Woman in chronic pain frustrated by delays to surgery deemed non-essential

Sara Corrigan says she feels like she's giving birth without an epidural every single day. 

The 37-year-old electronic music artist was supposed to have a hysterectomy last November, but the operation was postponed until later this month when hospital staff were redeployed to take care of patients sick with COVID-19.

"I've given birth naturally twice. I know what childbirth feels like," she said at a small rally she organized outside the women's hospital at Health Sciences Centre Saturday. "I'm in the hospital almost monthly."

Corrigan said she found out two days ago her surgery planned for April 19 was once again cancelled. The hospital still doesn't have enough nurses for operations, she said. 

"We're all just being left in the lurch here."

The head of gynecology at the women's hospital told the Winnipeg Free Press the post-op unit is severely understaffed at the hospital. 

Dr. Margaret Burnet told the paper the return of surgical slates has been slow compared to other sites, and is disproportionately affecting women awaiting major surgery.  

Burnet said women with anemia, significant pain or pelvic organic prolapse, and other health issues have all had their surgeries postponed.

Surgeries prioritized: Shared Health

A Shared Health spokesperson said care teams have prioritized surgeries based on patient needs to ensure all operations deemed urgent or emergent including those that are gynecological in nature still happen.

Health officials started redeploying surgical teams when the pandemic started last spring, and then again in the fall as hospitals started to fill up with patients with COVID-19.

Several staff members who were redeployed returned to the hospital in the last two weeks, the spokesperson said, adding surgical capacity is expected to grow over the next few weeks, and hospitals begin addressing a backlog of patients with benign conditions.

"We are sympathetic to what patients waiting for surgeries deemed to be non-urgent to their long-term health are going through," the spokesperson said.

Corrigan said getting the news her surgery had been cancelled yet again was like a nightmare.

"I feel like I'm in an empty void hopeless without options. I have no idea what to do. I've considered like, do I need to go to Mexico to try and get this solved? I shouldn't be a Canadian in this situation. It doesn't seem real," she said.

"All they can do is medicate me and send me home. These medications have completely eaten away at my stomach lining. There's foods I can't eat anymore. I can't exercise."  

Corrigan said she decided to hold a rally, which was attended by just over a dozen people, after writing her concerns to Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister and Health Minster Heather Stefanson. She said she received generic responses from both offices that she deemed inadequate.