Waiting in Pain: When 1–3 Months Turns Into Years

I shared this story in October 2025, and it’s one I never imagined I’d be telling.

I need a new hip and a new knee. But before they’ll even consider doing either surgery, I have to have steroid injections in my hips. Under Hereford, I was told the wait should have been between one and three months.

I’ve been waiting since March 2025.

As of October 2025, that’s already seven months — and I’ve now been told it could be around another ten months before I even get the injections. After that, I’ll be placed on yet another waiting list for the actual joint replacements.

It feels never-ending.

I’ve literally just come out of an appointment where I made the decision to go private for the steroid injections in my hips. It wasn’t an easy decision. It’s not money I particularly have spare. But I feel like if I don’t get this sorted soon, I’m going to have to give up work.

That’s the reality of it.

I’m trying to stay hopeful. I’m hoping the injections work. I’m hoping they give me some relief. I’m hoping they buy me enough time to keep going. But right now, everything feels on hold while the waiting list grows longer and longer.

When I hear people say they’ve been waiting 104 weeks, I honestly don’t know how they’re managing to keep working. I don’t feel strong enough to fight the system or put in a complaint. I’ve got so much other stuff going on, and some days just getting through the day is enough.

The emotional toll of all this is huge. It’s not just about pain — it’s about uncertainty. It’s about feeling stuck. It’s about trying to plan a future when my mobility, my work, and my independence all feel fragile.

For now, all I can do is wait. And hope.

Hope the injections help. Hope the surgery comes sooner rather than later.

Hope that eventually, things will feel manageable again.