Aisling Corcoran

Mayo scoliosis patient Aisling's life is on hold after two cancelled operations

A MAYO scoliosis patient has her life on hold after surgery to address the curvature of her spine was cancelled twice in the past five months.

Thirty-one-year-old Aisling Corcoran, Blackfort, Castlebar, is deeply worried about her future despite a promise by Tanáiste Simon Coveney that the complex operation she needs will be carried out at Tallaght Hospital in May.

Her plight was highlighted in Dáil Éireann by Deputy Joan Collins who described the massive let-down Aisling felt, physically and mentally, after her surgery was cancelled for a second time on November 28 last.

She stated: “To add insult to injury, the consultant has since made no professional contact with or arrangement to meet Aisling despite her ringing him continuously.

“Every time she does so, the surgeon is out due to personal matters. In the meantime, Aisling's curve is now 70%. There is a danger that her walk, structure and organs will be affected. Her life is on hold.

“She gets terrible spasms of pain and often ends up in accident and emergency departments or stays in bed for days. Aisling cannot plan her future.”

Speaking to The Connaught Telegraph, Aisling revealed she cannot bear the thought of how she will feel if the operation is put off a third time after undergoing pre-operative assessment, X-rays and scans.

“It has been very difficult for me and my family due to the repeated disappointments and frustrations, not to mention the fact that I cannot move on with my life,” she stated.

Aisling travelled to Leinster House with her mother, Tricia, after three months of not hearing from the health service after the cancellation of her last scheduled operation in November.

Raising the issue on her behalf, Deputy Collins said An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told her there are no secrets in the Department of Health or the HSE and he agreed that 'we should have an honest debate about our health care and health funding'.

Continued Deputy Collins: “I disagreed with him on the first issue. There are many secrets in the health service and one of them is sitting in the public gallery, so let us have an honest debate.

“Aisling Corcoran is 31. She had rods inserted when she was a young child because she had scoliosis.

“In 2014, the rods had to be removed as they were infected and she went on the waiting list for surgery to get rods reinserted. Aisling was under the care of a consultant orthopaedic surgeon in University Hospital Galway:

“I first had contact with Aisling in early 2015 as I had been raising many questions about the Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin. I will read out a few lines from a letter from the consultant in University Hospital Galway:

“Aisling is one of approximately 40 people under my direct care that require major complex spinal surgery at Galway University Hospital. She has been placed on a waiting list for some time for this to occur and in the current context of allocation of resource to me at my hospital I do not see it happening easily for the foreseeable future.

“This is exactly what happened. She was transferred to a consultant in Tallaght Hospital. Her first consultation was in January 2016.

“Aisling was assessed and put on the surgery list as a priority. Eventually, she was given a date of September 5, 2017. She had to come up to Dublin for pre-operative assessment, scans and x-rays.

“It is complex surgery so Aisling and her family and friends were anxious and had to arrange travel and time off work.

“It was cancelled by the surgeon due to personal matters. That can happen. It was a huge let-down.

“The operation was rescheduled for November 28, 2017. Again, she underwent pre-operative assessment, x-rays and scans.

“It involved getting organised, getting her bags packed and anxiety. At the eleventh hour, the operation was again cancelled due to personal matters. This was a massive let down, mentally and physically, for Aisling.

“To add insult to injury, to date, the consultant has made no professional contact with or arrangement to meet Aisling despite her ringing him continuously.

“Every time she does so, the surgeon is out due to personal matters, his secretary has not spoken to him, he is busy between Tallaght Hospital and Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin or he is out sick.

“In the meantime, Aisling's curve is now 70%. There is a danger that her walk, structure and organs will be affected. Her life is on hold.

“She gets terrible spasms of pain and often ends up in accident and emergency departments or stays in bed for days. Aisling cannot plan her future.”

In response, Tánaiste Simon Coveney said the Department of Health has been in contact with the hospital involved regarding this case.

He elaborated: “We received a letter from the hospital this morning. It confirms that Tallaght Hospital is committed to completing the procedure in three months' time.

“The deputy asked whether we could outsource this operation or whether it could be done abroad. My understanding is that it is too complex an operation for that to be done.

“Undertaking the procedure involves two consultant doctors because of its complexity. One of those consultants is not available for personal reasons between now and when it can be done but we have a commitment in writing today that this procedure will take place in three months' time so I hope that will give Aisling and her family some certainty.”

committing to undertaking the surgery in three months' time.”

Deputy Collins said it was not acceptable the letter was only sent out to her on Thursday morning when the hospital knew this case was going to be raised in Dáil Éireann.

“This is an face-saving exercise as far as I can see because the hospital had plenty of time from January 29, 2018, which was when I put in the question. The Minister for Health knew about this two weeks ago.

“Are we saying that patients have to wait for consultants at the consultants' call? Two operations have been cancelled while there has been no contact with the patient to date and we are talking about it taking place in three months' time.

“Are we saying that this consultant is the only consultant who can do this surgery? If that is the case, the HSE is in trouble. If the consultant died tomorrow, and I would not wish it on the man, what would happen then?

“Are we saying there is no other consultant there to do it? This is an emergency case. She is a priority.

“If it cannot be done here within a reasonable period of time, not three months because something else could happen in three months' time, we should bring some expert over from London or Europe to carry out this surgery.

“Would the Tánaiste accept waiting for four years? Would he accept his daughter walking around in severe pain for four years? It is not acceptable and the health service should be able to respond and service its patients.”

An Tánaiste replied: “The Deputy probably knows that it is not as straightforward as that, particularly with regard to very complex cases involving scoliosis. I accept that nobody should have to wait four years.

“I also think it is inappropriate for me to attempt to go into the medical detail of this case on the floor of the House. I am not a doctor but I am just going on the briefing I received this morning. This is a particularly complex case.

“It should have been dealt with before now but it was not. We are trying to ensure that it is and that the procedure can take place as quickly as possible.

“Given the complexity of the case, this is not an operation that can take place using the National Treatment Purchase Fund. It needs to happen here because of its complexity. It takes two consultants, and one of them is not available.

Not many consultants are capable of performing this type of surgery. I have accepted that it should have happened before now.”