'My life is on hold after essential surgery was delayed'

A care manager from the Borders has said her "life is on hold" after her essential surgery was pushed back a further six months.

Following an urgent referral it was confirmed in October that Dawn Graham was suffering from gallstones and would require her gallbladder to be removed.

The 56-year-old said childbirth had been "nothing" compared with the attacks she was now suffering but her surgery - originally due in December - will not take place until July or August at the earliest.

NHS Borders said it understood how difficult it could be to deal with ongoing pain and it prioritised patients based on clinical need.

Dawn - who lives between Morebattle and Kelso - told the BBC she suffered severe pain attacks two or three times a week, causing her to be sick and leaving her rolling around the floor.

"I have had two children and childbirth is nothing compared with these attacks, which can go on relentlessly for up to five hours," she said.

"My life is on hold as I am just waiting for the next one to happen."

Dawn initially went to her GP in Kelso last June after experiencing several episodes of feeling extremely bloated and being sick.

Her urgent referral led to an ultrasound at Borders General Hospital confirming the need for surgery, with a letter from NHS Borders arriving in October indicating an operation date in December - with a caveat that it could be delayed due to backlogs.

Although gallstones are relatively common, and often have no symptoms, extreme cases can cause blockages in the bile ducts leading to excruciating episodes of pain and sickness.

Advice from the NHS is to seek urgent help for pain that lasts more than half an hour or causes vomiting.

Dawn is now suffering attacks - lasting up to five hours - at least twice a week, leading to her family calling for an ambulance on two occasions.

She said: "I am sympathetic to what the NHS is going through and I expected a delay, but when I was called in for my pre-operation appointment in January I thought this was finally going to be over."

Instead, she faces a wait until the summer and - despite doubling her painkillers - she says all she can do during the attacks is "roll about the floor in pain hoping they will end".

Like all health authorities in Scotland, NHS Borders has been battling to bring down waiting times since the pandemic.

The latest figures from the end of December 2025, show that almost 150 inpatients have been waiting for more than 52 weeks on treatment - well down from 700 in 2023.

For outpatients, the data showed that just over 500 people have endured waits of more than 12 months - again down on the 1,500 three years ago.

A statement from the health board said it understood how difficult living with pain could be and appreciated the impact it could have on patients and people close to them.

It said it was working hard to reduce waiting times and was on track to ensure that by 31 March no patient would wait longer than 52 weeks for surgery.

Dawn and her husband, David, are now sourcing funds to have her gallbladder removed privately - at a cost of about £8,000.

She added: "I can't live another six months like this.

"It affects my job, my day-to-day living and it affects my family - they don't want to leave me on my own in case I have an attack.

"We are going to have to pay for this - even if we didn't have the money I would get a bank loan, anything to make this pain end."