The shortage of thoracic surgeons in the province is being put under a microscope after a Saint John woman diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus was unable to find one.
It was back in December of last year that 65-year-old Eileen Shaw started coughing up food during mealtime. She was referred to a specialist to have her esophagus stretched, and when they did the surgery, that’s when they found the tumour. A biopsy confirmed that it was cancer and the search for a surgeon began.
Shaw was referred to a surgeon in Saint John who, as it turned out, was not available, then several other surgeons between New Brunswick and Halifax, but no luck — they were either out of the office or on vacation. They were left “frantically searching” for a surgeon, says her daugher Britney.
Her mother has thankfully now been referred to oncology and things now seem to be moving along as they’re now working with a thoracic surgeon in Moncton, which is a relief, but there’s also a sense of frustration about how things unfolded.
“Had we known that oncology would have been the first line of defence, we probably would have asked to be referred there first,” says Britney Shaw. “Radiation, that therapy is usually five to six weeks, and that’s how long we’ve been waiting for a surgeon.”
As for how her mom is doing, Shaw says that she’s overwhelmed.
“Probably the one that was most consoling everybody else when we got the news which is typically her nature,” says Shaw. “In the last week or so she’s been feeling pretty desperate as we all have, but really glad that things are really back on the rails and we hope to keep them that way.”
Shaw says if there’s someone out there dealing with this shortage of surgeons, she hopes they ask their family doctor they refer them to oncology.
Horizon Health has released a statement on the matter:
