A MOTHER of four has spoken of her distress at having her hip-replacement operation postponed twice - it was cancelled the second time just four hours after she was told it would proceed.
Lisa McMahon (36), Ardee, Co Louth, has four children but pain from her hip means she cannot let her children lie down with her at night and her eldest daughter has to stay at home to help her.
"I can't go on like this. Since the birth of my youngest son, Joey, I have been in pain. I have to use crutches to get around and can only go upstairs once a day because of the pain. I need this done yesterday."
Two consultants have agreed she needs to have her hip replaced with a ceramic hip, and she was due to have the procedure carried out at Our Lady's Hospital in Navan, Co Meath, next week.
She went to the hospital and her blood tests and other pre-operation procedures were carried out. She went home to wait for a letter confirming she would be admitted next Thursday, October 16th.
"I waited and the letter never came and I rang them and they said it was no longer possible to do the operation because of cutbacks."
Ms McMahon was shocked by the change of heart but her hopes were dashed again on Tuesday of this week.
"They rang me at 9.30am to say they were 'delighted' to be able to say my operation would proceed as planned and I was to go in [to hospital] on the 15th [October] and the operation would be the following day.
"Then at 2pm that same day the same woman rang back and said she was sorry, it was being put off until November 6th."
Ms McMahon said she did not believe it would go ahead now until she was in a hospital bed.
Her problems began after she badly injured her hip in a motorbike crash in 1992, but she managed to live a relatively normal life until 2007. "I have had 12 operations to put in pins, nails, bone grafts and now they say the only thing is to have my hip replaced with a ceramic hip."
Each of her pregnancies aggravated it and, as a result of all the operations she says she has developed arthritis in her hip.
The HSE said: "The HSE wishes to clarify that the rescheduling of the procedure was not due to cost containment but to other unforeseen circumstances."
"The HSE can now foresee no reason why the procedure will not go ahead as per the new date, ie November 6th. The HSE apologises for any upset or inconvenience caused to Lisa McMahon."
Last month the HSE confirmed that the orthopaedic theatres at Our Lady's Hospital would no longer be in use on Wednesdays and Fridays, prompting consultants at the hospital to issue a statement criticising the HSE.