Woman screaming in pain waiting years for hip op

"Seeing how much pain she's in is killing me," the mother of a woman waiting four years for a hip operation has said.

It is only by screaming that Marie Morgan, from Carmarthenshire, can express her level of suffering.

The 30-year-old, who has multiple brain conditions, can speak only a few words and needs round-the-clock care. 

"Her hip is out and is rubbing against bone... there's no socket there," Marie's mother Sandra said. "She can't travel because every time I move her she's screaming in pain.

Marie has cerebral palsy, severe epilepsy and fluid on the brain and the constant agony caused by the wait has meant these conditions, including her seizures, have become "horrendous".

Sandra said: "She used to be so happy, we used to go to the pool, play music... Now she's gone downhill. I don't think she can last much longer to be honest with you."

Marie, from Penygroes, is on a waiting list to have surgery in Morriston Hospital, Swansea.

Her mother said staff have told her she is considered to be high priority, but despite her best efforts, she is still in the dark about when the operation will happen.

"They said because of Covid they weren't operating, now they say it's staff shortages so it's something all the time.

"I feel I'm knocking my head against a wall. It's not fair, she's only 30 and suffering the way she is."

Swansea Bay Health Board said it hoped to tackle the backlog by increasing capacity at one of its hospitals.

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Source: BBC News, 17 February 2022