Covid: Plea to resume more breast cancer reconstruction surgery

"I don't look in the mirror. I prefer to hide the whole thing from myself."

Janet Harris, 64, has been waiting a year for breast reconstruction surgery after her breast cancer diagnosis and subsequent mastectomy.

The Covid pandemic meant many procedures have been prioritised or restricted since March 2020 and Ms Harris said people needed more reconstructions to resume.

Swansea Bay University Health Board said it apologised for the delay.

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Janet, from Llanmaes, Vale of Glamorgan, has been on the surgery waiting list since January 2020 and said not having the procedure has knocked her confidence.

"It's part of one's innate femininity. It's different for different women, but it's actually difficult to feel complete, to feel whole," she said.

She has made her plea on behalf of all the women needing what is known as a microvascular reconstruction.

'Worst nightmare'

Janet Harris had her mastectomy in May 2019 and says she said she cannot look in the mirror

Janet described her breast cancer diagnosis as her "worst nightmare" and said being offered a reconstruction "sort of sweetened the situation".

She was advised of the different options available, which are tailored to each persons' individual needs, but she needs more complex surgery due to the radiotherapy and chemotherapy she had during treatment.

She will have a delayed microvascular reconstruction - after initially being told the wait would be a year, she has now been waiting 17 months and does not know when she will get the operation.

The procedure will be done at Morriston Hospital in Swansea, the only hospital in Wales offering the specialist reconstruction surgery.

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Janet said, while she understands the challenges the pandemic has brought, she was desperate for answers.

She said: "I think we all knew with the Covid situation, that had to take priority, that everything else had to take a back seat. But now that things are different, I do think that it should start again."

Due to the nature of her cancer treatment, Janet needs a more complex type of reconstruction surgery

The British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons said this type of microvascular surgery has restarted in some areas of England, although the picture varied widely.

Implant-based breast reconstruction is being done in Wales.

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Janet said: "It was two years ago that I had a mastectomy and all that time my goal was that this would be the end point.

"I'd get my body back and then be able to move on in life, so I think that's what makes it difficult. Just waiting.

"My plea is that they start doing it again and it's not just for me.

"There are lots of other women on that list and some of them obviously have waited longer than I have and their stories... they may have gone through a lot more than I have so it's for everybody who's in that situation, that the people who have the power to actually restart it, do so."

"I don't look in the mirror. I actually prefer to hide the whole thing from myself"

Swansea Bay health board said: "Covid has meant we are not only dealing with a backlog of patients from the past 15 months, we are also experiencing higher numbers of patients with urgent and emergency surgical problems.

"This has resulted in a much-reduced operating theatre capacity for planned operations. The number of operations we can do each day is also impacted by the measures required to protect these areas from Covid.

"We are prioritising those who need surgery most urgently to prevent loss of life or limb.

"However, we completely understand that everyone who is waiting for surgery is anxious to know when this might take place, and everyone has a compelling reason why they need it.

"We also fully recognise the special significance that reconstructive surgery has for women and the distress the wait is causing."

The Welsh government said breast reconstruction surgery had continued throughout the pandemic, with patients being treated in order of clinical priority, based on Royal College guidelines.

It said £100m had been allocated to health boards to "increase capacity and cut waiting times across primary, community and hospital care".