Mary's story: "The level of pain is impacting all aspects of my life"

Living with multiple MSK conditions

Mary, from Belfast in Northern Ireland, lives with multiple musculoskeletal conditions and has been waiting since 2019 for shoulder surgery and spinal surgery. She had to retire early from her work and suffers from excruciating pain that impacts all aspects of her life. 

"I have several musculoskeletal conditions, mainly rheumatoid arthritis. I am on orthopaedic and spinal waiting lists which are the longest in the UK. You can wait years for any type of treatment."

"I was first put on a waiting list in 2019 for assessment for shoulder surgery following an MRI which showed early damage. It was almost two years later before I was assessed again via a phone call from the surgeon."

Waiting for her condition to stabilise

"I then met a consultant in March 2025, but unfortunately the results from my previous MRI could not be found, which meant the consultant was unable to confirm options. Following an X-ray, I was told that my rheumatoid arthritis was still active and that I needed to wait a further six months to allow the medication to stabilise things."

"I am now waiting for my arthritis to calm down before I can have
any procedures, whilst also waiting to see a spinal surgeon which has a waiting list of 14 months. I am having to pay privately both for physiotherapy and an assessment for surgery as the level of pain is significant and impacting all aspects of my life."

No support or advice on offer

"There are serious workforce issues in Northern Ireland. As a result, we are exponentially worse with our waiting lists. Another issue is the poor communication about how long we might have to wait with
no support or advice offered. It’s like being deafened by silence as all I can think about is the pain and the lack of support."

"I had to retire early from full time work. I can no longer stand for any length of time, and the fatigue and pain has become worse. I am lucky as my husband is so supportive; I don’t know how I would cope on my own."