A POWYS man is still waiting for an operation to mend his broken arm – nearly seven months after it happened.

Antony Mead has been living an “absolute nightmare” since breaking his arm at his Rhayader home in October last year.

Antony’s break is a complicated one, made more so by an initial accident he suffered when he plummeted 80 feet down a ravine and crashed into a tree while at work in 2016. That left him with a broken arm which required a metal rod being inserted, he even needed a skin graft.

The rod then snapped on October 27 as Antony was bending down to pick up a cushion off the floor at home.

After an eight-hour wait in A&E the 62-year-old was advised to return home as the initial broken arm complicated matters and meant he could only be seen by a specialist.

County Times: A gruesome X-ray shows that the metal rod in Antony's arm has snapped A gruesome X-ray shows that the metal rod in Antony's arm has snapped (Image: Antony Mead)

As the seven-month anniversary of the accident looms, he is still waiting for it to be fixed.

The last seven months have involved him spending countless hours on the phone seeking clarity. He has visited four different hospitals and eight clinics - one appointment involved a mix-up where doctors didn’t appear to know who he was - and he has been unable to sleep in his own bed for the entire seven months.

“It’s been unbelievably frustrating and depressing, on a huge scale. It’s been an absolute nightmare,” said Antony, a former captain at Builth Wells Cricket Club who worked as a hydro-electrical engineer until his accident.

“For the first four months it was the most horrific experience of my life. I was completely ignored with no communication whatsoever unless I rang them, but they make it impossible to speak to anyone and you spend hours on the phone getting nowhere.

“I went to the Grange Hospital initially but eight weeks passed without anything happening and no contact. I remained untreated and in pain and all that was done was I was put on loads of strong painkillers.

“I’ve been punted between Cardiff and Vale and the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, that’s involved travelling about 1,200 miles between Rhayader and Cardiff.

“I’ve even been called Mr Williams at one appointment where they wanted to do blood tests but had vials incorrectly marked with someone else’s name."

He added: “I’m unable to carry out any simple function. I can’t look after my dog properly and I’ve been living downstairs.

“I haven’t slept a night upstairs in my own bed since the accident. I was told that any nerve damage, if I fall over, could cause me to lose my arm.”

Antony says he began to see light at the end of the tunnel two months ago when he phoned a surgeon who operated on him after his 2016 accident.

“I told him what was happening and he contacted one of his colleagues who instigated a meeting,” said Antony.

“He was off on long-term sick, and his intervention is the only reason things are progressing."

Antony is now fully in the care of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and he has praised them for their care and attention.

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“Since a meeting about six to eight weeks ago they’ve been nothing short of unbelievable,” he said.

“I am still weeks away from any surgery as far as I can make out. It’s a complicated break with the metalwork, and even more so due to the initial accident, but it’s not something that should have resulted in someone being left at home, untreated, for seven months. The system is broken.

A spokesperson for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: “While we are unable to comment in detail on individual patient cases, Mr Mead's case is very complex and decisions regarding the ongoing management and treatment of his condition is being planned in conjunction with other health boards within a multi-disciplinary setting. 

“Our clinical teams are in regular contact with Mr Mead around his care plan provided within our health board, but if he has any concerns we would advise him to contact our concerns team who will be happy to speak with him directly.”