A GRANDMOTHER of five in constant agony from a debilitating disease had her pain relief treatment cancelled for over a year.
After being diagnosed with a nerve disease in 2004, Celia Morris, of Greenhead Lane, started regular six-month appointments at the pain clinic at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.
She was due to have her next dose of pain-relieving drug Lignocaine in December last year but was told she would have to wait until this July for her next appointment.
It’s been nine months since the mother-of-two’s last dose which was in June last year.
The 57-year-old suffers from peripheral neuromyopathy as well as arthritis and said without treatment the pain is gradually getting worse.
She said: “I’m in constant pain most of the time and when it’s bad it’s really bad.
“It’s hard to describe, but it’s a bit like Chinese burns – it’s worse on my feet and hands and they can sometimes feel like they are on fire.
“It also affects your balance and can make your feet feel numb like you’ve got three pairs of socks on.”
After writing to MP Barry Sheerman for help, Celia was offered a cancelled appointment spot on Wednesday and will visit the pain clinic in May.
She said: “I still think it’s not good enough because I should have had treatment in December.
“There must be thousands of people in pain that are waiting for pain relief.
“Chronic pain is debilitating, sometimes it is all that fills your mind, there’s no escaping from it and it can be very depressing.
“The pain does not go away, even with medication that seems like magic, it just makes it a bit easier to get on with your life and not give in and get depressed.
Celia said the service she is getting in Huddersfield is not good enough.
She said:“The appointments don’t seem to be being managed properly and it seems to be piecemeal when you get one.
“I honestly think it’s down to shortage of money and the waiting lists need to be shorter.
“There are some good services around in the NHS. Why can’t all the services be to the same standard?”
A spokesman for Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are investigating this lady’s concerns.
“There is a huge amount of work going on to reduce waiting times in all specialities across the Trust.”
