'i was so mentally ready': b.c. teenager's 2½-year wait for spinal surgery drags on
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victoria's dillyn burrows, right with her mother, rebecca, will have to wait until at least the new year as an october surgery date was pushed back.
darren stone
/
victoria times colonist
dillyn burrows was really hoping she’d be able to participate in her high school’s spring musical next year, after being scheduled for spinal surgery in october to treat her progressive scoliosis.
but the victoria teenager, who has already waited 2½ years for the procedure, was dealt a setback this week when the provincial health services authority informed her that she had been bumped and will now have to wait until at least january.
“we have a fall play and a spring musical, and i’ve had to completely put off the idea of doing the fall play and, most likely, the spring musical,” she said.
“it’s just hard because i’m going into grade 11 and i have to focus on school. i’ve been preparing all summer to get ready for the big surgery i was going to have in october, and i was so mentally ready, and then they cancel, and all this stuff i’ve been preparing for is out the window.”
set to turn 17 in the new year, dillyn was diagnosed three years ago with scoliosis, a spinal deformity that can vary in severity. in dillyn’s case, it is progressive and makes her spine curve more and more as the years pass. her condition has gradually worsened to the point where her mom, rebecca burrows, says she is in significant pain most of the time.
victoria’s dillyn burrows, left, with her mother, rebecca, will have to wait until at least the new year as an october surgery date was pushed back.
darren stone
/
victoria times colonist
in a letter last november, dillyn’s physician, dr. marina uzelac, urged the health authority to expedite her care because her condition was worsening with every growth spurt and hurting her ability to go to school and participate in daily activities.
uzelac said symptoms included difficulty breathing, shortness of breath and persistent spinal pain.
rebecca said the surgery would consist of putting two metal rods in dillyn’s spine to help keep her back straight and would alleviate much of her pain.
“the surgeon described it as like the world’s strongest paperclip. it’s a huge surgery, but after she’ll be great. she’ll be good to go.”
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dillyn was born with charge syndrome, a group of congenital anomalies, and spent six weeks in neo-natal intensive care after being born. she has also had about a dozen surgeries over her first 16 years of life, including operations on her eyes and nose.
rebecca, an oak bay business owner, said trips to the lower mainland for dillyn’s medical appointments and consultations have cost the family thousands of dollars, with expenses for an average trip coming out at around $2,000.
“it’s just been a financial burden, but more than that, it’s just impacting her emotionally,” said rebecca.
she said that her daughter backed out of a $6,500 school trip to england this fall because she thought her surgery was going ahead in october.
and rebecca backed out of a surgery she had been waiting 18 months for because she assumed she’d need that time to support her daughter post-surgery.
“just waiting, always having to plan accordingly for dillyn and how she’s feeling, and whether you know she’s having an emotionally bad day or a physically bad day, it’s a lot for her.”
according to the provincial government’s surgical wait times database, there were 208 youth waiting for a spinal or back surgery at b.c. children’s hospital in vancouver at the end of may.
the province says on its website that 50 per cent of the completed surgeries at children’s between march 1 and may 31 of this year were completed within a wait of 6.9 weeks. but another 40 per cent took longer, up to 88 weeks. those waiting times are from when a surgeon books a surgery, and doesn’t account for the wait to get an appointment with a surgeon.
anna kindy, the b.c. conservative health critic, questioned whether b.c. is adequately using the surgeons it has available in the province and said that patients need to be moved where there is capacity.
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“if people are waiting for that length of time, that’s unacceptable. and we’re seeing that in many types of surgeries, right? so, not just spinal surgery,” said kindy.
kindy also said that the u.s. has started using a procedure called tethering to treat spinal scoliosis and said there is always a risk with metal rod fusion that a patient will lose some mobility. she said she wants to see b.c. start to innovate when it comes to how scoliosis is treated, especially for youth.
in a statement, the provincial health authority said it is aware of dillyn’s case and has reached out directly to the family and set up a meeting with her surgeon.
it said that patients on the waitlist are scheduled for surgery based on perceived needs, leading to fluctuations in wait times. it added the province is working to recruit more surgeons to improve capacity.
“we recognize it is challenging for any patient/ family to wait for care and we know it is very stressful for patients and their families who are waiting for spine surgery,” said an authority spokesperson.
“all patients on the wait list are offered ongoing supports from a multidisciplinary team, which may include pain management, physiotherapy supports and other services, prior to patients’ surgery date.”
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