It began with soccer, Britain's beloved national sport. Then, flights into London's Heathrow Airport were canceled out of respect for Queen Elizabeth II, drawing weary sighs from critics. 

By the time of the late monarch’s funeral Monday, the U.K. will have come to a near-standstill, with most businesses shuttered and thousands of events canceled across the country. 

But for some relying on Britain’s cherished National Health Service — already creaking with long delays — or other services like food banks, the cancelations seemed like too high a price to pay in a country grappling with a cost-of-living crisis. 

“When I was called and told all appointments that day are cancelled, I got off the phone and cried,” Dan O’Brien, who is eight months pregnant, told NBC News via Twitter on Thursday.

O’Brien, 23, said she had waited three weeks to get an appointment at a specialized maternity unit because she has Type 1 diabetes and her pregnancy is considered high risk. But this week she was told her Monday appointment had been canceled because of the national holiday declared for the funeral.

“I only have six to seven weeks until I have my baby, so I feel like I’m running out of time to get the help I need before it becomes too much,” said the publishing executive from Chelmsford, a small town around 40 miles northeast of London. 

O’Brien added she was told she should be seen by a doctor next week, but that could also be delayed due to a clash in appointments. 

Many people also took to social media to complain about canceled operations and medical appointments. One of them was Katie Brodie, who wrote on Twitter: “I’m a chemotherapy patient and had a Covid booster booked for 19th carefully timed round my treatment,” she wrote. “Now cancelled and can’t rebook for weeks. Just hope I stay safe!”

A spokesperson for NHS England told NBC News that on the day of the funeral staff will work to ensure that “urgent and emergency services," including urgent dental and doctor appointments, were available.