Hi everybody,
I have been following all of your posts while awaiting the outcome of my husband's biopsy.
Today, after waiting over 5 weeks, we finally heard the worst. After the first diagnosis in Spain in March when the Cancer was in the bladder only, today we were told that it had spread through the muscle to prostate and lymph nodes. We now have to wait a further 2 weeks to find what the Medical Team in Liverpool, our nearest Cancer Hospital, can do. Our local consultant said that there are only two options. 1. Removal of bladder, prostate and all lymph nodes in the area or 2.If the spread is too great then only chemo/radio. We are dumbfounded. The waiting is just unacceptable for a type of cancer that they say is one of the most curable - if caught in time. How long is time when the medical profession are the people keeping us waiting? Health Service cut-backs don't only apply in England. We were told by the Consultant that they didn't have the staff in the Path Lab, thus 5 weeks for biopsy results, and to complain to our Government. Oh yes. the song 'One Voice' springs to mind. Sorry to go on, I'm angry and devastated and just sitting here watching my husband in pain (the painkillers don't work all of the time) and we've done all the talking. Now I'm ranting on and at the same time thinking how far has this demon spread since the biopsy 5 wks ago.
Love to all,
Tricia.X.
FormerMember
hi tricia, i am so sorry to hear your news and can fully empathis with how you are feeling and what you are going through.
my partner who is 42 has recently been dx with advanced bowel cancer and secondary liver mets.
he has bowel cancer 5 years ago and had is bowel removed. he has only had 3 follow ups in the past 5 years and a couple of those we really had to chase! the last one was november 2007 if he had had one in november 2008 we might not be in the posotion we are in now. our gp has also been diagnosing him with prostatitis since xmas!!
anyway i look you am very angry and feel totally let down by the system, im trying not to waste my energies on it at the moment but today my partner has been told by another gp we may have a case to answer in court! so i may look into how you go about it. we keep having it drummed into us about the importance of dealing things asap but if the health professionals are not on the ball what do you do?
it has now been 5 weeks since his dx and he hasnt even started any treatment yet-hopefully it will start next week.
anyway sorry or ranting, i am sure you will find lots of help and support on this site and please feel free to pm me anytime,
So sorry to hear your bad news and that the system has let you down.
I was dx with breast cancer in Feb 08 and the mastectomy was not carried out till the end of April. You keep wondering how much the tumour had grown in 2 months.
Luckily I have a good and supportive GP as if he had not intervened I would have had to wait even longer.
It seems you have to keep ringing for appointments. At a time when you are told to calm down I find it all very stressful.
They say that money does not buy you happiness but at least you can buy quicker treatment,
So sorry to read your story. It is so difficult when you are waiting for tests, results and treatment decisions. Each day seems like an eternity. My thoughts and prayers are with you both. Good luck to you. Has your husband spoken to the gp about an analgesia review if painkillers are not working? You could contact macmillan services to ask them for advice. x x x
I am so sorry to hear of your husbands news, and the wait must be absoloutely terrible for you, bad enough getting that news without being given the runaround with treatment etc.
To Susan above I am sorry to disagree with you regarding money buying you a quicker appointment. My sister (also a member of this site) has private health care with her husbands work, and she has not seen an oncoligist for 6 months (she has secondary breast cancer, which has spread to her liver and uterus, and she is terminal). She attended an appointment a few weeks ago to be told the appointment had been cancelled due to the doctor being of f sick, and she would have to wait until he came back from sick leave in a few weeks.
Had she been going through the NHS she would have been sent somwhere else and got the scan she is so desperately waiting for to decide what treatment she will be getting next,
Hey Jo Mac, I so agree with you about private health care! When this whole circus begun with me I was private - under King's College in London. The care i got was crap - a major op followed by NO check ups, waiting weeks for a scan etc,. Then i heard about Prof who was top man at St Bart's in London, went to see him and he said he wanted to treat me on NHS as he didn't want wrangles with Ins companies to get in the way. Well I've had to wait max 5 days for a PET scan, and there are more support systems in place if you're NHS. My son, who you know has just been diagnosed has private health care - I said to him 'don't bother - private's great if you're going for a hip replacement, or a hysterectomy, (not my son!!) you'll get a private room, quicker op date etc, etc. When It comes to cancer, forget it - if you're NHS you can make noise if you're not happy, and sometimes that's what you have to do. So far, I'm bowled over my the whole team that's looking after me.
