months.
But her appointments were changed to telephone consultations at the start of lockdown and she was told it was no longer possible to set a date for her surgery due to the pandemic.
After eight more months of pain and immobility, Mrs Oakey was warned that she might have to wait another year for her knee replacement surgery because of the backlog in the nhS.
She said: ‘It is affecting every aspect of my ability and it is putting my life on hold. The pain is off the scale and there is no date in sight.
‘I have severe osteoarthritis in my knee, it’s bone on bone and there’s no cartilage there.
‘It’s absolutely heart-wrenching and I have no idea where I stand.’
She has been asked to call back when the current lockdown ends to find out when she can have the procedure.
‘I understand Covid is a killer but surely they can keep a hospital in a safe area open so important surgeries can go ahead,’ Mrs Oakey said.
‘I live in pain every day and there are times when it really gets to me.
‘I cannot play with any of my grandchildren and it drains me mentally, not being able to do things that I normally could.’
‘Some days I think I can’t go on. I’ve had to just sit down in the supermarket and cry.’
Mrs Oakey, 47, was made redundant last October and she is worried she may not get another job because of her current condition. She said: ‘I’m out of work, quite stressed out about money... how do I tell a prospective employer I am going to need surgery and time off to recover, but I have no idea when?’