<\/p>\n When Marie Blouin was first diagnosed with breast cancer last December, she was relieved it was detected early.<\/p>\n But after two operations, the cancer was still there.<\/p>\n In mid-March, her surgeon told her that cancer had\u00a0invaded her right breast, and there was no choice left but to remove the breast.<\/p>\n “I was in shock,” said Blouin, 53, who lives in Quebec City.<\/p>\n In tears, she drove home from H\u00f4pital du Saint-Sacrement, the <\/strong>hospital where she’s being treated, and began to prepare herself mentally for the next round of surgery.<\/p>\n Her mastectomy and breast reconstruction were tentatively scheduled for April 1, but there was no guarantee.<\/p>\n By then, hospitals across the province had already limited\u00a0surgeries to the most urgent cases, to free up beds and staff to treat COVID-19 patients.<\/p>\n Still, it was a blow when her doctor phoned her at the end of March to tell her the surgery would not happen. Worse, he couldn’t tell her when it would be rescheduled.<\/p>\n “Psychologically, it’s very, very hard,” said Blouin. “Cancer is hard to handle under normal circumstances. This is not normal. It’s a lot of extra stress and anguish.”<\/p>\n Blouin is not alone.<\/p>\n The Canadian Cancer Society said many patients have had their radiation or chemotherapy treatment or surgeries postponed due to COVID-19.<\/p>\n For patients with compromised immune systems, the decision to keep them out of the hospital is often in their best interest, said Andr\u00e9 Beaulieu, a spokesperson for the society’s Quebec division. They can be more susceptible to complications if they are exposed to the virus, he said.<\/p>\n In some cases, the patient may be offered other options such as oral chemotherapy or hormone blockers to slow the cancer’s growth.<\/p>\n When it comes to surgery, Beaulieu said, urgent, life-threatening cases are still being prioritized, but he acknowledged the delays are causing a lot of stress.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, Health Minister Danielle McCann said more beds would become available for more surgeries when the number of COVID-19-related hospitalizations starts to go down.<\/p>\n Beaulieu said that news is encouraging, but he hopes the province has a plan in place to deal with the backlog \u2014\u00a0not just for the coming weeks, but for months to come.<\/p>\n “We just want to make sure that cancer patients are not becoming collateral damage during this crisis,” he said.<\/p>\n But some patients have their doubts the health-care system will be ready anytime soon.<\/p>\n Pierre Gougeon, a cancer patient at the Centre hospitalier de l’Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al (CHUM), said he was initially told he’d have his laparoscopic surgery within three months.<\/p>\n That was back in December, long before the COVID-19 crisis.<\/p>\n He was on standby for three and a half months. Finally the surgery to remove two cancerous nodules on his prostate was scheduled for the end of March.<\/p>\n Then it was cancelled due to COVID-19.<\/p>\n “I was not surprised, but very disappointed,” said Gougeon, 57.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Eight months after his initial diagnosis, he’s started to have symptoms he never had before, including burning and a pinching sensation he can feel in his legs.<\/p>\n His doctor told him if the pain gets worse, he can come in for more tests.<\/p>\n Gougeon inquired about having the surgery done privately, but it’s not an option.<\/p>\n “I’m screwed,” he said.<\/p>\n Yesterday, a hospital co-ordinator called to tell him there are cases more urgent than his.<\/p>\n That only made Gougeon feel more anxious.<\/p>\n The longer he waits, the more he worries his cancer will progress, making hormone therapy or radiation unavoidable.<\/p>\n “I feel like the system left me on the side and dropped me,” said Gougeon.<\/p>\n Blouin can relate to Gougeon’s feeling of abandonment.<\/p>\n Single and isolated from her family because of COVID-19, Blouin says it’s sometimes hard to cope with so much uncertainty.<\/p>\n Last week, her doctor asked her if she’d be willing to go on another list, this time, just for a mastectomy.<\/p>\n She’ll have to wait to get breast reconstruction after the pandemic.<\/p>\n “My name is on the list. No date. No nothing,” said Blouin. “He didn’t want to make any promises.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Blouin’s friends and family think she made the right call.<\/p>\n Although her cancer is localized and not considered a major emergency, Blouin’s mother, Fran\u00e7oise, died of breast cancer when Blouin was 10 years old.<\/p>\n Blouin has started doing meditation and yoga on a regular basis and is getting some support from two women who had cancer last year.<\/p>\n But she’s in a holding pattern.<\/p>\n She had hoped to be back at work by now and misses her colleagues.<\/p>\n She understands the health-care system has to focus on COVID-19, but she hopes the province understands the toll these delays are taking on cancer patients like herself.<\/p>\n “You have to understand that, psychologically, I am very tired. I am drained by all this stress. I want to put this behind me and be able to move on with my life.”<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.5532450.1586910236!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/16x9_780\/marie-blouin.jpg\")
<\/img><\/p>\n<\/div>Delays causing stress<\/h2>\n
Long wait has gotten longer<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.5532452.1586910492!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_780\/pierre-gougeon.jpg\")
<\/img><\/p>\n<\/div>Desire to move on<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i.cbc.ca\/1.5532453.1586910627!\/fileImage\/httpImage\/image.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/original_780\/francoise-blouin.jpg\")
<\/img><\/p>\n<\/div>