COVID surge leads to delayed surgeries
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - 45-year old Sarina Erstad was diagnosed with breast cancer after a routine mammogram in April.
“It can work its way right now to other parts of my body,”
“We won’t know the stage of the cancer until the tumor is taken out,” she added.
Her mastectomy was scheduled next week at the Queen’s Medical Center at Punchbowl, but this past Wednesday, she says she was notified the surgery was canceled. She was told it may be rescheduled in October and that chemotherapy was an option.
“You want to start your treatment and get rid of the cancer as soon as possible so now knowing my surgery is canceled is devastating. It’s extremely stressful,” said Erstad.
She’s trying to find another hospital for the surgery.
Scott Werny has Parkinson’s Disease and says it’s been getting harder to surf lately. He was scheduled to have a brain procedure to help relieve his tremors this past Monday at Queen’s Punchbowl, but a day earlier, he was told it was postponed because the hospital needed bed space.
“I’ve been wanting to get this surgery and now it’s on hold and I don’t know how long. I’ve been told it’s indefinitely,” said Werny.
“I was kind of upset that it had gone this far,” he added.
“It’s tough to hear that patients are being told to wait for really important surgeries like mastectomies, heart valve replacement or hip surgeries that can relieve a lot of pain,” said emergency physician Dr. Darragh O’Carroll.
“We are rescheduling non-emergent surgeries as resources are pulled into providing care in other areas. Queen’s continues to accept patients who need emergency care,” said The Queen’s Health Systems in a statement.
O’Carroll calls the current pandemic restrictions to bring down the hospitalizations aren’t enough while the patients we talked have this message.
“I would urge people to get their vaccinations,” said Werny
“If you are able to get vaccinated. I strongly urge people urge people to get vaccinated,” said Erstad.
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