Brighton mum lives in 'constant agony' waiting for NHS hysterectomy

Kelly Stuckey, who lives in Patcham, says waiting for a hysterectomy has had a “huge impact” on her family, especially her children Oliver, 14 and Christopher, 6.

The 38-year-old, who has been experiencing pain in her abdomen since she was a teenager, has been waiting for the operation for more than a year.

Kelly with her husband Justin and two boys Christopher and Oliver

Kelly says she feels like she has “very little quality of life”, with the pain leaving her bed-bound and unable to walk without crutches.

She said: “I have completely lost all my independence, so without my husband, I can’t do anything.

“It’s not just that he’s working full time and that he has to do everything around the house, he’s there for me every night when I’m crying.

Kelly, who lives in Brighton, says she lives in constant pain

“The kids are fantastic. They haven’t complained that it’s the Easter holiday’s and we can’t do anything, but I just want to feel like I can't be the best mum to them.”

Kelly was rushed to hospital in April 2021 after the pain in her abdomen “became too much to bear” and doctors discovered that a 4cm cyst on one of her ovaries had ruptured.

Kelly was advised by doctors she would need keyhole surgery to investigate the source of the pain, but NHS waiting lists meant she would have to wait “months” for the procedure.

Kelly's sons, Christopher and Oliver

Together with her husband Justin, Kelly took out a loan of £7,000 to have the surgery privately at the Montefiore Hospital in Hove.

The surgery revealed Kelly had endometriosis, where cells that normally line the womb grow in other places, fibroids, non-cancerous tumours that can grow in or around the womb, and adenomyosis – where the tissue that normally lines the womb starts to grow within the muscular womb wall.

The mother-of-two has been told she needs to have a hysterectomy - a surgical procedure to remove the womb – to stop the pain she is experiencing.

She has visited Worthing hospital twice in the last year for pre-operation consultations, however each time, the procedure was pushed back.

Kelly says she feels like she has been "pushed from pillar to post” by the NHS.

She said: “I just don’t understand how it’s taken this long to get a diagnosis.

“I’m now on crutches and I’ve been registered disabled. I can’t walk from my car to the supermarket or pick my children up from school.

“It’s just crazy. I want my quality of life back.”

Dr Tim Taylor, Medical Director for University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, said the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in higher waiting times across the country and caused "unprecedented challenges". 

He said: "We know long waits and postponements are distressing for patients and we work hard to minimise these as far as we can. Throughout we have prioritised those with the most urgent clinical needs.

“Our skilled and committed teams continue to work extremely hard to provide the care our patients need during, what remain, very busy and challenging times and we are grateful for the ongoing support and understanding of our patients.”