Am I expecting too much?

No I was in a very similar situation, in fact the first appointment for me at the hospital was when they told me I needed an ovary removing. During the scan they said it was a 'small cyst' and my doctor referred me further. Until that point, I hadn't even realised I needed an op as no one had mentioned it or even specified it was that serious. I did the same as you burst into tears.

As it happened it was not a cyst, I later foud out it was a fibroid. I never had an opportunity to even meet the consultant properly until after my operation. 

I was very nervous too and I am so squeamish that I didn't really want to know more. I had keyhole after being admitted through A&E that was when they discovered that it was a fibroid and then I had to have treatment for 3 months before a second op.

I kept calling to get a cancellation, but that is hard. I think the nurses geuniely are trying but under constant pressure. Although I was in and out of hospital quite a bit, yes they do lose or not read notes. One day I managed to get an emergency scan because of problems with my kidneys, I had an emailing giving me a name and number to contact when calling and explaining they said they hadn't emailed, so I read the email through to them. When I arrived the same day, same appointment then first try to send me to early pregnancy and then foetal medicine. I cannot tell you how many times they did pregnancy tests on me. It is so frustrating and the waiting gives you more time to think.

It was 10 months from my first visit to the doctors to my second op, that won't happen for you as my situation was just unfortunate, however I think the timescale is a maximum of 16 weeks from your initial consultation to op.

http://www.nhs.uk/choiceintheNHS/Rightsandpledges/Waitingtimes/Pages/Guide%20to%20waiting%20times.aspx

Although what I had was sllightly different feel free to ask me any questions and I'll try and help. I had keyole and an abdominal myomectomy, so although not identical I can give you a few pointers or bits of advcie if useful x x

I am afraid a lack of information and the NHS go hand in hand these days.

So far as the 24hrs and daycare is concerned that is not mentioned until the pre-op assesment and is not routinely said before.

I am unsure what the letter will say but if you have questions arising from it there will either be a number on it to ring, ring the pre-op clinic back or the consultants secretary.

I've just read your post and can't believe how close my experience is to yours.  I had my pre op yesterday and having been taken through for the usual tests 30 mins late I arrived with the nurse.  She said, hello, my name's .... have a seat.  I'm going to have to rush you through because I've booked you a lung function appointment in 20/25 mins.  Well, you can imagine how the rest of the appointment went.  This was the woman I had hoped would answer all my questions that had been buzzing round my head for weeks.  She fired information at me like it was going out of fashion, and I was in such a state that I could barely read the questions I had taken in with me let alone ask them.  She indicated with her hand 'up the corridor' to the ward I would be going to - had I seen the signs for it (well no, I wasn't looking for them).  She mentioned things I had never been told before, and I am only now thinking I should have triedharder to ask more questions but there just wasn't time - she kept looking at the clock.  The lung funtion unit was as dead as a dodo, so I'm sure I could have gone along there later.  So far I have seen two doctors/consultants I couldn't understand and a nurse who didn't care,  My op is this coming Friday 14 November.  I was also given a whole stash of leaflets to read.  Three of the people I have seen (not the nurse) have all looked at the information they had on me when I had my knee operations in 2005 and 2008 and thought I was under someone totally different.  The man in the lung function lab also thought this.  When I corrected him and told him who I was under, he asked me how to spell his name!

I have not had anything positive said to me, and whoever I have seen seem to treat me like I'm a nuisance to them.

Hospitals today  seem to be all about not getting sued.  Where has all the care for the patients who have been told there might be something sinister there but we don't know till we operate.

Sorry for the rant.  I hope you are getting more support now?

xxKathy