A DAUGHTER whose brain damaged mum is still waiting for a large growth to be drained from her stomach fears “it is going to be too little, too late”.
Chelsea Bond, 33, has been fighting on behalf of her mum Deborah, 57, from Eight Ash Green, for the last year and a half.
The huge mass, which was initially deemed inoperable, has now resulted in her stomach ballooning to a circumference of roughly 55-inches.
Just over two weeks ago, however, Chelsea says Colchester Hospital agreed to drain the growth if she took her into the complex’s A&E department.
Unfortunately, that never happened and she was instead told it would be arranged for her to have the procedure done at a later date – but Deborah’s still waiting.
Chelsea said: “I have even tried to get this arranged myself through her GP and the gynaecology department but they couldn’t help.
“We are now checking the mail box daily, hoping and praying for an appointment to have it drained because it is increasing in size – but I am not holding my breath.
“I worry mum thinks we are just lying to her when we say we have called and wrote to the hospital, because she is still very uncomfortable.
“She is now having to take opioid based pain medication which causes constipation and that makes us concerned about the damage it’s causing internally.”
Deborah, who had a brain aneurysm when she was 42, had been put on an end-of-life care programme by Colchester Hospital in 2020.
Since then, her mass has swollen to a size not too dissimilar to that of a space hopper and Chelsea is worried it could well be crushing her mum’s organs.
She is now due to attend a pre-admissions appointment at the Royal London Hospital after a consultant agreed to operate on her growth following a crunch-talks meeting.
“There’s always a concern that it is going to be too, little too late because Colchester Hospital has failed her and I have no faith in them helping,” added Chelsea.
Dr Angela Tillett is the chief medical officer at the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Colchester Hospital.
She said: “We would urge Mrs Bond, or a nominated family member with her consent, to contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) team.
"We are very keen to listen to any concerns they have about her ongoing care and support them further.”
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