Well! What a 48 hours we have all had!
Dad's coughing and pain was getting worse over the weekend and I finally managed to convince mum to ring the GP at 11a.m. on Sunday. Having done that she was told that all doctors had already left on there rounds so it could take 3-6 hours. Sounds dreadful, but at least some relief was in sight.
10 hours later a doctor arrived, listened to my mother talking about coughing up phlegm and prescribed anti-biotics and left. As all local out of hours pharmacies were closed my mum was handed a brown envelope - with capsules in it. Having waited 10 hours I went out and caught the doctor in the car and asked if my dad was expected to swallow them - yes was the reply. I explained that was not going to be possible with his gullet cancer - "Oh, I didn;t know this" ...I thought "%*£"*&£!!!!!!" Perhaps when we get a mac nurse this can be rectified - otherwose I don't hold out much hope for anyone who is in desperate pain and waiting for a an out of hours doctor.
So.....hadn't read/received any notes ...was it also possible that the "chest infection" diagnosis was due to lung cancer by any chance? My guess is he has not got a chest infection. He is coughing up clear mucus not coloured phlegm.
The pain was put down to "muscular" and so nothing was prescribed. To say I was hopping mad is the understatement of the year.
Today my father has had his stent put in. He had to wait from 8a.m. until 2pm on nil by mouth - and was threatened with an overnight stay due to vomiting. But managed to convince them to let him out at 7pm tonight.
At least the after effects of the anaesthetic made the vomiting and coughing relatively painfree. Not too sure about tomorrow though! Fingers crossed that a good nights sleep will also have a good effect.
I also phoned his nurse today to let her know that he is being a bit too stoic on the pain control front and she said she would see that he got something. Was not surprised that there was no new prescription for him, and that he has only had 2 paracetamols todays!
Rant over.
Looking forward to reduced symptoms and better quality of life with the stent until monday's first chemo session.
Hope everyone has had a good day today.
