Today I learned that hurricane Helene shut down a factory in North Carolina which makes intravenous fluids.
This is a significant issue, as the affected facility is a major supplier of such fluids in the US. There isn’t a lot of redundancy in this particular product in most hospitals, as the fluids are bulky and heavy. They are therefore difficult to stockpile. This could, conceivably, prevent my surgery from going forward as scheduled.
“My hospital has been told we can expect 40% of what we normally order,” Chris Laman, vice president of strategy for Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria, Ore., told NPR in an email. “We are talking about having to limit elective surgeries.”
Should the hospital system where I am having my surgery start “limiting” elective surgeries, mine will certainly be delayed. That said, I have no wiggle room on my date. I am just barely scheduled under the wire on my insurance approval as it is. That would mean starting the approval and scheduling process all over again, if it came to that.
I’m trying not to worry too much about this potential delay. I understand that hospitals must triage care in times of limited availability of critical supplies. IV fluids are absolutely a critical supply. As the NPR article notes, nearly every patient who comes in to the ER, or has an urgent surgery, will require IV fluids. Even for my colonoscopy, I had an IV during that very simple procedure.
Come what may, it is just a matter of time until I get my surgery. That’s what I need to keep telling myself. If not this time, then another time. That doesn’t change the feeling of looming disappointment that I am currently experiencing.
The journey continues, even if a temporary roadblock does occur.
An Aging Trans Woman 
I’m sorry you have to think about this. I’ll keep up hope that it’ll work out, and things will progress as planned. You can sort of plan for if things don’t work out; then if the shoe drops, you’ll be ahead of the game. I also don’t think your particular surgery would be at the bottom of the list of electives, since it involves better mental and physical health, after all. Not exactly elective! But probably considered such, or you wouldn’t call it that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
To be fair, it is “medically necessary” per standards of, among others, the AMA.
But it’s not “emergent*, ie life threatening. It’s a thin line, but one hospitals may be forced into balancing. When I say elective, I’m referring to non-emergent. That’s also the popular view of trans surgeries, to be fair.
Thank you Ali. Yours is always a voice of reason. Blessings. 🫂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, I knew what you meant; also that many people simply presume transition surgery is like a nose job or implants. You know me-I wanted to boost! Elective is briefer than non-emergent, and I’m one verbose person, also!
LikeLiked by 1 person